This study sought to understand what training and development the teachers experienced through the cascade model. In asking the question, "Does the cascade model work for teachers?" I produced data through the exploration of the experiences of teachers, whose training for the implementation of the Integrated Quality Management System at schools was through the cascade model. The critical questions posed in the study were, firstly, what are the building blocks that constitute the cascade model? Secondly, how did the School Training Teams experience their training and development on the cascade model, based on the core guiding principles? Thirdly, what are the experiences of teachers at school level, on their training and development by School Training Teams for the implementation of IQMS? Using Zeichner's paradigms of teacher development (1993) as the theoretical lens through which to understand how training and development was experienced through the cascade model, I read and interpreted the workings of the model in terms of the four paradigmatic positionings – Traditional-craft, behaviorist, personalistic and inquiry oriented perspectives. Using a descriptive qualitative approach, I accessed three high schools in the Port Shepstone District to participate in this study. The data sources used to produce the data included the IQMS Provincial Training Manual (used by the provincial facilitators for the training of School Training Teams); individual semi-structured interviews of the Provincial IQMS facilitators; interviews of the School Training Team members who were responsible for cascading IQMS to teachers at school level, and survey questionnaires to teachers of the schools that participated in this study. The findings of the study show that the process of teacher development through the cascade model has not only resulted in the teachers engaging in 'strategic simulation' about change and 'intensification' of the work they do , but has to a greater extent, also led to teacher deprofessionalization. Although 'disruption' was unearthed in the middle tiers of the cascade, by and large, the intent of change at both levels, bureaucratic and school, was tactical and strategically simulated. I conclude that the continued employment of the cascade as the model for teacher development and training perpetuates a technicist approach of what it means to be a teacher and reduces teachers work to a de-intellectualising practice.


We report the observation of a characteristic incubation time in the growth of silicon nanowires using the vapor–liquid–solid growth mechanism. This incubation time manifests itself during the growth process as a characteristic time delay in the range of several seconds to minutes, prior to which no nanowires are formed. The observation is in excellent agreement with a theoretical model based on the diffusion of silicon through the catalyst, which predicts the presence of an incubation time, as determined by diffusion of the growth constituent through the solid catalyst. Furthermore the theoretical dependence of the incubation time on the activation energy is derived, and validated experimentally for the first time by measuring the incubation times of silicon nanowires obtained by chemical vapor deposition for both gold and copper as a catalyst. The experimentally observed incubation times are in excellent agreement with the theoretically predicted incubation times. The reported incubation times are a universal feature of vapor–liquid–solid growth and can be applied to any other metal/semiconductor system for the synthesis of nanowires and provide a novel route to determine the phase space for nanowire-synthesis.


Financial statements are fundamental to any business, large or small. They are actually "report cards" on the performance of the business. When reading them, you will encounter odd terminology, strange calculations, and of course, big numbers. But what insight can they give you as a manager, owner, or investor? How can you use financial statements to manage the business or be a wiser investor without having to become a CPA? And what in the world do some of those terms mean and how do you use them? With the guidance in this book, if you can read a nutrition label or a baseball box score, you can learn to read basic financial statements. There are four main financial statements. They are balance sheets, income statements, cash flow statements, and statements of shareholders equity. It is important to note that a financial statement does NOT tell the complete story. Combined, however, they provide very powerful information for business owners, managers, and investors. Information is the best tool when it comes to managing and investing wisely. This easy-to-follow book will make you an expert on financial statement interpretation including: profit and loss statements (income statements), balance sheets, financial analyses, profit analyses, break-even analyses, and ratios. The book includes an extensive glossary useful lingo and hundreds of hints, tricks, and secrets about how to read these statements and use them to your advantage.


This paper reviews the literature on the prospects of the world food supply-demand situation over the next decade and beyond. In particular, space is provided for the growth patterns and projections of food production, consumption, trade and world prices. This also includes analysis of possible constraints in increases of future food production. Implications of the projected food demand-supply balance are also discussed.


This chapter is written from the perspective of the military operational lawyer in an attempt to explain where he fits in this world, from both the top-down and bottom-up perspectives in linking military operations to U.S. foreign policy. There are three issues hidden in this perspective. The first is tied to ideas about the changing nature of armed conflict. The operational lawyer currently functions most of the time in low-intensity armed conflicts like insurgencies or peacekeeping, precisely because that is the business his battlefield commander "clients" now do most of the time. So his professional world may be focused more often on civil affairs than traditional targeting law as such. The second is that his legal capacity is an advisory one (e.g., is not often devoted to running courts-martial or military commissions). And most of this advisory capacity is dedicated to planning military operations rather than their execution as such. Finally, combining advisory capacity with the point that "small wars" predominate, this version of armed conflict law is an amalgam of domestic and international law focusing currently on nontraditional questions like protection of NGO (nongovernmental organization) personnel providing humanitarian assistance, or how best to support civil authorities trying to reconstitute local courts and government in the face of targeted assassinations in the course of an insurgency. So the border seems porous between traditional military operations and something akin to law enforcement, and in any case involves a high degree of contact and often cooperation with nonmilitary bodies (i.e., foreign governments, the U.S. government interagency process, and NGOs).For the balance of this chapter, I look first at the current taxonomy of armed conflict and the concept that it may be an uneasy fit with traditional ideas about "war." Thereafter, we examine how this affects military doctrine in supporting U.S. foreign policy generally, with consequent effects on the military operational lawyer. Finally, we look at the activities of military operational lawyers at the practical level in terms of planning operations. The hope is to provide some insight into what and how military operational lawyers actually make decisions touching upon the LOAC (law of armed conflict) in their workaday world.


Gas Lubricated Herringbone Grooved Journal Bearings (HGJB) have long been used in equipment such as navigation systems, optical scanners for laser printers and high speed cameras and disk spindle for flyhead testers. All such applications are characterized by a relatively small size (journal diameter <10 mm, rotor mass <100 g), benign duty cycle (mainly start-and-stop) and reliance on the inherent high stiffness of HGJB to maintain a stable axis of rotation. The oil lubricated version of Helical Grooved Journal-Thrust Bearing cartridge has been adopted by the disk drive industry for disk stack support; known as the hydrodynamic spindle, it makes possible a substantial increase of track density by eliminating self-noise and there is much interest to up-grade to an Air Lubricated version to reduce heat generation. Load carrying capacity per se is not of concern in these applications; albeit high-g shock testing is a procurement requirement as safeguard for service reliability. Despite the variety of applications, curiously missing from the roster is its use as the main support bearing for energy conversion machinery even though HGJB owes its heritage to the Whipple thrust bearing, which was invented for rotating machines for operation in hermetically sealed loop of radio-active environment. These machines are typically supported by pivoted pad journal bearings. Nevertheless Helical Grooved non-contact shaft seals are used in energy conversion machines; high radial and angular stiffness ensure uniform radial clearance and flow leakage is kept at a very low level. There is an immediate interest for the deployment of HGJB in the machine tool industry; specifically a high speed machining spindle appears to be very desirable. In order to enhance early realization of this application, research is needed to address issues related to increased size and rotor mass, and an assessment of how HGJB can satisfy the more demanding duty cycle. Although many analytical/numerical methods – including Narrow Groove Theory (NGT), Finite Difference Models, and Finite Element Models (FEM) – have been developed to calculate stiffness and load carrying capacity of HGJB, very scant experimental results are available to validate model predictions. This dissertation presents an experimental study performed on air lubricated HGJB, which attempts to fill this gap. For these experiments a novel four degree of freedom piezo-actuated loading system has been developed. The novelty of the loading system resides in the fact that both – the shaft and the bearing – are rigidly supported, so that bearing whirl instability is suppressed in the experiments, which makes their interpretation significantly simpler. Loading of the HGJB is performed by imposing relative displacements between shaft and journal by means of piezo actuators driven by a specially designed multivariable control algorithm. We evaluated several conventional and non-conventional manufacturing technologies to introduce shallow spiral grooves with controlled profile on a shaft, and selected the most appropriate one – electrochemical etching. Measurements performed with the novel test facility during the experiments on HGJBs allow determining the load carrying capacity and stiffness of a journal bearing as a function of compressibility number. This correlation is established at different speeds and different eccentricity ratios. The use of a shaft diameter of 60 mm combined with a zero-speed radial clearance of 14.5 µm leads to compressibility numbers of up to 35, for shaft speeds of 40'000 rpm. This compressibility number range enables accurate characterization of the performance of a HGJB over most useful operating regimes. Different grooving configurations have been tested with a constant bearing length to diameter ratio, equal to one. By measuring bearing reaction forces in two perpendicular planes we determined the bearing attitude angle at different levels of eccentricity ratio. We also monitored the temperature inside the lubricating film. The experimental results are compared to predictions obtained from available analytical/numerical models. Conclusions are drawn regarding the domain and conditions of validity of each of the models (namely regarding the number of grooves and eccentricity ratio). We observed that the NGT over predicts performance of HGJBs. The influence of the number of grooves on performance characteristics is observed to be lower than what is predicted by the FEM analysis. Furthermore, the increase in the radial force coefficient with the increase in the eccentricity ratio is also shown to be lower than what FEM analysis predicts. We concluded that the power dissipated by a gas lubricated HGJB is well predicted by the modified Petrov's equation. All this information contributes to putting design and analysis of HGJB on a more solid and reliable basis, which is the ultimate goal of this dissertation.


A whole‐sediment toxicity test with Myriophyllum aquaticum has been developed by the German Federal Institute of Hydrology and standardized within the International Organization for Standardization (ISO; ISO 16191). An international ring‐test was performed to evaluate the precision of the test method. Four sediments (artificial, natural) were tested. Test duration was 10 d, and test endpoint was inhibition of growth rate (r) based on fresh weight data. Eighteen of 21 laboratories met the validity criterion of r ≥ 0.09 d−1 in the control. Results from 4 tests that did not conform to test‐performance criteria were excluded from statistical evaluation. The inter‐laboratory variability of growth rates (20.6%–25.0%) and inhibition (26.6%–39.9%) was comparable with the variability of other standardized bioassays. The mean test‐internal variability of the controls was low (7% [control], 9.7% [solvent control]), yielding a high discriminatory power of the given test design (median minimum detectable differences [MDD] 13% to 15%). To ensure these MDDs, an additional validity criterion of CV ≤ 15% of the growth rate in the controls was recommended. As a positive control, 90 mg 3,5‐dichlorophenol/kg sediment dry mass was tested. The range of the expected growth inhibition was proposed to be 35 ± 15%. The ring test results demonstrated the reliability of the ISO 16191 toxicity test and its suitability as a tool to assess the toxicity of sediment and dredged material. Environ Toxicol Chem 2014;33:662–670. © 2013 SETAC


The modern monetary system is controlled by the state and yet linked to private deposit banking. Monetary value held in deposits with commercial banks is known as 'commercial bank money' (CoBM). Monetary value held in deposits with the central bank – as well as banknotes issued by the central bank – is called 'central bank money' (CeBM). Under this scheme, central banks thus issue two forms of central bank money: cash for the retail sector and balances in traditional reserve accounts for wholesale purposes (reserves). However, for several years now, and most recently in particular against the background of private actors commencing to issue private digital currencies, a growing number of central banks have also been investigating the possibility and implications of issuing a digital form CeBM for the general public: central bank digital currency (CBDC), also known as retail CBDC (rCBDC).


Propionicacidaemia in twins. F. Cockburn, M. D. Cohen, J. A. B. Darling, M. Giles, R. A. Harkness, and A. D. Nicol. (Departments of Child Life and Health and Paediatric Biochemistry, University of Edinburgh, and Simpson Memorial Maternity Pavilion, Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh.) A few infants with a serious metabolic disease associated with increased concentrations of propionic acid in the plasma have been reported. The majority of these infants have died in the neonatal period. Ketoacidosis and hypotonia have been presenting features. We describe such a syndrome in nonidentical twins. The parents are first cousins and come from Pakistan. The mother's 4 previous pregnancies had resulted in an abortion, an anencephalic stillbirth, and two children who died in the neonatal period. One of these children was reported by Gompertz et al. (1970) to have had propionicacidaemia. During pregnancy the mother's urinary oestriol concentrations had been consistently low. Labour occurred spontaneously at 37 weeks. Amniotic fluid from each sac and umbilical venous plasma from each twin had normal concentrations of amino acids and propionic acid. Twin I, a girl, weighed 1 7 kg, and twin II, a boy, 2 7 kg. Both followed an almost identical course of progressive hypotonia, apathy, and diminished reflexes, merging into coma and death. Twin I died on day 10 and twin II on day 13. Long chain ketones and acetone were present in their urine from the first day of life, in association with a mild metabolic acidaemia. Plasma propionic acid concentrations increased markedly, 6 0 mM in twin I and 4-8 mM in twin II, by day 7. Hydroxyproline, serine, asparagine, glycine, isoleucine, leucine, and ornithine concentrations were increased in the plasma of twin I. Asparagine, aspartic acid, glycine, citrulline, leucine, and lysine concentrations were increased in the plasma of twin II. Propionyl coenzyme A carboxylase activity in liver mitochondria from each twin was less than 10% of control levels in human, rabbit, and rat liver mitochondria. Biotin, pantothenic acid, and carnitine were without demonstrable clinical or marked biochemical effects. It is suggested that the twins had clinical and biochemical abnormalities similar to cases previously described as having idiopathic ketotic hyperglycinaemia, methylmalonic acidaemia, and propionicacidaemia.


As the story is traditionally told, the minimum contacts test introduced in International Shoe v Washington freed personal jurisdiction from the dark age of territorialism and gave courts the flexibility to expand the scope of personal jurisdiction to keep pace with modern society. While scholars have critiqued the minimum contacts test on a number of grounds, the narrative that the Territorial Model was inherently problematic—and that Shoe was a step in the right direction— has gone largely unchallenged. This Article challenges that narrative and argues for a return to the Territorial Model. While Shoe is traditionally cast as a step toward expanding personal jurisdiction, the minimum contacts test has now become a greater restraint on state power than the territorial regime that preceded it. This constriction of state power has been coupled with a doctrine that has become increasingly confusing and malleable, unmoored from coherent constitutional and theoretical foundations, and unable to respond to economic and technological changes. The Territorial Model, by contrast, gave states numerous tools to assert jurisdiction over out-of-state defendants, including quasi in rem jurisdiction, consent statutes, and constructive presence. The rules governing personal jurisdiction were relatively straightforward and relied on objective criteria that were easily ascertainable with minimal litigation costs. Once the mythology surrounding personal jurisdiction doctrine is dismantled, the original wisdom of the Territorial Model, and the benefits of returning to it, are clear.


Abstract Smectitic clays from the Sabga and Bana areas, western Cameroon were treated with sulfuric-acid solutions of various concentrations - 0.5, 0.7, 1.0 and 4.0 N - at 80°C for 2 h. The mineralogical, physicochemical and morphological characteristics of the samples treated were analysed using several techniques. The sulfuric acid caused structural modification of the dioctahedral smectite. The accessory minerals such as cristobalite, quartz, feldspars and anatase remained unaltered by the acid attack. The supernatant solutions after acid treatment contain Mg, Ca, K, Na, Si, Al and Fe as a result of partial dissolution of octahedral and tetrahedral cations. The activated clay samples exhibited a smaller cation exchange capacity (CEC) and the specific surface area (SSA) increased with increasing concentration of sulfuric acid, ranging from 65 to 134 m2/g for the sample from Bana and from 74 to 84 m2/g for the sample from Sabga. The different SSA values were affected by the relative abundance of smectite and cristobalite (SiO2/Al2O3 = 2.2 and 6.5, respectively, from Bana and Sabga). The activated clays from Bana and Sabga displayed interesting physicochemical and textural properties and can be considered as promising adsorbents for the bleaching of vegetable oils.


Abstract Objectives: To investigate whether patients with improved clinical markers during their anti-TNFα treatment experience improvements in their functional and psychological ability to undertake activities. Methods: Patients receiving anti-TNFα treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or ankylosing spondylitis (AS) were recruited from outpatient clinics in East Anglia and North West England. Purposive sampling recruited variety in demographic and treatment experiences. Data were collected through in-depth qualitative interviews and analysed using an interpretive phenomenological framework. Twenty-seven patients were recruited; 19 with RA, eight with AS, and aged from 21 to 73 years. Results: While people generally experienced an improvement in their functional ability, known as occupational gain, they continued to experience difficulties through previous biomechanical damage, continuing symptoms of inflammatory arthritis, or concerns about anti-TNFα treatment. These disruptions affected how participants retained or regained employment. Lack of healthcare support, including an absence of occupational therapy intervention, resulted in people testing new boundaries through a process of unsupported trial and error. Conclusion: Occupational gain was not maximised for people on anti-TNFα treatment. Improved referral pathways to occupational therapy could facilitate the management of continuing functional difficulties, thereby maximising the benefit of treatment to people with inflammatory arthritis. Implications for Rehabilitation This study challenges the assumption that functional improvement for people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) receiving anti-TNF a treatment experience is relatively trouble-free. Rheumatology provision needs to be more closely informed by and aligned with the needs of these service users to maximise the benefit from what is an expensive treatment option. People with RA and AS would both benefit from more focused occupational therapy interventions addressing the impact of occupational performance on occupational engagement.


BACKGROUND
Large numbers of studies have shown that oral sucrose or glucose, with or without non-nutritive sucking given prior to painful procedures result in a significant reduction in behavioral pain responses during or following painful procedures compared with placebo, no treatment or non-nutritive sucking alone, in newborns and infants up to 12 months of age. It is not known if these pain-reducing effects exist for older infants and children one year to 16 years of age.

OBJECTIVES
To determine the efficacy of sweet tasting solutions or substances for reducing needle-related procedural pain in children beyond one year of age.

SEARCH STRATEGY
We searched the following databases: the Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials (CCTR), MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, ACP Journal Club, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE), Cochrane Methodology Register, Health Technology Assessment, and the NHS Economic Evaluation Database, and on the EBSCOhost interface: CINAHL. We applied no language or document type restrictions. We used the standard methods of The Cochrane Collaboration. The last date of the search was June 30, 2011.

SELECTION CRITERIA
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in which children from one year up to 16 years of age, received a sweet tasting solution or substance for needle-related procedural pain. Control conditions included water, non-sweet tasting substances, pacifier, distraction, no treatment, positioning/containment or breastfeeding.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Outcome measures included composite pain scores, physiological or behavioral pain indicators, self-report of pain or parental- or healthcare professional-report of child's pain. We reported mean differences (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) using fixed-effect or random-effects models as appropriate for continuous outcome measures. We planned to report risk ratio (RR) and risk difference (RD) for dichotomous outcomes. We used the Chi(2) test and I(2) statistic to assess between-study heterogeneity.

MAIN RESULTS
We included four studies (330 participants). Two studies focused on toddlers and pre-school children receiving sucrose for immunization pain compared with water or no treatment and two studies included school-aged children receiving sweet or unsweetened chewing gum before, or, before and during immunization and blood collection. Results for the toddlers/pre-school children were conflicting. Participants in the sucrose group in one study had significantly lower cry duration and behavioral pain scores, compared with the no intervention group, while crying time did not differ between the sucrose and the no intervention group in the other study. For school-aged children, chewing sweet gum either before, or during the procedure, did not significantly reduce pain scores.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
Based on these four studies, two of which were subgroups of small numbers of eligible toddlers from larger studies, there is insufficient evidence of the analgesic effects of sweet tasting solutions or substances during acute painful procedures in children over one year of age. Further well-conducted RCTs are warranted in this population.


We consider two channels via which foreign inputs into industrial production may lead to productivity effects. The first one concerns dynamic externalities between firms which share technical and organizational knowledge which is vital for the productivity growth of a particular industry. We show by which institutional mechanism firms are able to share proprietary knowledge which is of economic value for the competitor. An increase of the number of cooperating firms due to foreign direct investments leads to growth effects. The second channel of growth effects resulting from openness is derived from an increase of the imports of physical inputs due to a greater variety of inputs for final goods production.


No longer wholly an aspirational doctrine, the responsibility to protect concept, as international law, obligates nation-states to protect their people against mass grievous human rights violations, and also obligates the international community to respond in some manner to mass atrocities when a state has failed to fulfill its original sovereign protective responsibility. While this doctrine is multi-faceted, only these two components have attained the status of customary international law, and the latter responsive facet in a rather embryonic and amorphous manner. Though not a black and white discussion, it is important to consider responsibility to protect's role on the world stage, since such consideration provides a more accurate assessment of national obligations and future actions. It also separately highlights the messy process of the formation of international law.Customary international law can be rather opaque, and constitutes a spectrum ranging from aspirational ideals on one end, to settled legal precepts and jus cogens on the other. The state's obligation to protect its own people is farther to the right on this spectrum, toward settled legal precepts, than the nascent obligation of the international community to respond in some manner to gross human rights abuses. However, this essay's premise — that there is some type of obligation, binding on the international community of nation-states, to react in some condemnatory manner to atrocities previously solely within a sovereign state's domain — highlights how customary international law evolves.This Article briefly demonstrates how and why responsibility to protect has otherwise evolved into customary international law by sketching its lineage and citing examples of how it has been utilized. This piece also summarily addresses why the distinction between policy/politics and law matters. The transformation from a political and moral commitment to protect human rights to a binding legal rule is not purely theoretical; it matters because the responsibility to protect as law forecasts how national leaders will react to mass human rights abuses, and informs their future decision-making.In 2009, the United Nations Secretary-General re-formulated the responsibility to protect into three distinct pillars: "[t]he protection responsibilities of the State"; "[i]nternational assistance and capacity-building"; and "[t]imely and decisive response." Based on the language of the original international consensus on responsibility to protect as stated at the 2005 World Summit, as well as the global community's reaction to this re-articulation plus actual practice, this essay declines to find that the Secretary-General's second pillar has attained customary law status, and explains how only a generalized version of the third has reached the same. The first pillar, however, seems to have become non-controversial international law.


Cardiopulmonary assessment through oxygen uptake efficiency slope (OUES) data has shown encouraging results, revealing that we can obtain important clinical information about functional status. Until now, the use of OUES has not been established as a measure of cardiorespiratory capacity in an obese adult population, only in cardiac and pulmonary diseases or pediatric patients. The aim of this study was to characterize submaximal and maximal levels of OUES in a sample of morbidly obese women and analyze its relationship with traditional measures of cardiorespiratory fitness, anthropometry and pulmonary function. Thirty-three morbidly obese women (age 39.1 ± 9.2 years) performed Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing (CPX) on a treadmill using the ramp protocol. In addition, anthropometric measurements and pulmonary function were also evaluated. Maximal and submaximal OUES were measured, being calculated from data obtained in the first 50% (OUES50%) and 75% (OUES75%) of total CPX duration. In one-way ANOVA analysis, OUES did not significantly differ between the three different exercise intensities, as observed through a Bland-Altman concordance of 58.9 mL/min/log(L/min) between OUES75% and OUES100%, and 0.49 mL/kg/min/log(l/min) between OUES/kg75% and OUES/kg100%. A strong positive correlation between the maximal (r = 0.79) and submaximal (r = 0.81) OUES/kg with oxygen consumption at peak exercise (VO2peak) and ventilatory anaerobic threshold (VO2VAT) was observed, and a moderate negative correlation with hip circumference (r = -0.46) and body adiposity index (r = -0.50) was also verified. There was no significant difference between maximal and submaximal OUES, showing strong correlations with each other and oxygen consumption (peak and VAT). These results indicate that OUES can be a useful parameter which could be used as a cardiopulmonary fitness index in subjects with severe limitations to perform CPX, as for morbidly obese women.


ABSTRACT Objective: The purpose of this study was to characterize health services utilization among individuals hospitalized with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) 1-year post-injury. Methods: Using a retrospective cohort design, adult patients (n = 32, 042) hospitalized with a traumatic brain injury between 2005 and 2014 were selected from a statewide traumatic brain injury registry. Data on health services utilization for 1-year post-injury were extracted from electronic medical and administrative records. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used to characterize the cohort and a subgroup of superutilizers of health services. Results: One year after traumatic brain injury, 56% of participants used emergency department services, 80% received inpatient services, and 93% utilized outpatient health services. Superutilizers had ≥3 emergency department visits, ≥3 inpatient admissions, or ≥26 outpatient visits 1-year post-injury. Twenty-six percent of participants were superutilizers of emergency department services, 30% of inpatient services, and 26% of outpatient services. Superutilizers contributed to 81% of emergency department visits, 70% of inpatient visits, and 60% of outpatient visits. Factors associated with being a superutilizer included sex, race, residence, and insurance type. Conclusions: Several patient characteristics and demographic factors influenced patients' healthcare utilization post-TBI. Findings provide opportunities for developing targeted interventions to improve patients' health and traumatic brain injury-related healthcare delivery.


Oro-facial malignancies are reported to have a high mortality and morbidity, this is further worsened when patient report late. To analyze the malignant oro-facial lesions seen at a Hospital in the Lagos, Nigeria. Successive patients that presented in the hospital and met criteria of study during 15 months period were recruited into the study. Demographics, clinical variables, and treatment provided for each patient in the hospital was recorded. Data collected were presented as tables and percentages. There were 36 cases seen, their ages ranged from 10 to 72 years (median 49 years), and there were 21 males and 15 females. Time lapse before presentation to the clinic ranged from 2 to 30 months, mean (9.9 (±5.5 months and the largest dimension of lesions at presentation ranged from 2 cm to 12 cm (mean 6.4 ± 2.0 cm). Most common site of presentation was posterior tongue (16.7%; 6/36) and Squamous cell carcinoma (41.6%; 15/36) was the most common histopathologic diagnosis. Twenty-three patients (63.9%; 23/36) had primary surgeries in the hospital. Patients seen in this case series generally reported late with large lesions.


Competition and the State analyzes the role of the state across a number of dimensions as it relates to competition law and policy across a number of dimensions. This book re-conceptualizes the interaction between competition law and government activities in light of the profound transformation of the conception of state action in recent years by looking to the challenges of privatization, new public management, and public-private partnerships. It then asks whether there is a substantive legal framework that might be put in place to address competition issues as they relate to the role of the state. Various chapters also provide case studies of national experiences. The volume also examines one of the most highly controversial policy issues within the competition and regulatory sphere-the role of competition law and policy in the financial sector. This book, the third in the Global Competition Law and Economics series, provides a number of viewpoints of what competition law and policy mean both in theory and practice in a development context.


Off-design operation leads to the development of flow instabilities like vortex breakdown phenomenon which manifests as an enlarged vortex core in the draft tube at high load operating conditions. These flow instabilities are known to potentially have detrimental effects on turbine performance necessitating investigations on their formative and mitigation mechanisms. The present work clarifies the evolving velocity maps characterizing vortex breakdown seen in a model Francis turbine draft tube during the transition from high load to best efficiency point. Velocity measurements have been performed inside a draft tube cone using a 2D Particle image velocimetry system. Results show a wake-like velocity profile characterizing the vortex core in the draft tube cone at high load condition. The vortex core is a centrally located flow feature embodying a quasi-stagnant flow with recirculation regions. Surrounding the core, an axial outflow is seen with shear layers arising at the interface of core and outflow due to a substantial velocity gradient. Mitigation of this vortex core through a load rejection operation was further investigated. It is seen that as the flow rate approaches the best efficiency point, the shear layers between the outflow and central stagnation region break. The breakup leads to an axially dominated and streamlined flow. This is enabled by the reduction of the swirl until no central flow separation at the stagnation point occurs. The flow at the best efficiency point is thus devoid of the vortex core due to the absence of flow stagnation, the primary instability causing the core development.


Loss in axial compressor bleed systems is quantified and the loss mechanisms are identified to determine how efficiency can be improved. For a given bleed air pressure requirement, reducing bleed system loss allows air to be bled from further upstream in the compressor, with benefits for the thermodynamic cycle. A definition of isentropic efficiency, which includes bleed flow is used to account for this. Two cases with similar bleed systems are studied: a low-speed, single-stage research compressor, and a large industrial gas turbine high-pressure compressor. A new method for characterizing bleed system loss is introduced, using research compressor test results as a demonstration case. A loss coefficient is defined for a control volume including only flow passing through the bleed system. The coefficient takes a measured value of 95% bleed system inlet dynamic head and is shown to be a weak function of compressor operating point and bleed rate, varying by ±2.2% over all tested conditions. This loss coefficient is the correct nondimensional metric for quantifying and comparing bleed system performance. Computations of the research compressor and industrial gas turbine compressor identify the loss mechanisms in the bleed system flow. In both cases, approximately two-thirds of total loss is due to shearing of a high-velocity jet at the rear face of the bleed slot, one-quarter is due to mixing in the plenum chamber, and the remainder occurs in the off-take duct. Therefore, the main objective of a designer should be to diffuse the flow within the bleed slot. A redesigned bleed slot geometry is presented that achieves this objective and reduces the loss coefficient by 31%.


We address the problem of optimizing resource sharing and flow control in a multiple spot-beam broadband satellite system that supports both unicast and multicast flows. Satellite communication systems, with their wide-area coverage and ubiquitous access to large number of users, clearly have an inherent advantage in supporting distributed applications that require concurrent transmission of content to multiple users. In order to remain competitive against other broadband technologies, next generation satellite systems will be required to support both unicast and multicast flows and offer optimal sharing of system resources between these flows. We show that a high load variation across the spot-beam queues may significantly under-utilize the system and be perceived unsatisfactory by potential users when both unicast and multicast flows are active in the system. We propose an optimization based-approach to balance the load in the system and conclude that it is possible to increase the average session rates of all active flows by up to 30% after this optimization is applied.


An attempt has been made to examine whether maternal education influences the antenatal care (ANC) visit in Bangladesh using sequential logistic regression models with an interaction between maternal education and place of residence. For the purpose of analysis, Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS), 2014 data set have been used. The findings emerged from the study show a significant increase of adequate ANC visits among pregnant women with the increase in maternal education level. Moreover, interaction between maternal education and place of residence provides a significant effect on complete ANC visits. The finding justifies an influential impact of maternal education on ANC visits over place of residence. Female participation in the education programs needs to be increased because maternal education signifies a strong positive association with ANC visits.Bangladesh J. Sci. Res. 30(1&2): 23-33, December-2017


Non-negative matrix factorization (NMF), as a useful decomposition method for multivariate data, has been widely used in pattern recognition, information retrieval and computer vision. NMF is an effective algorithm to find the latent structure of the data and leads to a parts-based representation. However, NMF is essentially an unsupervised method and can not make use of label information. In this paper, we propose a novel semi-supervised matrix decomposition method, called Constrained Non-negative Matrix Factorization, which takes the label information as additional constraints. Specifically, we require that the data points sharing the same label have the same coordinate in the new representation space. This way, the learned representations can have more discriminating power. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this novel algorithm through a set of evaluations on real world applications.


This dissertation analyses how a youth-led, technologically driven social movement led a collective political struggle for change in Egypt that revolved around the legitimacy of the existing system and demanded rights to expression and participation. It seeks to understand the political impact of new ICTs, namely blogs and networked social media, in authoritarian contexts through the use of Egypt as a case study and by employing new methods of ethnographic inquiry that link the online and the off-line in recognition that they are mutually constituted. I propose that focusing on the micropolitics of practices and discourse, with due consideration of structural and institutional dynamics, reveals how epistemological and ontological changes take place when a distributional shift in the primary modes of communication occurs, and thus helps us better understand how ICTs are implicated in processes of political change. I argue that Egypt's young cyberactivists, and particularly citizen journalists, radically shifted the informational status quo by witnessing, putting on record and imbuing political meaning to symbolic struggles to define quotidian struggles against social injustice, harassment and censorship as part of a broader movement for political reform. A central contention in this dissertation, therefore, is that blogging and social media reconfigure the potentiality for expression and participation, but that it is the particular concatenations of technologically-inflected repertoires of contention that transform potentiality into actuality. This analysis reveals the mechanisms by which the potentiality of the Internet and social media is transformed into concrete instantiations of political struggle through activism, news making practices, and collective action. Throughout the dissertation I analyze specific episodes of contention to explain how ICTs facilitated collective identity formation, organization, mobilization and advocacy, with far fewer organizational and logistical barriers, rendering the dynamics of contentious politics in this case distinctive from other revolutionary periods. This new youth movement created innovative repertoires of contention, which they developed and adapted very quickly, constrained less by structural factors such as economics and distance, which the properties of ICTs help overcome, than they would have been in the past. I argue that it is not sufficient to explore only moments of collective action, because this does not explain how the "maker of claims" came to identify themselves as such, nor how they build consensus around their claims. This is of particular interest in the new communications environment of the post-millennial period, and therefore I also focus on the phenomenological lifeworlds of these cyberactivists to show how networked social media gave opposition and subaltern groups, such as liberal secularists or the Muslim Brotherhood, new tools for individual and collective identity creation and enabled freedom of expression and opinion.The empirical focus of the article is Egypt but I argue that the mechanisms and dynamics identified have a much wider domain of application. I propose several new mechanisms including asabiyah, ijma', and isnad to explain movement dynamics and to account for the technological aspect of cyberactivists' repertoires of contention, and propose revising the concept of amplification and certification to account for the fact that the algorithmic properties of ICTs now play a role in contentious repertoires.


Abstract To constrain the ternary K2CO3-CaCO3-MgCO3 T-X diagram at 6 GPa and to expand upon the known K-Mg, K-Ca, and Ca-Mg binary systems we have carried out multi-anvil experiments along the K2CO3-Ca0.5Mg0.5CO3 join. The diagram has primary phase fields for K2CO3, K2Mg(CO3)2, K2Ca0.1–0.5 Mg0.9–0.5(CO3)2, K4CaMg(CO3)4, Ca-magnesite, and dolomite. The system has two liquidus minima near 1000 °C. At one minimum, a liquid with the composition of 36 K2CO3·64(Ca0.65Mg0.35)CO3 is in equilibrium with three phases: Ca-magnesite, K2Ca0.1–0.5Mg0.9–0.5(CO3)2, and K6Ca2(CO3)5. The other minimum, a liquid with the composition of 62 K2CO3·38Ca0.72Mg0.28CO3 is in equilibrium with K2CO3, K4CaMg(CO3)4, and K6Ca2(CO3)5. At 900 °C, the ternary diagram contains two- and three-phase regions with Ca-magnesite, aragonite, K2Ca3(CO3)4, K2Ca(CO3)2, K6Ca2(CO3)5, K2CO3, K2Ca0.1–0.5Mg0.9–0.5(CO3)2 solid solution, K2Mg0.9Ca0.1(CO3)2, and K4CaMg(CO3)4. We also expect an existence of primary phase fields for K6Ca2(CO3)5, K2Ca3(CO3)4 and aragonite. We suggest that extraction of K from silicate to carbonate components should decrease the minimum melting temperature of dry carbonated mantle rocks up to 1000 °C at 6 GPa and yield ultrapotassic Ca-rich dolomite melt containing more than 10 mol% K2CO3. As temperature increases above 1200 °C the melt evolves toward an alkali-poor, dolomitic liquid if the bulk molar CaO/MgO ratio >1, or toward K-Mg-rich carbonatite if bulk CaO/MgO <1. The majority of compositions of carbonatite inclusions in diamonds from around the world fall within the magnesite primary field between the 1300 and 1400 °C isotherms. These melts could be formed by partial melting of magnesite-bearing peridotite or eclogite with bulk Ca/Mg <1 at temperatures ≤1400 °C. A few compositions revealed in the Ebelyakh and Udachnaya diamonds (Yakutia) fall within the dolomite primary field close to the 1200 °C isotherm. These melts could be formed by partial melting of dolomite-bearing rocks, such as carbonated pelite or eclogite with bulk Ca/Mg <1 at temperatures ≤1200 °C.


Modeling is a process of creating a representation of the objects from the specification. Usually, modeling is a simplified view of the system and just contains the characteristics of interest. This paper describes a formal method for modeling embedded hard real-time systems, which shows the proposed formal model, the specification model, and how to model the specification. The proposed specification is composed of a set of tasks and their inter-relations, where such tasks may be executed in one or more processors. The model is adopted not only to represent the given specification, but also, for analysis and verification of properties. The proposed modeling method is used for finding a feasible static schedule and for synthesizing predictable scheduled code.


We study the asymptotic behavior of eigenvalues of large complex correlated Wishart matrices at the edges of the limiting spectrum. In this setting, the support of the limiting eigenvalue distribution may have several connected components. Under mild conditions for the population matrices, we show that for every generic positive edge of that support, there exists an extremal eigenvalue which converges almost surely toward that edge and fluctuates according to the Tracy-Widom law at the scale $N^{2/3}$. Moreover, given several generic positive edges, we establish that the associated extremal eigenvalue fluctuations are asymptotically independent. Finally, when the leftmost edge is the origin (hard edge), the fluctuations of the smallest eigenvalue are described by mean of the Bessel kernel at the scale $N^2$.


The study of career development has become more important during a time of rising competition. Even with the help of newly available big data in the field of human resources, it is challenging to prospect the career development of talents in an effective manner, since the nature and structure of talent careers can change quickly. To this end, in this paper, we propose a novel survival analysis approach to model the talent career paths, with a focus on two critical issues in talent management, namely turnover and career progression. Specifically, for modeling the talent turnover behaviors, we formulate the prediction of survival status at a sequence of time intervals as a multi-task learning problem by considering the prediction at each time interval as a task. Also, we impose the ranking constraints to model both censored and uncensored data, and capture the intrinsic properties exhibited in general lifetime modeling with non-recurrent and recurrent events. Similarly, for modeling the talent career progression, each task concerns the prediction of a relative occupational level at each time interval. The ranking constraints imposed on different occupational levels can help to reduce the prediction error. Finally, we evaluate our approach with several state-of-the-art baseline methods on real-world talent data. The experimental results clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed models for predicting the turnover and career progression of talents.


A diverse Oligocene insect and plant Lagerstatte has been identified recently from paper shales in a sequence of fine-grained deposits exposed on the west side of Canyon Ferry Reservoir, southeast of Helena, Montana. Limited excavation and preparation thus far has led to the discovery of at least 37 families of insects and more than 40 taxa of plants (leaves, seeds, and stems). Preservation of the insect fossils is outstanding, with color patterns, feeding and reproductive structures commonly present. Quality of the preservation compares favorably with that of other Tertiary insect and plant Lagerstatten, such as Green River, Florissant, and Republic. The geologic affinities of the site are not certain, although the deposit has been regarded broadly as Oligocene, based on the mammalian biostratigraphy and an ash-flow tuff stratigraphically well below the insect horizon that has a U-Pb radiometric date of 32.0 ± 0.1 Ma.


This study analysed the effect on the wage gap of women ́s access to supervisory jobs within each establishment in the Spanish labour market. Previous empirical studies have found that the promotion of women has a positive effect on the wage difference between genders. However, these studies did not take into account the endogeneity problem associated with job choice. We proposed a specific econometric specification to control for this problem under certain assumptions. Using matched employer-employee data from a sample of 213,709 workers, we found that an increase in the proportion of women among supervisors within each establishment significantly widens the wage difference between genders, but increases the presence of women in supervisory positions. This study shows that the impact of an increase in women ́s power within establishments may well be more limited than other empirical studies suggest.


The optical Kerr effect in a reciprocal fiber-optic Brillouin ring laser gyroscope is investigated. It is found that the Kerr effect, as the major error source of the rotation rate measurement in this gyroscope, causes a bias of beat frequency with nonlinear dependence on rotation rate. A differential Stokes power of 1 mW inside the ring resonator is measured to produce a beat frequency bias of 69 Hz, which agrees well with the theoretical expectation.<<ETX>>


Abstract This paper asks why modern finance theory and the efficient market hypothesis have failed to explain long-term carry trades; persistent asset bubbles or zero lower bounds; and financial crises. It extends Godley and Lavoie (Monetary Economics: An Integrated Approach to Credit, Money, Income, Production and Wealth, 2007) and the Theory of the Monetary Circuit to give a mathematical representation of Minsky's Financial Instability Hypothesis. In the extended circuit, the central bank rate is not neutral and the path is nonergodic. The extended circuit has survival constraints that include a living wage, a zero interest rate and an upper interest rate. Inflation is everywhere. The possibility of stable carry trades emerges. In high interest rate, hedge economies, powerful banks invest surplus loan interest. With speculation, banks lobby to enter investment markets and the system is precariously liquid/illiquid. In a Ponzi economy, where loans never get repaid, solvency is a balance between increasing reserves, reducing interest rates and rebuilding banks' balance sheets during systemic crises. Simulating bank bailouts, household bailouts and a Keynesian boost suggests that bank bailouts are the least effective intervention, exerting downward pressure on wages and household spending: austerity.


Global mountain belts are commonly concluded to be a consequence of crustal thickening resulting from continental collision, with high elevations supported by crustal roots. However, accumulating seismic structure data indicate that many mountain belts have no crustal root. Most of the North American Cordillera has a 30–35 km crust, in contrast to 40–45 km for the lower elevation craton and other stable areas. It has been shown previously that most such mountain belts are in present or recent backarcs that are uniformly hot. From thermal constraints, we predict a uniform ~1600 m elevation support of the Cordillera by thermal expansion compared to stable areas. Over most of the Cordillera, relative to stable areas, the elevations after correction for variable crustal thickness and density are in excellent agreement. When subduction and shallow backarc convection stop, the lithosphere may cool and the elevations of mountain belts subside over ~300 m.y. Figure 1. A: Crustal root Airy isostasy model compared to observed common thin crust. B: Characteristic elevations and crustal thicknesses for hot backarcs, such as the North America Cordillera, and cool cratons that are in isostatic balance. High elevations are commonly associated with thin crust, in contrast to Airy isostasy predictions. on July 29, 2011 geology.gsapubs.org Downloaded from


Evaluation of Plasma microRNA Expression Levels in Early Diagnosis of Colorectal Cancer
 Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most frequently diagnosed cancer all over the world and the prognosis is associated with the stage at diagnosis. Due to insufficient sensitivity of tumor markers, as CEA, CA19.9, guaiac-based fecal occult blood and fecal immunochemical occult blood testing used in the routine, there is a need for non-invasive, new biomarkers with high sensitivity and specificity and they will be helpful in early diagnosis. microRNAs (miRNA) are small, single-stranded noncoding transcripts, and some of them play critical roles in tumorigenesis and have a potentially clinical value in diagnosis, treatment and prognosis evaluation for CRC. In this study we aimed to compare miRNA's expression profiles between pathologically diagnosed CRC patients and healthy control groups.
Methods: Blood samples from participants were collected for test-scale analysis. Plasma samples were extracted from whole blood, then total RNA are isolated and pre-amplified as manufacturer's protocol. Finally, real-time PCR step was performed with BioMark System by using manufacturer's protocol.
Results: Plasma samples of 37 CRC patients and 238 healthy subjects were examined to profiling 741 miRNAs expression, using high-throughput real-time quantitative RT-PCR. Among them, 3 miRNAs (miR-1274A, miR- 875-5p, miR-34c-5p) were found significantly up-regulated while 8 miRNAs (miR-30d-5p, miR-150-5p, miR-30a-5p, miR-34a-5p, miR-223-3p, miR-576- 3p, miR-30c-5p, miR-195-5p) were found down-regulated in CRC patients compared to control group.
Conclusion: In this study it was shown that miR-150-5p, miR-30a-5p, miR- 34a-5p, and miR-195-5p can be helpful in early diagnosis of CRC similar to some other studies.


Poses four clusters of world order problems that require students to identify and frame legal issues in factual context. Enables students to determine the relevance of information, organize relevant law and policy, test their analytical skills, and develop a critical understanding of the possibilities of international law. Focuses on the current work of the International Criminal Tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. Comprises a series of hypothetical problems involving fictional countries in """"real world"""" decision-making settings, organized around themes that conveniently cluster the principal challenges to the current world order.


There is legislation in the United States designed to protect children and adolescents from the risks associated with concussion. The scope and reach of these laws vary greatly. Purpose: It is important that health care professionals are aware of the limitations of each law. Since 2009, every state in the nation and the District of Columbia passed legislation designed to protect student-athletes who suffer from concussions resulting from participation in sport. Method: Therefore, select components of state policies were identified including: 1) Affected entities, 2) Stipulations for concussion awareness/education, 3) Requirements for removal/return to play, and 4) Requirements for return to the classroom. Results: There is significant variance between the laws and not all children/adolescents are protected equally. Conclusion: Concussion policies are a minimum standard and, when available, best practices should be followed.


BACKGROUND & AIMS
Patients with Lynch syndrome carry germline mutations in single alleles of genes encoding the mismatch repair (MMR) proteins MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, and PMS2; when the second allele becomes mutated, cancer can develop. Increased screening for Lynch syndrome has identified patients with tumors that have deficiency in MMR, but no germline mutations in genes encoding MMR proteins. We investigated whether tumors with deficient MMR had acquired somatic mutations in patients without germline mutations in MMR genes using next-generation sequencing.

METHODS
We analyzed blood and tumor samples from 32 patients with colorectal or endometrial cancer who participated in Lynch syndrome screening studies in Ohio and were found to have tumors with MMR deficiency (based on microsatellite instability and/or absence of MMR proteins in immunohistochemical analysis, without hypermethylation of MLH1), but no germline mutations in MMR genes. Tumor DNA was sequenced for MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, PMS2, EPCAM, POLE, and POLD1 with ColoSeq and mutation frequencies were established.

RESULTS
Twenty-two of 32 patients (69%) were found to have 2 somatic (tumor) mutations in MMR genes encoding proteins that were lost from tumor samples, based on immunohistochemistry. Of the 10 remaining tumors 3 had one somatic mutation in a MMR gene, with possible loss of heterozygosity that could lead to MMR deficiency, 6 were found to be false-positive results (19%), and 1 had only one mutation in a MMR gene and remained unexplained. All of the tumors found to have somatic MMR mutations were of the hypermutated phenotype (>12 mutations/megabase); 6 had mutation frequencies >200/megabase, and 5 of these had somatic mutations in POLE, which encodes a DNA polymerase.

CONCLUSIONS
Some patients are found to have tumors with MMR defects during screening for Lynch syndrome, yet have no identifiable germline mutations in MMR genes. We found that almost 70% of these patients acquire somatic mutations in MMR genes, leading to a hypermutated phenotype of tumor cells. Patients with colon or endometrial cancers with MMR deficiency not explained by germline mutations might undergo analysis for tumor mutations in MMR genes to guide future surveillance guidelines.


The cell membrane is complex mixture of phospholipids, sphingolipids, sterols and proteins that combine to provide a semi-permeable barrier between the extracellular and intracellular environments, while also providing a functional role in cell-signalling, cell adhesion, and membrane transport. This complexity means that it is often better to study both the lipid and protein constituents of the cell membrane using artificial membrane models. Here, the transmembrane protein integrin αIIbβ3 was used as a model protein to be reconstituted into physiologically-relevant artificial lipid systems. αIIbβ3 is an integral membrane protein found in platelets and is a key mediator of thrombosis. Upon activation αIIbβ3 undergoes significant
conformational rearrangement, clustering, and ligand-binding to enable complex bidirectional signalling. It is this structural rearrangement, aggregation and ligand
binding that was the key focus of this project.
In chapter 2, and before reconstitution into artificial lipid models, αIIbβ3 was first studied in its native environment, the platelet. Here, DTT and Mn2+ were used to induce the activated form of αIIbβ3. It was found that both activators lead to structural changes in the integrin protein and varying degrees of platelet
aggregation, without the full range of response normally associated with physiological agonists. Chapter 3 focused on the production of αIIbβ3-reconstituted liposomes. It was found that integrin-ligand binding lead to a reduction in αIIbβ3 mobility, as well as integrin clustering. αIIbβ3 was also found to preferentially
excluded from cholesterol rich regions of lipid vesicles. Chapter 4 focused on the insertion of αIIbβ3 into a novel, cavity-spanning, lipid bilayer. Here, it was possible to determine αIIbβ3 diffusion co-efficients and induce protein aggregation. Finally, in chapter 5, cytoskeletal mimics were incorporated alongside a supported lipid bilayer in order to better imitate the conditions encountered by the cell membrane.


This thesis is a discourse on approaches and methods for reliably observing, recording and demonstrating the effectiveness of community work taking place in local government. Consideration is given to current trends in local government and several key issues facing community work in that setting. A definition of community work is proposed with relevant typologies of community work to establish the context for the remainder of the thesis. Relevant approaches towards evaluation are examined with ways in which those approaches can be converted into abstract evaluation models specific to the programme being evaluated. The discussion illustrates how these evaluation models can be adapted into evaluation designs, providing a practical framework for carrying out an evaluation and the methods that will be employed. The importance of theory is discussed together with the development of relevant, testable hypotheses. This is described as a thinking stage which precedes consideration of appropriate ways of assembling, analysing and reporting the evaluation findings. Evaluation is presented as an "improving" not a "proving" activity, an inventive not a routine process. The conclusions assert that evaluation is beneficial to community work by providing a collection of preferred approaches and methods that can reliably clarify the nature, purpose and outcome of community work. Moreover, evaluation is a collaborative, flexible and adaptive means of instilling the discipline of thinking about community work, and of fostering among community workers a desire to learn from contemporary practice in realising the full potential of their work.


In China in 2018 over 200 million rural migrants worked away from their home villages, fuelling the country's rapid economic boom. In the 2010s over sixty-one million rural children had at least one parent who had migrated without them, while nearly half had been left behind by both parents. Rachel Murphy draws on her longitudinal fieldwork in two landlocked provinces to explore the experiences of these left-behind children and to examine the impact of this great migration on childhood in China and on family relationships. Using children's voices, she provides a multi-faceted insight into experiences of parental migration, study pressures, poverty, institutional discrimination, patrilineal family culture, and reconfigured gendered and intergenerational relationships.


Current tax law makes it difficult to enforce sales taxes on most Internet commerce and has generated considerable policy debate. In this paper we analyze the costs and benefits of enforcing such taxes including revenue losses, competition with retail, externalities, distribution, and compliance costs. The results suggest that the costs of not enforcing taxes are quite modest and will remain so for several years. At the same time, compliance costs are also likely to be low. There are benefits to nurturing the Internet but they tend to diminish over time. When tax costs and benefits take this form, a moratorium provides a natural compromise.


Sanidine crystals from two tuff layers at the base of the Palaeocene Eigg Lava Formation on the Isle of Muck, Inner Hebrides, yield step-wise Ar release plateau ages of 62.8 ± 0.6 (2 σ) and 62.4 ±0.6 Ma using the laser 40Ar/39Ar dating technique. These determinations, which are in accord with, but significantly more precise than earlier results, provide a definitive age for the inception of igneous activity in the Small Isles. From stratigraphical inferences, the Muck ages provide precise, maximum constraints on the possible age of Skye magmatism and possibly most of the British Tertiary Volcanic Province. The new ages significantly predate the oldest ages determined so far for Tertiary magmatism in NE Greenland but are similar to ages obtained from W Greenland and offshore SE Greenland and support the concept that the initiation of regional volcanism was primarily controlled by lithospheric thin spots. The Muck sanidine age appears to precisely date the first manifestation of the impingement of the Iceland mantle plume on the lithosphere beneath NW Scotland.


Some quotations: «A new disaster has been added to pollution of the unique lake–it is cottage development of the coast». «The trouble is that the projects are realized without even being seen by architectural society. Including the objects on the coast of Lake Baikal. We took Sergey Kiselev to see one of such objects, it was a halfcompleted building. Like other Moscow colleagues he admitted that it was an obviously conceited excess. In general almost every object recently built in Listvyanka represents a burst of excess… What is happening here with architecture and urban planning is absolutely inadmissible». «Current capital development at Lake Baikal visually pollutes the coast, bringing alien elements to the landscape and view (for example, the cottages of pseudorussian style and cabin cars)». Acting as a client of architectural and design project Russian mafia has a number of individual characteristics. Firstly, an ordinary businessman is childishly confident that the architect's (or designer's) work is a very interesting and fascinating stuff. He believes that this work gives lots of pleasure and entirely consists of creative discoveries and triumph. By the way already ancient Greeks considered creativity to be a sort of Eros. So the mafia client is eager to take part in such a pleasant thing. In spite of expressing his wishes clearly and giving the way to the professional, the client strives for being both a participant and a coauthor of the project. At best he is constantly bothering the architect with many pieces of advice and «valuable suggestions ». At worst the project, which is already finished, approved and even paid, is altered by the client during the process of its realization, while the author is not even informed about it. The building completed, the shocked architect sees a monster that has arisen from his project as a result of «the editing». Secondly, any typical Mafioso finds it very important to persistently exhibit his aggressiveness and readiness to start the struggle end even to die. The cult of physical strength and defiance of danger is one of fundamental principles of the mafia corporate culture. The client's drive to provoke a quarrel and to explain «who is the boss» makes the relations between the architect and the client very peculiar. Thirdly, a productive labour interdiction is another important feature of traditional mafia culture. This view is a variation of the famous «idle class» ethos brilliantly described by Veblen Thorstein in his classic work. The ethics of the members of the idle class, which is also called by Veblen a «predatory class», forbids them to work or to be involved in any productive labour. Instead it allows them to fight, to govern the state and to go in for sport. From the point of view of the predatory culture there are only two types of people. The first one includes warriors, fighters and bandits, they arouse «fair» emotions of anger and fury as rivals or companionsinarms on the field of battle. The second type is represented by bastards, brutes and plough cattle, they are worth nothing but contempt. Most citizens' opinion on the building is of no importance. Only what the respected people of the same type, that is mafia «good guys», say (or think) about it is taken into account. The tendencies to erect such incongruous and ugly buildings on the coast of Lake Baikal can hardly be stopped easily and quickly. Those tendencies have very deep roots. They are based, though in a perverted and wry manner, on the old traditions of Siberian culture. So it is senseless to struggle, to forbid and to show anger and contempt towards an uncultured wilful client. As well as it is no good to have «what can I do for you?» attitude and to follow all the whims of the predatory class.


The effects of hot band annealing temperature on the texture of the 2%Si nonoriented electrical steel were investigated. Slab was hot rolled and then hot band annealed in the temperature range of 900°C~1100°C. The magnetic flux density and the core loss were improved by the hot band annealing because of the texture improvement. As the hot band annealing temperature was increased, the magnetic properties were improved. The microstructure of the hot band was composed of a recrystallized structure at the surface and a deformation structure near the middle plane. These hot bands were completely recrystallized after annealing above 1000°C. The main texture of the hot band was rotated cube and gamma-fibre. After hot band annealing, rotated cube changed to cube texture and gamma-fibre intensity gradually decreased. In the case of non-annealed hot band, rotated cube in the middle plane was changed to near {111}<112>texture and Goss texture in the surface to gamma fibre after final annealing. In the case of the hot band annealed at 900°C, rotated cube near the middle plane changed to Goss texture and Goss texture in the surface to rotated cube after final annealing. After final annealing, the {111} and {112} texture was dramatically decreased as the hot band annealing temperature was higher. The total {100} texture intensity was not changed. Cube texture {100}<001> increased and rotated cube texture {100}<011> decreased. The {110} texture increased after hot band annealing irrespective of temperature. As the hot band annealing temperature was higher, the Goss texture increased, and this increase of Goss texture causes the anisotropy of the magnetic flux density.


Smith (2012) discusses how events have become a platform to promote and sell the host destination to potential visitors and throughout the world there are examples of local, regional and national tourism strategies which include, and in some cases evolve around events. In fact, in many countries event organisers who apply for public sector funding must illustrate how their event can generate tourism revenue. In addition, for those events that do receive public monies their 'tourism impact' must be analysed in the event evaluation. Thus, in the twenty first century event organisers must not only be proficient in the area of event management they must also be experts in tourism. This raises two key questions, and these two questions formed the basis of this study:1. What is the relationship between local event organisers and a national tourism agency?2. What more can a national tourism agency do to assist event organisers promote tourism through their event?The study focused on Northern Ireland and using the critical case purposive sampling technique thirty-two event organisers were interviewed along with a manager from the events unit within the Northern Ireland Tourist Board (the national tourism organisation). The majority of the event organisers recognised the mutual benefits that can be gained from promoting tourism through their event and accepted that tourism should be included in the criteria when applying for funding. However, there was also a general consensus amongst the event organisers, some of which were voluntary or part-time, that they did not have sufficient time, resources or expertise to dedicate to tourism. They identified nine key areas where the Northern Ireland Tourist Board need to be more proactive: (1) strategic direction and leadership; (2) lobby central government for increased funding; (3) promote smaller events; (4) disseminate general tourist information to event organisers; (5) provide training / tourism related workshops; (6) organise /facilitate networking sessions with key stakeholders such as the media and sponsors; (7) help negotiate deals with travel operators; (8) coordinate the national events calendar; (9) act as a conduit between event organisers and central and local government.This study was confined to Northern Ireland but as event tourism continues to move up the political agenda event organisers in other countries will face similar challenges and have similar demands placed on them. Thus, it is not enough for national, regional and local governments and their respective agencies to assume, and in some cases demand that event organisers promote tourism via their event – event organisers need help and as depicted in figure 1 collaboration is crucial if event tourism is to realise its potential.


Background: The Bile-processed Rhizoma coptidis (BRC), which has a colder drug property than Rhizoma coptidis (RC), is widely used for the treatment of heat syndrome. We compared the pharmacokinetics of the protoberberine-type alkaloids in BRC and RC in rats with heat syndrome to elucidate the bile-processing mechanism. Material and Methods: We established a rapid and sensitive method for simultaneously determining three alkaloids: berberine, palmatine, and jatrorrhizine, in rat plasma based on ultra-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. The separation was carried out on a Waters ACQUITY BEA C18 column. The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile (containing 0.1% formic acid) and water (containing 0.1% formic acid and 10 mmol/L ammonium acetate) and carbamazepine was used as an internal standard. The detection was carried out in a multiple reaction monitoring mode (MRM) using electrospray ionization in the positive ion mode. Results: Pharmacokinetic profiles indicated that the Cmax of berberine and palmatine increased two times and the Tmax of the three alkaloids decreased three times after bile processing. AUC0→∞ and AUC0→t of the alkaloids were similar between RC and BRC. Conclusion: The results suggest that bile processing could increase the absorption rate of alkaloids. This study broadens our understanding of Chinese herbal medicine processing. Abbreviation Used: RC: Rhizoma coptidis, BRC: Bile-processed Rhizoma coptidis, HPLC : high-performance liquid chromatography, UPLC-MS/MS: ultra-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/ mass spectrometry, LC-MS: liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, MRM : multiple reaction monitoring mode, QC: quality control, RE: relative error, RSD: relative standard deviation, Cmax: maxium of drug concentration, Tmax: time for maxium of drug concentration, AUC: area under concentration-time curve, LLOQ: Linearity and lower limits of quantification, t1/2: half-life, Clz: body clearance


In the framework of social policy paradigms, specifically within the framework of housing policies, the concept of hybrid neoliberalism is proposed to understand a new paradigm of social intervention. The hybrid approach in social intervention lies in the connection between elements of neoliberalism with proposals for investment and social promotion. The article argues that this hybridization, in the Chilean case, takes place in the enduring subsidiary system, the outsourcing of the intervention, the execution of projects that seek to be more relevant to cultural and territorial realities, and paradoxically, in the increasing prominence of the public system. The aim is to demonstrate through the qualitative analysis of four housing complexes, that the aforementioned elements can give grounds for "exceptional cases" in social housing policy, with an increase in the quality of the housing supply that does not reach the requested standards of the entire served population. The paper concludes that public policy produces new gaps, which in this case, translate in a differentiated experience in the quality of the goods and services provided.


: This paper explores the everyday security of refugee and asylum-seeking mothers before, during and after irregular migration. Based on narrative interviews with mothers residing in Melbourne, we analyse how their needs both do and do not fall into Nussbaum's capabilities list. We argue that Nussbaum's framework is not sufficient to capture the gendered aspects of everyday security related to carework. Based on this analysis, we suggest a new framework to understand carework and everyday security in the context of refugee and asylum-seeking women. Centring carework in the discussion of the everyday security of people seeking asylum is a significant step away from traditional security literature and allows mothers' voices to be highlighted in a unique way.


Excessive loading due to daily backpack carriage in schoolchildren has been associated with increased risk of back pain. However, quantitative effects of backpack loading and carrying methods (anterior and posterior) on the spine are still limited. Twenty seven participants, aged from 11 to 15, were recruited in this study. They were asked to adopt a relaxed upright stance with or without carrying a backpack loaded at 15% of their bodyweight either anteriorly or posteriorly. Participants' spinal curvature and repositioning ability were measured using an electrogoniometric system. Repeated measures ANOVA showed that posterior backpack carriage resulted in a significant decrease in the lumbar lordosis and increase in cervical lordosis, while anterior backpack carriage induced a significant increase of thoracic kyphosis. Repositioning ability of participants' spine was found to reduce under backpack carriage. Clinical implications of these findings in relation to the risk of increased low back pain in adolescents deserved further investigation.


A fiber-optic probe designed for remote laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), Raman spectroscopy, and Raman imaging has been developed for the microanalysis of solid samples. The probe incorporates both single-strand optical fibers and an image guide and allows atomic emission and Raman analysis of any spot on a solid sample within a 5 mm diameter field of view. The real-time sample imaging aspects of the probe are demonstrated by measuring LIBS spectra from different regions of a granite sample and by measuring the Raman spectra of individual TiO2 and Sr(NO3)2 particles on a soil substrate. The ability to obtain remote Raman images of the TiO2 and Sr(NO3)2 particles on the soil substrate is also demonstrated. In this paper we discuss the design and implementation of the fiber-optic probe for obtaining LIBS spectra, Raman spectra, and Raman images.


Several influential studies have found religion to be an important determinant of human behavior and organizational behaviors. Research(e.g. Ntalianis & Raja 2002) along this line has suggested a direct association between religious affiliations and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB). Yet, no study has tested this relationship directly. This study was designed to empirically examine this relationship. It thus investigated the possible influence of religious beliefs on citizenship behaviours. Ghanaian industrial workers affiliated with three main religious groups, Christianity, Islam, and Traditional African Religion, were asked to rate their participation in organizational citizenship activities, and their responses were compared. Ttest, ANOVA and MANOVA were employed in the analyses. Mean scores for all three groups were rather high, indicating active participation by all three religious groups. Preliminary analyses showed Christian workers to have relatively active participation in OCBs. Further analyses, however, ascribed this difference to the effect of higher education and the concomitant socioeconomic factors prevalent among the workers affiliated with Christianity. The general observation was that religious beliefs tend to influence workers to act in accordance with the ethical teachings of their religions.


Set in 1970, T. C. Boyle's Drop City (2003) follows a group of commune dwellers who abandon the Golden State in search of a new Eden in the "last frontier." For Boyle's characters, California is no longer a haven once their commune is condemned as a health hazard and bulldozed by the county inspector after a nasty problem emerges concerning human waste management. Alaska thus becomes a refuge for the characters, who occupy themselves by making love and getting high while trying to live off the land with the little knowledge they have. In chronicling the contradictions of the modern ecology movement, Boyle is not interested in contributing to a neoconservative backlash against the counterculture; his critique instead involves recognizing how race, gender, and class privilege operate as important factors in environmentalism and how authoritarian structures often shape understandings of nature, problems that continue to plague environmentalism today. While the characters often make poor choices and find themselves in challenging circumstances, the novel ends on a cautiously optimistic note. The possibility of achieving a satisfying life in the Far North, however, comes only after the characters have reevaluated their social hierarchies and divested themselves of Edenic notions of Alaska.


In this thesis, techniques of high resolution x-ray diffraction, topography and grazing incidence reflectivity have been employed in order to gain information on compound semiconductors. A recent growth technique. Vertical Gradient Freeze (VGF), has been investigated for 2" InP wafers, and been found to produce virtually dislocation- free crystals. In the one wafer where dislocations have been imaged, they have a density of ~200cm(^-2), with Burgers vectors lying in the plane of the wafer. This is in contrast to topographs of Liquid Encapsulated Czochralski (LEG) InP, where a dislocation density of up to 6.10'(^4)cm(^-2) was observed at the wafer periphery. No growth striations were observed in VGF samples, implying a planar solid-melt interface. VGF GaAs wafers are seen to be virtually dislocation free when Si doped, have dislocation densities of 900cm(^-2) when undoped and 1200cm(^-2) when Zn doped. Triple axis diffraction measurements showed a variation in tilts between/samples, but no strain variation. The tilt variation was attributed to the polishing process. Asymmetric scans showed a variation in strain at high tilts. These data have been used to form a model for the crystal surface: mosaic blocks of perfect crystal surrounded by low angle boundaries consisting of rows of edge dislocations. During the polishing process, these blocks are physically rotated, evidence for which is supplied from analysis of the specular part of reflectivity scans. Specular and diffuse reflectivity scans on InP substrates have been simulated using the Distorted Wave Born Approximation (DWBA). In all cases a 30A thick oxide layer was identified on the sample surface. In order to obtain a good simulation for transverse scans at two values of q(_z), it was necessary to include a grading in electron density at the top surface. Epitaxial layers of Hg(_1-x)Mn(_x)Te (MMT) grown by the Interdiffused Multilayer Process (IMP) on GaAs with a CdTe buffer layer have been characterised using double and triple axis diffraction. Although reasonable compositional uniformity was observed across the wafers (from 0.3%mm(^-1)), dynamical simulations of pseudo-triple axis scans showed a grading in composition with depth. It was observed that the crystalline perfection deteriorated with increased Mn fraction. The MMT and CdTe layers were almost fully relaxed, and were found to have dislocation densities of l0(^7)-l0(^9)cm(^-2). In one sample the presence of zinc blende MnTe was established using double axis diffraction. Finally, the high intensity of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) has been exploited in order to topograph highly absorbing materials. The effect of heater failure in the growth of GaAs in space has been shown to produce high levels of strain and twinning. It has also been shown topographically that contact with the crucible during the growth of GaInSb from the melt leads to increased strain, so de-wetting phenomena improve crystalline growth.


Cell proliferation and differentiation is a complex process involving many cellular mechanisms. One of the best-studied phenomena in cell differentiation is erythrocyte development during hematopoiesis in vertebrates. In recent years, a new class of small, endogenous, non-coding RNAs called microRNAs (miRNAs) emerged as important regulators of gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. Thousands of miRNAs have been identified in various organisms, including protozoa, fungi, bacteria and viruses, proving that the regulatory miRNA pathway is conserved in evolution. There are many examples of miRNA-mediated regulation of gene expression in the processes of cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis, and in cancer genesis. Many of the collected data clearly show the dependence of the proteome of a cell on the qualitative and quantitative composition of endogenous miRNAs. Numerous specific miRNAs are present in the hematopoietic erythroid line. This review attempts to summarize the state of knowledge on the role of miRNAs in the regulation of different stages of erythropoiesis. Original experimental data and results obtained with bioinformatics tools were combined to elucidate the currently known regulatory network of miRNAs that guide the process of differentiation of red blood cells.


Ceramics were among the first materials used as substrates for mass-produced electronics, and they remain an important class of packaging and interconnect material today. Most available information about ceramic electronics is either outdated or focused on their materials science characteristics. The Ceramic Interconnect Technology Handbook goes beyond the traditional approach by first surveying the unique properties of ceramics and then discussing design, processing, fabrication, and integration, as well as packaging and interconnect technologies. Collecting contributions from an outstanding panel of experts, this book offers an up-to-date overview of modern ceramic electronics, from design and material selection to manufacturing and implementation. Beginning with an overview of the development, properties, advantages, and applications of ceramics, coverage spans electrical design, testing, simulation, thermomechanical design, screen printing, multilayer ceramics, photo-defined and photo-imaged films, copper interconnects for ceramic substrates, and integrated passive devices in ceramic substrates. It also offers a detailed review of the surface, thermal, mechanical, and electrical properties of various ceramics as well as the processing of high- and low-temperature cofired ceramic (HTCC and LTCC) substrates. Opening new vistas and avenues of advancement, the Ceramic Interconnect Technology Handbook is the only source for comprehensive discussion and analysis of nearly every facet of ceramic interconnect technology and applications.


Amphibian responses to intense volcanic disturbance have not been widely studied. Yet given the global distribution of volcanoes, their frequency of eruptions, and associated areal extent of disturbance, it is important to understand how amphibians are affected by volcanism. The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington State (USA) provides an outstanding opportunity to assess amphibian response to a range of volcanic disturbance types. Reported here is a case study conducted on the Pumice Plain, an area intensely disturbed by a number of volcanic forces that destroyed all pre-eruption life and set the stage for evaluating amphibian community assembly in the context of primary succession. Amphibians were monitored at 25 study sites that included four habitats (pond, lake, wallow, and seep) during summer 2013. Two survey methods were employed (aquatic funnel trap and visual encounter) at each survey site to obtain information on species presence and reproduction. Biophysical habitat characteristics were measured including study site area, elevation, water depth, sediment type, percent cover of vegetation, dissolved oxygen, conductivity, pH, and temperature. Results showed that five amphibian species were present on the Pumice Plain: Rana cascadae, Rana aurora, Pseudacris regilla, Anaxyrus boreas, and Ambystoma gracile. R. cascadae was encountered at 76% of the survey sites, while P. regilla was encountered at 72% of the sites surveyed. A. boreas and A. gracile were found only in the pond and lake habitats, occupying 20% of all sites surveyed. R. aurora is the least frequently encountered species on the Pumice Plain, and present at only 12% of all survey sites. A. boreas and P. regilla are the most abundant species on the Pumice Plain, with the majority of the captures being at the pond habitat. In regards to richness, the ponds contain the most species, with all five species present. Thirty-three years post-eruption, the Pumice Plain supports a diverse assemblage of pondbreeding amphibians. These pond-breeders demonstrated resiliency to intense volcanic disturbance. R. cascadae and P. regilla appear to be the most resilient of the species studied based on their broad distribution across the study sites.


The gradient operation has been extended to discrete data in terms of nodal coordinates. On this ground, the nodal strains and related stresses are expressed directly in terms of nodal displacements and the stress divergence in terms of nodal stresses. To make use of truly discrete modeling in computational solid mechanics, the stress balance equation is formulated. For a case study, the latter is applied to an edge dislocation where atom positions of a dislocated crystal are taken for nodal points. Both the resulting stress level at the dislocation core close to the theoretical strength and the corresponding core dimensions prove to be realistic physically, whereas the long-range nodal stresses asymptotically approach the virtual continuous fields known in an analytical form.


ABSTRACT Genetic screens for modifiers of activated Ras phenotypes have identified a novel protein, kinase suppressor of Ras (KSR), which shares significant sequence homology with Raf family protein kinases. Studies using Drosophila melanogaster andCaenorhabditis elegans predict that KSR positively regulates Ras signaling; however, the function of mammalian KSR is not well understood. We show here that two predicted kinase-dead mutants of KSR retain the ability to complement ksr-1 loss-of-function alleles in C. elegans, suggesting that KSR may have physiological, kinase-independent functions. Furthermore, we observe that murine KSR forms a multimolecular signaling complex in human embryonic kidney 293T cells composed of HSP90, HSP70, HSP68, p50CDC37, MEK1, MEK2, 14-3-3, and several other, unidentified proteins. Treatment of cells with geldanamycin, an inhibitor of HSP90, decreases the half-life of KSR, suggesting that HSPs may serve to stabilize KSR. Both nematode and mammalian KSRs are capable of binding to MEKs, and three-point mutants of KSR, corresponding to C. elegans loss-of-function alleles, are specifically compromised in MEK binding. KSR did not alter MEK activity or activation. However, KSR-MEK binding shifts the apparent molecular mass of MEK from 44 to >700 kDa, and this results in the appearance of MEK in membrane-associated fractions. Together, these results suggest that KSR may act as a scaffolding protein for the Ras-mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway.


Interview with Army veteran Archie Gantt. The interview includes Gantt's personal experiences about the European Theater during World War II, boyhood in central Texas, basic training, shipping to England, combat on the Siegfried Line, and the Battle of the Bulge. Additionally, Gantt talks about leadership problems, combat living conditions, Officer Candidate School and commissioning, and his postwar war service in Europe.


Inguinal hernia repair is one of the most commonly performed procedures in the United States. Ilioinguinal-iliohypogastric nerve blocks are commonly performed for postoperative pain control. Transient femoral nerve palsy is a recognized complication of this block. A 75-year-old male underwent an uncomplicated Lichtenstein repair of an incarcerated right inguinal hernia. An ilioinguinal-iliohypogastric nerve block was performed at the conclusion. Postoperatively, he reported symptomatology of femoral nerve palsy, with full resolution within 8 h. Femoral nerve palsy occurs when anesthetic is infiltrated into the transverse abdominis muscle, allowing for diffusion toward the femoral nerve along contiguous planes of the transverse abdominis-iliacus fascia. Incidence can be as high as 5%. Literature favors ultrasound to landmark-based approaches for improved efficacy and reduced complications. Postoperative protocols for femoral nerve palsy can be implemented with minimal effect on nursing workflow to improve patient safety from the effects of this complication. J Med Cases. 2017;8(5):155-158 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jmc2809w


A series of Late Paleozoic–Mesozoic basins, which formed as the result of rifting between Greenland and Norway following the Caledonian orogeny, are exposed in East Greenland between 70° and 76°N. The Paleozoic part of the sedimentary basin fill has a cumulative thickness of up to 13 km. The region seems prospective but exploration is still at an early stage without exploration wells. Basic petroleum-related studies of outcrops have been carried out throughout the region, and 1800 km of high-quality multi-fold seismic data have been acquired in Jameson Land between 70° and 72°N. A number of pre-, syn- and post-rift play types are suggested on the basis of inferred source and reservoir rock distribution as well as structural and thermal history. Some of the play concepts have been identified in outcrop, others have been recognized during the seismic interpretation. The principal Upper Paleozoic source rocks include Upper Devonian shales (freshwater), Upper Carboniferous lacustrine shales (freshwater to slightly saline), and Upper Permian marine shales (some carbonate influence). The main reservoir facies are fluvial sandstones in the Upper Devonian to Lower Permian succession and Upper Permian platform and build-up carbonates. Syn-rift Carboniferous plays (mainly structural) and post-rift Upper Permian carbonate plays (essentially stratigraphic) seem most promising. The syn-rift plays have lacustrine shales as source rocks, fluvial Carboniferous to Lower Permian sandstones as reservoirs, and overlying fluvial/lacustrine shales as seal. The post-rift Upper Permian plays have carbonate build-ups and platforms as reservoir targets and the juxtaposed marine shales as source rock and seal.


We have examined three methods that may be useful for improving the therapeutic efficacy of antibody-targeted radionuclides. The principal limitation of radioimmunotherapy is myelotoxicity and thrombocytopenia. These are due mainly to the length of time the radioantibody remains in the blood. The clearance time of a radiolabeled immunoglobulin G (IgG) may be decreased by using fragments prepared from the IgG. Using murine monoclonal antibodies against human colonic cancer in an animal model with a transplantable human colonic tumor, we have shown that fractionated doses of 131I-labeled F(ab')2 fragments can provide similar tumoricidal activity as a single injection of IgG, but toxicity to the normal tissues is reduced significantly at this tumoricidal level. Thus, it is expected that improved tumoricidal activity may be achieved by further escalating the dose of F(ab')2 that is administered at each injection. An anti-antibody (second antibody) may also be used to remove an anti-tumor antibody rapidly from the blood. By allowing intact IgG to be used instead of fragments, a higher percentage of the radiolabeled anti-tumor antibodies may be concentrated in the tumor to provide higher tumor doses, yet toxicity to the normal tissues may be controlled by the removal of the radiolabeled antibody from the blood. We have shown that the injection of a second antibody 48 h after 131I-labeled anti-carcinoembryonic antigen antibody is given can reduce toxicity at least 2-fold without affecting the tumoricidal activity of the radioantibody. A third method for reducing the myelotoxicity of radioantibody treatment involves the use of cytokines to increase the production of white blood cells. For example, interleukin 1 may be given prior to, or sometime after, radioantibody treatment to increase the number of circulating white blood cells and thereby reduce myelotoxicity. Thus, modification of some of the biological factors limiting radioimmunotherapy may provide for improvements in cancer treatment with radiolabeled antibodies.