In recent years, adaptive filtering has become one of the effective and popular approaches for the processing and analysis of the signals with noise especially of the biomedical signals. Adaptive filters permit to detect time varying potentials and to track the dynamic variations of the signals. Besides, they modify their behavior according to the input signal. Therefore, they can detect shape variations in the ensemble and thus they can obtain a better signal estimation. The aim of this paper is to study, analyze various adaptive filter algorithms and apply Mat lab to investigate their performance behaviors with two step sizes of 0.02 and 0.04. Further to remove motion artifacts from Electrocardiogram signal as an application of this concepts. At the end of this paper, a performance study has been done between these algorithms based on various step sizes. It has been found that there will be always tradeoff between step sizes and Mean square error. The Electrocardiogram signals used in this paper are from the MIT-BIH database. Elimination of noises from Electrocardiogram signal example is a classical problem.


For distributed computing environment, we consider the empirical risk minimization problem and propose a distributed and communication-efficient Newton-type optimization method. At every iteration, each worker locally finds an Approximate NewTon (ANT) direction, which is sent to the main driver. The main driver, then, averages all the ANT directions received from workers to form a {\it Globally Improved ANT} (GIANT) direction. GIANT is highly communication efficient and naturally exploits the trade-offs between local computations and global communications in that more local computations result in fewer overall rounds of communications. Theoretically, we show that GIANT enjoys an improved convergence rate as compared with first-order methods and existing distributed Newton-type methods. Further, and in sharp contrast with many existing distributed Newton-type methods, as well as popular first-order methods, a highly advantageous practical feature of GIANT is that it only involves one tuning parameter. We conduct large-scale experiments on a computer cluster and, empirically, demonstrate the superior performance of GIANT.


The N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) requires both NR1 and NR2 subunits to form a functional ion channel. Despite the recent advances in our understanding of the contributions of these different subunits to both the function and pharmacology of the NMDAR, the precise subunit stoichiometry of the receptor and the regions of the subunits governing subunit interactions remain unclear. Since NR2 subunits are not transported to the cell surface unless they associate with NR1 subunits, cell-surface expression of NR2A can be used to monitor the association of the different subunits in cells transfected with N- and C-terminally truncated NR1 subunits. By combining measurements of cell-surface expression of NR2A with co-immunoprecipitation experiments, and by using Blue Native gel electrophoresis to determine the oligomerization status of the subunits, we have shown that regions of the N-terminus of NR1 are critical for subunit association, whereas the truncation of the C-terminus of NR1 before the last transmembrane region has no effect on the association of the subunits. Evidence from the Blue Native gels, sucrose-gradient centrifugation and size exclusion of soluble NR1 domains suggests that NR1 subunits alone can form stable dimers. Using a cell line, which can be induced to express the NMDAR following exposure to dexamethasone, we have shown that NMDARs can be expressed at the cell surface within 5 h of the recombinant gene induction, and that there appears to be a delay between the first appearance of the subunits and their stable association.


Perturbation theory for the plane-wave eigenvector equation of crystal optics is developed. General expressions for the refractive-index changes that result from a general homogeneous dielectric perturbation are found for isotropic solids, uniaxial crystals, and biaxial crystals. The expressions may be applied directly to the electro-optic effect for any direction of light propagation, for either state of light polarization, and for any direction of electric-field application. They are also useful for the photoelastic effect when the elastic perturbation is homogeneous.


Through the adoption of the UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolutions on Women, Peace and Security, the UNSC decided to promote women's participation in efforts towards peace and security. But does the UNSC practice what it preaches? Are women invited to brief the UNSC to ensure women's "full, equal and meaningful" voice in regular UNSC deliberations? Moreover, who do such women represent and on what topics are they invited to brief? This policy brief presents new data on invited briefers, based on UNSC meeting records from 2015–2021. We conclude with additional issues for the UNSC to consider in briefer selection processes. The UN Security Council and Women's Full, Equal and Meaningful Participation


The frequencies of the normal azimuthal modes of a slightly deformed droplet that is axisymmetric about its flow direction are no longer degenerate but vary with position along the droplet rim. We measured the wavelength variation along the entire rim of a dye-lasing droplet with a spectrograph and a CCD array. We determined the amplitude and the shape of the droplet deformation from the observed and predicted parabolic dependence of wavelength variation with distance along the spectrograph slit.


In June 2010, European Union (EU) Heads of State and Government adopted a social inclusion target as part of the new 'Europe 2020 Strategy': to lift at least 20 million people in the EU from the risk of poverty and exclusion by 2020. One of the three indicators used to monitor progress towards this target is the EU indicator of severe material deprivation (MD). A main limitation of this indicator is the weak reliability of some of the items it is based on. For this reason, a thematic module on MD was included in the 2009 wave of the EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) survey. This article assesses the 2009 EU-SILC MD data and proposes an analytical framework for developing robust EU MD indicators. It carries out a systematic item by item analysis at both EU and country levels to identify the MD items which satisfactorily meet suitability, validity, reliability and additivity criteria across the EU. This approach has resulted in a proposed 13-item MD indicator covering some key aspects of living conditions which are customary across the whole EU covering a broad range of basic (food, clothes, shoes, etc.) as well as social (Internet, regular leisure activities, etc.) necessities.


Calorimetry reaches an atomic junction Electrical and thermal conductivity in metals are linked at the macroscopic length scale because electrons carry both heat and current. Cui et al. found that this relationship, the Wiedemann-Franz law, holds down to the atomic scale in gold and platinum (see the Perspective by Segal). They made thermal and electrical conductance measurements through a point contact only one atom thick. In gold, the thermal and electrical conductance was quantized, owing to the electronic band structure of the metal. The experiments pave the way for high-resolution calorimetry and other thermal measurements at the nanoscale. Science, this issue p. 1192; see also p. 1125 Thermal and electrical conductance remain tightly connected across gold and platinum single-atom junctions. Thermal transport in individual atomic junctions and chains is of great fundamental interest because of the distinctive quantum effects expected to arise in them. By using novel, custom-fabricated, picowatt-resolution calorimetric scanning probes, we measured the thermal conductance of gold and platinum metallic wires down to single-atom junctions. Our work reveals that the thermal conductance of gold single-atom junctions is quantized at room temperature and shows that the Wiedemann-Franz law relating thermal and electrical conductance is satisfied even in single-atom contacts. Furthermore, we quantitatively explain our experimental results within the Landauer framework for quantum thermal transport. The experimental techniques reported here will enable thermal transport studies in atomic and molecular chains, which will be key to investigating numerous fundamental issues that thus far have remained experimentally inaccessible.


Background Heart regeneration requires multiple cell types to enable cardiomyocyte (CM) proliferation. How these cells interact to create growth niches is unclear. Here we profile proliferation kinetics of cardiac endothelial cells (CECs) and CMs in the neonatal mouse heart and find that they are spatiotemporally coupled. Methods and Results We show that coupled myovascular expansion during cardiac growth or regeneration is dependent upon VEGF-VEGFR2 signaling, as genetic deletion of Vegfr2 from CECs or inhibition of VEGFA abrogates both CEC and CM proliferation. Repair of cryoinjury displays poor spatial coupling of CEC and CM proliferation. Boosting CEC density after cryoinjury with virus encoding Vegfa enhances regeneration. Using Mendelian randomization, we demonstrate that circulating VEGFA levels are positively linked with human myocardial mass, suggesting that Vegfa can stimulate human cardiac growth. Conclusions Our work demonstrates the importance of coupled CEC and CM expansion and reveals a myovascular niche that may be therapeutically targeted for heart regeneration.


Given a capacitated graph G = (V, E) and a set of terminals K ⊆ V, how should we produce a graph H only on the terminals K so that every (multicommodity) flow between the terminals in G could be supported in H with low congestion, and vice versa? (Such a graph H is called a flow-sparsifier for G.) What if we want H to be a "simple" graph? What if we allow H to be a convex combination of simple graphs?

Improving on results of Moitra [FOCS 2009] and Leighton and Moitra [STOC 2010], we give efficient algorithms for constructing: (a) a flow-sparsifier H that maintains congestion up to a factor ofO(log k/log log k) where k = |K|. (b) a convex combination of trees over the terminals K that maintains congestion up to a factor of O(log k). (c) for a planar graph G, a convex combination of planar graphs that maintains congestion up to a constant factor. This requires us to give a new algorithm for the 0-extension problem, the first one in which the preimages of each terminal are connected in G. Moreover, this result extends to minor-closed families of graphs.

Our bounds immediately imply improved approximation guarantees for several terminal-based cut and ordering problems.


Cannabinoid effects on the central nervous system have been well-described and include altered cognition, memory, motor function, and concentration. Studies have also shown that marijuana and its primary active constituent, THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol), can be salubrious in treating diverse medical conditions such as chemotherapy-induced nausea, HIV cachexia, glaucoma, and chronic pain. Recently, cannabinoids have been shown in animal models to inhibit the growth and metastasis of certain tumors through their effects on angiogenesis. There are also animal data showing that cannabinoids can alter circulatory responses by their effects on vascular tissues. However, the mechanisms involved in this modulation of angiogenesis and vascular function are not well elucidated. Δ9-THC binds with similar affinity to both CB1 and CB2, two well characterized G-protein-coupled receptors for cannabinoids. Both CB1 and CB2 are expressed to varying degrees by endothelium based on the origin of the tissue. Considerable evidence, including data from CB1/CB2 knockout mice, suggests that there is an additional endothelial cannabinoid receptor besides CB1 and CB2. This receptor has not yet been identified. We found that Δ9-THC inhibited in vitro angiogenesis in a dose dependent manner in the Matrigel assay. Δ9-THC reduced the expression of VEGFR-3 as well as the secretion of its cognate ligand VEGF-C. Blocking of the CB1 and CB2 receptors with their respective antagonists AM251 and AM630, individually or in combination, only partially reversed the THC-mediated inhibition of angiogenesis. However, pretreatment with N-Arachidonoyl Serine (ARA-S) or O-1918 [(−)-4-(3-3, 4-trans-p-menthadien-(1, 8)-yl)-orcinol], antagonists of the putative third endothelial cannabinoid receptor, significantly protected the endothelium from the inhibitory effects of Δ9-THC. In parallel, we found that abn-cbd [(−)-4-(3-3, 4-trans-p-menthadien-[1, 8]-yl)-olivetol], a selective agonist of this putative endothelial cannabinoid receptor, also inhibited in vitro angiogenesis. Pretreatment with ARA-S or O-1918 blocked the abn-cbd-mediated inhibition of angiogenesis, whereas pretreatment with AM251 or AM630 did not show significant protective effects following abn-cbd exposure. To clarify the mechanisms involved in this process, we studied the signaling pathways of cell growth and survival in endothelium following these treatments. We observed that both the ARA-S and O-1918 treatments activated ERK1/2 MAP kinase and Akt. Moreover, endothelial cells pretreated with ARA-S or O-1918 followed by THC treatment sustained significantly higher levels of ERK1/2 MAP kinase and Akt phosphorylation as compared to the THC-stimulated cells pretreated with vehicle control, the CB1 antagonist AM251, or the CB2 antagonist AM630. In addition, significantly more VEGF-C was detected in the culture supernatants of cells pretreated with the antagonists ARA-S and O-1918. ARA-S showed stronger effects than O-1918 in these studies. These results indicate that cannabinoids may regulate angiogenesis through novel pathways that are not mediated by the CB1 and CB2 receptors. Further understanding of such pathways may allow for therapeutic intervention with cannabinoids in disease states associated with neo-angiogenesis, like hematologic malignancies and solid tumors.


Fault injection is an often overlooked component of the software test cycle, yet it is critical for building robust systems. The main reasons for this neglect are ineffectual tools, an overwhelmingly large number of possible faults to inject, and extensive manual labor required to do such tests. We present AFEX, a system that automates fault injection for software systems, finds and ranks important faults faster and more accurately than random injection, and automatically characterizes the quality of the resulting fault sets. AFEX is parallelized, such that test time decreases linearly with the number of test nodes available. AFEX also includes four fault injectors that simulate faults in major layers in the system stack: hardware, network, libraries, and human operators. We show how AFEX uses metric-driven search algorithms to efficiently find top-ranked faults in real systems like MySQL cluster and rsync.


Ten morphologically similar species of Acrapex Hampson, 1891 (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Noctuinae, Apameini) from Central and Eastern Africa are reviewed, including five new species: Acrapex kafula le Ru sp. nov., A. kavumba le Ru sp. nov., A. kiakouama le Ru sp. nov., A. miscantha le Ru sp. nov. and A. simillima le Ru sp. nov. Evidence is provided to transfer the monotypic genus Poecopa Bowden, 1956 to the genus Acrapex . Host plants of five species are recorded, some of them for the first time. Acrapex kavumba sp. nov., A. miscantha sp. nov. and A. simillima sp. nov. were found on one host plant each. Acrapex mediopuncta , previously reported in West Africa from Pennisetum purpureum Schumach. , Rottboellia compressa L., Setaria megaphylla (Steud) Dur. & Schinz. and Sorghum arundinaceum (Desv.) Stapf, was only found from S. megaphylla in Central Africa. Larvae of Acrapex unicolora were collected on Andropogon gayanus Kunth, Chrysopogon zizanoides (L.) Roberty, Cymbopogon schoenanthus subsp. proximus (Hochst. ex A.Rich.) Maire & Weller, Cymbopogon pospischiilii (K.Schum.) C.E.Hubb. , Hyparrhenia diplandra (Hack.) Stapf and Setaria sphacelata (Schumach.) Moss. We also conducted molecular phylogenetic analyses (using maximum likelihood) and molecular species delimitation analyses on a comprehensive sample of 61 specimens belonging to eight of the studied species. Molecular phylogenetic analyses provided additional evidence of the synonymy of Acrapex and Poecopa , whereas molecular species delimitation analyses support the validity of the five newly described species and unravel another potential new species, only collected in the larval stage.


We propose a measurement architecture that allows to trace generation and propagation of single-event transients in a combinational target circuit that will be subjected to radiation in an experimental study. We choose the Sklansky adder as a target circuit, since it exhibits both properties we are interested in, namely different amounts of fanout and a carry propagation chain. The problem of devising a suitable on-chip measurement infrastructure lies in the partly contradictory requirements, like constrained area, radiation tolerance and good resolution of the location and propagation path of particle hits. Our proposed architecture is based on linear feedback shift registers that can be used as lean and robust counter implementations. These counters are attached at selected locations within the target adder circuit, and we show by means of a simulation study as well as a fault dictionary that this architecture indeed comes up to our expectations.


Practical, big-picture guidance toward a mastery of social media benefits and the risks to avoidPacked with useful web links, popular social media tools, platforms, and monitoring tools, Auditing Social Media shows you how to leverage the power of social media for instant business benefits while assessing the risks involved. Your organization sees the value in social media and wants to reach new markets, yet there are risks and compliance issues that must be considered. Auditing Social Media equips you to successfully partner with your business in achieving its social media goals and track it through strong metrics.Shows how to ensure your business has adequate metrics in place to capitalize on social media while protecting itself from excessive riskReveals how to ensure your social media strategy is aligned with your business's goalsExplores the risk and compliance issues every business must consider when using social mediaIncludes a sample audit programAuditing Social Media is the one-stop resource you'll keep by your side to clear away the confusing clutter surrounding social media.


Optical-soliton propagation in a dispersion-flattened fiber is investigated, of which third-order dispersion is nil and fourth-order dispersion exists with linear and quadratic intensity-dependent refractive-index changes. For four possible sign combinations of the second-order dispersion and the Kerr-effect terms, we found that there are two types of bright-soliton solutions and two types of dark-soliton solutions. The magnitude of the fourth-order dispersion parameter is related to the quadratic intensity-dependent nonlinearity coefficient, and their signs are opposite. The peak power and the period of the soliton are determined by the magnitude of the fourth-order dispersion parameter. We numerically show that the bright-soliton solution in anomalous second-order dispersion and the positive Kerr coefficient regime is stable and becomes quasi stable when the Raman effect is considered.


Within higher education, leaders of color face a history of racism expressed through negative experiences of bias and discrimination in today's colleges and universities. In the book, Leaders of Color in Higher Education: Unrecognized Triumphs in Harsh Institutions, Leonard A. Valverde (2003) illustrates the pain felt by leaders of color as they navigate an unwelcoming system. He provides readers with the tools necessary to recognize systematic injustices and examines ways in which leaders of color can "act" as the change they wish to see within the institutions they serve. The following book review explores how Valverde examines the unheard and unrecognized voices of leaders of color and provides ways to create awareness in today's increasingly diverse college and university environments.


Extracted from text ... 67
67
THE ELECTORAL SYSTEM AND CONFLICT IN
MOZAMBIQUE
By
Lu?s de Brito
Dr Lu?s de Brito is Associate Professor of Political Anthropology
at the Universidade Eduardo Mondlane.
Caixa Postal 1558 Maputo Mozambique
Tel: (258 - 1) 49 25 71
PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS
The idea of representative multiparty democracy is a dominant feature of the
processes of political transition in many African countries today. This assigns an
important role to the electoral system within the political framework of the continent.
The electoral system can either enhance or hinder the development of the political
system. In the first instance, it contributes ..


Ever wondered why bad musicians always win the Eurovision Song Contest, or how incompetent politicians get elected? You need some Quirkology in your life. While other scientists beaver away on obvious problems, Richard Wiseman has been busy uncovering the secret ingredients of charisma, exploring how our personalities are shaped by when we are born and examining why people usually miss the obvious signs of their partner's infidelity. Using scientific methods to investigate offbeat topics that interest the general public as well as the scientific community, Quirkology brings a new understanding to the backwaters of the human mind and takes us to places where mainstream scientists fear to tread. Comparable to Freakonomics, but British, far more populist, and a lot funnier. Findings include: How does your surname influence your life? What does the way you walk reveal about your personality? Why should women have men write their personal ads? What is the funniest joke in the world?


One ion trap (IT) and one retarding potential analyzer (RPA) onboard the Taiwan Sounding Rocket V (SR-V) were launched to measure ionospheric plasma irregularities on 18 January 2006. After the fairing separated, voltage readings (V(subscript G1)) of the first grid (G1) in the IT indicated abnormally high negative voltages appeared at the upleg between 83.7 and 120.1 km altitude for 19.7 seconds. It is postulated G1 had temporarily shorted out with the other two grids. Such the anomaly in the V(subscript G1) brought out the expansion of a plasma sheath around opening of the IT. More ions were attracted into the collector. Remarkable ion currents detected by the IT led to malfunctions of the RPA simultaneously. In this article, laboratory simulations and the International Reference Ionosphere model are performed to evaluate scale factors for the IT to the anomaly. The calibrated total ion concentration profile at the upleg indicates a peak density of the E(subscript s) layer at 93.0 km altitude of about 6.9 × 10^3 # cm^(-3) with a thickness of 3.4 km. It is very similar to that at the downleg. It implies that the SR-V might encounter the same E(subscript s) layer twice in a distance of 150 km away.


The capacity to link various aspects of a person's identity is of value in the search for reliable means of authentication and identification. With the increase in digital living, this has taken on a new perspective through the need to link aspects of identity in the physical world to those in the digital world. The focus in this work is in the value of the signature as a token of identity in its own right but also as a method to reveal information about the person signing. Whilst existing methods for the analysis of an individual's personality through their handwriting (graphology) have been discredited, we wish to revisit the issue with respect to signatures. Critically, we use accepted and modern static and dynamic features from the signature as potential indicators of personality. Our results suggest some clear links between signature production and relevant cues about the signer, especially when we incorporate dynamic elements of signature production. As such these results suggest there is renewed value in using a signature to reveal information about the signer.


The unique Australian monotreme, the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) potentially exerts a strong top-down influence on riverine food webs in eastern Australia. However, despite considerable interest in the evolutionary history and physiology of the platypus, little is known of its trophic relationships. To address this lack of knowledge we used stable isotope analysis, in combination with the analysis of food items stored in cheek pouches, to determine its position in a typical riverine food web. This was the essential first step in the process of designing a larger study to investigate the relative importance of top-down and bottom-up effects in rivers where the platypus occurs. We found that platypuses were feeding on a wide range of benthic invertebrates, particularly insect larvae. The similarity of δ13C and δ15N values recorded for the platypus, a native fish (Galaxias sp.) and the exotic mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) indicated dietary overlap and potential competition for the same resources. Although cheek pouch studies identify most of the major groups of prey organisms, the potential for contribution of the soft-bodied organisms such as larval dipterans, is suggested by stable isotope analysis, indicating that the use of both techniques will be important in future ecological investigations.


A System For Cell Phone Anti-theft Through Gait Recognition Cameron Stearns Studies show that smartphone thefts are a significant problem in the United States. [30] With many upcoming proposals to decrease the theft-rate of such devices, investigating new techniques for preventing smartphone theft is an important area of research. The prevalence of new biometric identification techniques for smartphones has led some researchers to propose biometric anti-theft measures for such devices, similar to the current fingerprint authentication system for iOS. Gait identification, a relatively recent field of study, seems to be a good fit for anti-theft because of the non-intrusive nature of passive pattern recognition in walking. In this paper, we reproduce and extend a modern gait recognition technique proposed in Cell Phone-Based Biometrics by testing the technique outside of the laboratory on real users under everyday conditions. We propose how this technique can be applied to create an anti-theft system, and we discuss future developments that will be necessary before such research is ready to be implemented in a release-quality product. Because previous studies have also centered around the ability to differentiate between individual users from a group, we will examine the accuracy of identifying whether or not a specific user is currently using a system. The system proposed in this paper shows results as high as 91% for cross-fold accuracy for some users; however, the predictive accuracy for a single day's results ranged from 0.8% accuracy to 92.9% accuracy, showing an unreliability that makes such a system unlikely to be useful under the pressure of real-world conditions.


Computers, during its entry into the academic domain, were forecasted to revolutionize the entire educational system across the globe. At present, similar expectations have been encircling the social media technologies. Many researchers claim that social media, when introduced in higher education environments, tend to enhance the students' learning experience by facilitating heightened levels of instructor-student interactions, peer learner support and learners' collaboration. Though social media is claimed to take the higher education learning to the next level, it is crucial to identify the readiness and proficiency of the instructors who play the main role in efficiently implementing these technologies in their classrooms. Especially, instructors belonging to the institutions present in developing nations are less likely to have proper access to some of the basic facilities (such as power supply or internet connectivity) required for social media integration. Hence, the present study aims at identifying the feasibility of introducing social media aids to the higher education classrooms present in Tamil Nadu – one among the eight Indian states having the highest number of colleges in the Nation


Background: Latin America has experienced a tremendous growth in a number of medical schools, and there are concerns about their quality of training in critical areas such as professionalism. Medical professionalism is a cultural construct. The aim of the study was to compare published definitions of medical professionalism from Latin American and non-Latin American regions and to design an original and culturally sound definition. Methods: A mixed methods approach was used with three phases. First, a systematic search and thematic analysis of the literature were conducted. Second, a Delphi methodology was used to design a local definition of medical professionalism. Third, we used a qualitative approach that combined focus groups and personal interviews with students and deans from four medical schools in Chile to understand various aspects of professionalism education. The data were analyzed using NVivo software. Results: A total of 115 nonrepeated articles were identified in the three databases searched. No original definitions of medical professionalism from Latin America were found. Twenty-six articles met at least one of the three decisional criteria defined and were fully reviewed. Three theoretical perspectives were identified: contractualism, personalism, and deontology. Attributes of medical professionalism were classified in five dimensions: personal, interpersonal, societal, formative, and practical. Participants of the Delphi panel, focus groups, and personal interviews included 36 medical students, 12 faculties, and four deans. They took a personalistic approach to design an original definition of medical professionalism and highlighted the relevance of respecting life, human dignity, and the virtue of prudence in medical practice. Students and scholars differed on the value given to empathy and compassion. Discussion: This study provides an original and culturally sound definition of medical professionalism that could be useful in Latin American medical schools. The methodology used in the study could be applied in other regions as a basis to develop culturally appropriate definitions of medical professionalism.


Uranium(VI) may pose a great threat to human health and the environment owing to its high chemical toxicity and radioactivity. A novel method is reported herein to synthesize surface ion-imprinted magnetic microspheres (SII-MM) for efficient removal of uranium(VI). Specifically, uranyl ion-imprinted polymer-functionalized Fe3O4@SiO2 microspheres were prepared by surface-locating copolymerization of N-hydroxyethylacrylamide and 1-vinylimidazole. The effects of chemical composition, pH, adsorbent dose, competing ions and initial concentration on the adsorption of uranyl ions were evaluated. The exothermic spontaneous adsorption kinetically followed a pseudo-second-order model, and the process of SII-MM could reach equilibrium with a capacity of 146.41 mg of U per g within 1.0 min at pH 5.0 and 298.15 K. Compared with non-imprinted composites, SII-MM showed higher selectivity, faster kinetics, and larger capacity for uranyl adsorption. This work indicates that the SII-MM can be used as a promising adsorbent to effectively remove uranium(VI) from aqueous solutions.


Molecularly imprinted polymers are being proposed for the development of novel biorecognition elements for active components. In this study, an imprinted chitosan coated silica nanoparticles (I-CS@SiO2) polymer was prepared by a simple procedure, in which, naringin (NG) with antioxidant activity, acted as a template, silica as a matrix and CS as a functional polymer. The binding properties were discussed by the equilibrium binding experiment method. Experiments show that the adsorption characteristics of I-CS@SiO2 are better than that of nonimprinted polymer. It exhibited high selectivity for NG when compared with the nonimprinted polymer, with an imprinting factor α of 1.74. Scatchard analysis of the I-CS@SiO2 indicated that there was a class of binding sites during the I-CS@SiO2 recognizing NG: The dissociation constant of KD is 0.016 mmol L−1, the maximum apparent binding capacity of Bmax is 6.56 μmol g−1. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 40491.


Methamphetamine laboratories have been a widely variable problem across the United States, very problematic in some communities but not at all in others. This study analyzes the variation in methamphetamine labs using demographic and geographic information on 17,720 seized laboratories. The analysis found that traditional community-level factors representing economic disadvantage, social disorganization, and civic community theories demonstrated little power to predict the presence of methamphetamine laboratories, although they were useful in predicting other types of crime. A single spatial lag variable measuring a county's geographic proximity to other counties with drug laboratory seizures accounted for almost half of the variance in meth lab prevalence and contributed substantially to the explained variance in index crime arrests and drug arrests. The findings demonstrate the utility of spatial lag variables in assessing proximity effects in explaining crime patterns, while demonstrating that fully explaining different forms of crime may require different theoretical models.


Studies of Singapore's education system have largely focused on the challenges the system faces in terms of ability-driven education and various educational policies. Some studies have focused on creativity and innovation in teaching, national education and teachers' professional development. However, few studies have considered exploring student motivation.
Motivation is an important aspect in the field of education. Knowledge of student motivation may help teachers optimise the learning experience and thereby foster a lifelong enjoyment of learning in their students. If a student's level of motivation can be measured early on in his or her primary years of education, it may provide insight into how it affects his or her learning.
Using organismic integration theory, which is a branch of self-determination theory, as its theoretical background, this study measured the shift in motivation as students progressed through their primary school years. It specifically measured the shifts in external, introjected, identified and integrated regulations of 179 students at a primary school in Singapore over three years.
The students were asked to complete a set of self-regulation questionnaires adopted from a study by Ryan et al. (1989) to measure the shift in their external, introjected, identified and integrated regulations as they moved from Primary 3 to 5.
The results of the study revealed a significant shift in the students' external, introjected and integrated regulations albeit with a small effect size. However, no significant shift was found for the students' identified regulations, and the effect sizes for both measures were small.
Although the students' needs for reward and self-worth decreased as they went through their primary school years, the importance they placed on their schoolwork and their integration of these needs into a self-determined extrinsic motivation remained relatively unchanged over the years. The implications of these results for classroom teaching are discussed in detail.


Several assisted reproductive technologies exist for lesbians and lesbian couples to create life. While many of these techniques, such as artificial insemination or surrogacy, are effective for embryo creation, they often lead to legally unpredictable and unstable parental rights for mothers. New and not yet widely used forms of assisted reproductive technologies allow two women to create an embryo that utilizes the genetic material of each, rather than relying on genetic material of a sperm donor. These procedures, not available in any major fertility clinic and not yet officially named, are referred to in this article as Tri-Gametic In Vitro Fertilization (TGIVF).This article submits that the use of TGIVF will allow lesbian couples to create families in a way that is more legally secure and predictable. Three situations illustrate how current statutory law and case law fall short with traditional methods of assisted reproductive technologies, and how TGIVF can strengthen parental rights for lesbian couples. First, under state statutes and case law, when a sperm donor in an insemination case tries to assert parental rights after donation, he has traditionally been able to rely on his genetic connection to claim such rights. With TGIVF, the court should see his role differently, in that he only donates the sperm casing and no genetic information. Second, a TGIVF donor may attempt to liken his role in donation of sperm casing to that of a gestational surrogate, arguing that each plays a crucial role in reproduction. Even if a TGIVF donor can overcome the hurdles that a surrogate must overcome to gain parental rights, a court will likely not view the processes of donating sperm and giving birth to a baby as comparable. Finally, when a lesbian couple with a child dissolves their relationship, the non-biological mother has limited legal protections. TGIVF guarantees both mothers the right to visitation and/or custody upon the dissolution of the relationship because both are the biological and genetic parents to the child.The article recommends that the law recognize TGIVF created families of two legal parents -- the two mothers -- and the children. Three-parent TGIVF created families should also be recognized and legally protected if the two genetic mothers intend to create such a family and the sperm donor agrees and intends such a family. The article concludes by insisting that TGIVF not be viewed as the only method by which lesbians and lesbian couples can form legally recognized families. TGIVF should not limit the options by which lesbians couples can form families, but instead is a stepping-stone into the future of legally recognized, non-traditional families.


Ottoman/Turkish translation tradition is rich with various practices as well as concepts, which have different significations other than their conventional meanings. This article explores one of these concepts, tercuman (the Turkish word for translator; from the Arabic tarjumān), within the tradition of Islamic mysticism. In addition to this signification of the concept, the paper also deals with the relationship between the sufi and the tercuman, presenting a descriptive analysis of examples from the paratexts of Muhyiddin Ibn al-Arabi's Fusus al-Hikam in the Turkish and English translations. This analysis will demonstrate how tercuman is employed by the mystic to name or present himself as the divinely inspired "translator" of God's truth. The study aims to contribute to the metaphorics of translation and the role and image of translators across different cultures.


In Bangladesh, use of modern contraceptive
methods
has increased
dramatically
in the last decade. However, the level of use
has
not
been the
same
between
rural clusters.
This dissertation investigates the plausible
reasons
for
areal
variations
in
use
of modern
contraception in rural Bangladesh.
This study randomly selects sixteen rural clusters as sub-samples
from the
1991
Contraceptive Prevalence Survey of Bangladesh. Information from female
respondents
of
eligible age, as well as family heads and
family
planning
workers
are
collected
along
with
cluster-level community data, and family level information.
The data
are analyzed
using
simple bivariate tables as well as more sophisticated
multilevel
analysis using the
software
'MLn'.
Analysis of respondents using modern
reversible
methods
finds that
apart
from
the woman's age and number of living children,
education
of the family
planning
worker
is the most influential predictor of use.
Other
significant
predictors of ever use of modern
reversible methods are the woman's education,
religion,
socio-economic
status and
her
position within the family. Bari-level random
effects were
significant,
indicating that
a
woman with `typical' characteristics but residing
in the
most
favourable
bari
would
have
a higher probability of use than a woman with very
favourable
characteristics
residing
in
a `typical' bari. Simultaneous confidence
intervals
of probabilities
of use,
for
all clusters,
found that most clusters were not significantly
different in their
ever
use,
although pockets
of low use were observed. Analysis of acceptors of sterilization
finds that
apart
from
age
and
number of
living sons, religion is the most influential predictor
of use.
Non-Muslims
are more
likely
to be acceptors. Other significant predictors
are
the
woman's
education,
position within
the family, the participation of bari members
with
non-government
organisations,
and
sanction of bari girls' education by bari
head. Bari-level
random effects
showed
in the
same directions as those in the modern
reversible
methods
model.
Heterogeneity in the
bari-level effect could not be explained
by the
recorded
explanatory
variables.
After
controlling for these explanatory variables,
between-cluster
variance
was
very
small
for
users of sterilization. However, educated
women
had
more
between-cluster
variance
compared to non-educated women.
Religiosity, attitude and beliefs of the
respondents
are
vitally
important in
shaping
attitudes towards contraceptive use. Replacement of some
family
planning
workers
with
those having appropriate education and training
are
recommended.
Family
Planning
programmes are strongly recommended to target
`bari
heads'
and encourage
them to look
favourably upon modern contraception.
Attempts
should
be
made
at
removing
ill-conceived religious barriers. Further recommendations are to
encourage
non-government
organisations in areas which have low contraceptive prevalence,
and
encourage
female
education and emancipation generally.


The product life cycle, or time path of sales, of many high-tech goods and services is bellshaped. I show that product life cycles endogenously arise in markets with rapid technological innovations, are heterogeneous across products, and are affected by the level of market competition. Using product life cycles as an empirically tractable way to capture firms' dynamic incentives in product introductions, I study the effect of competition on firms' product portfolio choices and product entry and exit decisions in the context of the Chinese smartphone market. I develop a structural model of equilibrium product portfolio choices, and estimate smartphone demand and manufacturers' variable, maintenance and sunk introduction costs on a detailed monthly market-level dataset of Chinese smartphones between 2009 and 2014. Finally, I use a 2012 large-scale pro-competitive policy introduced by the Chinese government as an experiment to decompose the handset manufacturers' incentives to introduce new products and show that the increased competition reduces the average product's short-run profits by 5% but its lifetime profits by 41% by shrinking its product life cycle. These dynamic incentives have large implications for both consumer welfare gains from product variety and the speed of product innovation in this market. JEL Classification: L13, L15, L52, L63, O14, O33


The research presented in this thesis focusses on photo- and electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction and an electrocatalyst towards proton reduction to hydrogen. Introduced in Chapter one is a brief overview of the issues surrounding rising CO2 levels and energy consumption, in addition to a literature survey covering intramolecular photocatalytic systems towards CO2 reduction, the recent advancements in the field of molecular electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction and Co-centred molecular electrocatalysts active towards proton reduction in organic electrolyte. Chapter two reports the assessment of a dinuclear ruthenium-quaterpyridine-rhenium complex towards photocatalytic CO2 reduction. Communication between the metal centres was assessed through electrochemistry, UV- and IR-spectroelectrochemistry. Within Chapter three, four cobalt salens are screened as potential homogeneous CO2 electrocatalysts. Of these, the complex, bis(3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylidene)-1,2-cyclohexanediamino cobalt(II) (CobdtChexSal) demonstrated the highest activity in DMF/5% water, with CO observed. With a higher level of charge consumption, H2 evolution became prevalent.Chapter four explores the potential of bis(salicylideniminato-3-propyl)methylamino cobalt(II) (CopdSal), for the electrocatalytic generation of hydrogen. Homogeneous solutions or electro-deposited catalytically active electrodes led to the generation of hydrogen. Techniques including electrochemistry, FESEM with EDX and UV-vis monitored electrolyses were utilised in gaining information as to the identity of the active catalyst. Chapter five contains details regarding materials used and methods undertaken within Chapters two to four. Chapter six concludes and discusses future work regarding chapters two, three and four.


Interactions between species are of fundamental importance to all living systems and the framework we have for studying these interactions is community ecology. This is important to our understanding of the planets biological diversity and how species interactions relate to the functioning of ecosystems at all scales. Species do not live in isolation and the study of community ecology is of practical application in a wide range of conservation issues. The study of ecological community data involves many methods of analysis. In this book you will learn many of the mainstays of community analysis including: diversity, similarity and cluster analysis, ordination and multivariate analyses. This book is for undergraduate and postgraduate students and researchers seeking a step-by-step methodology for analysing plant and animal communities using R and Excel. Microsoft's Excel spreadsheet is virtually ubiquitous and familiar to most computer users. It is a robust program that makes an excellent storage and manipulation system for many kinds of data, including community data. The R program is a powerful and flexible analytical system able to conduct a huge variety of analytical methods, which means that the user only has to learn one program to address many research questions. Its other advantage is that it is open source and therefore completely free. Novel analytical methods are being added constantly to the already comprehensive suite of tools available in R. Mark Gardener is both an ecologist and an analyst. He has worked in a range of ecosystems around the world and has been involved in research across a spectrum of community types. His knowledge of R is largely self-taught and this gives him insight into the needs of students learning to use R for complicated analyses.


Anthony Kronman describes a spiritual crisis affecting the American legal profession, and attributes it to the collapse of what he calls the ideal of the lawyer-statesman: a set of values that prizes good judgment above technical competence and encourages a public-spirited devotion to the law. For nearly two centuries, Kronman argues, the aspirations of American lawyers were shaped by their allegiance to a distinctive ideal of professional excellence. In the last generation, however, this ideal has failed, undermining the identity of lawyers as a group and making it unclear to those in the profession what it means for them personally to leave chosen a life in the law. A variety of factors have contributed to the declining prestige of prudence and public-spiritedness within the legal profession. Partly, Kronman asserts, it is the result of the triumph, in legal thought, of a counterideal that denigrates the importance of wisdom and character as professional virtues. Partly, it is due to an array of institutional forces, including the explosive growth of the country's leading law firms and the bureaucratization of our courts. The Lost Lawyer examines each of these developments and illuminates their common tendency to compromise the values from which the ideal of the lawyer-statesman draws strength. It is the most important critique of the American legal profession in some time, and an enduring restatement of its ideals.


The construction of IBS building should starts with the production of the IBS components and the production process is the main activity concerned in the IBS production plant. Having an optimum production line to manufacture the required IBS elements within targeted time and limited number of reusable steel mould is very important. In this study, workstation organization method has been adopted in the production of IBS component of beam and column. Witness 2001 simulation software has been used to model and simulate the most optimum production line set up. Here, two production lines set up have been proposed to complete the production of IBS beam and column between two and three months time with limited number of reusable steel mould to supply for the construction of medium size single storey IBS housing project ranging from 100 to 300 units. A contingency production line set up which able to complete the production of required IBS components within a month time with increased number of reusable steel mould has also been proposed. Number of resources such as workstation, tool, storage area and labour has been determined from the proposal. The proposed production line can be applied in the planning and cost estimating of IBS production plant set up.


Australian governments of left and right persuasions have seemingly embraced elements of the neoliberal agenda, as in many other parts of the world; but exactly how deeply these have been enacted, and how transformative they have been, must be understood in relation to key colonial, geographical and cultural inheritances. These inheritances include the hegemony of central government stewardship of the economy (essential in a colonized, sparsely populated continent of almost unmanageable scale), a long tradition of social democratic regulation, and cultural expectations of socio-spatial equality. Neoliberal policy projects have been "muted" by on-going equality claims, and some progressive "wins" in the social democratic mould have been forthcoming, even while governments have espoused the ascendancy of the market. Nevertheless, neoliberal policy moves have been most starkly felt in worsening income inequalities – where the evidence is unambiguous of a direct threat to the Australian egalitarian ethos.


Objective: The goal of the selective was to gather information on the training received by medical professionals on wound management and treatment during their formal tertiary studies towards the MBChB/MBBCh degree.

 Design: A qualitative study was conducted from March 2011 to November 2011.

 Setting and subjects: Thirty participants were either interviewed, or asked to complete a questionnaire. Some of the data were quantified to make it more readable.

 Results: Eighty-eight per cent of participants stated that "no", "very little" or "minimal" time is being spent on wound management education during their training. Seventy-seven per cent of medical practitioners felt uncertain about what wound care treatment should be prescribed, and 97% of medical practitioners said that wound care education was very important and that more training should be provided in this field.

 Conclusion: The care of wounds is often a nursing staff responsibility. According to the scope of practice of nurses, the medical practitioner's prescription should be followed. If the incorrect prescription is given, the nurses will not provide the correct wound care treatment. Therefore, it is imperative that medical professionals are educated in available scientific wound assessment and treatment options to be able to correctly prescribe a wound care regime to a given patient. Future medical practitioners should be equipped, through education, with the scientific knowledge and art of advanced wound care practices in order to provide the best treatment recommendations and care for patients.


The ten commentaries to my discussion with J. Allan Hobson about the continuity and discontinuity between waking and dreaming ( Hobson & Schredl, 2011 ) are very stimulating and I would like to thank all contributors. This reply will focus on four aspects: Defining continuity and discontinuity, how does the relationship between waking and dreaming work, possible functions of dreaming, and how to study the continuity (or lack of) between waking and dreaming empirically. Even though the question about possible functions is the most interesting one, I believe that much research is needed before this enigma can be solved. As dream research is such a small field, it is necessary that researchers discuss their theories openly and replicate each other's findings, applying different methodological approaches for studying the same phenomena.


Friction stir processing (FSP) is a solid state process to modify microstructure and mechanical properties of sheet metals and as-cast materials. In this process stirring action of the tool causes the material to intense plastic deformation that yields a dynamical recrystalyzation. In this study the effect of FSP and process parameters on hardness, and microstructure of stainless steel 316L has been investigated. Also by using of FSP, a composite layer of 316L/SiC has been produced. Results show that FSP leads to a finer and homogenized grain structure, as well as increased hardness, strength, toughness, and elongation at failure of the material. The composites produced by FSP have a uniform distribution of SiC particles between the grains of the base metal.


Objectives: The Norwegian Government urges that actions are needed to stimulate the working capacity in disability pensioners (DPs) with such a potential. Information on factors that may impair rehabilitation efforts, including use of potentially addictive drugs, may be useful in this context. Thus, the aim was to study the association between DP on initiation as well as long-term use of benzodiazepines (BZDs), and to describe aspects of problematic use of BZDs in terms of: long-term use pattern, including escalation of dose over time, and use of other potentially addictive drugs. Methods: We followed a cohort of 8,942 men and 10,578 women aged 40, 45, 60 years (non-users of BZDs at baseline), who participated in health surveys in 2000-01 in three Norwegian counties, with respect to use of BZDs, and other potentially addictive drugs, by linkage to the Norwegian Prescription Database (NorPD) for 2004-2007. Information on DP status was retrieved from Statistics Norway. Results: Incident BZD use was highest among female DPs; 18-20% compared to 5-8% of the non-DPs. Multivariable analyses revealed an independent effect of DP on incident (OR 1.6 (95% CI 1.4-2.0)) and long-term use (OR 2.47 (95% CI 1.90-3.20)) of BZDs. Among incident users, 51-60% of the DPs retrieved BZDs throughout the period 2004-07, as compared to 32-33% of the non-DPs. The annual median defined daily doses (DDDs) of BZDs among long-term users increased throughout the period 2004-07, most pronounced in the youngest DPs; from 50 (interquartile range (IQR) 14,140) DDD to 205 (IQR 25,352) DDD. Conclusions: The chance of being prescribed BZDs as well as becoming a long-term user was higher among DPs. High continuation rates, with a steadily increasing annual amount of use among the long term users may reflect an unfavourable use pattern of potentially addictive drugs among DPs, most worrisome among the youngest.


Ribozymes are short strands of RNA that possess a huge potential as biological tools for studying gene expression and as therapeutic agents to down-regulate undesirable gene expression. Successful application of ribozymes requires delivery to the target site in sufficient amounts for an adequate duration. However, due to their large size and polyanionic character ribozymes are not amenable to transport across biological membranes. In this study a chemically modified ribozyme with enhanced biological stability, targeted against the EGFR mRNA has been evaluated for cellular delivery to cultured glial and neuronal cells with a view to developing treatments for brain tumours. Cellular delivery of free ribozyme was characterised in cultured glial and neuronal cells from the human and rat. Delivery was very limited and time dependent with no consistent difference observed between glial and neuronal cells in both species. Cellular association was largely temperature and energy-dependent with a small component of non-energy dependent association. Further studies showed that ribozyme cellular association was inhibited with self and cross competition with nucleic and non-nucleic acid polyanions indicating the presence of cell surface ribozyme-binding molecules. Trypsin washing experiments further implied that the ribozyme binding surface molecules were protein by nature. Dependence of cellular association on pH indicated that interaction of ribozyme with cell surface molecules was based on ionic interactions. Fluoresence studies indicated that, post cell association, ribozymes were sequestered in sub-cellular vesicles. South-Western blots identified several cell surface proteins which bind to ribozymes and could facilitate cellular association. The limited cellular association observed with free ribozyme required the development and evaluation of polylactide-co-glycolide microspheres incorporating ribozyme for enhanced cellular delivery. Characterisation of microsphere mediated delivery of ribozyme in cultured glial and neuronal cells showed that association increased by 18 to 27-fold in all cell types with no differences observed between cell lines and species. Microsphere mediated delivery was temperature and energy dependent and independent of pH. In order to assess the potential of PLGA micro spheres for the CNS delivery of ribozyme the distribution of ribozyme entrapping microspheres was investigated in rat CNS after intracerebroventricular injection. Distribution studies demonstrated that after 24 hours there was no free ribozyme present in the brain parenchyma, however microsphere entrapped ribozyme was found in the CNS. Microspheres remained in the ventricular system after deposition and passed from the lateral ventricles to the third and fourth ventricle and in the subarachnoid space. Investigation of the influence of microsphere size on the distribution in CNS demonstrated that particles up to 2.5 and O.5f.lm remained in the ventricles around the choroid plexus and ependymal lining.


Chapter 1: Setting the Stage: Introduction and general overview. Gabriel Ronen and Peter Rosenbaum, McMaster University Section A: Concepts and perspectives of outcomes (i) Contemporary Concepts in Health, Disability and Life Quality Chapter 2: Concepts and perspectives on health and outcomes . Gabriel Ronen and Peter Rosenbaum, McMaster University Chapter 3: Quality of life and health-related quality of life .Rebecca Renwick, University of Toronto Chapter 4: Health status and the usefulness of the ICF framework: clinical and program perspectivesOlaf Kraus de Camargo & Nora Fayed, McMaster University Chapter 5: The role of participation in the lives of children and youth with neurodevelopmental conditions.Dana Anaby McGill University & Mary Law, McMaster University (ii) Life Issues in Children and Young People with neurodevelopmental conditions. Chapter 6: A developmental perspective on childhood neurological conditions. Peter Rosenbaum and Gabriel Ronen, McMaster University Chapter 7: Psychological impact of living with a neurodevelopmental condition. David Dunn & Michelle Thorne Indiana University Chapter 8: The characteristics of peer relations among children with neurological and developmental conditions. Tracy Vaillancourt,Jennifer Hepditch, Irene Vitoroulis, Amanda Krygsman, Christine Blain-Arcaro, University of Ottawa & Patricia McDougall, St. Thomas More College, University of Saskatchewan Chapter 9: Romantic relationships and sexual experiences. Diana Wiegerink & Marij Roebroeck Erasmus University Rotterdam (iii) Contextual Factors in the Lives of Children and Young People with neurodevelopmental conditions. Chapter 10: Contextual facilitators: Resilience, Coping and Sense of Coherence. Kim Schonert-Reichl University of British Columbia & Veronica Smith University of Alberta Chapter 11: The family does matter! Lucyna Lach, McGill University Chapter 12: Stigma: A pervasive contextual barrier. Ann Jacoby, University of Liverpool & Joan Austin Indiana University Chapter 13: Advancing the rights of children with neurodevelopmental conditions. Sheila Jennings York University, Toronto Section B: Quality of life outcomes: Methods and measurements Chapter 14: Measurement concepts, standards and perspectives of patient-reported outcomes. Aileen Davis, University of Toronto Chapter 15: Practical considerations in choosing Health, Quality of life and health-related quality of life Scales for Children. Nora Fayed, McMaster University Chapter 16: Complexity in the lives of children and young people with neurological and developmental conditions: The role of qualitative research. Debra Stewart McMaster University Chapter 17: Understanding self and proxy ratings. Gabriel Ronen & Davis Streiner, McMaster University Chapter 18: Ethics of patient reported outcome measures. David Streiner, McMaster University Section C: Opportunities to improve quality life outcomes (i) Education and Disability Chapter 19: Knowledge translation: Accessing and using the best evidence to improve child and family outcome. Iona Novak University of Notre Dame Sydney, Australia, Dianne Russell McMaster University, and Marjolijn Ketelaar University Medical Center Utrecht and Rehabilitation Center De Hoogstraat Utrecht, the Netherlands Chapter 20: Interprofessional Education and Collaboration: Key Approaches for Improving Care. Scott Reeves University of California, San Francisco Chapter 21: A specialized learning environment can enhance the outcomes of children with cognitive impairment. Elizabeth Kerr Hospital for Sick Children Toronto & Miriam Riches OISE-University of Toronto (ii) Growing into Adulthood with a Childhood Neurodevelopmental Condition. Chapter 22: Transition to adulthood: enhancing health and quality of life. Jan Willem Gorter McMaster University, and Marij Roebroeck Erasmus University Chapter 23: Why we need adult specialists for people with childhood onset neurodevelopmental conditions. Bernard Dan, Free University of Brussels Chapter 24: Longitudinal approaches to populations with childhood onset neurodevelopmental conditions: Australian experience with Rett syndrome. Jenny Downs &Helen Leonard, University of Western Australia (iii) Youth, Disability and Society. Chapter 25: Policies, Programs and Practices: The tensions about life quality outcomes. Gina Glidden, McGill University & Rachel Birnbaum University of Western Ontario Chapter 26: What is the emerging role of parent and community organizations in health promotion? Primarily a UK experience. Chris Morris & Val Shilling, Medical School Exeter UK Section D: Conclusions and future developments Chapter 27: The ICF and Life Quality Outcomes. Peter Rosenbaum and Gabriel Ronen, McMaster University


There are two problems to overcome to realize a non-aqueous rechargeable calcium–oxygen battery: lack of a catalyst for decomposing calcium oxide (CaO) as the main discharge product, and irreversible deposition/dissolution of Ca2+ at the anode. First, the catalytic capability of 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine 1-oxyl (TEMPO)–anion complex to decompose CaO at the O2 electrode was examined. Charge transfer from the TEMPO–anion complex to CaO occurred, leading to effective decomposition of CaO. Second, the deposition/dissolution behavior of Ca2+ was investigated in N,N-diethyl-N-methyl-N-(2-methoxyethyl) ammonium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl) amide at 60 °C. We observed partially reversible Ca plating/stripping under a high sweep rate in the ionic liquid. Finally we fabricated a rechargeable Ca–O2 battery using the TEMPO catalyst for the cathode, Ca chips for the anode, and an ionic liquid, and demonstrated that the battery showed repeated discharge/charge performance.


Background Psychosocial interventions for adolescent mental health problems are effective, but evidence on their longer-term outcomes is scarce, especially in low-resource settings. We report on the 12-month sustained effectiveness and costs of scaling up a lay counselor–delivered, transdiagnostic problem-solving intervention for common adolescent mental health problems in low-income schools in New Delhi, India. Methods and findings Participants in the original trial were 250 school-going adolescents (mean [M] age = 15.61 years, standard deviation [SD] = 1.68), including 174 (69.6%) who identified as male. Participants were recruited from 6 government schools over a period of 4 months (August 20 to December 14, 2018) and were selected on the basis of elevated mental health symptoms and distress/functional impairment. A 2-arm, randomized controlled trial design was used to examine the effectiveness of a lay counselor–delivered, problem-solving intervention (4 to 5 sessions over 3 weeks) with supporting printed booklets (intervention arm) in comparison with problem solving delivered via printed booklets alone (control arm), at the original endpoints of 6 and 12 weeks. The protocol was modified, as per the recommendation of the Trial Steering Committee, to include a post hoc extension of the follow-up period to 12 months. Primary outcomes were adolescent-reported psychosocial problems (Youth Top Problems [YTP]) and mental health symptoms (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire [SDQ] Total Difficulties scale). Other self-reported outcomes included SDQ subscales, perceived stress, well-being, and remission. The sustained effects of the intervention were estimated at the 12-month endpoint and over 12 months (the latter assumed a constant effect across 3 follow-up points) using a linear mixed model for repeated measures and involving complete case analysis. Sensitivity analyses examined the effect of missing data using multiple imputations. Costs were estimated for delivering the intervention during the trial and from modeling a scale-up scenario, using a retrospective ingredients approach. Out of the 250 original trial participants, 176 (70.4%) adolescents participated in the 12-month follow-up assessment. One adverse event was identified during follow-up and deemed unrelated to the intervention. Evidence was found for intervention effects on both SDQ Total Difficulties and YTP at 12 months (YTP: adjusted mean difference [AMD] = −0.75, 95% confidence interval [CI] = −1.47, −0.03, p = 0.04; SDQ Total Difficulties: AMD = −1.73, 95% CI = −3.47, 0.02, p = 0.05), with stronger effects over 12 months (YTP: AMD = −0.98, 95% CI = −1.51, −0.45, p < 0.001; SDQ Total Difficulties: AMD = −1.23, 95% CI = −2.37, −0.09; p = 0.03). There was also evidence for intervention effects on internalizing symptoms, impairment, perceived stress, and well-being over 12 months. The intervention effect was stable for most outcomes on sensitivity analyses adjusting for missing data; however, for SDQ Total Difficulties and impairment, the effect was slightly attenuated. The per-student cost of delivering the intervention during the trial was $3 United States dollars (USD; or $158 USD per case) and for scaling up the intervention in the modeled scenario was $4 USD (or $23 USD per case). The scaling up cost accounted for 0.4% of the per-student school budget in New Delhi. The main limitations of the study's methodology were the lack of sample size calculations powered for 12-month follow-up and the absence of cost-effectiveness analyses using the primary outcomes. Conclusions In this study, we observed that a lay counselor–delivered, brief transdiagnostic problem-solving intervention had sustained effects on psychosocial problems and mental health symptoms over the 12-month follow-up period. Scaling up this resource-efficient intervention is an affordable policy goal for improving adolescents' access to mental health care in low-resource settings. The findings need to be interpreted with caution, as this study was a post hoc extension, and thus, the sample size calculations did not take into account the relatively high attrition rate observed during the long-term follow-up. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03630471.


Cloud computing is the prevalent change occurring in the area of data innovation. At present a significant concern in cloud appropriation is towards its security and protection. In the progression of distributed computing the application part of virtualization in the long run builds, the extent of the security and protection steadily extends. The clients profit from cloud innovation for two main considerations that are Data protection and security. Cloud security conveys all the administrations dependent on clients need-firewalls, URL channels, sandboxes, SSL assessment, antivirus and remaining in a unified platform. It is an airtight security without the expense and multifaceted nature of apparatuses which shuts the security holes made by BYOD and portability. Despite the fact that distributed computing gives security there are some backlogs. The cloud security is hazards due to absence of information excess and consistency. Here, it represents the calculation of security by utilizing SRP convention which is a solid confirmation protocol (one-time guess per association endeavour) that oppose all well-known dynamic and detached assault over the system.


Badry, D., & Felske, A. (2013). Exploring the prevention of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in the Northwest Territories of Canada: Brightening our home fires. The International Journal Of Alcohol And Drug Research, 2 (3), 7-15. doi:10.7895/ijadr.v2i3.125 ( http://dx.doi.org/10.7895/ijadr.v2i3.125 ) Aims: The prevention of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) in a Northern context from a woman's health perspective was explored in the qualitative research study, Brightening Our Home Fires (BOHF). It is recognized that research on the prevention of FASD is a sensitive topic due to stigma associated with alcohol use during pregnancy. Women's health and FASD prevention were identified as the focus of the research, as they are deeply intertwined topics. Design: The BOHF project was designed as a participation action research project that utilized Photovoice as a primary methodology to approach the topic of FASD prevention in the Northwest Territories (NT) from a women's health lens. Setting: This research took place in Yellowknife, NT. Participants included both Dene and Inuit women. Participants: Eight women living in a homeless centre in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Measures: This was a qualitative research study that utilized Participatory Action Research (PAR) to explore women's health in the North. Photovoice was the primary methodology. The analysis of this research focused on both image and text, and a depth analysis of text led to theme identification. Findings: Findings included the importance, to women participants, of housing, access to treatment resources for alcohol, and engagement with health-related resources, and the challenges they experience that are related to their histories of trauma. Conclusions: Engagement with women in the NT on FASD prevention was important in broadly identifying the linkages between trauma and alcohol use while respecting context and stigma around alcohol use and pregnancy.


Simple conventional control methods, such as PD and PID controllers, are widely used in industrial applications. Such controllers exhibit poor performance when applied to systems containing nonlinearities arising from unknown deadzones. In this article, we propose a novel fuzzy logic-based precompensation approach for controlling systems with deadzones. The control structure consists of a fuzzy logic-based precompensator followed by a conventional PD controller. Our proposed control scheme shows superior transient and steady-state performance compared to conventional PD and PID controllers. In addition, the scheme is robust to variations in deadzone nonlinearities, as well as the steady-state gain of the plant. We illustrate the effectiveness of our scheme using computer simulation examples.


With no lysine kinase 4 (WNK4) is essential to activate the thiazide-sensitive NaCl cotransporter (NCC) along the distal convoluted tubule, an effect central to the phenotype of familial hyperkalemic hypertension. Although effects on potassium and sodium channels along the connecting and collecting tubules have also been documented, WNK4 is typically believed to have little role in modulating sodium chloride reabsorption along the thick ascending limb of the loop of Henle. Yet wnk4-/- mice (knockout mice lacking WNK4) do not demonstrate the hypocalciuria typical of pure distal convoluted tubule dysfunction. Here, we tested the hypothesis that WNK4 also modulates bumetanide-sensitive Na-K-2Cl cotransporter (NKCC2) function along the thick ascending limb. We confirmed that w nk4-/- mice are hypokalemic and waste sodium chloride, but are also normocalciuric. Results from Western blots suggested that the phosphorylated forms of both NCC and NKCC2 were in lower abundance in wnk4-/- mice than in controls. This finding was confirmed by immunofluorescence microscopy. Although the initial response to furosemide was similar in wnk4-/- mice and controls, the response was lower in the knockout mice when reabsorption along the distal convoluted tubule was inhibited. Using HEK293 cells, we showed that WNK4 increases the abundance of phosphorylated NKCC2. More supporting evidence that WNK4 may modulate NKCC2 emerges from a mouse model of WNK4-mediated familial hyperkalemic hypertension in which more phosphorylated NKCC2 is present than in controls. These data indicate that WNK4, in addition to modulating NCC, also modulates NKCC2, contributing to its physiological function in vivo.


This report presents an analysis of assessment criteria and training needs for
qualitative management research. 45 in-depth interviews were held with members of four panels: academic
disseminators; practitioners; doctoral programme leaders; and qualitative
researchers. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and interpreted with the aid of template analysis. This report presents six major themes from this analysis concerning
qualitative management research: definitions; status and credibility; good practice;
assessment criteria; training needs; professional and institutional context. A variety of definitions of qualitative management research were identified ranging
from indicating a central concern with the subjectivity of research practice to barely
constituting research at all. Such a range of definitions indicates the range of work
in the area but also implies that the derivation of a set of universal assessment
criteria is problematic. Sources of research credibility also varied widely. To some extent judgements of
credibility were seen to depend on aspects of the nature and conduct of the
research itself (e.g. methodical, conclusive, technically skilled etc), but also as
influenced by symbolism and context. In general definitions of credibility were
seen to disadvantage qualitative research. Various elements of good practice in relation to qualitative management research
were identified (and sometimes disputed) including flexible research design,
epistemologically coherent analysis, reflexivity concerning process and product of
research and a persuasive, engaging presentation. Assessing qualitative management research appeared to be more of an intuitive
decision-making process than an application of known and agreed criteria (cf
quantitative research). Judgements in these areas vary according to the beliefs and
commitments of the individual. Reflecting this variety, a summary table of
contingent criteria is presented at the end of the report. Provision of qualitative research training was seen to vary but be generally scarce
and of poor quality . Specific training needs included: 'technical' skills, such as data
analysis techniques and writing; knowledge of underlying philosophical issues;
reviewing skills; and PhD supervision. Current research practice was seen to be deeply affected by pressures within the
current academic context including audit processes and career needs. Such
pressures may work against the adoption of qualitative management research. In general all these issues were seen to be highly related and inter-dependent.
While some contextual issues cannot be addressed by this research, the report
concludes with an overview of the qualitative management research workshops
derived from our interpretation of the interviewees' observations.


Three instances of R gene instability were found in maize stocks carrying the controlling elements Dissociation (Ds) and Modulator (Mp). In each, Ds or a Ds-like element had transposed to R, inhibiting kernel pigmentation irregularly. When Mp was removed from the genome, R expression stabilized at lowt to intermediate levels. Strong pigmenting action was restored through recombination in heterozygotes of the three new forms with an R allele that specifies only plant pigmentation. The sites of Ds insertion mapped distal to the region that specifies seed versus plant expression. The evidence suggests that an R functional unit consists of one component that both governs tissue-specific expression and another that is common to alleles of different tissue-specific activities.


Automatic analysis of social interactions attracts major attention in the computing community, but relatively few benchmarks are available to researchers active in the domain. This paper presents a new, publicly available, corpus of political debates including not only raw data, but a rich set of socially relevant annotations such as turn-taking (who speaks when and how much), agreement and disagreement between participants, and role played by people involved in each debate. The collection includes 70 debates for a total of 43 hours and 10 minutes of material.


The bioaccumulation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) is of particular environmental concern in top predators, which accumulate high concentrations of POPs that can cause adverse effects. Previous small scale studies found high concentrations of POPs in adult great skuas, Stercorarius skua, a top predator in the marine environment. This thesis investigates the factors affecting concentrations and patterns of POPs (contribution of individual POPs to the ΣPOPs) in the great skua across its breeding range in the north-east Atlantic. Clear differences between colonies in both concentration and pattern of POPs in adult plasma were not indicative of being caused by long range transport of POPs in the atmosphere. Variation in diet between colonies is the mostly likely explanation for these colony differences, with great skuas from some colonies having a greater proportion of fish in their diet whilst others eat more seabird prey. Although seabirds are often used in studies of POPs in the environment, the effect of migratory behaviour has not previously been studied in detail. By using a combination of global location sensor (GLS) loggers and feather stable isotopes from winter grown feathers, the wintering areas of individuals from three breeding populations of great skuas were identified. Great skuas spend the winter in three distinct areas across the North Atlantic, with birds from the same breeding colonies wintering in different areas. In two of the three breeding populations, wintering area explained a significant proportion of variation in organochlorines (OCs) concentrations and pattern. However in the colony with the highest concentrations of OCs, no effect of wintering area was found, possibly as a result of these great skuas feeding at a higher trophic level during the breeding season than other populations. Temporally, concentrations of OCs were higher in 1980 than 2008 in eggs, whilst newer contaminants polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and perfluorinated chemicals (PFASs) show the opposite trend. In conclusion, concentrations of POPs in the great skua were influenced primarily by breeding season diet with wintering area and sex also having small but significant effects on POPs. Wintering area explained the most variation in the pattern of POPs in great skuas. The POP concentrations found in this study exceeded those which have been found to cause adverse effects on the immune system and reproduction in other species of seabird.


The present research investigates hydrodesulfurization (HDS) and hydrodearomatization (HAD) of raw kerosene with 0.364 wt. % sulfur and 16.498 wt. % aromatics supplied from Al-Dura Refinery. Hydrotreating reactions were carried out in one stage reactor over high metal  Ni W/γ-Al2O3 prepared catalyst at different temperatures 275-350oC, pressures 32-62 bar, LHSV 1-4 hr-1, and H2/HC ratios 200-500. The prepared catalyst was pre-sulfided remarkably at low temperature and high pressure to avoid risky of sintering associated with gaining the active sulfide phase at high temperatures.  Results showed an obvious differences between HDS and HAD rates due to difficulty of polyaromatics saturation compared with desulfurization. Sulfur and aromatics removal were achieved from 74.9% to 95.6% and from 1% to 12.8% respectively at different operating conditions. Advanced saturation conditions were promoted the hydrogenation reaction bath and played a significant role for achieving acceptable levels of HDS and HDA.  In general, HDS and HDA increased with decreasing LHSV and increasing temperature, pressure, and H2/HC ratio. Burning quality, fire hazard, and aromatics content of kerosene were characterized by measuring of smoke point, flash point, and aniline point respectively. These properties were enhanced at different hydrotreating conditions due to the skeletal conformation change of kerosene hydrocarbons during reactions.


Organic-inorganic hybrid materials are an upcoming class of materials that attract increasing research interest. In the present manuscript, we report on the combination of a particularly versatile organic matrix - the conductive polymer polyaniline (PAni) - with a special type of polyoxometalates (POMs), namely a lacunary Keggin anion, [AsW9O33]9-. Although the high application potential and the manifold structural motifs of POMs provide an almost infinite number of options for composite materials, up to now, only few POM-polymer combinations have been explored in more detail. Thus, we have investigated the interaction of PAni with the unique reactivity of [AsW9O33]9- that combines building-block facilities with the presence of a lone pair on the heteroatom. The resulting composite material was characterized with a wide spectrum of analytical techniques and the effect on the reaction conditions on the nanoscale structuring was investigated. Furthermore, the newly synthesized POM-PAni composites display a stable temperature-dependent resistivity that renders them promising for further applications.


There is a need for culturally competent health care providers (HCPs) to provide care to deaf signers, who are members of a linguistic and cultural minority group. Many deaf signers have lower health literacy levels due to deprivation of incidental learning opportunities and inaccessibility of health-related materials, increasing their risk for poorer health outcomes. Communication barriers arise because HCPs are ill-prepared to serve this population, with deaf signers reporting poor-quality interactions. This has translated to errors in diagnosis, patient nonadherence, and ineffective health information, resulting in mistrust of the health care system and reluctance to seek treatment. Sign language interpreters have often not received in-depth medical training, compounding the dynamic process of medical interpreting. HCPs should thus become more culturally competent, empowering them to provide cultural- and language-concordant services to deaf signers. HCPs who received training in cultural competency showed increased knowledge and confidence in interacting with deaf signers. Similarly, deaf signers reported more positive experiences when interacting with medically certified interpreters, HCPs with sign language skills, and practitioners who made an effort to improve communication. However, cultural competency programs within health care education remain inconsistent. Caring for deaf signers requires complex, integrated competencies that need explicit attention and practice repeatedly in realistic, authentic learning tasks ordered from simple to complex. Attention to the needs of deaf signers can start early in the curriculum, using examples of deaf signers in lectures and case discussions, followed by explicit discussions of Deaf cultural norms and the potential risks of low written and spoken language literacy. Students can subsequently engage in role plays with each other or representatives of the local signing deaf community. This would likely ensure that future HCPs are equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to provide appropriate care and ensure equitable health care access for deaf signers.


Many enterprises downsize to adapt to more competitive environments, but unless they have captured the knowledge of their employees, downsizing can result in a loss of critical information. Similarly, as employees leave, organizations are likely to lose access to large quantities of critical knowledge. As companies expand internationally, geographic barriers can affect knowledge exchange and prevent easy access to information. These and other forces are pushing enterprises to explore better methods for knowledge management. Enterprise knowledge management entails formally managing knowledge resources, typically by using advanced information technology. KM is formal in that knowledge is classified and categorized according to a prespecified, but evolving, ontology into structured and semistructured data and knowledge bases. The overriding purpose of enterprise KM is to make knowledge accessible and reusable to the enterprise. The business world is becoming so concerned about knowledge management that, according to one report, over 40 percent of the Fortune 1000 now have a chief knowledge officer, a senior-level executive responsible for creating an infrastructure and cultural environment for knowledge sharing. This article surveys some components of this young field.


Background: In Saudi Arabia, national evidence-based clinical guidelines (NCG) were created based for healthcare interventions. However, clinicians appear to be slow to incorporate the evidence into practice. As a result, there exists a time-gap between the gathering and presentation of evidence for best practice and the use of that evidence by clinicians. It becomes, therefore, imperative to investigate the gap between the research evidence and clinical practice. The knowledge to action (KTA) framework is available to facilitate the implementation of research evidence. This framework incorporates the theory of tailoring, a concept that is intended to create a fit between the evidence for the intervention and its use by the clinician. Unfortunately, the process of tailoring stills awaits clear guidelines on how it should be implemented. Consequently, this study presents hitherto unknown strategies for using novel methods, which reflect the particular role of the KTA framework in tailoring recommendations. Aim: The purpose of this study is to examine the use of the UK National Clinical Guidelines for Stroke as a clinical tool for tailoring evidence around upper extremity (UE) rehabilitation after a stroke. Methods: This study used a mixed methods (consensus approach), which includes a survey (n = 26) and nominal group meeting (NGM) with physiotherapists (n=15). Result: The first part of this study (survey) showed that 59 items (recommendations) from the UK National Clinical Guidelines for Stroke around UE post-stroke rehabilitation were accepted as consensus. Of these fifty-nine items, only 5 were rated as "no consensus." In addition, of all the items that had been included, not a single one was rejected. The results led to three groups of recommendations based on the agreed median scores. These are as follow: lack of agreement (no consensus), highest consensus with tightest range of scores, or lowest consensus with widest range of scores. The second part of this study (NGM) explores four themes, which appeared to significantly influence the concept of "tailoring" and the participants' ways of thinking. Conclusion: This study illustrates the role of tailoring in bridging the time-gap between the evidence and its implementation in the clinical setting. The study also provides more clarification about the role of tailoring and outlines the steps required to effectively investigate it.


A high-power ultra-broadband frequency comb covering the spectral range from ultraviolet to infrared was generated directly by nonlinear frequency conversion of a multi-stage high-power fiber comb amplifier. The 1030-nm infrared spectral fraction of a broadband Ti:sapphire femtosecond frequency comb was power-scaled up to 100 W average power by using a large-mode-area fiber chirped-pulse amplifier. We obtained a frequency-doubled green comb at 515 nm and frequency-quadrupled ultraviolet pulses at 258 nm with the average power of 12.8 and 1.62 W under the input infrared power of 42.2 W, respectively. The carrier envelope phase stabilization was accomplished with an ultra-narrow line-width of 1.86 mHz and a quite low accumulated phase jitter of 0.41 rad, corresponding to a timing jitter of 143 as.


The study of historical Buddhism in premodern and early modern Southeast Asia stands at an exciting and transformative juncture. Interdisciplinary scholarship is marked by a commitment to the careful examination of local and vernacular expressions of Buddhist culture as well as to reconsiderations of long-standing questions concerning the diffusion of and relationships among varied texts, forms of representation, and religious identities, ideas, and practices. The twelve essays in this collection, written by leading scholars in Buddhist Studies and Southeast Asian history, epigraphy, and archaeology, comprise the latest research in the field to deal with the dynamics of mainland and (pen)insular Buddhism between the sixth and nineteenth centuries C.E. Drawing on new manuscript sources, inscriptions, and archaeological data, they investigate the intellectual, ritual, institutional, sociopolitical, aesthetic, and literary diversity of local Buddhisms, and explore their connected histories and contributions to the production of intraregional and transregional Buddhist geographies.


In this paper, I first show how aggregation over submarkets that exhibit varying degrees of disequilibrium can provide a foundation to the classic "short-side" disequilibrium econometric model of Fair and Jaffee [11]. I then introduce explicit randomness in the aggregative model as arising from economy-wide demand and supply shocks, which are allowed to be serially correlated. I develop suitable simulation estimation methods to circumvent hitherto intractable computational problems resulting from serial correlation in the unobservables in disequilibrium analysis. I show that the introduction of macroeconomic shocks has fundamentally different implications compared to the traditional approach that arbitrarily appends an additive disturbance term to the basic equation of the model. The aggregative disequilibrium model with macroeconomic shocks is estimated from a set of quarterly observations on the labor market in US manufacturing. A major finding is that the introduction of macroeconomic shocks is able to explain a large part of the residual serial correlation that was plaguing traditional studies. Moreover, the new modelling technique yields considerably more satisfactory estimates of the supply side of the markets.


The present study conducted experimental investigation on combustion and emission characteristics of compression ignition engine using diesel as pilot fuel and methane, hydrogen and methane/hydrogen mixture as gaseous fuels at 1800 rev min. The effect of gaseous fuel on peak cylinder pressure and heat release is modest at low to medium loads. At high load, the high combustion temperature and high quantity of pilot fuel contribute to better combustion efficiency for all kinds of gaseous fuels and increases the peak cylinder pressure. Enrichment of hydrogen in methane gradually increases the peak cylinder pressure. The brake thermal efficiency increases with higher hydrogen fraction at lower loads. Hydrogen addition in methane contributed to a proportional reduction of CO/CO2/HC emission without penalty of NOx. For particulate emission, methane and hydrogen, could both suppress the particle emission. 30% hydrogen fraction in methane is observed to be best in reducing the particulate emission. Keywords—Combustion characteristics, diesel engine, emissions, methane/hydrogen mixture.


Presidents have long sought to roll back their predecessors' regulatory policies. They have typically relied on efforts to repeal regulations and to withdraw unpublished or non-final regulations pursuant to "stop-work" orders directed at agency heads. President Trump is no exception. But rather than stick to the typical playbook, he also made aggressive use of three other instruments: Congressional Review Act disapprovals, requests that courts hold in abeyance pending cases challenging Obama-era regulations, and suspensions of final regulations. Through these strategies, the Trump administration was able to reach a far greater proportion of regulations than would have been possible under prior practices.

This Article identifies this new trend in aggressive regulatory rollbacks and argues that it is likely to become an enduring feature of American politics. In the current climate, aggressive rollback strategies will lead to an important reconceptualization of the Executive Branch in which future one-term presidents are unlikely to see a significant portion of their regulatory output on important matters survive. As a result, when fashioning regulatory policy, future presidents will face significantly different incentives, which will affect a broad set of decisions, from transition planning for an incoming administration, to the timing of regulatory actions relative to a president's reelection campaign, to electoral strategies.

With reelection now a prerequisite for leaving a durable regulatory legacy, regulatory policy will take on characteristics that are similar to electoral schemes in which multiple votes are necessary for significant decisions. But the justifications that undergird these multiple-vote requirements—legitimacy, stability, and quality—do not support the transformation occurring with the Executive Branch's regulatory policymaking power. Despite that fact, these features are likely to remain part of the political and administrative landscape, and future presidential administrations will need to adjust to them.


This paper considers open innovation strategies in the food and drink industry and seeks to examine the determinants of openness and the impact of open behaviours by companies on innovation performance. The study clusters food and drink companies in terms of their degree of openness measured across two dimensions, namely, collaboration breadth (broad to narrow collaboration ecosystem) and collaboration depth (deeper to surface collaboration). Findings show that food and drink companies can be clustered into three open innovation modes in terms of their search strategy for external knowledge ranging from limited collaboration with traditional partners to a broad and deep openness approach with a wide spectrum of external sources. Technology pressures emerge as a key driver for greater openness. Significantly, greater openness leads to enhanced innovation performance; however, it requires a dedicated architecture for collaboration to access and leverage external knowledge.


Different approaches have been proposed on the design and development of digital and interactive technology in mobile learning contexts. In line with recent findings in literature, we suggest that mobile learning systems benefit from a criteria-based iterative design and development process that incorpo-rates evaluation results of mobile learning scenarios based on school curri-cula. Underlying these scenarios is a holistic, socio-technical system view, which makes allowance for the complex dynamics between teachers, students, researchers, the multiplicity of contextual factors, and the specifications and requirements of the digital devices and applications, as well as their interrela-tions. Five school project scenarios are described, as well as the evaluation process involved that served as an integral part in creating a dynamic optimi-zation process for the design and development of digital and interactive sys-tems that follow efficiency criteria for mobile learning (i.e., construction, contextualization, communication, and control). In addition, we argue that mobile systems should also allow for users' or students' participatory activi-ties in the preparation phase to bridge the gap between indoor and outdoor learning.


"Writing covered calls is one of the most popular investment strategies involving options. It is often recommended by investment analysts, not infrequently with extravagant claims about high expected returns and low risk. By contrast, among the firmly established principles of finance are that there is no free lunch, and that a strategy that reduces risk exposure (for example, by writing calls that partially offset the market exposure of a long position in the underlying) should lead to lower expected returns. Rendleman addresses the following question: what assumptions about expected return and option (mis)pricing are required in order for an investor with constant proportional risk aversion to prefer writing covered calls to simply holding the underlying, the riskless asset, or a long call? Moreover, is it better to write long- or short-dated contracts? The results indicate that unless calls are significantly overpriced, the strategy is much less attractive in general than its promoters assert."