New technology enables super vision--both superhuman visual powers and actual supervision by surveillance. In Super Vision, which accompanies the inaugural exhibit at the new Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, a broad selection of important works in a variety of media expresses both the ecstatic and the threatening aspects of vision and reveals visual experience as a source of both pleasure and fear.These works reflect the digital era's profound shift in the nature of visuality itself--as computer graphics and imaging, digitization, and virtuality have transformed both the nature of representation and our relationship to it. Among the leading contemporary artists exploring the changing nature of contemporary visual experience in Super Vision are Bridget Riley, Anish Kapoor, and Gabriel Orozco, with works that bend, twist, and dissolve space, leaving us unsure of the boundaries between inside and outside, surface and depth, self and others. Other works by artists including Jeff Koons, Julie Mehretu, and Andreas Gursky, express aspects of virtuality--some explicitly, some more subtly--and explore the changes in the way we see and understand two-dimensional images. Vision in the twenty-first century is potentially everywhere, all the time; there is no way to escape it. Works by Sigmar Polke, Yoko Ono, Tony Oursler, Thomas Ruff, and others respond in complex ways to this disembodied and penetrating quality of vision. The many full-color images in Super Vision are accompanied by essays by exhibition curator Nicholas Baume, art historian David Joselit, and media theorist McKenzie Wark.Copublished with the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston.


South African survey data on citizen attitudes towards police have, for the past ten years, indicated a lack of trust in law enforcers. Similarly, the SAPS has, since the early nineties, developed a public image as a widely corrupt organisation. In 2010 the SAPS reverted to military ranks and adopted a discourse of 'force' in an attempt to improve discipline, effectiveness and image. This paper presents a summary of findings from 15 focus groups conducted in mid-2010 that sought to explore public experiences and perceptions of police and police corruption.


The development of additive technology revealed a real prospect of their use for the manufacture of complex shapes. Now, it is possible to produce parts that previously were either very difficult to produce using the subtracting technology and joining technology, or it was not at all feasible. In the manufacture of parts of complex shape, it is necessary to use a supporting structure, which is necessary to place such a way that they can be easily removed. Additionally, they must necessarily be absent in certain places. In this regard, the preparation model can take significant time to satisfy all of these, often conflicting, requirements. In this paper, we show optimization examples of the model preparation with support structures for parts manufactured at the facility EOSINT M270 and used in medicine and engineering. Additional emphasis is on the fact that, during the manufacture of parts, solidification's modes of massive parts differ from those of the thin-walled portions of parts. The results of the complex studies on the different stainless steels (including martensitic) are described with an emphasis on their structure and mechanical properties. The results of a honeycomb energy absorbers, which are quite seldom produced by the additive technologies, are presented in this chapter.


The purpose of this thesis is to disentangle the causes behind differences in regional employment across the 81 Swedish LA regions. Thus, two questions will be answered; which factors causes regional disparity in employment and which where the least and themost affected regions during the economic crises of the 1990's? The answer to these questions are imposed by certain chosen restrictions, where only the situation within two manufacturing industries will be investigated; the car- and machine manufacturing sectors. Previous research claim that there are specific factors that influence and creates regional growth disparity. Among these factors can be found; education, infrastructure, demography, industry diversity and migration. Statistical data then enables a division of the regions on basis of the change in employment level within the manufacturing industries as a share of total employment. It is revealed that the most affected regions during an economic shock are those areas that have the highest employment ratio within these manufacturing sectors. The empirical findings indicates that in the case of Swedish manufacturing industries especially three factors influence the employment level; population, education and migration. Additionally, distance to a larger city is proven to besignificant during recessions while being insignificant during economic booms. The last factor, diversity, on the other hand indicates that the correlation is the reverse. Hence, diversity has an impact during economic upswings, while this is not the case during downturns. With the development during the 90's as a reference, the same method is used to locate today's most vulnerable industrial regions. Statistics show that Ljungby is at the topof this list. When studying the strategic development plan for this region it is found that this area follows a policy in line with those variables that this thesis has pin-pointed to bebeneficial for regional growth. Hence, this region has taken beneficial policy steps in order to decrease the dependency on a vulnerable and market sensitive industrial sector.


For most Americans, any tax is a bad tax, regardless of its actual economic or social consequences. This article argues that many negative reactions to taxes are the result not of economic or political defects in the tax laws, but of a combination of individual perceptual and cognitive distortions and a "dysfunctional" system of tax collection. It goes on to assert that correcting our distorted perceptions of tax law and restructuring of the tax enforcement system could balance the federal budget and simultaneously accomplish worthwhile social goals. The article sets forth several suggestions aimed at depolarizing the relationship between the Internal Revenue Service and taxpayers, improving communication surrounding taxes, and improving both tax compliance and taxpayers' attitudes toward tax. First, individuals who know about tax evasion that would otherwise go undetected or unprosecuted should be permitted to bring private actions to enforce the law. Next, the relevant administrative procedures should be revamped so that individuals are financially rewarded for helping enforce and improve tax laws rather than, as is currently the case, for helping people avoid their legal obligations. Additionally, the Service should engage in a concerted effort to change the way people perceive tax laws by making effective use of media and enacting a tax amnesty program in conjunction with private enforcement of the tax laws. Finally, we should make intentional rather than accidental decisions about the behavioral impacts we choose to make through our tax laws and about the redistributive impacts we choose to make through nontax laws.


This article addresses the issue of the relationship between 'the market' and democracy in the European Union from a critical political economy perspective. It argues that the way the European Union institutions and national governments are attempting to solve the current economic and financial problems of the Eurozone enhances the trend towards 'new constitutionalist' arrangement that were already present. A detailed analysis of the reforms is proposed, as well as an historical perspective on the relationship between 'the market' and democracy that has characterised Western political economies. The recent reforms of EU economic governance are thus seen as furthering the insulation of socio-economic policy-making from public's electoral accountability.


This thesis is about the Southern plantation in Faulkner's Yoknapatawpha fiction: how
it is represented and constructed, how it is narratively articulated and experienced as
both space and symbol. But as its full title suggests, Building Yoknapatawpha is equally
about narrative structures and spaces too: about how Yoknapatawpha textually fits
together; about how this spreading oeuvre was constructed by Faulkner and how it
may equally be reconstructed by the reader. It is about both the reading of space and
the space of reading – about how the architectural spaces and social order of the
Southern plantation and the narrative structures of the novel inform, complement,
and challenge one another, and how their affinity may ultimately be used to generate
a new "spatialized" model of literary reading.
Foregrounding tensions between narrative "details" and "design" and
conceptions of "ruin" and "restoration", this thesis explores how Faulkner's
Yoknapatawpha novels function simultaneously as "open" and "closed". It considers
how Absalom, Absalom! (1936) attempts to recuperate the repressed historical
connections present in Flags in the Dust (1929), only to erase them once more through
death, destruction, and narrative closure. It considers how Go Down, Moses (1942)
offers models of black domesticity that resist the oppressions of segregation and
lynching – but which are dispersed through black diaspora and narrative exclusion. It
considers how The Mansion (1959) revises and integrates details from earlier
Yoknapatawpha texts to create a richly layered textual space – but which is in constant
tension with the process of the historical "whitening" of the Southern post-plantation
landscape which it ultimately depicts. Building Yoknapatawpha concludes by
attempting to resolve these tensions into a new model of literary reading:
deconstructing Yoknapatawpha to reassemble it as a layered "mapping" of multiple
parallel narrative paths and connective links, which resist the mastery – and erasure –
imposed by linearity and closure.


To study the behavioral style or temperament of 45 boys, aged 47 to 88 months, with full‐mutation fragile X syndrome (FXS), 102 parent ratings on the Behavioral Style Questionnaire (McDevitt and Carey 1978) were recorded. These ratings were analysed with a variety of statistical techniques. Considerable variability was evident in temperament profiles; consequently, a characteristic profile was not identified for FXS. Boys with FXS differed significantly from the reference sample on five of nine temperament dimensions. They were more active and less intense, approachable, adaptable, and persistent. No significant differences were found in distractibility, rhythmicity, mood, or sensory threshold. Only 16 of the 45 boys in the sample could be classified as easy, difficult, or slow to warm up. There was no link between severity of developmental disability and temperament ratings. This supports the theory that intelligence and temperament are separate constructs. Scores on temperament dimensions were stable over time. Our results suggest that many of the behaviors observed in boys with FXS may be related to temperament. Consequently, parent counseling and environmental modifications should be considered as first line treatment. The question of whether the behavior problems observed in boys with FXS are innate or whether they result from poorness of fit between child and environment is an important issue that needs further study.


This study aimed to (i) describe the weight status trajectories from childhood to mid-adulthood and (ii) investigate the influence of maternal and paternal body mass index (BMI) on offspring's trajectories in a nationally representative study in Great Britain.  The sample comprised 4174 (43%male) participants from the 1970 British Cohort Study with complete BMI data at ages 10, 26, 30, 34, and 42 years. Individuals' weight status was categorised as overweight/obese or non-overweight/obese at each age, and trajectories of weight status from 10 to 42 years of age were assessed. Sex-stratified multinomial logistic regression models were used to assess associations of maternal and paternal BMI with trajectory group membership, adjusting for potential confounders (e.g., socioeconomic position and puberty). 30% of individuals were never overweight/obese (reference trajectory), 6%, 44% and 8% had childhood, early- and mid-adulthood onset of overweight/obesity (respectively), and 12% other trajectories. In fully adjusted models, higher maternal and paternal BMI significantly increased the risk of childhood (relative risk ratio: 1.2-1.3) and early adulthood onset (1.2) of overweight/obesity in both sexes. Relative risk ratios were generally higher for maternal than paternal BMI in females but similar in males. Early puberty also increased the risk of childhood (1.8-9.2) and early adulthood onset (3.7-4.7) of overweight/obesity. Results highlight the importance of primary prevention, as most individuals remained overweight/obese after onset. Maternal and paternal BMI had additive effects on offspring weight status trajectories across 32 years of the life course, suggesting that prevention/intervention programmes should focus on the whole family.


One of the distinguishing features of the Great Recession and its aftermath has been the spike in the number of individuals experiencing long-duration unemployment spells, defined as lasting more than 26 weeks. This paper analyzes the effect of unemployment duration on individual's future earnings and other outcomes, such as homeownership and wealth, using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID). The results show a negative relationship between a worker's most recent unemployment spell and his or her current earnings. The earnings of displaced workers do not catch up to those of their nondisplaced counterparts for nearly 20 years. The effect of unemployment on earnings is even more substantial for workers unemployed 26 weeks or more. Unemployment spells also negatively impact future homeownership—this finding suggests that the consequences of the recent spike in unemployment duration could affect more than individuals' expected lifetime earnings. Given the costs of long-term unemployment, policies aimed at reducing the unemployment rate—such as the Federal Reserve's quantitative easing program—could have the added benefit of limiting the negative consequences of long-duration unemployment through fostering faster re-employment.


Background Pesticides, which encompass a wide range of chemicals, are used extensively worldwide to control weeds, insects and other pests, both agriculturally, and in other settings, and have been linked to numerous adverse health outcomes, including cancer. Use has increased dramatically in the last several decades, but establishing a link between specific pesticide active ingredients and disease can be challenging. Methods The Agricultural Health Study is a prospective cohort study of 57,310 licensed pesticide applicators and 32,345 of their spouses in Iowa and North Carolina, USA. At enrollment in 1993-1997, participants provided information on mixing, loading and applying individual pesticide active ingredients over their lifetimes. At subsequent interviews, they provided information on chemical products used on specific crops and animals. This self-reported use has been shown to be generally reliable. In addition, farm characteristics and practices allow for the assessment of potential non-occupational exposures for spouses not working on the farm. Incident cancers are identified through regular linkage to the cancer registries in each state. Results Results from this study have indicated associations between specific pesticides and several cancer sites, including cancers of the prostate, lung and lymphohematopoietic malignancies. Ongoing analyses are focused on the re-evaluation of previously observed associations, as well as initial investigations of newer and less commonly used chemicals, as well as rarer tumours. Preliminary results of these evaluations have suggested increased risk with specific pesticides and tumours such as liver and ovary. In addition, the evaluation of risks related to non-occupational pesticide exposures is a new area of emphasis. Conclusions This study provides a unique opportunity to investigate both occupational and non-occupational exposures to specific pesticides and cancer risk in a prospective setting.


Aim/Purpose: This study utilized a comprehensive framework to investigate the adoption of Business Analytics (BA) and its effects on performance in commercial banks in Jordan. The framework integrated the Technological-Organizational-Environmental (TOE) model, the Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) theory, and the Resource-Based View (RBV).

Background: The recent trend of utilizing data for business operations and decision-making has positively impacted organizations. Business analytics (BA) is a leading technique that generates valuable insights from data. It has gained considerable attention from scholars and practitioners across various industries. However, guidance is lacking for organizations to implement BA effectively specific to their business contexts. This research aims to evaluate factors influencing BA adoption by Jordanian commercial banks and examine how its implementation impacts bank performance. The goal is to provide needed empirical evidence surrounding BA adoption and outcomes in the Jordanian banking sector.

Methodology: The study gathered empirical data by conducting an online questionnaire survey with senior and middle managers from 13 commercial banks in Jordan. The participants were purposefully selected, and the questionnaire was designed based on relevant and well-established literature. A total of 307 valid questionnaires were collected and considered for data analysis.

Contribution: This study makes a dual contribution to the BA domain. Firstly, it introduces a research model that comprehensively examines the factors that influence the adoption of BA. The proposed model integrates the TOE framework, DOI theory, and RBV theory. Combining these frameworks allows for a comprehensive examination of BA adoption in the banking industry. By analyzing the technological, organizational, and environmental factors through the TOE framework, understanding the diffusion process through the DOI theory, and assessing the role of resources and capabilities through the RBV theory, researchers and practitioners can better understand the complex dynamics involved. This integrated approach enables a more nuanced assessment of the factors that shape BA adoption and its subsequent impact on business performance within the banking industry. Secondly, it uncovers the effects of BA adoption on business performance. These noteworthy findings stem from a rigorous analysis of primary data collected from commercial banks in Jordan. By presenting a holistic model and delving into the implications for business performance, this research offers valuable insights to researchers and practitioners alike in the field of BA.

Findings: The findings revealed that various technological (data quality, complexity, compatibility, relative advantage), organizational (top management support, organizational readiness), and environmental (external support) factors are crucial in shaping the decision to adopt BA. Furthermore, the study findings demonstrated a positive relationship between BA adoption and performance outcomes in Jordanian commercial banks.

Recommendations for Practitioners: The findings suggest that Jordanian commercial banks should enforce data quality practices, provide clear standards, invest in data quality tools and technologies, and conduct regular data audits. Top management support is crucial for fostering a data-driven decision-making culture. Organizational readiness involves having the necessary resources and skilled personnel, as well as promoting continuous learning and improvement. Highlighting the benefits of BA helps overcome resistance to technological innovation and encourages adoption by demonstrating improved decision-making processes and operational efficiency. Furthermore, external support is crucial for banks to adopt Business Analytics (BA). Banks should partner with experienced vendors to gain expertise and incorporate best practices. Vendors also provide training and technical support to overcome technological barriers. Compatibility is essential for optimal performance, requiring managers to modify workflows and IT infrastructure. Complexity, including data, organizational, and technical complexities, is a major obstacle to BA adoption. Banks should take a holistic approach, focusing on people, processes, and technology, and prioritize data quality and governance. Building a skilled team, fostering a data-driven culture, and investing in technology and infrastructure are essential.

Recommendation for Researchers: The integration of the TOE framework, the DOI theory, and the RBV theory can prove to be a powerful approach for comprehensively analyzing the various factors that influence BA adoption within the dynamic banking industry. Furthermore, this combined framework enables us to gain deeper insights into the subsequent impact of BA adoption on overall business performance.

Impact on Society: Examining the factors influencing BA adoption in the banking industry and its subsequent impact on business performance can have wide-ranging societal implications. It can promote data-driven decision-making, enhance customer experiences, strengthen fraud detection, foster financial inclusion, contribute to economic growth, and trigger discussions on ethical considerations.

Future Research: To further advance future research, there are several avenues to consider. One option is to broaden the scope by including a larger sample size, allowing for a more comprehensive analysis. Another possibility is to investigate the impact of BA adoption on various performance indicators beyond the ones already examined. Additionally, incorporating qualitative research methods would provide a more holistic understanding of the organizational dynamics and challenges associated with the adoption of BA in Jordanian commercial banks.


Mahler's Ninth Symphony has most commonly been interpreted as a "farewell story"; specifically Mahler's farewell to the world and resignation to death. How would this story remain viable to a modern audience, long after Mahler's death? How would a modern audience receive this work? Modern society has increasingly commodified music, particularly the tonal repertoire, exploiting the profitability of music. This challenges the 19 th century aesthetic of music as an autonomous art. In Mahler's N inth Symphony there are numerous binary oppositions, such as simple/complex and sublime/vulgar. I read these oppositions as a dialectic between tonal music as autonomous "art for art's sake" and as a commodity for public consumption. This dialectic is presented in each movement of the symphony, with an attempt at synthesis between autonomous ('high') music and commodified ('low') music. Each attempt fails, with one side of the dialectic overtaking the other. The symphony ends in sombre fashion; dialectical synthesis has shown to be impossible and tonal music acknowledges its lack of autonomy. Thus, the "farewell story" of Mahler's Ninth Symphony may be read by modern culture as a farewell to the notion of tonal music as an autonomous art: tonality be it art or popular music, has accepted its commodity character. This problematizes traditional distinctions between "high" and "low" culture. Therefore, Mahler's Ninth Symphony articulates a farewell that need not be mourned.


Insect faunas associated with 10 tree species growing in a submontane area in Papua New Guinea are described and compared. In total, 75,000 insects were collected on these trees during the day and night by hand collecting, beating, branch clipping, intercept flight traps, and pyrethrum knockdown over a l-yr period. Association of chewing insects with the hosts was inferred from feeding trials. Characteristics of the fauna associated with each tree species are briefly outlined, with an emphasis on chewing insects. Four subsets of data, of decreasing affinity with the host, were analyzed by canonical correspondence and cluster analyses: (1) specialist leaf-chewers, (2) proven leafchewers, (3) all herbivores (including transient leaf-chewers and sap-suckers), and (4) all insects (including nonherbivore categories). Analyses of similarity between tree species were performed using number of either species or individuals within insect families. Analyses using number of individuals appeared more robust than those using number of species, because transient herbivore species artificially inflated the level of similarity between tree species. Thus, it is recommended that number of individuals be used in analyses of this type, particularly when the association of insects with their putative host has not been ascertained. Not unexpectedly, the faunal similarity of tree species increased along the sequence (1)-(2)-(3)-(4). Convergence or divergence in faunal similarity among tree species certainly results from many factors. Among those identified, successional status (which can be related more generally to the type of habitat in which the host grows) appeared important for specialist leafchewers; gross features of the host, such as leaf palatability and leaf weight (related to leaf toughness), were important for leaf-chewers; features presumably influencing insect flight and alighting (leaf area, probably related to foliage denseness) seemed be important for all herbivores; and features related to host architecture (tree height, type of bark) were important for all insects. Taxonomic isolation and phylogeny of trees were clearly unrelated to faunal similarity, even for specialist leaf-chewers. We discuss briefly from a conservation perspective the loss of tree species in our system and the outcome for associated insect faunas. IN SOME INSTANCES, a close correspondence between the faunal similarity of insect herbi1 This study was partly funded by grants of the Swiss National Science Foundation to Y.B. and of New England Biolabs Foundation to S.E.M. Manuscript accepted 5 June 1995. 2 Department of Natural Sciences, Bishop Museum, P.O. Box 19000-A, Honolulu, Hawai'i 96817-0916. 3 Current address: International Institute of Entomology, 56 Queen's Gate, London SW7 5JR U.K. and Christensen Research Institute, P.O. Box 305, Madang, Papua New Guinea. vores and the taxonomic affinity of their herbaceous host plants has been demonstrated (e.g., Berenbaum 1981). Trees usually offer a much more complex set of habitats for insects than herbaceous plants, both in terms of plant architecture (e.g., Lawton 1983) and of genetic variability (e.g., Whitham and Slobodchikoff 1981). As a result, trees often support a much more diverse insect fauna than herbs (Lawton and Schroder 1977). This, in turn, may explain why (diffuse coevolution: see Fox 1981) faunal similarities in trees


Background and Objectives: Patient satisfaction is an important concept and priority in health system. The aim of this study was to assess patients' satisfaction from nursing care in hospitals of Iran University of Medical Sciences. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 450 patients who had undergone surgery during six months were selected to the study. Data were collected using a self-structured questionnaire. Patients' satisfaction was measured in a 5-point Likert scale. Results: The overall satisfaction of patients pre- and post operation was at an optimum level of 83.6% and 89.1%, respectively. The mean overall satisfaction with nursing care was not statistically significant before and after the surgery. Patients' satisfaction after the surgery was significantly related to the education, gender and residential area (p<0.05). Conclusion: Most patients were satisfied with the nursing care before and after the surgery. Patient satisfaction should be measured at the time of discharge as an evaluation index.


Understanding the risks caused by relying on information systems is an enduring research stream in the Information Systems (IS) discipline. With information systems becoming ubiquitous, IS risks permeate every aspect of life and effective risk mitigation increasingly requires a holistic structure. We use the largest and oldest publicly available risk collection to understand the developments of IS risks, its characteristics, and interdependencies. We review this data set using text mining techniques. Interestingly, we find that some types of IS risks tend to reoccur. We find that this database provides rich opportunities for learning from previous mistakes, which could help avoid similar problems in the future. Our contributions to theory includes a risk-taker's view on contemporary information systems, a differentiation between controllable and reoccurring risks, and the increased interconnection of IS risks. As implications for practice we provide a basis for learning from past IS risks and an initial structure.


Background: Hamstring injuries are common in sprinters. Identifying preseason risk factors is essential to target injury-prone athletes and develop injury preventive measures. Objective: To investigate the incidence of hamstring muscle injury in sprinters over an athletic season and to explore the preseason predictor of this injury. Design: Prospective cohort study. Participants: 44 sprinters from the Hong Kong Sports Institute, the Hong Kong Amateur Athletic Association and intercollegiate athletic teams were recruited. Methods: Preseason assessment of hamstring flexibility, concentric and eccentric isokinetic peak torque and peak torque angle were obtained at the beginning of an athletic season. The athletes were followed over 12 months and were asked to report all injuries resulting from training and competition. Results: Eight athletes sustained hamstring injuries over the season. The injury rate was 0.87 per 1000 h of exposure. The incidence of injuries was higher at the beginning of the season, with 58.3% injuries occurring in the first 100 h of exposure. Cox regression analysis revealed that athletes with a decrease in the hamstring : quadriceps peak torque ratio of less than 0.60 at an angular velocity of 180°/s have a 17-fold increased risk of hamstring injury. Conclusion: Performing preseason hamstring : quadriceps peak torque ratio assessments may be useful to identify sprinters susceptible to hamstring injury.


Digital cameras transform sensor RAW readings into RGB images by means of their Image Signal Processor (ISP). Computational photography tasks such as image denoising and colour constancy are commonly performed in the RAW domain, in part due to the inherent hardware design, but also due to the appealing simplicity of noise statistics that result from the direct sensor readings. Despite this, the availability of RAW images is limited in comparison with the abundance and diversity of available RGB data. Recent approaches have attempted to bridge this gap by estimating the RGB to RAW mapping: handcrafted model-based methods that are interpretable and controllable usually require manual parameter fine-tuning, while end-to-end learnable neural networks require large amounts of training data, at times with complex training procedures, and generally lack interpretability and parametric control. Towards addressing these existing limitations, we present a novel hybrid model-based and data-driven ISP that builds on canonical ISP operations and is both learnable and interpretable. Our proposed invertible model, capable of bidirectional mapping between RAW and RGB domains, employs end-to-end learning of rich parameter representations, i.e. dictionaries, that are free from direct parametric supervision and additionally enable simple and plausible data augmentation. We evidence the value of our data generation process by extensive experiments under both RAW image reconstruction and RAW image denoising tasks, obtaining state-of-the-art performance in both. Additionally, we show that our ISP can learn meaningful mappings from few data samples, and that denoising models trained with our dictionary-based data augmentation are competitive despite having only few or zero ground-truth labels.


BACKGROUND
A number of treatments can help smokers make a successful quit attempt, but many initially successful quitters relapse over time. Several interventions have been proposed to help prevent relapse.

OBJECTIVES
To assess whether specific interventions for relapse prevention reduce the proportion of recent quitters who return to smoking.

SEARCH METHODS
We searched the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group trials register, clinicaltrials.gov, and the ICTRP in May 2019 for studies mentioning relapse prevention or maintenance in their title, abstracts, or keywords.

SELECTION CRITERIA
Randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials of relapse prevention interventions with a minimum follow-up of six months. We included smokers who quit on their own, were undergoing enforced abstinence, or were participating in treatment programmes. We included studies that compared relapse prevention interventions with a no intervention control, or that compared a cessation programme with additional relapse prevention components with a cessation programme alone.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
We used standard methodological procedures expected by Cochrane.

MAIN RESULTS
We included 81 studies (69,094 participants), five of which are new to this update. We judged 22 studies to be at high risk of bias, 53 to be at unclear risk of bias, and six studies to be at low risk of bias. Fifty studies included abstainers, and 30 studies helped people to quit and then tested treatments to prevent relapse. Twenty-eight studies focused on special populations who were abstinent because of pregnancy (19 studies), hospital admission (six studies), or military service (three studies). Most studies used behavioural interventions that tried to teach people skills to cope with the urge to smoke, or followed up with additional support. Some studies tested extended pharmacotherapy. We focused on results from those studies that randomised abstainers, as these are the best test of relapse prevention interventions. Of the 12 analyses we conducted in abstainers, three pharmacotherapy analyses showed benefits of the intervention: extended varenicline in assisted abstainers (2 studies, n = 1297, risk ratio (RR) 1.23, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.08 to 1.41, I2 = 82%; moderate-certainty evidence), rimonabant in assisted abstainers (1 study, RR 1.29, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.55), and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) in unaided abstainers (2 studies, n = 2261, RR 1.24, 95% Cl 1.04 to 1.47, I2 = 56%). The remainder of analyses of pharmacotherapies in abstainers had wide confidence intervals consistent with both no effect and a statistically significant effect in favour of the intervention. These included NRT in hospital inpatients (2 studies, n = 1078, RR 1.23, 95% CI 0.94 to 1.60, I2 = 0%), NRT in assisted abstainers (2 studies, n = 553, RR 1.04, 95% CI 0.77 to 1.40, I2 = 0%; low-certainty evidence), extended bupropion in assisted abstainers (6 studies, n = 1697, RR 1.15, 95% CI 0.98 to 1.35, I2 = 0%; moderate-certainty evidence), and bupropion plus NRT (2 studies, n = 243, RR 1.18, 95% CI 0.75 to 1.87, I2 = 66%; low-certainty evidence). Analyses of behavioural interventions in abstainers did not detect an effect. These included studies in abstinent pregnant and postpartum women at the end of pregnancy (8 studies, n = 1523, RR 1.05, 95% CI 0.99 to 1.11, I2 = 0%) and at postpartum follow-up (15 studies, n = 4606, RR 1.02, 95% CI 0.94 to 1.09, I2 = 3%), studies in hospital inpatients (5 studies, n = 1385, RR 1.10, 95% CI 0.82 to 1.47, I2 = 58%), and studies in assisted abstainers (11 studies, n = 5523, RR 0.98, 95% CI 0.87 to 1.11, I2 = 52%; moderate-certainty evidence) and unaided abstainers (5 studies, n = 3561, RR 1.06, 95% CI 0.96 to 1.16, I2 = 1%) from the general population.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
Behavioural interventions that teach people to recognise situations that are high risk for relapse along with strategies to cope with them provided no worthwhile benefit in preventing relapse in assisted abstainers, although unexplained statistical heterogeneity means we are only moderately certain of this. In people who have successfully quit smoking using pharmacotherapy, there were mixed results regarding extending pharmacotherapy for longer than is standard. Extended treatment with varenicline helped to prevent relapse; evidence for the effect estimate was of moderate certainty, limited by unexplained statistical heterogeneity. Moderate-certainty evidence, limited by imprecision, did not detect a benefit from extended treatment with bupropion, though confidence intervals mean we could not rule out a clinically important benefit at this stage. Low-certainty evidence, limited by imprecision, did not show a benefit of extended treatment with nicotine replacement therapy in preventing relapse in assisted abstainers. More research is needed in this area, especially as the evidence for extended nicotine replacement therapy in unassisted abstainers did suggest a benefit.


We show that the variance of the Monte Carlo estimator that is importance sampled from an exponential family is a convex function of the natural parameter of the distribution. With this insight, we propose an adaptive importance sampling algorithm that simultaneously improves the choice of sampling distribution while accumulating a Monte Carlo estimate. Exploiting convexity, we prove that the method's unbiased estimator has variance that is asymptotically optimal over the exponential family.


The report presents a thesis carried out on behalf of the company SAAB Training and Simulation which is situated in Huskvarna. The authors of this report are going to graduate as mechanical engineers focusing on product development and design, and this thesis should reflect the knowledge obtained during the education. The assignment, given from the company was to develop a concept of a stand that will constitute as a part of a mobile system for target practice. The reader get to follow throughout the project and can hopefully learn from the smart solutions and approaches that have arisen during the process.Today SAAB doesn't have a mobile application in their portfolio that utilizes the benefits of their sensor measuring system, also called the LOMAH-bar. The system allows direct feedback to the shooter, which is preferred for training when the purpose is to improve the accuracy. The company's request was a mobile stand that can be transported together with the LOMAH-bar and accessories in a box. This stand should easily get installed at a shooting range for practice and demounted just as fast after finishing the practice.In order to arrive at a final concept different methods and theories has been taken into account. To test and explore ideas several different experiments has been made and people in the surroundings has been interrogated to act as test subjects to reach a desired result. The final concept was a construction with a smart design. Simple configurations that offered the necessary functional solutions and a low amount of components made the choice fall on this particular design.The thesis gives the company a concept for a possible future product. By having access to this concept, the product can be demonstrated and shown to potential customers before the product is fully developed. This enables the company to ensure interest in the product early in the development stage.


The proliferating internet-connected devices that constitute the "Internet of Things" (IoT) grant companies unprecedented control over consumers' use of property, often at the expense of consumer safety. Companies can now remotely—and, with algorithmic enforcement, automatically—alter or deactivate items, a practice that causes foreseeable property damage and even bodily injury when an otherwise operational car, alarm system, or implanted medical device abruptly ceases to function.

Even as the potential for harm escalates, contract and tort law work in tandem to shield IoT companies from liability. Exculpatory clauses limit both contract and tort remedies; disclaimers and express warranties bar implied warranty claims; and contractual notice of remote interference precludes common law tort suits. Meanwhile, absent a better understanding of how IoT-enabled injuries operate, judges are likely to apply products liability and negligence standards narrowly. In short, civil liability for this 21st century version of harmful remote action is not appropriately allocated by our 20th century regime.

In the wake of the Industrial Revolution, courts limited corporate liability by creating the modern version of "negligence"; the rise of mass production and cross-country transportation prompted the products liability revolution. Once again, a new technology has altered social and power relations between industry and individuals, creating a liability inflection point where we must decide who should bear the costs going forward. This Article proposes various reforms to expand corporate civil liability that advocates, judges, and policymakers should consider during this critical regulatory window.


In recent years, university education is undergoing major changes regarding ways of teaching. It must meet the emerging challenges and to adapt to them. Increasingly, in educational institutions and their educational levels are offered distance courses or Web-based training aids. Having a wide range of new technologies help realize innovative training methods, thereby expanding traditional. Mobile learning is one of these new innovative methods. One of the advantages of m-learning is that it is fixed on increasing the ability of students to organize themselves their training. Through this kind of training they have the opportunity to learn, using their own mobile devices, anytime and anywhere. Mobile learning is extremely flexible, as is practically available. It opens new opportunities for students who otherwise could not participate in the traditional learning process for one or another reason. Mobility enables students to be in contact with their peers, teachers and educational resources when they are unable to attend traditional training. This report describes a HTML5 based system for mobile learning developed in the University of Ruse. The system is adaptable depending on the used device - personal computer or mobile device. When a PC is used the system supports four user groups - administrator, teacher, student and guest. When a mobile device is used the system supports two user groups - student and guest. The system is designed on a modular basis. Separating the business logic from the user interface enables faster and more easily update of the system. As mobile devices are characterized by the small screen and limited methods for input the information compared to PCs, the interface design for mobile version is consistent with these characteristics and does not burden customers with unnecessary complexity.


The whisker system is an important sensory organ with extensive neural representations in the brain of the mouse. Patterned neural modules (barrelettes) in the ipsilateral principal sensory nucleus of the trigeminal nerve (PrV) correspond to the whiskers. Axons of the PrV barrelette neurons cross the midline and confer the whisker-related patterning to the contralateral ventroposteromedial nucleus of the thalamus, and subsequently to the cortex. In this way, specific neural modules called barreloids and barrels in the contralateral thalamus and cortex represent each whisker. Partial midline crossing of the PrV axons, in a conditional Robo3 mutant (Robo3R3–5cKO) mouse line, leads to the formation of bilateral whisker maps in the ventroposteromedial, as well as the barrel cortex. We used voltage-sensitive dye optical imaging and somatosensory and motor behavioral tests to characterize the consequences of bifacial maps in the thalamocortical system. Voltage-sensitive dye optical imaging verified functional, bilateral whisker representation in the barrel cortex and activation of distinct cortical loci following ipsilateral and contralateral stimulation of the specific whiskers. The mutant animals were comparable with the control animals in sensorimotor tests. However, they showed noticeable deficits in all of the whisker-dependent or -related tests, including Y-maze exploration, horizontal surface approach, bridge crossing, gap crossing, texture discrimination, floating in water, and whisking laterality. Our results indicate that bifacial maps along the thalamocortical system do not offer a functional advantage. Instead, they lead to impairments, possibly due to the smaller size of the whisker-related modules and interference between the ipsilateral and contralateral whisker representations in the same thalamus and cortex. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The whisker sensory system plays a quintessentially important role in exploratory behavior of mice and other nocturnal rodents. Here, we studied a novel mutant mouse line, in which the projections from the brainstem to the thalamus are disrupted. This led to formation of bilateral whisker maps in both the thalamus and the cortex. The two whisker maps crowd in a space normally devoted to the contralateral map alone and in a nonoverlapping fashion. Stimulation of the whiskers on either side activates the corresponding region of the map. Mice with bilateral whisker maps perform well in general sensorimotor tasks but show poor performance in specific tests that require whisker-dependent tactile discrimination. These observations indicate that contralateral, instead of bilateral, representation of the sensory space plays a critical role in acuity and fine discrimination during somesthesis.


Abstract Objective: To present a non-classificatory technique of map representation of compositional patterns of vegetation as no two plant species assemblages are completely alike and gradations often occur. Variation is depicted as continuous fields instead of classes. Location: Murnauer Moos, Bavaria. Methods: The study combined vegetation ecology and remote sensing methods. The gradual representation of compositional patterns was based on techniques of ordination and regression, instead of mapping class fractions. The floristic field data were collected in relevés and subjected to three-dimensional non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMS). The reflectance information corresponding to plots was gathered from remotely sensed imagery with a high spectral resolution. Reflectance values in numerous wavelengths were related to NMS axes scores by partial least squares regression analysis. The regression equations were applied to the imagery and yielded three grey-scale images, one for each ordination axis. These three images were transformed into a red, green, and blue colour map with a specific colour for each position in the ordination space. Similar colours corresponded to similar species compositions. Results: Compositional variation was mapped accurately (R2 = 0.79), using continuous fields. The results took account of various types of stand transitions and of heterogeneities within stands. The map representation featured relatively homogeneous stands and abrupt transitions between stands as well as within-stand heterogeneity and gradual transitions. Conclusions: The use of NMS in combination with imaging spectroscopy proved to be an expedient approach for nonclassificatory map representations of compositional patterns. Ordination is efficiently extended into the geographic domain. The approach in abandoning pre-defined plant communities is able to reconcile mapping practice and complex reality. Nomenclature: Wisskirchen & Haeupler (1998) for phanerogams; Smith (1980) for mosses; Rennwald (2000) for syntaxa.


There is an ever growing number of molecular phylogenetic studies published, due to, in part, the advent of new techniques that allow cheap and quick DNA sequencing. Hence, the demand for relational databases with which to manage and annotate the amassing DNA sequences, genes, voucher specimens and associated biological data is increasing. In addition, a user-friendly interface is necessary for easy integration and management of the data stored in the database back-end. Available databases allow management of a wide variety of biological data. However, most database systems are not specifically constructed with the aim of being an organizational tool for researchers working in phylogenetic inference. We here report a new software facilitating easy management of voucher and sequence data, consisting of a relational database as back-end for a graphic user interface accessed via a web browser. The application, VoSeq, includes tools for creating molecular datasets of DNA or amino acid sequences ready to be used in commonly used phylogenetic software such as RAxML, TNT, MrBayes and PAUP, as well as for creating tables ready for publishing. It also has inbuilt BLAST capabilities against all DNA sequences stored in VoSeq as well as sequences in NCBI GenBank. By using mash-ups and calls to web services, VoSeq allows easy integration with public services such as Yahoo! Maps, Flickr, Encyclopedia of Life (EOL) and GBIF (by generating data-dumps that can be processed with GBIF's Integrated Publishing Toolkit).


One-way transmission of images was achieved with two graded-index multimode optical fibers and a phase-conjugate mirror. Two fibers were made to have the same shape and the same property. A distorted output beam from the first fiber was reflected by a photorefractive self-pumped BaTiO3 phase-conjugate mirror and was launched to the second fiber. Images were restored in the output beam of the second fiber. Graded-index fibers showed better image recovery than did step-index fibers.


Blogs are useful interaction tools to promote learners' knowledge construction and interaction in online teaching activities. On the other hand, although many studies show that mindtools facilitate learners' cognitive process, little research focus on their effects on learners' higher order cognitive thinking in blogs. This research developed a learning environment by using a mindtool-based blog to promote learners' higher order cognitive thinking in their online discussions and to assess their learning effects. The participants were 276 senior high school students from an information ethics class. A quasi-experimental research design was adopted in this research. The control group used the ordinary blogs. The Experimental Group 1 used the basic mindtools in blogs, which means that learners can use all the mindtool functions except the Knowledge Compilation function. The Experimental Group 2 used the advanced mindtools in blogs, which means that they can use all the mindtool functions, including the Knowledge Compilation function. The results indicated that both experimental groups showed better learning effects and more higher order cognitive thinking than the control group. Moreover, the higher order cognitive thinking category Analyze was found more often in the Experimental Group 2 than in the Experimental Group 1.


Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) enroll hundreds of millions of subjects and involve many human lives. To improve subjects' welfare, I propose a design of RCTs that I call Experiment-as-Market (EXAM). EXAM produces a Pareto efficient allocation of treatment assignment probabilities, is asymptotically incentive compatible for preference elicitation, and unbiasedly estimates any causal effect estimable with standard RCTs. I quantify these properties by applying EXAM to a water cleaning experiment in Kenya (Kremer et al., 2011). In this empirical setting, compared to standard RCTs, EXAM substantially improves subjects' predicted well-being while reaching similar treatment effect estimates with similar precision.


Introduction: The infiltration of various tumours with macrophages is associated with a higher rate of metastasis and a poor prognosis. The underlying mechanisms are widely unknown. Hemeoygenase-1 (HO-1) is expressed in macrophages and acts predominantly anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative. The significance of HO-1 for the migration of macrophages and the accumulation in tissues has not been investigated so far. Methods: The in vivo expression of HO-1 was determined by immunohistochemistry in 60 human HCC samples. In vitro expression of HO-1 activity was measured by western blot and real time PCR in the human monocyte cell line THP-1. Migration was analysed in THP-1 cells in Boyden chamber invasion assays. Results: HO-1 was detected immunohistochemically in peritumorous HCC tissue and Kupffercells in 45 out of 60 (85 %) tumour specimens. HO-1 protein and RNA could be detected in THP-1 cells under normal conditions. Stimulation by oxidative stress lead to a highly significant stimulation of the HO-1 RNA and protein expression (132-fold). Induction of the HO-1 activity by haemin resulted in a significant decrease of the migration of THP-1 cells. Otherwise, inhibition of the HO-1 activity by Sn-Protoporphyrin resulted in a significantly higher migration rate of THP-1 cells. Discussion: For the first time we could demonstrate the exclusive expression of HO-1 in human HCC tissues by macrophages and Kupffercells supporting firm data shown by other groups in animal HCC models. Inhibition of the migration of macrophages by HO-1 activation adverts to a central role of HO-1 for the accumulation of macrophages in human HCC. Further studies will investigate whether HO-1 inhibition may reduce HCC tumour growth.


Besides polyurethanes and polyesters, phenolic and epoxy resins are the most prominent applications for technical lignins in thermosetting materials. To evaluate the potential application of lignin raw materials in phenol formaldehyde and epoxy resins, three types of alkaline lignins were characterized in terms of their structures and thermal properties. The lignin samples analyzed were kraft lignin (LIG-1), soda–rice straw lignin (LIG-2), and soda-wheat straw lignin (LIG-3). FTIR and 1H-NMR methods were used to determine their structure. Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) was used to determine the molecular weight distribution (MWD). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to measure the glass transition temperature (Tg), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) to determine the thermal stability of lignin samples. Results showed that kraft lignin (LIG-1) has moderate hydroxyl-group content, is rich in G-type units, and has good thermal stability. These properties make it more suitable for direct use in phenol formaldehyde resins, and it is therefore a good raw material for this purpose. The alkaline soda-rice straw lignin (LIG-2) with a high hydroxyl-group content and excellent thermal stability is most suited to preparing lignin-based epoxy resins.


Cloud computing has been widely adopted by application service providers (ASPs) and enterprises to reduce both capital expenditures (CAPEX) and operational expenditures (OPEX). Applications and services previously running on private data centers are now being migrated to private or public clouds. Since most of the ASPs and enterprises have globally distributed user bases, their services need to be distributed across multiple clouds, spread across the globe which can achieve better performance in terms of latency, scalability and load balancing. The shift has eventually led the research community to study multi-cloud environments. However, the widespread acceptance of such environments has been hampered by major security concerns. Firewalls and traditional rule-based security protection techniques are not sufficient to protect user-data in multi-cloud scenarios. Recently, advances in machine learning techniques have attracted the attention of the research community to build intrusion detection systems (IDS) that can detect anomalies in the network traffic. Most of the research works, however, do not differentiate among different types of attacks. This is, in fact, necessary for appropriate countermeasures and defense against attacks. In this paper, we investigate both detecting and categorizing anomalies rather than just detecting, which is a common trend in the contemporary research works. We have used a popular publicly available dataset to build and test learning models for both detection and categorization of different attacks. To be precise, we have used two supervised machine learning techniques, namely linear regression (LR) and random forest (RF). We show that even if detection is perfect, categorization can be less accurate due to similarities between attacks. Our results demonstrate more than 99% detection accuracy and categorization accuracy of 93.6%, with the inability to categorize some attacks. Further, we argue that such categorization can be applied to multi-cloud environments using the same machine learning techniques.


Slow learners are students who learn at less rapid than the normal but not as slowly as the educable mentally retarded. They are sometimes referred to as dull-normal or intellectually backward students (Karnes in Palardy 1975: 380). According to Cecil D. Mercer (1989, 4), some of the slow learners may have only one problem area, such as reading comprehension. Therefore, the teacher must suit and develop strategies and techniques in order to meet the educational needs of the slow learner. Therefore, the writer is interested in investigating this phenomenon as reflected in the title of this study "A Study on the English Teacher's Strategy in Teaching Slow Learners Reading Comprehension at SMPLB Bakti Luhur Malang".
The purpose of this study is to know the strategies used by the English teacher of SMPLB Bakti Luhur Malang in teaching reading comprehension especially for the slow learners.
In this study, the subject was the English teacher who taught the second grade. Meanwhile, the instruments used to get the data of this study were observation and interview.
The result of this study shows that the teacher used several strategies in teaching reading for the slow learners, those were; the teacher used two languages (Indonesian and English), teacher gave some pre-reading question, teacher provided a glossary before reading a text, teacher gave short reading text or less 100 words, teacher gave/ read the texts for the whole class and asked students to response the texts, teacher asked the students to read the text silently and loudly, teacher asked the students to work individually and groups, teacher repeated the reading instructions for several times, teacher gave specific attention to individual difficulty, teacher asked the students to read at home before the discussing in the class meeting, teacher asked the students to seek the difficult words in a text and translate together during teaching reading, teacher used teaching tools (picture), teacher gave the students additional instruction and study materials if they had not reached text mastery, teacher often gave reinforcement/ encouragement to students, teacher used a personal approach, teacher taught the reading class step by step, teacher taught the new vocabulary of the reading by showing the real object, teacher gave home work of reading.
This study hopefully can give some contributions to enrich the strategies in teaching reading especially for slow learners.


Soil seed bank composition is important to the recovery of natural and semi-natural areas from disturbance and serves as a safeguard against environmental catastrophe. White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) populations have increased dramatically in eastern North America over the past century and can have strong impacts on aboveground vegetation, but their impacts on seed bank dynamics are less known. To document the long-term effects of deer browsing on plant successional dynamics, we studied the impacts of deer on both aboveground vegetation and seed bank composition in plant communities following agricultural abandonment. In 2005, we established six 15×15 m fenced enclosures and paired open plots in recently fallowed agricultural fields near Ithaca, NY, USA. In late October of each of six years (2005–2010), we collected soil from each plot and conducted seed germination cycles in a greenhouse to document seed bank composition. These data were compared to measurements of aboveground plant cover (2005–2008) and tree density (2005–2012). The impacts of deer browsing on aboveground vegetation were severe and immediate, resulting in significantly more bare soil, reduced plant biomass, reduced recruitment of woody species, and relatively fewer native species. These impacts persisted throughout the experiment. The impacts of browsing were even stronger on seed bank dynamics. Browsing resulted in significantly decreased overall species richness (but higher diversity), reduced seed bank abundance, relatively more short-lived species (annuals and biennials), and fewer native species. Both seed bank richness and the relative abundance of annuals/biennials were mirrored in the aboveground vegetation. Thus, deer browsing has long-term and potentially reinforcing impacts on secondary succession, slowing succession by selectively consuming native perennials and woody species and favoring the persistence of short-lived, introduced species that continually recruit from an altered seed bank.


ABSTRACK Pediculus humanus var. capitis or flea head represent one of insect able to cause infection, this enabled to happened because head flea eat by permeating / sipping its blood of him. At the same time flea head release materials causing reaction of allergy at scalp so that pruritis. During the time flea head can be killed with chemical pharmaceutical product like gameksan 500 mg/ ml etc, but generated side effects by dozens, for example incidence of residu to health of human being and incidence of insect resistensi to insektisida. Seed of crop of srikaya have many chemical content which have the character of insektisida to insect among others and asimisin of squamosin which included in compound faction of acetogenin. This research aim to to know seed efektifitas extract of srikaya (Annona squamosa L) to head flea mortalitas (Pediculus humanus var. capitis)and also to know seed extract concentration of srikaya effective for the mortalitas of head flea. this Research type using complete random device (RAL) which is from each 6 treatment that is 0 % (control), 20 %, 40 %, 60 %, 80 %, 100 % by 4 restating. This research is executed in Chemical Laboratory of UMM and at Islamic Hospital (RSI) Garam Kalianget ? Sumenep on 10 maret 2009 up to 07 April 2009. Result of research indicate that seed extract of srikaya (Annona squamosa L) used effective as insektisida and cause death to head flea (Pediculus humanus var. capitis). Result of analysis duncan?s test that treatment of F (100 %) giving level of mortalitas highest with long presentation 15 minute have earned to kill flea lead 9-10 tail or 9,75 %, treatment of B with concentration (20 %) giving level of mortalitas which poor with long presentation 15 minute have earned to kill flea lead 2-3 tail or 2,25 % and treatment of A with concentration (0 %) or control no level of mortalitas or not cause death at all. Thereby can be concluded that with concentration 20 % seed extract of srikaya can give death flea lead though lower while concentration 100 % can give death at flea lead maximally and have effective for the mortalitas of head flea (Pediculus humanus var.capitis). http://skripsi.umm.ac.id/files/disk1/322/jiptummpp-gdl-s1-2009-mohammadir-16076-PENDAHUL-N.pdf


Context Epidemiological evidence that the risk of coronary heart disease is inversely associated with the level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) has motivated several phase III programmes with cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitors. Objectives To assess alternative methods to predict clinical response of CETP inhibitors. Methods Meta-regression analysis on raising HDL-C drugs (statins, fibrates, niacin) in randomised controlled trials. Results 51 trials in secondary prevention with a total of 167 311 patients for a follow-up >1 year where HDL-C was measured at baseline and during treatment. The meta-regression analysis showed no significant association between change in HDL-C (treatment vs comparator) and log risk ratio (RR) of clinical endpoint (non-fatal myocardial infarction or cardiac death). CETP inhibitors data are consistent with this finding (RR: 1.03; P5–P95: 0.99–1.21). A prespecified sensitivity analysis by drug class suggested that the strength of relationship might differ between pharmacological groups. A significant association for both statins (p<0.02, log RR=−0.169–0.0499*HDL-C change, R2=0.21) and niacin (p=0.02, log RR=1.07–0.185*HDL-C change, R2=0.61) but not fibrates (p=0.18, log RR=−0.367+0.077*HDL-C change, R2=0.40) was shown. However, the association was no longer detectable after adjustment for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol for statins or exclusion of open trials for niacin. Conclusions Meta-regression suggested that CETP inhibitors might not influence coronary risk. The relation between change in HDL-C level and clinical endpoint may be drug dependent, which limits the use of HDL-C as a surrogate marker of coronary events. Other markers of HDL function may be more relevant.


Shark depredation (damage to gear and loss of bait or hooked fish by a non-target species) is a common global occurrence. Depredation events by sharks can have negative impacts for the fishers, fishery targeted species and the sharks. It is, therefore important to better understand if learning behaviour of sharks can influence rates of depredation. Recreational fishers within the World Heritage Ningaloo Reef have reported increased rates of depredation by sharks over the last 5 years. This study aimed to determine if sharks are capable of learning to associate intensive recreational fishing activities with a food reward. We also aimed to test if sharks in areas frequently fished were more habituated to recreational fishing activities than those sharks within a no-take marine sanctuary. To simulate fishing activities baited underwater video systems were deployed in the morning (A.M.), midday, and afternoon (P.M.) for six consecutive days in Fished and Unfished sites. A significant decrease in time of arrival and time to first feed of sharks was seen across days at the Fished sites. The Unfished sites had very low numbers of sharks observed (n=3) and therefore was not statistically analysed. The relative abundance of sharks did not significantly increase across days, however there was a negative correlation between lemon sharks (Negaprion sp.) and whalers (Carcharhinus sp.). Our study suggests sharks are capable of being classically conditioned to recreational fishing activities and depredation rates are influenced by fisher behaviour. We have highlighted possible mitigation strategies designed to un-condition sharks to recreational fishing, including modifying fishing practices, use of deterrents based on the sensitivity of shark senses and management strategies. The best approach is likely to be enabling fishers to become more knowledgeable of how and why shark depredation events happen and take appropriate steps to avoid them.


Abstract Perceived self-efficacy beliefs have been found to be a strong predictor of mathematical performance while problem posing is considered fundamental in mathematical learning. In this study we examined the relation among efficacy in problem posing, problem-posing ability, and mathematics achievement. Quantitative data were collected from 176 fifth and sixth grade students, and interview data from six students selected on the basis of hierarchical cluster analysis. Students' perceived efficacy to construct problems was found to be a strong predictor of the respective performance as well as of the general mathematics achievement. A strong correlation was also found between ability in problem posing and general mathematics performance. The students constructed problems of greater variety and complexity on the basis of informal tasks rather than on the basis of formal tasks. Significant differences were found in problem posing ability, between fifth and sixth grade students. The findings provide support to earlier studies indicating the predictive power of context-specific efficacy beliefs. Implications are drawn about strategies for enhancing students' efficacy beliefs and problem-posing ability. Theoretical Background and Aims Research on mathematics teaching and learning has recently focused on affective variables, which were found to play an essential role that influences behavior and learning (Bandura, 1997). The affective domain is a complex structural system consisting of four main components: emotions, attitudes, beliefs, and values (Goldin, 2002). Beliefs can be defined as one's subjective knowledge, theories, and conceptions and include whatever one considers as true knowledge, although he or she cannot provide convincing evidence to support it (Pehkonen, 2001). Self-beliefs can be described as one's beliefs regarding personal characteristics and abilities and include dimensions such as self-concept, self-efficacy, and self-esteem. Self-efficacy can be defined as "one's belief that he/she is able to organize and apply plans in order to achieve a certain task" (Bandura, 1997, p. 3). This study focuses on self-efficacy of primary students with respect to problem posing. Self-efficacy is a task-specific construct and there is a correspondence between self-efficacy beliefs and the criterial task being assessed; in contrast, self-concept is the sense of ability with respect to more global goals (Pajares, 2000; Bandura, 1986), while self-esteem is a measure of feeling proud about a certain trait, in comparison with others (Klassen, 2004; Bong & Skaalvik, 2003). The task-specificity of efficacy beliefs implies that related studies are more illuminating when they refer to certain tasks, such as problem posing; the predictive power of self-efficacy is in this case maximized (Pajares & Schunk, 2002). On the other hand, the level of specificity could not be unlimited; as Lent and Hackett (1987) have rightly observed, specificity and precision are often purchased at the expense of practical relevance and validity. The construct self-efficacy is tightly connected to motivation and plays a prominent role in human development since it directly influences behavior. According to Bandura's social cognitive theory, every individual possess a system that exerts control on his/her thoughts, emotions and actions. Among the various mechanisms of human agency, none is more central or pervasive than self-efficacy beliefs (Bandura & Locke, 2003; Pajares, 2000). Research on self-efficacy has recently been accumulated providing among other things notable theoretical advances that reinforce the role attributed to this construct in Bandura's social cognitive theory. Several studies have indicated a strong correlation between mathematics self-efficacy and mathematics achievement (Klassen, 2004). It was further found that mathematics self-efficacy is a good predictor of mathematics performance irrespective of the indicators of performance (Pajares, 1996; Bandura, 1986) and regardless of any other variables (Bandura & Locke, 2003; Pajares & Graham, 1999). …


Summary & Conclusions-This paper addresses system reliability optimization when component reliability estimates are treated as random variables with estimation uncertainty. System reliability optimization algorithms generally assume that component reliability values are known exactly, i.e., they are deterministic. In practice, that is rarely the case. For risk-averse system design, the estimation uncertainty, propagated from the component estimates, may result in unacceptable estimation uncertainty at the system-level. The system design problem is thus formulated with multiple objectives: (1) to maximize the system reliability estimate, and (2) to minimize its associated variance. This formulation of the reliability optimization is new, and the resulting solutions offer a unique perspective on system design. Once formulated in this manner, standard multiple objective concepts, including Pareto optimality, were used to determine solutions. Pareto optimality is an attractive alternative for this type of problem. It provides decision-makers the flexibility to choose the best-compromise solution. Pareto optimal solutions were found by solving a series of weighted objective problems with incrementally varied weights. Several sample systems are solved to demonstrate the approach presented in this paper. The first example is a hypothetical series-parallel system, and the second example is the fault tolerant distributed system architecture for a voice recognition system. The results indicate that significantly different designs are obtained when the formulation incorporates estimation uncertainty. If decision-makers are risk averse, and wish to consider estimation uncertainty, previously available methodologies are likely to be inadequate.


The main challenge in Super Resolution (SR) is to discover the mapping between the low-and high-resolution manifolds of image patches, a complex ill-posed problem which has recently been addressed through piecewise linear regression with promising results. In this paper we present a novel regression-based SR algorithm that benefits from an extended knowledge of the structure of both manifolds. We propose a transform that collapses the 16 variations induced from the dihedral group of transforms (i.e. rotations, vertical and horizontal reflections) and antipodality (i.e. diametrically opposed points in the unitary sphere) into a single primitive. The key idea of our transform is to study the different dihedral elements as a group of symmetries within the high-dimensional manifold. We obtain the respective set of mirror-symmetry axes by means of a frequency analysis of the dihedral elements, and we use them to collapse the redundant variability through a modified symmetry distance. The experimental validation of our algorithm shows the effectiveness of our approach, which obtains competitive quality with a dictionary of as little as 32 atoms (reducing other methods' dictionaries by at least a factor of 32) and further pushing the state-of-the-art with a 1024 atoms dictionary.


Abstract New data products from the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) instrument on the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Satellite have been examined in the context of the recently proposed adaptive tropical infrared Iris hypothesis. The CERES Single Scanner Footprint data products combine radiative fluxes with cloud properties obtained from a co-orbiting imaging instrument. This enables the use of cloud property–based definitions of the various regions in the simple Iris climate model. Regardless of definition, the radiative properties are found to be different from those assigned in the original Iris hypothesis. As a result, the strength of the feedback effect is reduced by a factor of 10 or more. Contrary to the initial Iris hypothesis, most of the definitions tested in this paper result in a small positive feedback. Thus, the existence of an effective infrared iris to counter greenhouse warming is not supported by the CERES data.


A mimicry system was investigated in which the models were ants (Formicidae) and both the mimics and the predators were jumping spiders (Salticidae). By using motionless lures in simultaneous-presentation prey-choice tests, how the predators respond specifically to the static appearance of ants and ant mimics was determined. These findings suggest a rarely considered adaptive trade-off for Batesian mimics of ants. Mimicry may be advantageous when it deceives ant-averse potential predators, but disadvantageous in encounters with ant-eating specialists. Nine myrmecophagic (ant-eating) species (from Africa, Asia, Australia and North America) and one araneophagic (spider-eating) species (Portia fimbriata from Queensland) were tested with ants (five species), with myrmecomorphic (ant-like) salticids (six species of Myrmarachne) and with non-ant-like prey (dipterans and ordinary salticids). The araneophagic salticid chose an ordinary salticid and chose flies significantly more often than ants. Portia fimbriata also chose the ordinary salticid and chose flies significantly more often than myrmecomorphic salticids. However, there was no significant difference in how P. fimbriata responded to ants and to myrmecomorphic salticids. The myrmecophagic salticids chose ants and chose myrmecomorphic salticids significantly more often than ordinary salticids and significantly more often than flies, but myrmecophagic salticids did not respond significantly differently to myrmecomorphic salticids and ants.


Beginning SharePoint 2013 Workflows is a practically-oriented book about building effective workflows in SharePoint 2013. Workflows are process flows that use pre-defined common activities executed as a process on a SharePoint server. Workflows serve in any situation requiring steps to be taken in a precise, controlled order, with forks and variables and other options for customization. Workflows in SharePoint 2013 have been redesigned from the ground up and are immensely more powerful than theworkflow features found in previous versions of SharePoint, 2007 and 2010.The latest version brings a brand-new infrastructure together with fully-declarative authoring environment that is finally ready for prime time. You cannot afford to be unaware of what SharePoint 2013 brings to workflow management. Author Bjoern Rapp covers everything from fundamentals to advanced topics. For readers with no programming experience, learn to build workflows by dragging and dropping. Yes, thats rightno code! SharePoint 2013 provides a comprehensive set of predefined actions, but youre not limited in any way. But for intermediate users and and programmers, you still have access to the sophisticated functionality needed tocustomize your workflows with customcode.Now your workflows can reflect reality, complete with all the iteration and decision points needed to reflect how your business really and truly operates. Beginning SharePoint 2013 Workflows shows how to create custom actions of your own. Also in this book youll learn about support for Workflows in Visual Studio, about the introduction of Windows Azure as the new workflow execution host, how the messaging is implemented through Windows Communication Foundation, and much more. No SharePoint developer can afford to be without Beginning SharePoint 2013 Workflows and the knowledge it unlocks. Covers creation of advanced workflows using both code-based and no code solutions Illustrates exciting new features such as Visual Designer and the new support for loops Provides examples of full-blown Workflow solutions and Workflow management apps using SharePoint Designer 2013 and Visual Studio 2012 What youll learn Learn everything you need to know about then Workflow Manager Service and the Windows Azure Execution Host Create and implement out of the box workflows using the SharePoint 2013 user interface and built-in workflow form templates Build advanced no-code workflows for SharePoint 2013 and Project Server 2013 Use the Workflow Object Model to implement workflow management functions in SharePoint 2013 Apps Develop full code-based workflow solutions utilizing the powers of .NET and Visual Studio 2012 Learn how to manage and monitor workflows using PowerShell Discover SharePoint Designer 2013's powerful workflow design features Who this book is for Beginning SharePoint 2013 Workflows is aimed at both intermediate to advanced SharePoint users (for no code solutions) and developers (for custom code solutions)looking for expert guidance on designing and developing workflows for the SharePoint 2013 platform. Some of the exercises are based on code samples written in C#, and users with basic knowledge of the language and familiarity with the Visual Studio 2012 IDE will benefit most from the code-based chapters.


Title of Document: CHARACTERIZATION OF FIRE INDUCED FLOW TRANSPORT ALONG CEILINGS USING SALT-WATER MODELING Xiaobo Yao, Doctor of Philosophy, 2006 Directed By: Assistant Professor André W. Marshall, Department of Fire Protection Engineering This research provides a detailed analysis of turbulent mixing and heat transfer in canonical fire plume configurations by using a quantitative salt-water modeling technique. The methodology of quantitative salt-water modeling builds on the analogy between salt-water flow and fire induced flow, which has been successfully used in the qualitative analysis of fires. Non-intrusive laser diagnostics, Planar Laser Induced Fluorescence (PLIF) and Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV), have been implemented to measure the dimensionless density difference and velocity in salt-water plumes. In the implementation of the PLIF technique, the salt-water concentration is measured through tracking a fluorescent dye tracer within the entire spatial domain of a planar section of the salt-water flow, which is diluted at the same rate as the salt water. The quantitative salt-water modeling technique has been validated by comparing it with real fire experiments and theoretical data. The scaling laws are also proved by varying the initial source strength or ceiling height in the impinging plume configuration. The detailed salt-water measurements provide insight into of the wall interactions and laminarization effects in the impinging plume configuration. Additionally, highly resolved measurements provide mean profiles and turbulent statistics which will be useful for validating and developing sub-grid scale models in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) codes. Furthermore, an engineering heat transfer model is developed to predict the convective ceiling heat transfer from impinging plumes using the quantitative salt-water modeling technique along with an adiabatic wall modeling concept. The successful application of the adiabatic wall heat transfer model illustrates a well controlled method for studying the heat transfer issues in more complex fire induced flow configurations by using the quantitative salt-water modeling technique. CHARACTERIZATION OF FIRE INDUCED FLOW TRANSPORT ALONG CEILINGS USING SALT-WATER MODELING


This paper reports a simple innovative method to align magnetic cellulose fibers by using a simple permanent magnet to fabricate unidirectional magnetic papers. Magnetic cellulose fibers were made by in situ synthesis of magnetite nanoparticles on alpha cellulose pulp extracted from American southern pine. Scanning electron microscope micrographs and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy maps indicated that magnetite nanoparticles completely covered the cellulose fibers. Suspensions of magnetic cellulose fibers were prepared at three levels of concentration (0.02, 0.04, and 0.08 g/L) and poured into the designed magnetic forming machine. Flow rate of suspension into the forming column was adjusted at 0, 0.3, 0.5, and 1 cm/s. The strength of the applied external magnetic field was the same in all cases and lower than 0.18 T. Orientation analysis indicated that the designed magnetic forming machine has a high performance to be used for aligning magnetic cellulose fibers and fabricating unidirectional magnetic cellulose papers. Observed anisotropic magnetic and mechanical properties confirmed the unidirectional structure.


A virtual design methodology is developed to minimize the noise in enclosures with optimally designed, passive, acoustic absorbers (Helmholtz resonators). A series expansion of eigen functions is used to represent the acoustic absorbers as external volume velocities, eliminating the need for a solution of large matrix eigen value problems. A determination of this type (efficient model/reevaluation approach) significantly increases the design possibilities when optimization techniques are implemented. As a benchmarking exercise, this novel methodology was experimentally validated for a narrowband acoustic assessment of two optimally designed Helmholtz resonators coupled to a 2D enclosure. The resonators were tuned to the two lowest resonance frequencies of a 30.5 by 40.6 by 2.5 cm (12 x 16 x 1 inch) cavity with the resonator volume occupying only 2% of the enclosure volume. A maximum potential energy reduction of 12.4 dB was obtained at the second resonance of the cavity. As a full-scale demonstration of the efficacy of the proposed design method, the acoustic response from 90-190 Hz of a John Deere 7000 Ten series tractor cabin was investigated. The lowest cabin mode, referred to as a "boom" mode, proposes a significant challenge to a noise control engineer since its anti-node is located near the head of the operator and often generates unacceptable sound pressure levels. Exploiting the low frequency capability of Helmholtz resonators, lumped parameter models of these resonators were coupled to the enclosure via an experimentally determined acoustic model of the tractor cabin. The virtual design methodology uses gradient optimization iv techniques as a post processor for the modeling and analysis of the unmodified acoustic interior to determine optimal resonator characteristics. Using two optimally designed Helmholtz resonators; potential energy was experimentally reduced by 3.4 and 10.3 dB at 117 and 167 Hz, respectively.


The development of sustainable routes for the synthesis of noble metal supported catalysts is of high importance because of their wide applications on a large scale in the catalysis field. Herein we report a facile solvent-free solid-state dispersion route to fabricate highly dispersed ultrafine palladium nanoparticle supported catalysts. In the first step, a noble metal precursor Pd(acac)2 was dispersed spontaneously by treating the physical mixture of Pd(acac)2 and catalyst support hydroxyapatite (HAP) at 120 °C under a flow of N2. Subsequent H2 reduction results in the formation of two kinds of Pd particles. In situ reduction at 120 °C is essential for preparing highly dispersed Pd nanoparticles (∼1.2 nm, a1Pd/HAP-SSD) and cooling-down reduction leads to the formation of larger Pd nanoparticles (∼4 nm, b1Pd/HAP-SSD). The as-prepared a1Pd/HAP-SSD exhibits higher activity for phenol hydrogenation than b1Pd/HAP-SSD and that obtained by a traditional wet impregnation method, due to the highly dispersed ultrafine Pd0 nanoparticles obtained by in situ dispersion/reduction. Compared with conventional wet chemistry-based methods, the synthesis route in this work simplifies the synthesis process, avoids producing large polluted wastes, and enhances the dispersion of noble metals. This may open a new way to prepare highly dispersed/active noble metal supported catalysts and is also potentially of high importance for the green production of noble metal supported catalysts on a large scale in the future.


Book synopsis: This collection of essays engages with a central theme in scholarship on EU citizenship – the emancipation of certain citizens, the alienation of others – and seeks to expand its horizons to interrogate whether similar debates and trends can be identified in other fields of European integration. The focus of the book is distinctly citizen focused. It delivers the potential for the opening out of analysis of the implications of European citizenship beyond the parameters of Articles 18-25 TFEU and beyond the disciplinary confines of legal analysis alone. The book construes 'EU citizenship' in its broadest sense, and explores the extent to which the European citizen is, or indeed is not, genuinely at the heart of EU law and policy-making. What is the purpose and role of this transnational, regional regulator, given that citizen concerns seem focused primarily at either the infra State or global levels? Within the broader theme of empowerment and disempowerment, the contributors reflect on a range of cross-cutting themes; for example, the extent to which channels of citizen participation (can) inform EU policy-making in a 'bottom-up' sense; or whether the EU is a catalyst for the construction of new spaces and new identities.


The International Energy Agency's detailed quarterly report on developments in energy prices and taxes in OECD and selected non-OECD Countries.  Prices are provided at all market levels: import prices, industry prices and consumer prices.  The statistics cover main petroleum products, gas, coal, and electricity and prices are provided in both national currencies and in US dollars. Coverage is provided as far back as 1980 on an annual basis.  This issue's feature articles cover natural gas pricing and taxation in China and reforming transport taxes and charges.


During the last 5 years, 10 gunshot and 2 stab wounds of the inferior vena cava have been treated, with 11 survivals and 1 death. The lacerations were above the renal veins in 4 cases and below in the others. All patients had other serious visceral injuries. Treatment consisted of suture repair in 11 cases and ligation in the twelfth. Upon exploration, free intraperitoneal bleeding from the caval wound had ceased in every case. The signal finding was a retroperitoneal hematoma which was often deceptively small. Commonly, the surgeon explored the retroperitoneal space in order to treat other visceral injuries, only to be confronted with unexpected massive hemorrhage when the hematoma was entered. Difficulties in controlling the bleeding are often related to the well-developed collateral system by which different segments of the inferior vena cava are freely connected. When a hematoma is found in the vicinity of the great vessels and the retroperitoneal space is to be explored, certain precautions should be observed. These include provision for adequate exposure, procurement of blood, and adjustment of lighting. Additional help can be summoned and vascular instruments should be brought to the operating table. A large-bore needle or cut-down should be placed in an arm vein. The posterior peritoneal incision should be planned for maximum and rapid exposure, so that hemorrhage can be quickly controlled when the plane of the hematoma is entered. © 1962.


By promoting physical activities and incorporating them into their community-based programs, Extension professionals are improving the health of individuals, particularly those with limited resources. This article is the second in a three-part series describing the benefits of physical activity for human health: (1) biological health benefits of physical activity, (2) mental health benefits of physical activity, and (3) recommended amounts of physical activity for optimal health. Each part of the series is designed to help Extension professionals effectively integrate physical activity into community programs and motivate individuals to maintain an interest in being physically active during and after a program.


The aim of this research project is to develop prototype knowledge based system for
ceramic matrix composites of automotive engine components. The materials are selected
from ceramic matrix composites. The selected materials will be able to increase the
efficiency of an engine and reduce weight. The designed knowledge based system
consists of a knowledge based, material database and product design parameters. The
development of such expert system for ceramic matrix composites leads to further
increase in their application in high temperature field.
The proposed system helps to select the suitable materials for automobile engme
components. The materials chosen for the research are ceramic matrix composites. For
selecting materials to engine components, few specifications are laid out as constraints
in tenus of rule conditions. The materials, which satisfy the conditions, are selected as suitable materials. The rules based reasomng are used to select the materials. For
different range of constraint values, the selected materials will vary.
As for as constraint values are concerned, the values are selected from the product
design specifications. The product design specifications are chosen from the past design
and are calculated from the design procedures. The selected materials are ranked
according to the properties and stored as result. The most suitable material is labeled as
best material and the next level of materials are ranked according to the properties


Inflation ends with the formation of a Bose condensate of inflatons. We show that in hybrid inflation models this condensate is typically unstable with respect to spatial perturbations and can fragment to condensate lumps. The case of D-term inflation is considered as an example and it is shown that fragmentation occurs if λ≳0.2g, where λ is the superpotential coupling and g is the U(1)FI gauge coupling. Condensate fragmentation can result in an effective enhancement of inflaton annihilations over decays as the main mode of reheating. In the case of D-term inflation models in which the standard model fields carry U(1)FI charges, if condensate fragmentation occurs then reheating is dominated by inflaton annihilations, typically resulting in the overproduction of thermal gravitinos. Fragmentation may also have important consequences for SUSY flat direction dynamics and for preheating.


We explore how model misspecification affects long-run learning in a sequential social learning setting. Individuals learn from diverse sources, including private signals, public signals and the actions and outcomes of others. An agent's type specifies her model of the world. Misspecified types have incorrect beliefs about the signal distribution, how other agents draw inference and/or others' preferences. Our main result is a simple criterion to characterize long-run learning outcomes that is straightforward to derive from the primitives of the misspecification. Depending on the nature of the misspecification, we show that learning may be correct, incorrect or beliefs may not converge. Multiple degenerate limit beliefs may arise and agents may asymptotically disagree, despite observing the same sequence of information. We also establish that the correctly specified model is robust - agents with approximately correct models almost surely learn the true state. We close with a demonstration of how our framework can capture three broad categories of model misspecification: strategic misspecification, such as level-k and cognitive hierarchy, signal misspecification, such as partisan bias, and preference misspecification from social perception biases, such as the false consensus effect and pluralistic ignorance. For each case, we illustrate how to calculate the set of asymptotic learning outcomes and derive comparative statics for how this set changes with the parameters of the misspecification.