Wildland firefighters working in remote environments with steep terrain, uneven ground, variable temperatures and fluctuating elevations cultivate injury risk. The purpose of this study was to understand types of injuries and illnesses wildland firefighters (WLFFs) sustain during the fire season. This study was a web-based cross-sectional questionnaire titled Injury surveillance of wildland firefighters. A total of 284 WLFFs responded to the questionnaire, but were not required to answer every question. Quantitative data from the questionnaire were analysed to determine WLFF demographics, types of injuries and illnesses sustained, and the potential influence environmental factors have on injuries sustained. Most WLFFs sustained at least one injury or illness in the past five fire seasons with a majority of those injuries and illnesses occurring on the fireline on rocky mountainside terrain. Nearly half of the 453 injuries and illnesses reported were sprains and strains occurring to the lower back, knee and ankle. Twenty percent of WLFFs reporting injuries felt that their injury or illness was preventable. With most injuries and illnesses occurring on the fireline, the development of a more targeted, job-specific injury and illness prevention program that focuses on the lower extremities is warranted.


Structural changes in silica gel after compression to 5 GPa and 100 °C for one hour were investigated using Raman and IR spectroscopies and X-ray diffraction measurements. The non-powdered silica gel sample was entirely crystallized to coesite under these experimental conditions, showing that the crystallization of silica gel to coesite can be readily achieved in spite of the low temperature conditions and short duration. This behavior may result because the average structure of silica gel is dominated by four-membered rings of SiO 4 tetrahedra, there is a less-polymerized network structure due to the presence of silanol (Si-OH), and larger ring structures, such as 6- and 8-membered rings, of SiO 4 tetrahedra are disrupted by water molecules under pressure. These properties may lead to successive polymerization and reconstruction of the SiO 4 tetrahedra in the bulk silica-gel sample, enabling the easy formation of the coesite-like network structure. This shows the importance of the contribution of silanol and water molecules for coesite formation.


Supernova (SN) explosions are crucial engines driving the evolution of galaxies by shock heating gas, increasing the metallicity, creating dust, and accelerating energetic particles. In 2012 we used the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array to observe SN 1987A, one of the best-observed supernovae since the invention of the telescope. We present spatially resolved images at 450 μm, 870 μm, 1.4 mm, and 2.8 mm, an important transition wavelength range. Longer wavelength emission is dominated by synchrotron radiation from shock-accelerated particles, shorter wavelengths by emission from the largest mass of dust measured in a supernova remnant (>0.2 M☉). For the first time we show unambiguously that this dust has formed in the inner ejecta (the cold remnants of the exploded star's core). The dust emission is concentrated at the center of the remnant, so the dust has not yet been affected by the shocks. If a significant fraction survives, and if SN 1987A is typical, supernovae are important cosmological dust producers.


Network Medicine applies network science approaches to investigate disease pathogenesis. Many different analytical methods have been used to infer relevant molecular networks, including protein–protein interaction networks, correlation‐based networks, gene regulatory networks, and Bayesian networks. Network Medicine applies these integrated approaches to Omics Big Data (including genetics, epigenetics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, and proteomics) using computational biology tools and, thereby, has the potential to provide improvements in the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of complex diseases. We discuss briefly the types of molecular data that are used in molecular network analyses, survey the analytical methods for inferring molecular networks, and review efforts to validate and visualize molecular networks. Successful applications of molecular network analysis have been reported in pulmonary arterial hypertension, coronary heart disease, diabetes mellitus, chronic lung diseases, and drug development. Important knowledge gaps in Network Medicine include incompleteness of the molecular interactome, challenges in identifying key genes within genetic association regions, and limited applications to human diseases.


Cyberspace is the rapidly growing network of computing and communication technologies that have profoundly altered our lives. We already carry out myriad social, economic, and political transactions through cyberspace, and, as the technology improves, so will their quality and quantity. But the very technology that enables these transactions also makes detailed, cumulative, invisible observation of our selves possible. The potential for wide-ranging surveillance of all our cyber-activities presents a serious threat to information privacy. To help readers grasp the nature of this threat, Professor Jerry Kang starts with a general primer on cyberspace privacy. He provides a clarifying structure of philosophical and technological terms, descriptions, and concepts that will help analyze any problem at the nexus of privacy and computing-communication technologies. In the second half of the article, he focuses sharply on the specific problem of personal data generated in cyberspace transactions. The private sector seeks to exploit this data commercially, primarily for database marketing, but many individuals resist. The dominant approach to solving this problem is to view personal information as a commodity that interested parties should contract for in the course of negotiating a cyberspace transaction. But this approach has so far failed to address a critical question: Which default rules should govern the flow of personal information when parties do not explicitly contract about privacy? On economic efficiency and human dignity grounds, Professor Kang argues in favor of a default rule that allows only "functionally necessary" processing of personal information unless the parties expressly agree otherwise. The article concludes with a proposed statute, entitled the Cyberspace Privacy Act, which translates academic theory into legislative practice.


Background & Aim: Improving the quality of work life in hospital personnel is introduced as one of the important factors for ensuring the sustainability of the health system. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship among organizational justice and commitment, and job satisfaction with quality of work life in Pour-Sina state hospital personnel. Materials & Methods: The study design was descriptive and cross-sectional, and statistical population included all of physicians, nurses, radiology and administrative staff and service workers of Poursina State Hospital in Rasht. 216 individuals were selected by quota sampling and filled the questionnaires on demographic information, quality of work life, organizational justice and commitment and job Descriptive Index(JDI).All data were analyzed with SPSS 16 software and by correlation coefficient and multiple regression. Results: Among the demographic characteristics, only work history had a significant negative correlation with quality of work life (r=-0.155,P<0.05). All dimensions of organizational commitment (except continues commitment) and organizational justice had a positive and significant relationship with quality of work life(P<0.0001).in regression analysis variables of distributive justice (P=0.0001, =0.318),pay satisfaction (P=0001.0, =0.288), affective commitment (P=0.007, =0.144), promotion satisfaction (P=0.003, =0.172), procedural justice (P=0.013, =0.139 ), and normative commitment (P=0.003, =0.172) significantly predicted the levels of quality of work life and totally explained 60% of shared variance(P<0.0001,F=46.913). Conclusion: individuals working in hospital are always at risk of burnout. Thus, it is proposed that much attention be paid to dimensions of job satisfaction, organizational commitment and justice in order to increase the quality of work life in hospital environments.


This paper discusses collaborations at an Australian university between lecturers from the Centre for University Teaching and Learning (CUTL) and lecturers in the School of Education. These collaborations focus on embedding the teaching and assessment of literacy in the undergraduate teacher education curriculum. The paper describes collaborative practices and outcomes intended to make literacy more explicit in teaching, learning and assessment in two compulsory Education units: a new transitional first year unit and an established foundational second year unit. Central to these collaborations is the strategy of embedding literacy through targeted units – core, compulsory units that mark a major step in students' progress through the course. The targeted unit approach signals a change in the CUTL focus from working with at-risk students adjacent to their studies, to embedding and integrating academic language and learning (ALL) knowledge and capacities within the curriculum. This strategy reflects the broad shift in ALL practice from adjunct support of some students to an integrated curriculum that benefits all students. The underlying rationale for this practice is the inter-relationship of curriculum content and the skills and capacities required to successfully engage with it. The targeted unit approach focuses on integration with curriculum through a focus on the place and function of core units within courses of study. The implications for collaboration between disciplinary lecturers and ALL practitioners to embed literacy are discussed in terms of literacy in assessment, and a sustainable, targeted approach to the development of literacy across the curriculum.


We report on the initial attempts at evaluating at scale a particular technological/curricular innovation that enables more students to develop deeper knowledge. The methods, issues, and findings of the current pilot experiment speak not only to the success of SimCalc MathWorlds, the focus of our research program, but also to the evaluation at scale of a broad class of representationally innovative technologies and to the merit of long-term investment in design-based research. In particular, we present conditions and findings from a completed pilot experiment involving 21 seventh-grade mathematics teachers from Texas. Pilot outcomes suggest that (a) innovative representational technologies can have an important impact on student learning, (b) considerable impact can be found across a wide range of teachers and conditions, and (c) these gains can be detected even in the absence of other desirable conditions. In particular, detection of student gains does not, in our case, depend on having a long-term context of learning, long-term teacher professional development, or a shift to learner-centered constructivist pedagogy. The full experiment will replicate and extend our experimental design with a wider range of teachers and schools, model the factors that contribute to classroom success with such technology, and explore what happens as research support fades away.


The COVID-19 pandemic provides new motivation for a classic problem in epidemiology: estimating the empirical rate of transmission during an outbreak (formally, the time-varying reproduction number) from case counts. While standard methods exist, they work best at coarse-grained national or state scales with abundant data, and struggle to accommodate the partial observability and sparse data common at finer scales (e.g., individual schools or towns). For example, case counts may be sparse when only a small fraction of infections are caught by a testing program. Or, whether an infected individual tests positive may depend on the kind of test and the point in time when they are tested. We propose a Bayesian framework which accommodates partial observability in a principled manner. Our model places a Gaussian process prior over the unknown reproduction number at each time step and models observations sampled from the distribution of a specific testing program. For example, our framework can accommodate a variety of kinds of tests (viral RNA, antibody, antigen, etc.) and sampling schemes (e.g., longitudinal or cross-sectional screening). Inference in this framework is complicated by the presence of tens or hundreds of thousands of discrete latent variables. To address this challenge, we propose an efficient stochastic variational inference method which relies on a novel gradient estimator for the variational objective. Experimental results for an example motivated by COVID-19 show that our method produces an accurate and well-calibrated posterior, while standard methods for estimating the reproduction number can fail badly.


The prospect of business failure Is not a topic that most businesses
care to acknowledge. However, in the construction industry failure
Is a real possibility. The construction industry has several
characteristics that sharply distinguish it from other sectors of the
economy. The low level of working capital required to operate a
contracting firm and the sensitivity of different sectors within the
construction market to the economy are two of the most Important
factors affecting the Industry. Previous attempts to identlfr and
solve the problem of business failure concentrated upon the
modification of contract regulations and did not receive
considerable support. In the meantime, contractors should plan
and control their activities in accordance with current
environments and regulations. The Importance of cash flow
forecasting is well emphasized In literature as current models failed
to produce feasible and reliable tools.
Being a large and well diversified organisation can be a good
solution to the problems indicated above. The output of large
construction companies is less sensitive to variations in the
economy. The low level of working capital required to operate
contracting activities Is balanced by other capital intensive
businesses. The sensitivity of the construction company in general
and the contracting division in particular to the fluctuations In
individual contracts is limited. This is due to the large collateral
available and the high number of contracts executed. Whilst
maintaining all these advantages, large construction companies have
failed to dominate a respectable share of the market against the
high number of small and unstable contracting firms.
Current practices with respect to corporate planning, financial
planning and financial budgeting were examined in this research. A
survey was undertaken for medium to large construction companies
and findings confirmed that these practices were exercised
inefficiently. Based on these findings, a corporate financial model
was developed on a computer to assist medium to large
construction divisions formulate and evaluate strategies. The model simulates strategies and environments and produces a
comprehensive financial report which can then be used by
contractors to control performance. The model generates
construction output by integrating individual contracts. An
Important part of the model Is the single net cash flow forecasting
module. This module fulfilled other explicit applications for small
as well as large contracting firms.
The two models were evaluated through several tests and proved to
be reliable. Current budgeting techniques were evaluated against
the proposed model and were confirmed to be significantly
incorrect. Contractors should not rely on their budgets and must
use a model which is made to Incorporate variations In strategies
and environments (i.e. the C.F.M.C.C.).


Constructed wetlands attenuate effluent nutrients, are hydrodynamically well defined, and are a useful proxy for the study of nitrogen (N) transformation in eutrophic natural systems. A whole‐system stable‐isotope addition was undertaken to describe the N cycling within a constructed wetland. Addition of 15NH4+ and particulate organic 15N (PO15N) and a conservative tracer (Li+) revealed that, initially, sedimentation of PO15N and assimilatory uptake of 15NH4+ near the wetland inlet removed most of the added 15N. Denitrification of NO3‐ dominated inorganic N dynamics and was higher upstream than downstream owing to the greater availability of NO3− upstream. More NHz 4 was mineralized upstream where PON settlement was highest, and settled PON started being mineralized within 14 d. Nitrification was insignificant upstream but was an important process in the downstream region of the wetland in spite of low oxygen concentration. In the medium term (2–8 weeks), the PO15N initially removed to the sediments continued to be mineralized, releasing 15NH4+ back to the water column. Remineralized 15N spiraled through sediment and then macrophyte pools. A dry‐out period resulted in a minor washout of N during the subsequent inundation. After 157 d, 30.8% ± 7.3% of the added 15N was still in sediments, 7.4% ± 3.8% was in plants, 40.8% ± 8.3% had been lost most likely as 15N2, and the remainder had been released in the wetland outlet water. Internal recycling retards the flow of N through wetlands, and short‐term retention leads to eventual enhanced removal through denitrification.


We quantify the extent to which nonfundamental movements in the price of a firm's stock affect its policies. We estimate a version of a constant returns neoclassical investment model in which equity financing is costly, the firm can accumulate cash, and, most importantly, equity values can be subject to misvaluation shocks. In the model, firms naturally issue equity when it is overvalued and repurchase equity when it is undervalued. Depending on the model parameters, the funds flowing to and from these activities can come from either changes in cash balances or changes in investment. We find that a model in which we allow no mispricing fits the data worse than a model in which we do allow mispricing. In particular, the mispricing model does a much better job of matching moments related to cash balances and equity issuance. Our counterfactual exercises show that firms do issue equity in response to misvaluation shocks, but the proceeds from these issuances are not used to fund investment. Instead, they augment cash balances. Finally, managers' rational responses to possible misvaluation increase intrinsic shareholder value from 0.2% to 1.1%.


Optimizing the search based on multikeyword using Bloom Filter minimizes the traffic cost. Existing scheme gives the optimal setting of Bloom Filter to reduce the search traffic. Search traffic is further minimized by implementing repository function on server search side. The involved inverted list information, during search is temporally stored. Gathered information from stored results of query logs minimizes the search traffic, instead of whole query search throughout the network. Super Peer based P2P architecture minimize the processing time and latency by providing server for a set of clients. Cluster of server search makes the gathering of information fast to the main search server. The construction of repository function and Super Peer reduce the search traffic and latency.


Despite increasing access to antiretroviral therapy, HIV incidence in rural KwaZulu-Natal communities remains among the highest ever reported in Africa. While many epidemiological factors have been invoked to explain this high incidence, widespread human mobility and movement of viral lineages between geographic locations have implicated high rates of transmission across communities. High rates of crosscommunity transmission call into question how effective increasing local coverage of antiretroviral therapy will be at preventing new infections, especially if many new cases arise from external introductions. To help address this question, we use a new phylodynamic modeling approach to estimate both changes in epidemic dynamics through time and the relative contribution of local transmission versus external introductions to overall incidence from HIV-1 subtype C phylogenies. Our phylodynamic estimates of HIV prevalence and incidence are remarkably consistent with population-based surveillance data. Our analysis also reveals that early epidemic dynamics in this population were largely driven by a wave of external introductions. More recently, we estimate that anywhere between 20-60% of all new infections arise from external introductions from outside the local community. These results highlight the power of using phylodynamic methods to study generalized HIV epidemics and the growing need to consider larger-scale regional transmission dynamics above the level of local communities when designing and testing prevention strategies.


Fundamental Principles of Reservoir Engineering outlines the techniques required for the basic analysis of reservoirs prior to simulation. It reviews rock and fluid properties, reservoir statics, determination of original oil and gas in place by volumetrics and material balances, evaluation of drive mechanisms, fluid flow in porous media, aquifer influx, well testing, fluid distribution and displacement, and decline-curve analysis.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: INVEST is a recently published double-blind placebo controlled randomized trial that demonstrated similar improvements in pain between blinded vertebroplasty and sham-vertebroplasty groups. LABEL is a trial determining the efficacy of pain relief of an injection of lidocaine and bupivacaine at the site of painful osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures in unblinded patients. We compared outcomes from the unblinded LABEL trial with those of blinded control patients from the lead site of the INVEST, exploring the role of blinding on the benefit of local anesthesia infusion for painful vertebral compression fractures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nineteen patients with painful osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures underwent unblinded injection of lidocaine and bupivacaine at the site of painful osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures. Patients were given the option of undergoing vertebroplasty at any time following the procedure. Primary outcome measures were change in the RDQ and pain (at rest, with activity, and average 24-hour pain) at days 1 and 3 following the injection. Day 3 change in RDQ scores and change in average 24-hour pain were compared for LABEL and INVEST control patients from the lead site (n = 16). RESULTS: Among patients in the LABEL trial, we detected no significant improvement in RDQ scores, pain at rest, and average 24-hour pain at days 1 and 3, whereas pain with activity improved significantly at both time points. INVEST control patients from the lead site experienced significantly greater improvement in average pain during 24 hours at days 1 (P = .03) and 3 (P = .04) and significantly greater improvements in RDQ scores at day 3 (P = .006) than patients from LABEL. CONCLUSIONS: An unblinded injection of local anesthesia is ineffective in treating pain from osteoporotic compression fractures. This suggests that factors other than local anesthesia were responsible for the observed improvement in the control group in INVEST.


Photographs of 231 landed specimens (212 identifiable) were analysed to determine species composition of cetacean take in Ghana's artisanal fisheries in 1995-2010, the most comprehensive sample documented in West Africa. The three most commonly landed species are: 24.5% Clymene dolphin (Stenella clymene), 13.2% pantropical spotted dolphin (Stenella attenuata), 12.3% common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). Also regularly caught are: 10.4% melon-headed whale (Peponocephala electra), 9.4% short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus), 9.4% long-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus capensis). Occasionally landed are: 6.1% rough-toothed dolphin (Steno bredanensis), 4.7% Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus), 3.1% kogiids (including Kogia sima) and 2.8% spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris). Rarely (<2%) landed are: Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis), Fraser's dolphin (Lagenodelphis hosei), false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens) and pygmy killer whale (Feresa attenuata). One small sperm whale was recorded taken offshore. Catch rate estimators, cetaceans landed per month (cpm) and cetaceans landed per day (cpd) were derived for 3 ports, but the national situation is unknown. At Axim, in 23 months, 130 cetaceans were observed landed (mean 5.65 ±SE 1.19 cpm); prorated per annum, 67.8 ±SE 14.28. During high-intensity surveying Jan-Nov 2003, 52 cetaceans were recorded in 192 days, with mean daily landings 0.271 cpd, prorated per annum 99.0. Reported landings at Axim in Aug-Dec 2007 were limited (0.087 cpd), prorated per annum 31.8 cetaceans, however a negative sampling bias was indicated making this cpd questionable. At Apam in 1995-99 mean monthly landings were a very low 1.117 (±SE 0.23 cpm); prorated per annum 13.40 (±SE 2.76) cetaceans. In Oct 2001-Oct 2003, 128 cetaceans were observed, ie mean monthly landings 5.57 ±SE 1.29 cpm (n= 23, range 1-25), prorated per annum 66.84 (±SE 15.48). Intensive surveying in Jan-Nov 2003 saw 87 cetaceans landed on 267days, or 0.362 cpd; prorated per annum 132.22. The cpm in 2001-03 increased very significantly compared to 1995-99. Highest catches occurred at Dixcove: in 25 months (Oct 2001-Oct 2003) 564 cetaceans were observed, mean monthly landings 22.56 ±SE 3.26 cpm (n=25, range 6-69), prorated per annum 270.72 ±SE 39.12 cetaceans. Mean daily landings rate 0.74 cpd. In 2009-10, daily landings became the norm with frequent multiple landings; highest one-day catch >20 dolphins. In April 2010, of 9 cetaceans landed in 7 days, 3 were butchered before a team could document them, supporting caveat that observed landings underestimate true landings. An intensive biological sampling programme and nation-wide recording of cetacean captures are needed immediately, to guide the formulation and implementation of effective management and conservation measures.


Good bacteria help fight cancer Resident gut bacteria can affect patient responses to cancer immunotherapy (see the Perspective by Jobin). Routy et al. show that antibiotic consumption is associated with poor response to immunotherapeutic PD-1 blockade. They profiled samples from patients with lung and kidney cancers and found that nonresponding patients had low levels of the bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila. Oral supplementation of the bacteria to antibiotic-treated mice restored the response to immunotherapy. Matson et al. and Gopalakrishnan et al. studied melanoma patients receiving PD-1 blockade and found a greater abundance of "good" bacteria in the guts of responding patients. Nonresponders had an imbalance in gut flora composition, which correlated with impaired immune cell activity. Thus, maintaining healthy gut flora could help patients combat cancer. Science, this issue p. 91, p. 104, p. 97; see also p. 32 Gut bacteria influence patient response to cancer therapy. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis induce sustained clinical responses in a sizable minority of cancer patients. We found that primary resistance to ICIs can be attributed to abnormal gut microbiome composition. Antibiotics inhibited the clinical benefit of ICIs in patients with advanced cancer. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) from cancer patients who responded to ICIs into germ-free or antibiotic-treated mice ameliorated the antitumor effects of PD-1 blockade, whereas FMT from nonresponding patients failed to do so. Metagenomics of patient stool samples at diagnosis revealed correlations between clinical responses to ICIs and the relative abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila. Oral supplementation with A. muciniphila after FMT with nonresponder feces restored the efficacy of PD-1 blockade in an interleukin-12–dependent manner by increasing the recruitment of CCR9+CXCR3+CD4+ T lymphocytes into mouse tumor beds.


Modeling Mohave Ground Squirrel Habitat By Ernesto Carreras-Diaz The Mohave ground squirrel (Spermophilus mohavensis) is endemic to the northwestern region of the Mojave Desert. It is currently considered a threatened species by the state of California. Habitat loss due to human development within the species' limited geographic area has been identified as a major contributor to the species' threatened status. Habitat degradation due to livestock grazing, military training, and the increased abundance of invasive and non-invasive plant species are also serious conservation issues. It is important to be able to identify remaining areas of suitable habitat in order to conserve and manage viable Mohave ground squirrel populations. This project consisted of developing a habitat suitability model for the Mohave ground squirrel. The weighted overlay model approach was chosen after reviewing its effectiveness in similar case studies. This model allowed the combination of selected variables for integrated analysis that have been identified as important for the occurrence of the species. The Weighted Overlay tool from the Spatial Analyst toolbox – ArcGIS 9.1 was used to accomplish this task. The model was designed by assigning values of relative importance to the datasets as well as to layers themselves. The variables used were: elevation, slope, land cover, vegetation, geomorphology, mean winter precipitation (1976 – 2006), percentage of dry periods (1976 – 2006), and consecutive dry winter periods (1976 – 2006). The results obtained from the model will help to identify areas that are important for the conservation of the Mohave ground squirrel. It can be tested for accuracy against actual field data and modified to upgrade its predictive performance. This model will serve as a tool to help understand habitat variables that are critical for the survival of the species. It will also aid researchers in gathering more information on the species itself and its habitat requirements.


"We live in an era of stagnation, rapid impoverishment, rising inequalities, and socio-ecological disasters. In the dominant discourse, these are effects of economic crisis, lack of growth or underdevelopment. This book argues growth is the cause of these problems and that it has become uneconomic, ecologically unsustainable and intrinsically unjust. When the language in use is inadequate to articulate what begs to be articulated, then it is time for a new vocabulary. A movement of activists and intellectuals, first starting in France and then spreading to the rest of the word has called for the decolonization of public debate from the idiom of economism and the abolishment of economic growth as a social objective. "Degrowth" ("Decroissance") has come to signify for them the desired direction of societies that will use less natural resources and will organize to live radically differently. "Simplicity", "conviviality", "autonomy", "care", "the commons" and "depense", the social and ritual destruction of accumulated surplus, are some of the words that express what a degrowth society might look like. Degrowth A Vocabulary for a New Era is the first English language book to comprehensively cover the burgeoning literature on degrowth. It presents and explains the different lines of thought, imaginaries, and proposed courses of action that together complete the degrowth puzzle. The book brings together the top scholars writing in the field with young researchers who cultivate the research frontier and activists who practice degrowth on the ground. It will be an indispensable source of information and inspiration for all those who not only believe that another world is possible, but work and struggle to construct it right now. Join our book community at www.degrowthvocabulary.net for more material and conversations. "--


Abstract This article deals with experiences from an action learning project against bullying and degrading treatment among nine Swedish preschools. Even though definitions of bullying and degrading treatment tend to lead to thoughts of school-age children rather than preschoolers, previous research shows that bullying occurs in preschool as well. Our data consist of documentation of improvement work carried out in the preschools that were analysed from both a peer culture perspective and a school improvement perspective. Our main results show that the preschools, by identifying challenges and actions anchored in the local context, 'hit the target' in their work against bullying and degrading treatment in the preschools. However, the children and their perspectives were rarely taken into account in the improvement work, which we consider as 'missing the point'. Didactic implications for further preschool action learning projects are discussed.


Microseismic monitoring is synonymous with shale gas development in North America: experience with shale plays suggests a high degree of variability in rock properties, subsequent completion effectiveness, and ultimately gas production and EUR. There are several modes of acquisition currently in use to obtain microseismic information which is related to the hydraulic fracturing process. The study reported here focuses on borehole microseismic and attempts to understand the information content in 'conventional' monitoring practice available in the industry. It examines the sensitivity to velocity model and uncertainty in derived data and attributes. Four stimulations and two monitor wells provide 12 multi-stage datasets for repeated analysis. Monitoring with a single well tends to produce bias in results towards the observation. Further, we see that a horizontal monitor provides different controls on locations to a vertical monitor, but their combination in a dual-well solution usually produces the more consistent view. As we change the velocity model, we see more variation in located events for the same input data (extent in 3D and possible orientations). The interpretation of these results in terms of hydraulic fracture characterization and effectiveness is therefore non-unique, and this uncertainty should be recognised.


Understanding and enhancing societal support for national parks is critical for their survival globally, especially in the uncertain and rapidly changing economic and political environment of the 21st century. This paper argues that the continuing availability of a diversity of visitor experiences in national parks is essential for cultivating this support. Employing national park experiences as key tools for building and sustaining societal support, and the strategies for doing so, have received limited attention by scholars. This paper aims to conceptualize the benefits and threats to visitor experiences in national parks as a basis for cementing their protection and enhancement into park management practices. It does this by drawing on literature investigating the benefits of visiting parks as a theoretical and empirical foundation for identifying the range of visitor experiences that need to be saved from extinction. Principles for endangered species management, derived from conservation biology, are then used as a conceptual lens to examine the threats to these experiences. A values-based perspective suggests the need to both address threats to these experiences and foster the associated benefits to visitors and society. A suite of management strategies at the park/site level and systems level are suggested to reduce threats to the quality and diversity of visitor experiences as well as enhance the benefits of visiting national parks. These strategies can be engaged to complement rather than replace the current impact-focused approach to managing the visitor experience. Concluding recommendations for future research include: clarifying the threats to the visitor experience globally and the synergies between them, exploring the relationship between the management of settings in national parks and the accrual of benefits, and initiating and analyzing the efficacy of interventions designed to maintain and enhance the benefits of visiting national parks. Such initiatives are central to both saving the visitor experience from extinction and for building and sustaining support for national parks in the twenty-first century.


Personnel management plays a critical role in the success of public organizations. Our literature review shows that there is a lack of systematic guidance on how to improve Public Personnel Management Process (PPMP) quality. Software Process Improvement and Capability Determination (SPICE) is a process assessment framework that is successfully used by software organizations during the past two decades. The framework can also be used as a baseline to generate process capability models for different specific domains/sectors. We have utilized this approach for the government domain and we developed the process definition of PPMP. To observe the benefits and usability of the model, we have performed a multiple case study, including the assessments of three organizations' PPMP capability levels and the development of action plans for PPMP improvement. The findings show that the proposed approach is applicable for identifying the PPMP capability levels and is capable of providing a roadmap for moving to the next level.


Background: Lyme disease is a bacterial disease transmitted by infected ticks that, if left untreated, can lead to serious health complications. Pennsylvania leads the nation in annual cases, but knowledge of its incidence and distribution throughout Allegheny County has been lacking. The objectives of this essay are to describe characteristics of 1) county Lyme disease cases that occurred in 2014 and 2) case investigations submitted to the Allegheny County Health Department for the same year. Methods: Data for analysis were obtained from surveillance data originally collected by the ACHD for public health purposes. Statistical software was used to perform descriptive statistics, including counts, percentages, and incidence, on confirmed and probable year 2014 cases by age, sex, symptom onset, geography, and clinical characteristics. Descriptive statistics were also performed on case investigations to describe details and follow-up of year 2014 reports received and investigated by the ACHD. Results: Of the 1445 case investigations analyzed, 745 (51.6%) were classified as confirmed and 65 (4.5%) as probable per CDC case definition. Overall incidence in males was greater than females (77.69 versus 52.83 per 100,000), and highest incidence was in males ages 5-9 years (19.22 per 1,000). Clinical onset peaked in June (36.38%). Erythema migrans was the most common symptom in confirmed cases (70.07%), followed by arthritis (45.91%). Cases were reported in 86 residential zip codes, with incidence generally higher in northern regions. Most initial reports were submitted electronically (90.0%), included a laboratory test result (97.8%), and lacked clinical information necessitating follow-up investigation by the ACHD (97.4%). Follow-up information was obtained through investigation for 1313 cases (90.9%), most frequently from healthcare provider (67.38%). Conclusions: Knowledge gained from this descriptive study has public health relevance for Allegheny County, where Lyme disease is endemic and a growing problem. Characteristics of county cases show demographics most affected and reflect national patterns with some deviations. Follow-up investigation, while labor-intensive, produces useful information that can inform case classification and education, prevention, and treatment efforts. Future research should focus on improving provider reporting and identifying alternative surveillance methods so that this useful public health data may continue to be captured.


This book explains the origins, structure and functioning of the European Convention on Human Rights, and its position in the overall system of protection of human rights in Europe. It discusses and analyses the composition, functions and procedure of the Court of Human Rights. It clarifies the scope of each of the rights and freedoms laid down by the Convention by reference to the case law of the Court. It also explains the status and impact of the Convention in Swedish law and in the law of the European Union. It provides a detailed guide to research sources and methodology for those wishing to investigate human rights issues under the Convention in more detail.


The mediation of commercial disputes is spreading across the world. Starting in the US over 25 years ago and spreading early to Canada and Australia, it has begun to flourish both in the UK and the growing European Community. The Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR), founded in 1990, provides both mediation and consultancy services in dispute resolution and conflict prevention in the UK and internationally and also offers an assessed accreditation process to mediators.


Optimal stopping and mathematical finance are intimately connected since the value of an American option is given as the solution to an optimal stopping problem. Such a problem can be viewed as a game in which we are trying to maximize an expected reward. The solution involves finding the best possible strategy, or equivalently, an optimal stopping time for the game. Moreover, the reward corresponding to this optimal time should be determined. It is also of interest to know how the solution depends on the model parameters. For example, when pricing and hedging an American option, the volatility needs to be estimated and it is of great practical importance to know how the price and hedging portfolio are affected by a possible misspecification.The first paper of this thesis investigates the performance of the delta hedging strategy for a class of American options with non-convex payoffs. It turns out that an option writer who overestimates the volatility will obtain a superhedge for the option when using the misspecified hedging portfolio.In the second paper we consider the valuation of a so-called stock loan when the lender is allowed to issue a margin call. We show that the price of such an instrument is equivalent to that of an American down-and-out barrier option with a rebate. The value of this option is determined explicitly together with the optimal repayment strategy of the stock loan.The third paper considers the problem of how to optimally stop a Brownian bridge. A finite horizon optimal stopping problem like this can rarely be solved explicitly. However, one expects the value function and the optimal stopping boundary to satisfy a time-dependent free boundary problem. By assuming a special form of the boundary, we are able to transform this problem into one which does not depend on time and solving this we obtain candidates for the value function and the boundary. Using stochastic calculus we then verify that these indeed satisfy our original problem.In the fourth paper we consider an investor wanting to take advantage of a mispricing in the market by purchasing a bull spread, which is liquidated in case of a market downturn. We show that this can be formulated as an optimal stopping problem which we then, using similar techniques as in the third paper, solve explicitly.In the fifth and final paper we study convexity preservation of option prices in a model with jumps. This is done by finding a sufficient condition for the no-crossing property to hold in a jump-diffusion setting.


Background & objectives: Cutaneous vasculitis has protean clinical manifestations. It may be idiopathic or associated with a spectrum of conditions such as infections, drugs, etc. Skin is involved in both small vessel vasculitis (SVV) and medium vessel vasculitis (MVV). Overlapping features are seen between SVV and MVV. The histopathological features may not always relate with the clinical lesions. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the aetiological factors and clinicopathological association in patients with cutaneous vasculitis. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, detailed history and clinical examination were done on patients with biopsy proven cutaneous vasculitis. Two skin biopsies were taken from each patient for routine histopathology and direct immunofluorescence. Results: Of the 61 patients studied, hypersensitivity vasculitis (HSV) [23 (37.7%)] and Henoch Schonlein purpura (HSP) [16 (26.2%)] were the two most common forms. Systemic involvement was seen in 32 (52.45%) patients. Drugs were implicated in 12 (19.7%) cases, infections in 7 (11.4%) and connective tissue disorders in 4 (6.5%) cases. Histologically SVV was the most common pattern, seen in all the clinically diagnosed patients with SVV (47), and in 12 of the 14 clinically diagnosed patients with MVV. Direct immunofluorescence showed positivity for at least one immunoreactant in 62 per cent of the patients and the most common deposit was C3 followed by IgG, IgA and IgM. Interpretation & conclusions: Majority of our patients with cutaneous vasculitis were idiopathic. Histologically, SVV was seen in most of our patients. No association was seen between history of drug intake and tissue eosinophilia and also between histologically severe vasculitis and clinical severity. The presence of immunoreactant IgA was not specific for HSP.


This paper uses income-smoothing methodology in order to examine whether the existence of window dressing behavior affects the operating and market performance of firms that go public in the Athens Stock Exchange (ASE). The results depict that the window dressing behavior is unpopular among Greek IPO firms. The after-market performance of IPO firms in Greece reveals that issuers use underpricing as a means to signal their quality to the market. In addition, the findings posit that investors do not overreact to past earnings growth and that the window dressing assumption is unable to explain the post-issue performance of IPO firms in Greece. Finally, the results indicate that the market exhibits the ability to anticipate intentional income-smoothing behavior and classifies smoothing firms to higher risk classes.


Since the 1950s the use of project management techniques has extended from engineering applications in project-based organisations to change management in firms which are predominantly functionally organised. This has been accompanied by recognition in the project management literature of the contribution of the project manager to successful projects either in addition to or as a substitute for a technical project management body of knowledge. The characteristics, behaviours and activities of the project manager have been less researched than those of line managers but there is a tendency to portray the project manager as the hero who draws everything together. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the understanding of what project managers actually do.
The qualitative approach adopted has used the techniques of competence researchers including behavioural event interviews (BEI) with twenty one project managers working in functional (as opposed to project-based) organisations in the UK, supplemented by the observation of three projects in UK retail plcs. However, as the BEI and content analysis coding appeared not to capture all the project managers had to say, their descriptions have been analysed and interpreted using the language and concepts developed by Actor Network Theory (ANT), the creation mainly of Callon, Latour and Law. The aim was to look at the familiar from a different perspective. Such a radical change in methodology has required the thesis to explore the nature of paradigm incommensurability, concluding that without a change in paradigm there can be only limited learning.
The study concludes that the project managers consciously placed themselves at the centre of the project by applying simple processes, embodied in standardised documentation, that reinforced their use of simple interpersonal techniques. These activities helped to overcome their lack of heirarchical power within their functional organisations: they placed a nonhuman actor, "project management," between the other team members and their operational roles so as to order the temporary project structure. Project management processes acted as allies, enabling the project manager to interest and enrol team members and stakeholders and to mobilise the support of sponsors and other powerful players. This perspective thus reunites the technological and the heroic strands of project management literature. It also presents to the mainstream a different concept of competence, as the temporary effect of a heterogeneous network of social, natural and technological resources.


During the crisis of Fanfani's second government, an alliance of Christian Democrats and Social Democrats, a group of Italian intellectuals, convened by Malfatti, exponent of the Christian democratic fraction led by Fanfani, met in Bologna in order to discuss the political situation. The meeting was reported by a confidential note produced by the administration of the State as well as by the prefecture of Bologna. According to these reports, scholars collaborating to the Bolognese journal «il Mulino» played an important role on that occasion. «Il Mulino» was then at the forefront in the analysis of Italian politics, with a view to the progressive enlargement of the governing majority to the Socialist Party – that is, to the construction of an organic centre-left alliance.


"The Free World" is the rapturously reviewed comic-tragic first novel from David Bezmozgis, a "New Yorker" '20 under 40' writer and author of "Natasha and Other Stories", whose work has been shortlisted for the "Guardian" First Book Award and the Giller Prize. "Terrific...Combines comic brilliance with a poignant portrait of a family trapped between two worlds". ("Sunday Times"). In the summer of 1978 the Krasnansky family - bickering, tired and confused - arrive in Rome. Alongside thousands of other Soviet Jewish refugees they await passage to a new home in the West. But escaping Communism is not so easy, especially when some of the Krasnanskys insist on bringing it with them. It is harder still when their American sponsor lets them down and they find they're stuck. What follows is a tragic yet comic tale of reckless brothers and long-suffering sisters, ailing parents and innocent children, of love affairs and criminal liaisons, of a wonderfully troubled family and a perpetually wandering people, and their epic search for a home..."Superb ...a major new talent". ("Independent"). "Wonderfully uplifting". ("The Times"). "Colourful, sharply funny and deeply moving". ("Financial Times"). "Alternately comic, sharp and sombre ...it's impossible not to be caught up in the tangled web of its unforgettable case". ("Daily Mail"). "A proper novel that bulges and pulses and thrums with life...I ended up loving it". ("Observer"). "David Bezmozgis projects a sense of ease that is very rare in first novels; he does everything well". ("Telegraph"). David Bezmozgis was born in Riga, Latvia, in 1973 and emigrated with his parents to Toronto in 1980. "The Free World" was picked as a 'Waterstone's 11' and has been shortlisted for the Giller Prize. His previous book, "Natasha and Other Stories", was shortlisted for the "Guardian" First Book Award, was a "New York Times" Notable Book of the year, won the Commonwealth Writer's Regional Prize for First Book and has been translated into over a dozen languages.


Under appropriate conditions sulfur dioxide reacts with 1,3-dienes in the hetero-Diels-Alder fashion. In the case of 1-alkoxy-1,3-dienes the 6-alkoxy-3,6-dihydro-1,2-oxatiin-2-oxides (sultines) so-obtained can be ionized in the presence of Lewis or protic acid, thus realizing Umpolung of these electron-rich systems. The zwitterionic intermediates can be trapped as electrophiles with enoxysilanes (oxyallylation) to generate substituted silyl alkenylsulfinates. Desilylation of the latter under acidic conditions leads to intermediate allylsulfinic acids, which, after retro-ene desulfitation, produce 4-alkoxyhept-6-en-2-one core, a valuable fragment in polyketide natural product synthesis. This new SO2 reaction cascade, hetero-Diels-Alder addition/oxyallylation/retro-ene desulfitation (Vogel's cascade), was expanded to 1,3-dioxy-1,3-dienes. It was demonstrated that 1-alkoxy-3-(trialkylsilyl)oxy-1,3-dienes (Danishefsky's dienes) undergo ene reaction with sulfur dioxide due to migratory properties of trialkylsilyl substituent. The use of 1-alkoxy-3-acyloxy-2-methyl-1,3-pentadienes and enoxysilanes in Vogel's cascades resulted in an efficient synthesis of stereotriads containing keto and enol ester functions, suitable for further chain elongation. Good anti,syn and anti,anti selectivities were achieved using of (Z)- and (E)-enoxysilanes, respectively. The synthetic potential of the method was demonstrated by the short synthesis of 3,5-dihydroxycyclohexanone subunit of baconipyrones A and B as well as that of the hydroxydiketone subunit of baconipyrones C and D ((-)-(4S,6S)-4,6-dimethyl-5-hydroxynonan-3,7-dione). Further applications were shown by expeditious formal asymmetric total synthesis of rifamycin S and initiation of synthesis of C(27)-C(37) fragment of brasilinolides A and C. The method was extended to other π-nucleophiles, such as allylsilanes. A small library of differently substituted homoallylic ethers was synthesized to demonstrate utility of this new approach. Iterative Vogel's cascade employing newly obtained fragments provided long-chain polypropionate fragments such as (-)-(1Z,2S,3S,7S,8R,9R)-1-ethylidene-9-hydroxy-2,8-dimethyl-3,7-bis((1S,1'S)-phenylethoxy)-5-methylene-undec-1-yl benzoate in a very short and efficient way. Further generalization of π-nucleophiles led to the discovery of new ene reactions of SO2 with allylgermanes and allylboronates. A number of new chiral auxiliaries were prepared and tested in order to improve chemo- and diastereoselectivity in diene reactions with sulfur dioxide. The results demonstrated the superiority of inexpensive and readily available 1-arylethanols (and particularly 1-phenylethanol) over other types of chiral auxiliaries.


The author shows the ways in which urban trade space formed in Krasnoyarsk in the second half of the nineteenth century as a result of interaction between the authorities and traders. The local authorities excluded specific areas from the trade sector and created special trade places, markets. This policy was based on the tendency of the local authorities to create conditions where they could supervise trade in the interests of citizens. Traders, in turn, wanted uncontrolled ownership of their space and to autonomously exploit it in order to ensure the greatest amount of profit. Traders' actions included flexible tactics of manoeuvre in their attempts to transform or circumvent the law. The authorities' strategy was based on the interests of different population groups; therefore, they created laws that could be circumvented. The author emphasises the special role of peasantry; although they did not live in the city, they had their own ways of influencing the authorities, which local traders could not use. The author uses the approaches to the study of space developed by M. Foucault and M. de Certeau. She concludes that the authorities' strategies reflected the interests of different population groups (including traders), which meant they were not always consistent and effective. The analysis of interaction between the authorities and traders through the prism of their struggle for trade space reveals new approaches to communication in everyday situations.


This document extends Directory-Based Information Services (DBIS)
described in [draft-bannister-dbis-mapping-00] to support the
automount database. The automount database schema SHALL be backwards
compatible with the Network Information Service [NIS] but stored
within [X.500] entries so that they may be resolved with the
Lightweight Directory Access Protocol [RFC4510]. An automount database
contains information about file system mount- points that are to be
mapped by the automounter. This document describes configuration maps
[draft-bannister-dbis- mapping-00] for the automount database, and
database entries referenced by those maps.


The influence of surface waves and multiple scattering in water on the parameters of light pulses from an airborne source is studied. The contributions of various mechanisms to variations in delay of pulse and its variance are estimated. It is shown that waves make the main contribution to these values at small depths. With strong wind, the allowance for waves is important for small receiving apertures in the whole practically important depth range. For large receiving apertures or/and large widths of light beams incident on the surface, the determining factor is multiple scattering of light in water.


As a new fashioned shopping mode, network shopping has been presenting a growth trend both in its user scale and transaction scale in recent years. Meanwhile, the complaints of network shopping are increasing by years which reveal many credit risks, such as fictitious trading, quality problem, price fraud, internet fraud and so on, that influenced greatly on the reputation formation of e-commerce enterprises. The reputation of e-commerce enterprise is regarded as the intangible assets of sustainable development which forms the competitive advantages of the enterprise. Based on the reputation thoery, this paper analyzes the condition of credit imperfection of online shopping by combining with the theory of the e-commerce chain in order to establish the optimized system of the reputation mechanism and promote healthy development of the e-commerce enterprises. Through the actual case study on e-commerce enterprises such as Alibaba, Jingdong, this study estabilshes the credit evaluation system of network shopping so as to improve the security of network shopping and increase the users' trust to e-commerce enterprises.


Simple board games, like Tic-Tac-Toe and CONNECT-4, play an important role not only in the development of mathematical and logical skills, but also in the emotional and social development. In this paper, we address the problem of generating targeted starting positions for such games. This can facilitate new approaches for bringing novice players to mastery, and also leads to discovery of interesting game variants. We present an approach that generates starting states of varying hardness levels for player 1 in a two-player board game, given rules of the board game, the desired number of steps required for player 1 to win, and the expertise levels of the two players. Our approach leverages symbolic methods and iterative simulation to efficiently search the extremely large state space. We present experimental results that include discovery of states of varying hardness levels for several simple grid-based board games. The presence of such states for standard game variants like 4 x 4 Tic-Tac-Toe opens up new games to be played that have never been played as the default start state is heavily biased.


Seen as a new form of manifestation of the behavior of the consumer of tourism products and services, culinary tourism has recorded an ascending trending the last years, with a positive forecast for the following years. A possible explanation for this phenomenon is the orientation and encouragement of the tourist services providers to adopt regional development strategies that harness traditional local resources and products in a context where the contemporary consumer no longer only pursues the acquisition of products and services to meet their needs, but also looks forward to new experiences that are a delight for the senses. Against this background, the present paper aims to highlight some of the characteristics of culinary tourism and to customize some of the dimensions of consumer behavior oriented towards this form of tourism, in an economy where the tertiary sector, and specifically the tourism sector, play a leading role both in Europe and worldwide.


In light of the surge in large-scale farms in developing countries, concerns have been raised that smallholders may be negatively affected. There is, however, very little evidence beyond case studies to support these claims. Drawing on nationally representative household data sets and an inventory of large-scale farms in Zambia, this study investigates the relationship between large-scale farms and smallholders. First, we analyse the geographical contexts of wards that host large-scale farms and show that large-scale farms are found in wards with good infrastructure and soil quality. Second, we adopt a difference-in-differences approach to estimate the impacts of large-scale farms on smallholders' area cultivated, maize yields, and access to fertiliser. We find that smallholders in wards with large-scale farms increase their area cultivated and maize yields, but have lower fertiliser usage. This hints at positive spillovers at the extensive and intensive margins but not at improved access to agricultural inputs. It is likely that these results are also driven by the emergence of medium-scale farms in these regions.


The next generation wireless network needs to provide seamless roaming among various access technologies in a heterogeneous environment. In allowing users to access any system at anytime and anywhere, the performance of mobility-enabled protocols is important. While Mobile IPv6 is generally used to support macro-mobility, integrating Mobile IPv6 with Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) to support IP traffic will lead to improved mobility performance. Advanced resource management techniques will ensure Quality of Service (QoS) during real-time mobility within the Next Generation Network (NGN) platform. The techniques may use a QoS Manager to allow end-to-end coordination and adaptation of Quality of Service. The function of the QoS Manager also includes dynamic allocation of resources during handover. Heterogeneous networks raise many challenges in security. A security entity can be configured within the QoS Manager to allow authentication and to maintain trust relationships in order to minimize threats during system handover. The next generation network needs to meet the above requirements of mobility, QoS, and security.


This study sought to further our understanding of the antecedents of employee perceptions of organisational justice in the context of organisational restructuring. As such, this study focussed on the previously under-researched change management practices of support for downsizing victims and organisational communication quality, and the similarly underresearched organisational justice dimensions of interpersonal and informational justice, while also hypothesising a moderating effect of perceived supervisor support between these two sets of variables. Using an online survey, a total of 234 employees from a large New Zealand organisation in the Education sector were invited to participate in the study, with 71 volunteering to complete the online survey. The results showed no moderating effects of perceived supervisor support, but did show strong, significant main effects of victim support and communication quality on both interpersonal and informational justice. These findings highlight the importance of change management practices in maximising positive outcomes post-restructuring for the organisation and its employees.


The significant role of case managers in improving the health status of clients and in achieving cost-containment has been increasingly recognized. However, very few studies have touched on the emerging group of case managers who work exclusively with frail older adults. The purpose of this study was to determine the level of overall job satisfaction and some of its determinants among case managers of the Visiting Nurse Health System, Atlanta, Georgia, working primarily with older adults in two community-based programs. The objectives were to learn: (1) the level of overall job satisfaction among these case managers; (2) how these case managers perceive their role; and (3) what factors facilitate their work, what factors present barriers to their job performance, and what policy or procedural changes they feel would improve their performance. An established job satisfaction scale was employed to assess job satisfaction among the case managers. The overall job satisfaction scores ranged from 109 to 198 (out of a maximum possible score of 216), with a mean of 158.2, which is considerably higher than the theoretical mid-point of the scale (126). Nine subscales of job satisfaction, ordered by the satisfaction level from highest to lowest were, Coworkers, Supervision, Nature of Work, Communication, Contingent Rewards, Fringe Benefits, Operating Conditions, Pay, and Promotion. Case managers in the Older Group (aged 45 and older) showed higher overall satisfaction compared to those in the Younger Group (younger than 45). Furthermore, satisfaction levels with Fringe Benefits and Operating Conditions were significantly higher in the Older Group than in the Younger Group. No significant difference was found in job satisfaction between case managers in the two programs (CCSP and CBSP). Case managers with longer experience (at least 4 years) showed a higher satisfaction level with Pay compared to those with shorter experience (less than 4 years) in their current program. No significant difference in job satisfaction was found between social worker and nurse case managers, except that nurse case managers were significantly more satisfied with Fringe Benefits than social worker case managers. Qualitative analysis of the interview found that case managers tended to describe their role in terms that were either related to program objectives or activities. They viewed their role more as providing or ensuring services to their clients than as cost-containment. At the same time, initial assessment appeared to be the most important component of their role compared to other activities, such as evaluation or contact with service providers. Nature of the work, management, and coworkers are the three major sources of facilitating factors reported. On the other hand, the majority of deterring factors, related to operating procedures, pay, promotion, supervision, funding, and management, fell in the category of organizational factors. Deterring factors related to individual factors were related to communication and coworker relationship. Long-term study is needed to learn the job satisfaction among case managers working primarily with older adults and to determine what contributes to or undermines their job satisfaction. Policy changes might be needed at the organizational level to enhance job satisfaction among case managers. JOB SATISFACTION AMONG CASE MANAGERS FOR COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS


Alternative polyadenylation generates transcriptomic diversity, although the physiological impact and regulatory mechanisms involved are still poorly understood. The cell cycle kinase Polo is controlled by alternative polyadenylation in the 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR), with critical physiological consequences. Here, we characterized the molecular mechanisms required for polo alternative polyadenylation. ABSTRACT Alternative polyadenylation generates transcriptomic diversity, although the physiological impact and regulatory mechanisms involved are still poorly understood. The cell cycle kinase Polo is controlled by alternative polyadenylation in the 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR), with critical physiological consequences. Here, we characterized the molecular mechanisms required for polo alternative polyadenylation. We identified a conserved upstream sequence element (USE) close to the polo proximal poly(A) signal. Transgenic flies without this sequence show incorrect selection of polo poly(A) signals with consequent downregulation of Polo expression levels and insufficient/defective activation of Polo kinetochore targets Mps1 and Aurora B. Deletion of the USE results in abnormal mitoses in neuroblasts, revealing a role for this sequence in vivo. We found that Hephaestus binds to the USE RNA and that hephaestus mutants display defects in polo alternative polyadenylation concomitant with a striking reduction in Polo protein levels, leading to mitotic errors and aneuploidy. Bioinformatic analyses show that the USE is preferentially localized upstream of noncanonical polyadenylation signals in Drosophila melanogaster genes. Taken together, our results revealed the molecular mechanisms involved in polo alternative polyadenylation, with remarkable physiological functions in Polo expression and activity at the kinetochores, and disclosed a new in vivo function for USEs in Drosophila melanogaster.


PoPova, T. and P. Marinova, 2013. Lipid and protein oxidation during cooking in meat of lambs reared indoors and on pasture. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 19: 590-594 Lipid and protein oxidation during cooking in m. Longissimus dorsi was studied in male lambs of northeastern Bulgarian Fine Wool Breed and cross of this breed with ile de France, reared indoors and on pasture. Cooking was carried out at 100oC for 45 and 60 minutes. The oxidation of the lipids was determined by quantification of 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and the degree of protein oxidation was determined by measuring the amount of carbonyls, formed before and after different duration of thermal heating. Rearing had significant influence (P<0.001) on formation of the 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances in m. Longissimus dorsi in the fresh samples and after 45th minute of cooking while the carbonyl formation was influenced by the rearing before heat treatment (P<0.01) and after 60 min (P<0.05). The duration of the cooking affected significantly the dynamics of lipid and protein oxidation showing increased contents of both 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and carbonyls in the cooked meat.


Pulsed alternators, particularly multipole, multiphase machines incorporating a flexible rectifier/inverter subsystem, can be used for powering large DC railguns. Such machines are able to store energy for several shots; presently, these designs generally lead to much lighter and smaller systems than those designed with other pulsed power options. For large caliber railguns that are designed to accelerate projectiles to 10 MJ or more, however, the reaction torque associated with a pulse discharge from a single alternator can be excessive. If two (or any even number) counter-rotating alternators are used, the torque on the overall structure can be virtually eliminated. Use of two identical counter-rotating machines also overcomes some of the gyroscopic effects on the vehicle. Most practical system concepts, therefore, utilize an even number of multipole machines. This raises several questions that must be answered. How does this mode of operation affect the energy density of the system? How must the machines be connected together, in series or parallel? What are the issues involved in each configuration? Must the field coils of the two or more machines be connected in series or in parallel? If the machines must operate in parallel, at what location must they be linked? This paper attempts to define the issues involved in answering these questions.


This dissertation demonstrates that substantial speedup over that for conventional single-instruction-issue architectures can be achieved by multiple-instruction-issue architectures with the support of an optimizing compiler. We have constructed a full-scale C compiler that can learn the dynamic behavior of user programs by profiling, apply the profile information to guide various code improving techniques, and map the program parallelism onto the parallel architecture. Our base code optimization technology is comparable to today's best commercial C compilers. In addition, we have developed aggressive code generation techniques that are tailored to multiple-instruction-issue architectures. Using our compiler, we have characterized the performance of a large class of multiple-instruction-issue architectures with many important application programs and realistic input data.


Summary Flagella are highly conserved organelles present in a wide variety of species. In Trypanosoma brucei the single flagellum is necessary for morphogenesis, cell motility and pathogenesis, and is attached along the cell body. A new flagellum is formed alongside the old during the cell division cycle. In the (insect) procyclic form, the flagella connector (FC) attaches the tip of the new flagellum to the side of the old flagellum, ensuring faithful replication of cell architecture. The FC is not present in the bloodstream form of the parasite. We show here, using new imaging techniques including serial block-face scanning electron microscopy (SBF-SEM), that the distal tip of the new flagellum in the bloodstream form is embedded within an invagination in the cell body plasma membrane, named the groove. We suggest that the groove has a similar function to the flagella connector. The groove is a mobile junction located alongside the microtubule quartet (MtQ) and occurred within a gap in the subpellicular microtubule corset, causing significant modification of microtubules during elongation of the new flagellum. It appears likely that this novel form of morphogenetic structure has evolved to withstand the hostile immune response in the mammalian blood.


Taylor, Cooren, Giroux, and Robichaud (1996) theorize that an organization is created entirely through the interpretations of its members and it evolves as those conversations change. Demonstrating the Taylor et al. theory, the current study focuses on the outcomes of management vision and strategic planning sessions in a division of a large Southwestern University. It explores the ways organization emerges through the discourse of the managers, how text is amplified to support the organization as a whole, the ways organization continues to emerge in communication, and in what ways the emergent view of organization exists throughout the division. The results of the study support the Taylor et al. theory. Management participants created an expanded view of the organization through discourse and then linked it to the university as a whole. Evidence was found supporting continued reformulation but it was limited to the management participants and did not include hourly employees.


This research aims to determine absorptive capacity's impact on innovation in SMEs in Peru. SMEs in Latin America tend to be characterized by technological backwardness, and innovations, if any, tend to be incremental in nature. In Peru, more than half of innovation activities are destined to the acquisition of capital goods. In this sense, rather than generate innovation, SMEs tend to adopt existing innovations. Thus, in order to reap the benefits of innovation adoption, SMEs must possess a high degree of absorptive capacity, understood as the firm's capacity to value external knowledge, assimilate, and exploit it towards commercial ends. In this respect, Innovate Peru, an innovation agency, grants subsidies to SMEs for facilitating innovation adoption. In collaboration between the public and academic sector, data was recollected from 88 SMEs that were granted this innovation subsidy. This paper contributes to the literature on absorptive capacity and innovation within Latin America, which has been vaguely studied. Likewise, it holds practical implications for top managers from SMEs who are looking to innovative, and policy implications for innovation policy makers, as it validates the effect of an innovation policy instrument.


Major economies such as the United States, European Union, Japan, and even China have shifted trade negotiating emphasis toward 'mega-regional' agreements, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). This paper explores why countries have chosen to pursue mega-regionals, what is likely to be contained in the agreements, and some of their potential implications for the multilateral trading system under the World Trade Organization (WTO). I call for revisiting the historical approach of introducing plurilateral and critical mass agreements – that would cover some of the mega-regionals' new provisions – into the WTO so as to avoid a more substantial, long-run erosion of the relevance of the nondiscriminatory system. I also highlight potential reforms to the WTO's dispute settlement procedure that are required to strengthen its already prominent role.


This study investigates the relationship between human capital investment and industrial productivity in Nigeria using secondary data spanned through 1978 to 2008. Co-integration and Error Correction Mechanism (ECM) was employed to examine the nexus between human capital investment and industrial productivity. Granger causality test was also adopted as a supplementary estimation method to explore the nature of causality among the variables established in the model. The study found that government expenditure on education maintained a positive long run relationship with index of industrial production while government expenditure on health and Gross Capital Formation exhibited long run negative relationship with the dependent variable. Consequently it was recommended among others that more stock of physical capital needed to be acquired, to facilitate more investment in human capital and thereby enhance industrial productivity in Nigeria.


The Collective Graphical Model (CGM) models a population of independent and identically distributed individuals when only collective statistics (i.e., counts of individuals) are observed. Exact inference in CGMs is intractable, and previous work has explored Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) and MAP approximations for learning and inference. This paper studies Gaussian approximations to the CGM. As the population grows large, we show that the CGM distribution converges to a multivariate Gaussian distribution (GCGM) that maintains the conditional independence properties of the original CGM. If the observations are exact marginals of the CGM or marginals that are corrupted by Gaussian noise, inference in the GCGM approximation can be computed efficiently in closed form. If the observations follow a different noise model (e.g., Poisson), then expectation propagation provides efficient and accurate approximate inference. The accuracy and speed of GCGM inference is compared to the MCMC and MAP methods on a simulated bird migration problem. The GCGM matches or exceeds the accuracy of the MAP method while being significantly faster.


The central Basin and Range province has provided a natural laboratory for the study of continental extension since the pioneering studies of Chester R. Longwell. It is here that large‐magnitude crustal extension along systems of normal faults was first documented by R. Ernest Anderson. Estimates of crustal extension in the Lake Mead extensional domain (eastern central Basin and Range province) have been based largely on restoration of displaced blocks, most notably the Frenchman Mountain block. The original position of Frenchman Mountain, an allochthonous block that has been translated more than 60 km westward during regional extension, has been controversial for more than 2 decades. We use correlation of mass wasting deposits with source areas, Paleozoic stratigraphic characteristics, and subunconformity pinchout relations to evaluate previously published models for the original position of the Frenchman Mountain block and use new evidence to propose a more tightly constrained preextension position for this block. Our work restricts the original position of the Frenchman Mountain block to ∼8 km or less from the Gold Butte block. We favor an interpretation in which Frenchman Mountain originated as the hanging wall of the tectonically denuded Gold Butte block and was therefore translated to its present position by movement along kinematically coupled detachment and strike‐slip faults. Regional relations require multiple stages of movement along numerous structures from this preextension location, and we propose a new model for the trajectory of the Frenchman Mountain block to its present position.


In this article I shall address the standing of intentionalist theories of interpretation through Richard Rorty's critique. Rorty's criticism arises from the position literature holds in the postmetaphysical, liberal culture Rorty sketches As a counterbalance to Rorty's critique, I shall develop an intentionalist theory of interpretation drawing on Donald Davidson's late philosophy of language and his view of literary interpretation that have sadly not been taken into proper consideration in the on-going debate in analytic aesthetics on the role of authorial intentions in interpretation. The prospects of Davidson's intentionalism for meeting Rorty's criticism are related to the position of imagination in the Davidsonian approach. By indicating the connections between the position of imagination in Davidson's views and how it has in turn been approached in contemporary pragmatist-inspired moral philosophy, I shall argue that an intentionalist theory is, after all, able to meet those challenges that Rorty sees literature and literary theory facing in his postmetaphysical culture.


The natural diet of the kakapo (Strigops habroptilus) is exclusively herbivorous. The bird breeds synchronously with the heavy fruiting or "masting" of certain plant species, including rimu (Dacrydium cupressinum), at intervals of 2 - 5 years, and did so in 2002 on Codfish Island (Whenua Hou) in southern New Zealand. Crop contents of kakapo chicks of 10 - 30 and 31 - 43 days of age, and samples of rimu fruit (entire fruit, red aril, green aril and seed) were collected and chemically analysed for dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, fatty acids, amino acids, fibre, simple sugars and minerals. The crop content samples contained predominantly carbohydrates (76 - 81 % by dry wt.), crude protein (7 - 13 %) and fatty acids (6 - 7 %). Entire rimu fruit contained 7.2 % crude protein, 10.9 % fatty acids, and 78 % carbohydrate predominantly of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. The red aril, green aril and seed nutrient composition were similar with the exception of the seed fatty acid profile. There was a large degree of similarity in the nutritional composition of the entire rimu fruit and the crop contents, supporting field observations of the time that female kakapo were feeding almost exclusively entire rimu fruit to their chicks. The nutrient profiles provide the first detailed descriptions of the diet of growing kakapo chicks which can guide the development of supplements and artificial rearing diets for this species. The diet of kakapo chicks up to 60 days of age appears to have a low concentration of essential nutrients and high indigestible matter content when compared with other species, consistent with specialised anatomical features and foraging behaviour of this parrot


In this article, we apply global value chain (GVC) analysis to recent trends in the global automotive industry, with special attention paid to the case of North America. We use the three main elements of the GVC framework—firm-level chain governance, power and institutions—to highlight some of the defining characteristics of this important industry. First, national political institutions create pressure for local content, which drives production close to end markets, where it tends to be organized nationally or regionally. Second, in terms of GVC governance, rising product complexity combined with low codifiability and a paucity of industry-level standards has driven buyer–supplier linkages toward the relational form, a governance mode that is more compatible with Japanese than American supplier relations. The outsourcing boom of the 1990s exacerbated this situation. As work shifted to the supply base, lead firms and suppliers were forced to develop relational linkages to support the exchange of complex uncodified information and tacit knowledge. Finally, the small number of hugely powerful lead firms that drive the automotive industry helps to explain why it has been so difficult to develop and set the industry-level standards that could underpin a more loosely articulated spatial architecture. This case study underlines the need for an open, scalable approach to the study of global industries.


First published in 1949, "The Golden Apples" is an acutely observed, richly atmospheric portrayal of small town life in Morgana, Mississippi. There's Snowdie, who has to bring up her twin boys alone after her husband, King Maclain, disappears one day, discarding his hat on the banks of the Big Black. There's Loch Morrison, convalescing with malaria, who watches from his bedroom window as wayward Virgie Rainey meets a sailor in the vacant house opposite. Meanwhile, Miss Eckhart the piano teacher, grieving the loss of her most promising pupil, tries her hand at arson. Eudora Welty has a fine ear for dialogue and describes each of the characters in incisive, haunting prose. '...in the South,' she says, 'everybody stays busy talking all the time - they're not sorry for you to overhear their tales'. Welty deftly picks up their stories to create an unflinching potrait of everyday life in the American South and offers a deeply moving look at human nature.


The chemistry of carbon monoxide and dinitrogen on an atomically stepped Ru(109) and an atomically smooth Ru(001) single crystal surface have been thoroughly investigated using ultra high vacuum and surface science techniques. The investigations focused on the effect of the metal surface morphology on the simplest of the surface reactions: adsorption, desorption, and dissociation.Building on the previous conclusion that CO dissociates on the step sites of Ru(109) producing mobile atomic C and O species, chemisorbed CO was bombarded with atomic hydrogen in an attempt to produce and spectroscopically observe a formyl, HCO, species by IRAS and TPD. The interaction of the two species did not produce any evidence of an HCO species, but resulted in the observation of surface crowding of the CO(a) by H(a) species.The step sites of Ru(109) have been found to exhibit special N₂ adsorption characteristics compared to the terraces of the Ru(109) surface. Nitrogen desorbs from Ru(109) in three distinct desorption processes. A high temperature desorption feature has been assigned to the molecular desorption from the atomic step sites. The electron stimulated dissociation of chemisorbed nitrogen results in a high temperature recombinative desorption feature between 400 and 800 K. A direct comparison of the vibrational behavior of nitrogen on Ru(109) and Ru(001) confirms the postulate that the step sites of single crystals exhibit special characteristics. Two vibrational bands, attributed to molecular nitrogen adsorbed on the terrace and step sites, respectively, are observed after thermal ordering of the adlayer. Nitrogen adsorbed on the terraces of the Ru(109) surface is adsorbed more strongly than on the atomically smooth Ru(001) as indicated by the lower singleton frequency on the Ru(109) surface and the lower maximum desorption temperature on the Ru(001) surface. The interaction of adsorbed species with Li promoter atoms was investigated to determine the effect promoter atoms would have on catalytic reactions. The coadsorption of Li with CO and N₂ on the two Ru surfaces results in both short and long range interactions. These interactions result in a weakened molecular bond characterized by a red-shifted vibrational frequency in addition to complex formation on the surface.


Background The closed-loop stimulation (CLS) pacemaker algorithm is a system that permanently monitors the contractile state of the myocardium and converts the intrinsic information into rate regulation. The role that the CLS algorithm plays in the prevention of syncope recurrences still remains unclear. The aim of our prospective, randomised, single-blind, crossover study was to evaluate the effect of dual-chamber CLS in the prevention of syncope recurrence in patients with refractory vasovagal syncope (VVS) and a cardioinhibitory response to head-up tilt test (HUT) during a 36 months follow-up. Method sand results We studied 50 patients (mean age 53±5.1; 33 male) with the indication for permanent dual-chamber cardiac pacing for HUT-induced vasovagal cardioinhibitory syncope. They were randomised after 1 month of stabilisation period to CLS algorithm features programmed OFF or ON for 18 months each, using a crossover design. The number of syncopal and presyncopal episodes during active treatment was lower than those registered during no treatment (n syncopal episodes: 2 vs 15; p=0.007; n presincopal episodes: 5 vs 30; p = 0.004). Lead parameters remained stable over time, and there were no lead-related complications. Conclusions Based on these 36 months follow-up data, it is concluded that dual-chamber CLS is an effective algorithm for preventing syncope recurrences in healthy patients with tilt-induced vasovagal cardioinhibitory syncope.


Abstract In this research, depression and adjustment levels of adolescents between ages 15- 18 in secondary education and having both broken and unbroken families were analyzed in respect of social support and family constitution. The role of family constitution and social support on depression and adjustment level were investigated. Instruments were conducted on 203 adolescents selected from secondary schools in Kocaeli Provincial Centre, 101 of which are from unbroken families and 102 of which are from broken families. Of the students, 104 were male (%51.2) and 99 were female (%48.8). A mean age of the oarticipants was 16.46 years. In the study, "The Hacettepe Personality Inventory" was used to collect the data about adolescents' adjustment levels and "The Beck Depression Inventory" was used to collect the data about their depression levels. The Perceived Social Support Scale was used to collect the data on students' perception of social support and personal information form was used to determine family constitutions. It was found that the perception of social support and family constitution considered to be influential on depression and the adjustment levels of adolescents from broken and unbroken families composed a significant diversity between groups. As to this finding, it was observed that the adolescents from unbroken families are more adaptable in respect of their personal and social adjustment levels than the students from broken families. It was also determined that perceived social suppport has a significant effect on depression and adjustment levels. It was stated that as social support increases, the adjustment level increases likewise and depression levels decreases; the adjustment level has a linear correlation with social support contrarily an inverse correlation with depression. Key Words Family, Broken Family, Adolescent, Social Support, Adjustment, Depression. We can define families as carrying a universal characteristic and being basic foundation of human socities, as a unity combined within common goals, reciprocal rights and duties (Worsley, 1980). Family, the influence of which on development of individuals is accepted as an undisputable and significant reality (Quoted by Ozbay, 2004 from Adler, 1985; Ericson, 1964), comes out with its routine definition, that is, the married parents living together. With each passing day, we observe more frequently the cases in which there is absence of one parent due to reasons such as death, divorce, separation, or abandonment. (Gander & Gardiner, 1998). Consequently, today's unbroken families do not correspond with traditional pattern relating to togetherness of mother, father and children (Arcus, 1992; DiE, 1999; 2000; 2001; 2002). It is known that the dissolution of family unity brings along many changes with it in various areas for adult couples. Accordingly, significant psychological, social, and economical changes can occur in the lives of the children living in separated and divorced families (Leung & Robson, 1990). It is pointed in variaous research that the dissolution of family unity because of the reasons like divorce, separation, or death bears the risk of behavioral and emotional problems for children (Harland, Reijneveld, Brugman, Verloove, & Verhulst, 2002). Children can react in various ways to separation, divorce of their parents, and dissolution of their family constitution according to their development phases (Leung & Robson, 1990; Palmer 2002; Smart, 1980). Adolescents need the support of their parents and an atmosphere of trust. They can experience the decrease of parental support with the dissolution of family unity. They can experience emotions such as desperation and mistrust as a result of the decrease in the reliable characteristic of family atmosphere. Consequently, they can come across cases like stress and depression (Amato, 1993; Eksi, 1990; Rosen, 1999; Weyburne, 2000). …


This study is an evaluation of the implementation of the Chief Nursing Officer for England's Review of mental health nursing in mental health trusts (MHTs). The authors employed instrumental case studies in six MHTs. The results showed evidence of acceptance of the Review and some evidence of subsequent actions to implement the Review recommendations, but these were not widespread. A lack of an evidence-based implementation plan hampered the implementation as did an apparent lack of strategic nursing leadership in many MHTs. In conclusion, the vision for mental health nursing reported in the Chief Nursing Officer Review prompted various changes, directly and indirectly, among mental health nurses and the development of areas of good practice in education, practice and leadership. The positive changes evident in some areas may become widespread by a systematic policy implementation plan from the centre, supported by local leadership in practice.


America is fascinated by violence - where it comes from in ourselves, how it spreads through society, and what effect it has on the next generation. This collection of essays examines numerous facets of violence in contemporary American culture, ranging across literature, film, philosophy, religion, fairy tales, children's play, photojournalism, and sports. In particular, Why We Watch is the first book to offer a careful look at why we are drawn to depictions of violence and why there is a market for violent entertainment.


Abstract. The accurate, detailed and up-to-date road information is highly essential geo-spatial databases for transportation, smart city and other related applications. Thus, the main objective of this research is to develop an efficient algorithm for road network extraction from airborne LiDAR data using supervised classification approach. The proposed algorithm first classifies the input data into the road and non-road features using modified maximum likelihood classification approach. Then Digital Terrain Model (DTM) mask is generated by removing non-ground features from Digital Surface Model using hierarchical morphology and road candidate image if obtained. The parking lots are removed and road network is extracted successfully.


Skin aging is a natural phenomenon which is related to progressive loss of skin structural integrity and physiological function and affects aesthetics which has been of highly interest. Inhibition of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) such as MMP-1, MMP-3, MMP-9 is one of the potential approaches for anti-aging treatment as these targets are involved in molecular pathology to skin aging process from sunlight. The aim of the study was to investigate the binding affinity of 9 phytochemical compounds extracted from Morus alba Moraceae into the MMP enzymes leading to potential anti-aging activity by using in silico approaches including molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations. All the compounds showed binding abilities into the targets. In particular, mulberrofuran H obtained the best docking results on the three MMPs. Molecular dynamics simulations of the complex of  mulberrofuran H and MMP-9 showed that this complex was stable. Combination of molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations results, there was an important hydrophobic interaction between mulberrofuran H and His401 at the active site of the MMP-9, which determined the MMP-9 inhibitory potential of mulberrofuran H. The ligand mulberrofuran H was also stabilized into the MMP-9 protein by hydrogen bonds with Pro421 with the high occupancy of 77.67%. These results demonstrated the good binding of mulberrofuran H on the protein MMP-9 which highlighted its anti-aging potency.


Understanding the transport of Solar Energetic Particles (SEPs) from acceleration sites at the Sun into interplanetary space and to the Earth is an important question for forecasting space weather. The Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF), with two distinct polarities and a complex structure, governs energetic particle transport and drifts. We analyse for the first time the effect of a wavy Heliospheric Current Sheet (HCS) on the propagation of SEPs. We inject protons close to the Sun and propagate them by integrating fully 3D trajectories within the inner heliosphere in the presence of weak scattering. We model the HCS position using fits based on neutral lines of magnetic field source surface maps (SSMs). We map 1 au proton crossings, which show efficient transport in longitude via HCS, depending on the location of the injection region with respect to the HCS. For HCS tilt angles around 30◦ − 40◦, we find significant qualitative differences between A+ and A– configurations of the IMF, with stronger fluences along the HCS in the former case but with a distribution of particles across a wider range of longitudes and latitudes in the latter. We show how a wavy current sheet leads to longitudinally periodic enhancements in particle fluence. We show that for an A+ IMF configuration, a wavy HCS allows for more proton deceleration than a flat HCS. We find that A– IMF configurations result in larger average fluences than A+ IMF configurations, due to a radial drift component at the current sheet.