Objective: To detect the mechanism of excess iron intake on growth and intestinal mucosa in rats. Methods: Forty-eight male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups: Low Iron Group, Normal Iron Group, Medium Iron Group and High Iron Group upon daily iron intake of 7mg/kg, 16.8mg/kg, 35mg/kg, 70mg/kg respectively via fodder for eight weeks. The general condition, body weight and food intake were documented simultaneously. Serum level of Ferritin, IL-6 and IL-10 were detected using ELISA. The observation of morphology of intestine was also included concurrently. Results: The weight obtained was significantly lower in the High Iron Group compared with the other three groups while the average weight of the rats in the High Iron Group was lower than the Normal Iron Group. Meanwhile, the average amount food uptake of the High Iron Group had slightly decreased in the eighth week. In addition, the level of IL-6 in small intestine of the High Iron Group is higher than that of the Normal Iron Group (P<0.05), while the level of IL-10 in small intestine of the High Iron Group is lower than that of the Normal Iron Group (P<0.05). The histopathology results showed that normal morphology was found in Low Iron Group and Normal Iron Group, but the mucosa showed a slight injury in the Medium Iron Group with apical microvilli slightly off. Irregular shape of microvilli and necrosis were found in some epithelial cells of intestinal mucosa in the High Iron Group. Conclusion: Excessive dietary iron intake plays a negative effect on the normal growth and development, and resulted in intestinal inflammatory injury in rats.


The objective of this study was to compare sociodemographic, drug, and sexual risk characteristics between hepatitis C virus (HCV) baseline positive and negative young (13‐24 years) injection drug users (IDUs) and to determine prospective risk factors for HCV seroconversion among the youth. Data were collected through the Vancouver Injection Drug Users Study (VIDUS). To date, more than 1,400 Vancouver‐area IDUs have been enrolled and followed up; 234 were aged 24 years and younger. Semiannually, participants have completed an interviewer‐administered questionnaire and have undergone serologic testing for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and HCV. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were undertaken to investigate predictors of baseline HCV positivity. In the multivariate analyses, Cox regression models with time‐dependent covariates were used to identify predictors of HCV seroconversion. Of the 232 young injectors, 107 (46%) were HCV positive at baseline and a further 37 HCV seroconverted during the study period for an incidence rate of 37.3 per 100 person‐years. Baseline positivity was associated with Aboriginal ancestry, older age, greater number of years injecting drugs, recent incarceration, sex trade work, more than 100 lifetime sexual partners, a previous sexually transmitted disease, living in the IDU epicenter, and injection more than once per day of heroin, cocaine, and speedball. Factors independently associated with HCV seroconversion were having a partner who uses injection drugs, requiring help to inject, and injection of cocaine more than once daily. In conclusion, unlike older IDUs, more than one half of young injectors were HCV negative at recruitment. Thus, there is a window of opportunity for prevention. However, the incidence rate of HCV among these young IDUs is alarming, suggesting that the opportunity to intervene is exceedingly small.


The New Zealand sea lion (NZ sea lion), Phocarctos hookeri, is New Zealand's only endemic pinniped, and one of the worlds rarest otariids. It is classified as 'Threatened' based primarily on the low number of breeding sites and restricted distribution. In New Zealand, a species listed as 'threatened' is required to be managed to allow its recovery and removal from the list within 20 years. For NZ sea lions this is dependant on the establishment of new breeding areas. However, understanding the recolonisation processes for pinnipeds is still in its infancy with factors such as philopatry needing more research to understand individual dispersal and the recolonisation process. This paper presents the first quantitative investigation into the level of site fidelity and philopatry to breeding beaches in NZ sea lions. Data from resights of NZ sea lions marked as pups from the northern Auckland Island breeding area suggest that both site fidelity and philopatry are important characteristics of this species. Our results show that overall: (1) females have a higher resighting rate than males, particularly at natal sites; (2) female non-natal resightings are predominantly restricted to locations within the northern Auckland Island breeding area (an area of ~10 km2), whereas male resightings are more widely dispersed (up to 700 km to NZ mainland); and (3) philopatry occurs for both sexes, but is more predominant in females than males, with males displaying delay related to sexual and social maturity. The colonisation of new breeding habitats rarely occurs when philopatry is strong and population density is low, stable or declining such as seen for NZ sea lions. Therefore, this research indicates that management of NZ sea lions needs to minimise anthropogenic mortality and encourage population growth to maximise density at breeding sites and encourage females to disperse to establish new breeding areas.


We developed a simple, rapid and reliable method to delete DNA fragments in plasmids using a polymerase chain reaction based amplification of the circular DNA sequence that excludes the fragment to be deleted. The primers are designed to contain a non-complementary 5' sequence consisting of a restriction enzyme target sequence. Following PCR amplification, the plasmid is digested with Dpn I to eliminate the template DNA, with the chosen restriction enzyme, and ligated. The only limitation is the selection of the restriction enzyme target sequence that must not be present in the original plasmid. The method is straightforward in its execution and success relies on a meticulous primer design that permits us obtain 100% of transformants containing the desired mutation. The extraordinary simplicity of the method makes it a valuable tool to generate DNA deletions in plasmids and to study the effects of those deletions in protein function.


Zadeh conceptualized the theory of fuzzy set to provide a tool for the basis of the theory of possibility. Atanassov extended this theory with the introduction of intuitionistic fuzzy set. Smarandache introduced the concept of refined intuitionistic fuzzy set by further subdivision of membership and non-membership value. The meagerness regarding the allocation of a single membership and non-membership value to any object under consideration is addressed with this novel refinement. In this study, this novel idea is utilized to characterize the essential elements e.g. subset, equal set, null set, and complement set, for refined intuitionistic fuzzy set. Moreover, their basic set theoretic operations like union, intersection, extended intersection, restricted union, restricted intersection, and restricted difference, are conceptualized. Furthermore, some basic laws are also discussed with the help of an illustrative example in each case for vivid understanding.


The question whether connectionism offers a new way of looking at the cognitive architecture, or if its main contribution is as an implementational account of the classical (symbol) view, has been extensively debated for the last decade. Of special interest in this debate has been to achieve tasks which easily can be explained within the symbolic framework, i.e., tasks which seemingly require the possession of a systematicity of representation and process, in a novel way in connectionist systems. In this paper we argue that connectionism can offer a new explanational framework for aspects of cognition. Specifically, we argue that connectionism can offer new notions of compositionality, content and context-dependence based on connectionist primitives, i.e., architectures, learning, weights and internal activations, which open up for new variations of systematicity.


Abstract The objective of this study was to explore how calibrated high dynamic range (HDR) images (luminance maps) acquired in real world daylit environments can be used to characterize, evaluate, and compare visual comfort conditions of innovative facade shading and light-redirecting systems. Detailed (1536 × 1536 pixel) luminance maps were time-lapse acquired from two view positions in an unoccupied full scale testbed facility. These maps were analyzed using existing visual comfort metrics to quantify how innovative interior and exterior shading systems compare to conventional systems under real sun and sky conditions over a solstice-to-solstice test interval. The results provide a case study in the challenges and potential of methods of visualizing, evaluating and summarizing daily and seasonal variation of visual comfort conditions computed from large sets of image data.


This paper describes how, according to the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS, 1995-2004), over 20 percent of fatal frontal crashes are into fixed narrow objects such as trees and utility poles in real-world crashes. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has studied the frontal pole impact test since 2005, conducting a series of tests using passenger cars that are rated "Good" from the IIHS frontal offset test. Passenger cars were impacted into a 10-inch-diameter rigid pole at 64 kph. The alignment of the pole along the centerline of the vehicles in frontal impact was varied to study the influence on dummy injury metrics. This paper evaluates the frontal center pole test conducted by the IIHS. The IIHS tests 21 crashes impacted by the rigid pole using 5 vehicle models with two dummies in the front seat. Intrusions and dummy readings were reviewed according to the frontal offset rating criteria of the IIHS for structural performance and injury measurement. Post-crash investigations were conducted to examine the fracture or the deformation of the major front-end components. Finite element analysis was performed to characterize the frontal pole impact compared to the full frontal rigid barrier test and the IIHS 40% offset frontal impact test. The analysis investigated the distribution of the crash energy absorption by the front-end structure. Two vehicles that have different cross-section of the rails were simulated to compare the efficiency of crash energy absorption by different types of rails.


With the ongoing trend towards deep learning in the remote sensing community, classical pixel based algorithms are often outperformed by convolution based image segmentation algorithms. This performance was mostly validated spatially, by splitting training and validation pixels for a given year. Though generalizing models temporally is potentially more difficult, it has been a recent trend to transfer models from one year to another, and therefore to validate temporally. The study argues that it is always important to check both, in order to generate models that are useful beyond the scope of the training data. It shows that convolutional neural networks have potential to generalize better than pixel based models, since they do not rely on phenological development alone, but can also consider object geometry and texture. The UNET classifier was able to achieve the highest F1 scores, averaging 0.61 in temporal validation samples, and 0.77 in spatial validation samples. The theoretical potential for overfitting geometry and just memorizing the shape of fields that are maize has been shown to be insignificant in practical applications. In conclusion, kernel based convolutions can offer a large contribution in making agricultural classification models more transferable, both to other regions and to other years.


Abstract The tardigrade fauna of the African continent is reviewed and presented graphically using Worldmap, a Geographical Information System (GIS) developed for exploring geographical diversity patterns in large biological datasets. References to the African tardigrade fauna have been gathered from published literature and supplemented with unpublished species information from the collection of Prof. Reinhardt M. Kristensen (RMK), Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen. 156 species belonging to 36 genera of tardigrades are present. They consist of 105 eutardigrade species and 51 heterotardigrade species, of which 42 species are semiterrestrial and 9 species are marine. The presence of tardigrades are reported from 20 countries, but of these 9 are represented by a single reference. Marine tardigrades in particular have been neglected, with only a single report from the shores of the African continent. Data from the RMK collection of samples from Egypt is included in the analysis. The scattered and sparse knowledge of the African tardigrade distribution makes general conclusions difficult, but emphasises the large regions which require further investigation. The current distribution patterns corresponds with easy accessible or 'tourist' locations. Regions where GIS could be used to illustrate ecological preferences are also pointed out by the analysis. Isohypsibius malawiensis sp. n. is described from Lake Malawi. It has a smooth body surface and lacks eyes. The heteronych claws are without lunulae, but below the claws a double arched cuticular bar is present. The dorsal and ventral apophyses of the buccal tube have a large drop-shaped swelling. The first macroplacoid is the largest followed by the second, which is only slightly larger than the third; microplacoid is absent. Males are smaller than females. Females lay only one to two very large eggs in the exuvium. The Malpighian tubules are clover-shaped. The new species is interstitial in coarse sediment and no other tardigrade species were present.


We present a simple numerical procedure that allows the frequency-dependent absorption and dispersion line profiles to be extracted from the in-phase and in-quadrature components of a spectrum obtained by frequency-modulation techniques. The procedure is independent of the underlying line shapes and takes into account contributions by additional amplitude modulation. With the help of sum rules the parameters of this amplitude modulation can be determined.


ABSTRACT This study used 13 years of cetacean sighting data (2002–2014) from waters around the Svalbard Archipelago to determine key habitats for year-round resident species as well as seasonally resident species, and to explore spatial overlap between these groups via a combination of kernel density estimation and Maxent modelling. The data set consists of observations made by research vessels conducting various marine studies, coast guard ships and marine-cruise tourist operators. Data are reported from the seasonal period in which there is daylight (March-November), though 95% of the observations occurred June-September. Changes over the study period were investigated, within the limits of the data, to explore whether range shifts may be occurring. Fifteen cetacean species were reported. Among the resident ice-associated cetaceans, only white whales were reported frequently; they were seen exclusively in coastal habitats, in accordance with their known use of tidal glacier fronts for feeding in this region. Narwhal and bowhead whales were rare. Seasonally resident minke whales, fin whales, humpback whales, blue whales and sperm whales as well as small dolphins were seen frequently, in broad and somewhat overlapping habitats. Other less common seasonal residents included killer whales, northern bottlenose whales and sei whales; harbour porpoises and long-finned pilot whales were also reported, but rarely. Shifts over the study period towards higher latitudes, and into coastal environments, were observed for several seasonally resident species. These expansions are likely linked to warming ocean temperatures and a precipitous decline in sea-ice cover in the area.


RPSL allows a network operator to be able to specify routing policies at various levels in the Internet hierarchy; for example at the Autonomous System (AS) level. At the same time, policies can be specified with sufficient detail in RPSL so that low level router configurations can be generated from them. RPSL is extensible; new routing protocols and new protocol features can be introduced at any time.


We describe a new approach to attach organic dyes to graphene oxide (GO) sheets with high loading and minimal perturbation of the electronic and optical properties of the dye. The dye unit used (a pH-sensitive terthiophene) is grafted to GO using a new modular synthetic approach, passing through a C6-aminic linker which makes GO more soluble in different organic solvents and allows straightforward attachment at high yield not only of terthiophene but of many commercially available amino-reactive dyes. The covalent engraftment to GO does not perturb the absorption and emission properties of the dye, and in particular the pH sensing capability through amidic group reversible protonation. This approach can allow (i) high solubility of the GO intermediate in organic solvents, (ii) convenient coupling with commercial, stable amino-reactive dyes under mild conditions, (iii) easy control of the spacer length between the GO and oligothiophene dye and finally (iv) high (up to 5 wt%) dye functionalization loadings.


The Sistiana Fault is an alleged disjunctive deformation of Microadria in the sea bottom of the Gulf of Trieste. Onshore, it is visible only in the Sistiana Bay, but towards the northeast it soon pinches-out, in structural-geometric terms it diminishes soon after the crossing of the thrust boundary of the Dinarides, or the Istrian-Friuli Underthrustig Zone, respectively. Further to the northeast, only the bending zone is developed in the External Dinarides, which stretches all the way from the Sistiana Bay to the Idrija-Žiri area. We named it the Sistiana Bending Zone. Its direction can be determined based on geological maps and is around 60°, so we conclude that the Sistiana Fault should extend approximately in this direction. In the bending zone, the Trieste-Komen Anticlinorium, the Vipava Synclinorium, the Trnovo Nappe opposite to the Hrušica Nappe and the Raša and Idrija Faults are laterally bent. The size of the bend is the largest in the Sistiana Bay, and in the east-northeast direction it decreases linearly. The general geological circumstances suggest that the Sistiana Fault has not been recently active.


Software organizations have been initiating measurement programs as part of their software process improvement practices which in turn increase the quality of the software products. However, high numbers of organizations reported their measurement programs as failures. One of the major difficulties they faced was stated to be the difficulty in deciding which set of measures to collect for different software entities; products, processes, and resources. In addition to what should be collected, organizations would like to collect as minimum number of measures as possible in order to be cost effective. Different goal based measures selection models have been introduced to aid in these, namely Goal Question Metric (GQM) is one of the most well known and adopted ones by software organizations. It facilitates measurement programs to define goals and then collect measures according to goals. However, the current approaches require being more structured and integrated to enable an effective software measurement process. 'Structured' means the goals, questions and measures as well as their vertical and horizontal relations are well-defined. A structured measurement process can be 'integrated' to the organization via establishing links between business and organizational goals and the measurement process. The whole process becomes more 'effective' as these goals and measures become traceable, and hence the mechanisms to prioritize and select the optimum set of measures could be established. In this research work our main focus is to evaluate goal based models and to develop a framework for a more effective measurement process, called Structured Optimized Measurement Selection (SOMS). As part of SOMS, alternative ways for goals prioritization and measures optimization are proposed. In order to make the whole process more efficient, a tool is developed as well. Both SOMS with different alternative prioritization and optimization techniques as well as the tool were evaluated by conducting case studies in a CMMI level 3 software development organization and the results are compared to a previous case study conducted on the same case by using other techniques which are extensions of GQM, i.e. namely Structured Prioritized Goals Questions Metrics (SPGQM) and Optimum Measures Set Decision (OMSD).


The narrow Strait of Gibraltar has separated the African and European continents since the Miocene (5.3 Mya), with a different degree of permeability for Mediterranean taxa. Southern and northern regions of the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco, respectively, are key areas to evaluate the colonization dynamics and biogeographic history of taxa occurring at both sides of this strait. The Ibero-Maghrebian subspecies of the European pond turtle, Emys orbicularis occidentalis ,i s patchily distributed and threatened throughout most of the Iberian Peninsula and northern Morocco and its origin is thought to be in North Africa. Here we expand the geographic sampling across the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco, with special emphasis in the southern tip of the peninsula and northern Morocco, and analyze mtDNA sequences of 183 E. o. occidentalis to better understand the complex biogeographic history of this subspecies. We provide for the first time evidence for shared haplotypes of Iberian and North African pond turtles, with an additional haplotype in the southern Iberian Peninsula derived from Moroccan haplotypes. This supports the hypothesis that the Strait of Gibraltar constitutes no significant biogeographic barrier for E. orbicularis. However, the newly discovered shared, or extremely similar, haplotypes of European pond turtles from the southern Iberian Peninsula and Morocco suggest either that at least two independent natural colonization waves from Morocco have reached the Iberian Peninsula or that Moroccan turtles were accidentally or deliberately introduced there.


A hierarchical sampling study of the distribution of the large foraminiferan Discobotellina biperforata (Collins, 1958) was conducted along the west shore of Moreton Island, at Shark Spit and Tangalooma, in Moreton Bay, Queensland, between March and June 1995. D. biperforata is disc-shaped, with a test made up of organic matter, reinforced with sand grains. The species exhibits different test morphologies, the most abundant type being the biperforate which has two holes, or lunules, through its test. A less common type is the non-lunulate form, and the multiperforate and crescent-shaped types are rare. Possible abundance-substratum correlations were studied and the results indicated that D. biperforata is strongly correlated to a band of siltier and more organic-rich sediment found at the bottom of sand slopes running off Moreton Island. There was a significant difference in abundance between Tangalooma, where the mean abundance was 11.11 individuals per square meter (SD = 3.63) and Shark Spit, where it was found to be 7.73 individuals per square meter (SD = 3.06). No patchiness was apparent within the areas of siltier and organic-rich sediments. There was no significant difference in the ratio between the different forms within the areas sampled, but a size difference was apparent between locations, with larger specimens found at Tangalooma. The mean size of the specimens found was 27.7 mm in diameter. D. biperforata is the most abundant macrofaunal species in the area studied.


Factors influencing teachers' selection of content in geography teaching is a fundamental didactic matter.1 The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether Swedish geography teachers' informal and formal experiences have influenced their interest in geography and if so, in what way. The results disclosed that informal experiences like outings, holidays, and childhood memories have a significant impact. The results also revealed that childhood experiences might increase the comprehension of how nature and mankind are connected, and how various places differ. Selective traditions showed to be strong, i.e. geographic names and map reading were prioritized while at excursions, physical geography was particularly dominating. We argue that in the geography teacher education, didactics should include methods for field studies, giving emphasis also to the part dealing with human geography. Forthcoming teachers need to reflect on how to make didactic choices in order to renounce the selective traditions in the subject.


This thesis examines the interaction between monetary policy, inflation and asset prices. The role of asset prices in the transmission mechanism of monetary policy via consumption wealth effects and investment balance sheet effects is receiving a growing degree of attention nowadays. Financial asset prices respond quickly to new information about monetary policy shifts, while the transmission of policy actions to output and inflation exhibits significant lags. Therefore, it is important to examine the feedback between interest rates and asset prices, since it will provide important insights for central bankers and investors alike. This area of the literature draws from both the monetary economics and financial economics disciplines and has become quite important given the new challenges for monetary policyrnakers in the context of fundamental changes in the underlying financial and macroeconomic framework. In this respect, we are interested in three main issues: first, to investigate the impact of the, nowadays prevalent, inflation targeting monetary policy regime on average inflation and the related inflationary uncertainty (Chapter 2); second, to establish quantitatively the existence of a transmission link from changes in the monetary policy stance to the stock market (Chapter 1); third, to examine the monetary policy reaction to asset price fluctuations (Chapters 3-5). Chapter 2 looks at the significant changes that occurred in the inflation process over the 1990s using British data. We show that post-targeting, inflation is lower, less persistent and less volatile. In chapter 3, we use data from the UK and the US and find that lower expected inflation allows monetary policy to relax by decreasing short-term interest rates. In chapter 1, international evidence suggests that decreases in interest rates exert a significantly positive impact on stock prices in the majority of the countries under investigation. Hence, the empirical evidence in chapters 1-3 is consistent with the scenario underlying the so-called 'new environment' hypothesis. Inflation targets were successful in anchoring inflation expectations and subsequently boosting stock prices due to lower interest rates. In chapters 3-5 we focus on the role of asset prices for monetary policy formulation. We present empirical (chapter 3), theoretical (chapter 4), and simulation (chapter 5) evidence indicating that monetary policy has responded and should, in principle, respond to asset price fluctuations. Particularly, in chapter 3 we augment the standard forward-looking Taylor rule with the change in asset prices (house prices, stock prices) and find that there is a positive and statistically significant weight attached to asset price fluctuations in both the UK and the US. The estimates suggest that policyrnakers in the US are more concerned about stock market developments, while in the UK about house market developments. In chapter 4, we utilise a structural backward-looking economic model, augmented for the effect of asset prices on aggregate demand, that allows us to derive the optimal interest rate rule via dynamic minimisation of the central bank's loss function. We show that under certain assumptions about the asset price evolution, monetary policy should react to asset price misalignments from their fundamental value. Finally, in chapter 5 we simulate a forward-looking model to examine the impact on macroeconomic volatility from reacting, or not, to asset price misalignments. We find that a policy reaction that is aggressive with respect to inflation, and mild (but not zero) with respect to asset price misalignments is able to promote overall macroeconomic stability.


My thesis explores changes in media technologies and the way alternative media affect the dynamics of power in totalitarian societies. How totalitarian states respond to these media trends and the security importance of the information coming from the inside of the totalitarian territory are the main interests of my essay. My primary sources in this research are Animal Farm, a novella by George Orwell; the film The Lives of Others (2006) by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck; and the recently published novel, The Revisionists, by Thomas Mullen. My primary goals in this essay are firstly to argue that the social and political conditions presented in these works match definitions of totalitarian societies. Using my secondary sources, I introduce the main characteristics of totalitarian societies and highlight their mechanism in my primary sources. Secondly, I investigate the role of media in such societies along with technological changes that have added new items to security concerns. Besides reading the reflections of reality in fictional presentations in some cases, I give examples from the 21st century world that we are living in and argue that it is an extension of the conditions presented in Animal Farm and The Lives of Others.


In this study, we examined 11 yr (1998–2009) of water samples collected from Port Hacking coastal monitoring station 8 km offshore from Sydney, Australia, to assess changes in the microphytoplankton in relation to climate‐related trends in environmental variables. A total of 152 taxa (85 genera) were identified, with the small diatom Thalassiosira cf. partheneia and the tropical cyanobacterium Trichodesmium erythraeum being the dominant species over the past decade. Taxon richness showed a distinct seasonal pattern, peaking in the austral winter. Ordination analyses revealed significant seasonal and interannual trends in species composition, including a decadal decline in dinoflagellates relative to diatoms toward the present. This decadal shift in taxonomic composition was, in turn, significantly associated with declines in water temperatures over this time period. Total abundance varied by 12 orders of magnitude (8.5 × 10−8 to 7.4 × 104 cells L−1), with values separable into bloom and nonbloom regimes at an abundance threshold of 7.1 × 10−5 cells L−1. Significant temporal declines in abundance were observed during both bloom and nonbloom regimes. Blooms occurred most consistently in March, September, and December.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the frequency and nature of childhood injuries and to explore the risk factors for such injuries in low-income countries by using emergency department (ED) surveillance data.

METHODS
This pilot study represents the initial phase of a multi-country global childhood unintentional injury surveillance (GCUIS) project and was based on a sequential sample of children < 11 years of age of either gender who presented to selected EDs in Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt and Pakistan over a 3-4 month period, which varied for each site, in 2007.

FINDINGS
Of 1559 injured children across all sites, 1010 (65%) were male; 941 (60%) were aged >or= 5 years, 32 (2%) were < 1 year old. Injuries were especially frequent (34%) during the morning hours. They occurred in and around the home in 56% of the cases, outside while children played in 63% and during trips in 11%. Of all the injuries observed, 913 (56%) involved falls; 350 (22%), road traffic injuries; 210 (13%), burns; 66 (4%), poisoning; and 20 (1%), near drowning or drowning. Falls occurred most often from stairs or ladders; road traffic injuries most often involved pedestrians; the majority of burns were from hot liquids; poisonings typically involved medicines, and most drowning occurred in the home. The mean injury severity score was highest for near drowning or drowning (11), followed closely by road traffic injuries (10). There were 6 deaths, of which 2 resulted from drowning, 2 from falls and 2 from road traffic injuries.

CONCLUSION
Hospitals in low-income countries bear a substantial burden of childhood injuries, and systematic surveillance is required to identify the epidemiological distribution of such injuries and understand their risk factors. Methodological standardization for surveillance across countries makes it possible to draw international comparisons and identify common issues.


People who are hard of hearing and their friends and relatives now can learn all they need to know about hearing loss in this easy to read guide. Newly updated and revised, Living with Hearing Loss takes the reader from A to Z on the kinds and causes of hearing loss and its common early signs. Written by Marcia B. Dugan, past president of Self Help for Hard of Hearing People (SHHH), this straightforward book provides thorough information on seeking professional evaluations and complete descriptions of hearing aids and other assistive technologies. Enhanced sections on the potential of cochlear implants and dealing with tinnitus distinguishes this very useful handbook. Readers also can take advantage of updated information on relevant Internet sites and a new list of resources on dealing with hearing loss. Living with Hearing Loss also suggests strategies for everyday situations and times of emergency. Chapters on speechreading, oral interpreters, assertive communication, and other tips for improving communication can enable people with hearing loss to make changes at work, home, and while traveling to cope with most situations. It can raise significantly the quality of the lives of hard of hearing people while also helping them to avoid dependency upon others.


During the First World War the pioneer anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski found himself stranded on the Trobriand Islands, off the eastern coast of New Guinea. By living among the people he studied there, speaking their language and participating in their activities, he invented what became known as 'participant-observation'. This new type of ethnographic study was to have a huge impact on the emerging discipline of anthropology. In Sex and Repression in Savage Society Malinowski applied his experiences on the Trobriand Islands to the study of sexuality, and the attendant issues of eroticism, obscenity, incest, oppression, power and parenthood. In so doing, he both utilized and challenged the psychoanalytical methods being popularized at the time in Europe by Freud and others. The result is a unique and brilliant book that, though revolutionary when first published, has since become a standard work on the psychology of sex.


Presidents have many tools in the policy-making process. One of the most powerful of these is vetoing legislation. Studies of the veto in the American context can be grouped into examinations of its historical development (Spitzer 1994; Watson 1987), explorations of the presidential decision-making process in vetoing legislation (Wayne, Cole, and Hyde 1979; Wayne 1978; Neustadt 1954), and the investigations of the conditions under which a veto is likely to occur and to be successful (Cameron, Lapinski, and Rienmann 2000; Cameron 2000; Spitzer 1994; Hoff 1993; Woolley 1991; Ringlestein 1985; Rhode and Simon 1985; Copeland 1983; Lee 1975; Polsby 1964; Corwin and Koenig 1956). Although it is an important arrow in the president's quiver to affect the substance of policy, the veto is often viewed as a negative force. If the legislative process is a series of sequential events, one tends to think of the veto as the president's act of last resort. However, this is an incomplete understanding of the power of the president in the legislative process. Rarely do presidential vetoes come as a surprise to members of Congress. Rather, these vetoes usually have been signaled well in advance with the hope that knowledge of an impending veto will shape the legislation as it moves through the process. Although presidents can veto legislation at will, the use of the veto is costly. It can be perceived as a sign of weakness, an inability to lead Congress. In addition, a president runs the risk of having his veto overridden, which further exacerbates his weakened bargaining position with legislators. As a result, these early signals of presidential opposition are quite important. All signals are not created alike, however. Some are statements of the administration's preferred position. Some signals are more explicit threats to veto legislation. Some of these veto threats are themselves quite specific, for example, "The President will veto this bill if it contains--" We know that these threats are a part of the bargaining process between the president and Congress that goes on with any given piece of legislation (Hinckley 1985; Wayne 1978). It is a part of both popular and academic wisdom that these threats are used frequently and effectively by presidents in trying to move the congressional majority toward the president's preferred position. This article explores the conditions under which presidents are likely to use veto threats. We posit a model of the president's use of veto threats that includes presidential resources and environmental, bargaining, and policy-related factors. We test our ideas using the Ford administration as our source of information. What We Know about Veto Threats The research on veto threats has developed a great deal in the past several years. It is common wisdom that threats are an important part of the bargaining process (Hinckley 1985; Wayne 1978); however, the early work on veto threats was limited both in the operationalization of threat and in the understanding of the environment of veto threats (Spitzer 1994). The factors that affect whether the president makes the decision to veto may play a role in his decision to threaten a veto. From previous research, we know that decisions to veto are affected both by political resources and by environmental constraints. Public opinion, congressional coalitions, issue area, and importance of legislation all have an impact on his choice of whether to veto (Woolley 1991; Rhode and Simon 1985; Copeland 1983; Lee 1975). When the president can threaten to veto legislation without actually having to exercise the veto itself, he saves resources (e.g., he avoids perpetuation of a weakened image, potentially angering congressional allies, etc.). In addition, by threatening, he provides Congress with information about his intentions. He hopes that this information will change future behavior (i.e., that Congress will send him legislation he would sign rather than a bill he would veto). …


The adverse health effect of acidic ultrafine particles (AUFPs) has been widely recognized in scientific societies. These particles mainly deposit on the surface by diffusion and so far there is no mature method for the measurement of airborne AUFPs. The purpose of this study was to develop a diffusion sampler (DS) with iron nanofilm detectors to effectively measure the number concentration and size distribution of airborne AUFPs in indoor and outdoor environments. The developed DS was made of stainless steel with a flat and rectangular channel with 1.0 mm height, 50 mm width, and 500 mm length. The iron nanofilm detectors were deployed on rectangular recesses inside the sampler at three different locations along the length of the channel to collect the ultrafine particles. The exposed detectors were then scanned using an atomic force microscope (AFM) to numerate and distinguish the AUFPs from the nonacidic UFPs. Prior to sampling, the semi-empirical equations for the diffusive deposition efficiency of particles at the different detector locations in the sampler were obtained on the basis of theoretical diffusive mechanism and modified by the experimental data using polystyrene latex (PSL) standard particles. After calibration, the DS + AFM method and a commercially available online measurement system, i.e., scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) incorporated with a condensation particle counter (CPC), were simultaneously used in a 4-week field measurement. Both methods showed very good agreement in terms of total particle number concentration and size distribution. The results indicate that the diffusion sampler is effective for the quantification of ambient acidic ultrafine particles. Copyright 2014 American Association for Aerosol Research


OBJECTIVES
The aim of the trial was to evaluate effects of high dietary levels of Se-enriched yeast on selenium concentrations in muscle and liver tissue and on the meat quality traits in rats.

DESIGN
The experimental feed mixtures were fed to Wistar Albino rats for a period of 10 weeks. They differed in the dose and in the form of Se supplement. Supplemental dose of 0.3 mg.kg-1 of Se per one kilogram of feed was used in group I (n = 10, sodium selenite) and in group II (n = 10, Se-enriched yeast). Elevated dose 2 mg.kg-1 Se per one kilogram of feed was used in group III (n = 10, sodium selenite) and in group IV (n = 10, Se-enriched yeast).

RESULTS
The use of elevated dietary Se level (2 mg.kg-1) in the form of sodium selenite did not increase lipid oxidation (malondialdehyde content) in muscles nor influenced meat quality traits. The use of elevated dietary Se level in the form of Se-enriched yeast resulted in higher Se muscle concentrations accompanied by increased of malondialdehyde content. The meat quality traits remained unaffected.

CONCLUSION
High selenium concentrations in muscle produced by Se-enriched yeast were accompanied by elevated MDA levels, but it did not negatively influence meat quality traits.


The South African Reserve Bank and Ministry of Finance have adopted inflation targeting and the gradual relaxation of exchange controls (along with control of public spending and financial liberalization) as the foundation of their economic policy in an attempt to win the confidence of foreign investors and to attract more foreign investment. However, this policy has not succeded in generating employment growth or investment. Instead, it has contributed to high real interest rates and relative stagnation.In order to improve central bank and capital management policies and have them contribute more to solving the fundamental problems of unemployment and poverty facing the South African economy, three reforms should be undertaken:1) The Reserve Bank should scrap its inflation targeting approach and adopt a more even handed approach which would target employment growth subject to an inflation constraint.2) Rather than loosening the exchange controls system, the Reserve Bank and Ministry of Finance should enforcethe existing controls more strictly, and explore other ways, such as transaction taxes and speed-bumps, to further insulate South African macroeconomic policy from global pressures.3) The South African government should implement other policies and institutions, such as special lending windows, underwriting facilities, asset based reserve requirements and subsidized credit, to further insulate the South African financial markets from the international capital markets and channel credit to employment generating and socially productive activities. This will correct a serious market failure in which international financial markets fail to take into account the social rates of return available on productive investments in South Africa.


Abstract The quantity and quality of administrative information available to National Statistical Institutes have been constantly increasing over the past several years. However, different sources of administrative data are not expected to each have the same population coverage, so that estimating the true population size from the collective set of data poses several methodological challenges that set the problem apart from a classical capture-recapture setting. In this article, we consider two specific aspects of this problem: (1) misclassification of the units, leading to lists with both overcoverage and undercoverage; and (2) lists focusing on a specific subpopulation, leaving a proportion of the population with null probability of being captured. We propose an approach to this problem that employs a class of capturerecapture methods based on Latent Class models. We assess the proposed approach via a simulation study, then apply the method to five sources of empirical data to estimate the number of active local units of Italian enterprises in 2011.


Objectives:To study the impact of image subtraction of registered images on the detection of change in pulmonary ground-glass nodules identified on chest CT. Materials and Methods:A cohort of 33 individuals (25 men, 8 women; age range 51–75 years) with 37 focal ground-glass opacities (GGO) were recruited from a lung cancer screening trial. For every participant, 1 to 3 follow-up scans were available (total number of pairs, 84). Pairs of scans of the same nodule were registered nonrigidly and then subtracted to enhance differences in size and density. Four observers rated size and density change of the GGO between pairs of scans by visual comparison alone and with additional availability of a subtraction image and indicated their confidence. An independent experienced chest radiologist served as an arbiter having all reader data, clinical data, and follow-up examinations available. Nodule pairs for which the arbiter could not establish definite progression, regression, or stability were excluded from further evaluation. This left 59 and 58 pairs for evaluation of size and density change, respectively. Weighted kappa statistics (&kgr;w) were used to assess interobserver agreement and agreement with the arbiter. Statistical significance was tested with a &kgr; z-test. Results:When the subtraction image was available, the average interobserver &kgr;w improved from 0.52 to 0.66 for size change and from 0.47 to 0.57 for density change. Average agreement with the arbiter improved from 0.61 to 0.76 for size change and from 0.53 to 0.64 for density change. The effect was more pronounced when observer confidence without the subtraction image was low: agreement improved from 0.26 to 0.57 and from 0.19 to 0.47 in those cases. Conclusions:Image subtraction improves the evaluation of subtle changes in pulmonary ground-glass opacities and decreases interobserver variability.


The new structural tendencies inherent in the process of globalizing modernity and based on the market and instrumental rationality are generating implosive socialization, loss of culture, a subjectivity model leading to regressive individualism, and the downfall of traditional socio-cultural and identity producing structures.  Its ultimate consequence is the emergence of a phenomenon causing the "pulverization of all social behavior," understood as the matrix that provides signification to the interaction fabric of any given society, and the appearance of an instrumental ethic in its stead.  The impact of this civilizing process in South America as a whole has been devastating and particularly so in Venezuela where social violence has increased beyond reasonable bounds in the last decades.

 Key words: Social violence, globalizing modernity, pulverization of social behavior, loss of culture, imploding socialization.


Dingoes (Canis dingo) are wild canids living in Australia. They have lived isolated from both the wild and the domestic ancestor and are a unique model for studying feralization, the process in which a domestic species escapes human control, adapts to the wild, and diverges from the domestic ancestor into a genetically distinct population. Here, we sequenced the genomes of 10 dingoes and 2 New Guinea Singing Dogs, to study the origins and feralization process of the dingo. Phylogenetic and demographic analyses show that dingoes originate from domestic dogs in southern East Asia, which migrated via Island Southeast Asia to reach Australia 4300-5000 years ago, and subsequently diverged into a genetically distinct population. Selection analysis identified 99 positively selected genes enriched in starch and fat metabolism pathways, indicating a diet change during feralization of dingoes. Interestingly, we found that 14 genes have shifted allele frequencies compared to dogs but not compared to wolves. This suggests that the selection affecting these genes during domestication of the wolf was reversed in the feralization process. One of these genes, ARHGEF7, may promote the formation of neural spine and synapses in hippocampal neurons. Functional assays showed that an A to G mutation in ARHGEF7, located in a transcription factor-binding site, decreases the endogenous expression. This suggests that ARHGEF7 may have been under selection for behavioral adaptations related to the transitions in environment both from wild to domestic and from domestic back to wild. Our results indicate that adaptation to domestication and feralization primarily affected different genomic regions, but that some genes, related to neurodevelopment, metabolism and reproduction, may have been reversibly affected in the two processes.


From the Publisher:
Make The E-Business Workplace Work For You From the consultants at PricewaterhouseCoopers and SAP come the keys to understanding and taking advantage of the most exciting development in the world of business technology–the e-business workplace. Written in language that is accessible to all executives and managers, in any company and industry—not just to information technology professionals–the authors explain how this user-oriented, people-friendly technology can transform your organization by empowering collaboration among its employees and value network partners. Here are answers to such critical questions as: *How can you use workplace technology to move from integration to true collaboration?*What are the advantages of a truly people-friendly technology?*Does workplace technology add value?*How are roles different from jobs, and how does the e-business workplace use roles to help people perform their jobs more effectively and efficiently?*What are the components of workplace technology software, and how do you choose a product best suited to your organization?*Can the e-business workplace help your organization manage change?*Where does workplace technology fit within the broader e-business context?*Can the e-business workplace help your organization achieve its vision?In answering these questions, the authors support their conclusions with numerous real-world examples that move the theory behind workplace technology into practice. The E-Business Workplace also provides insights and knowledge found nowhere else, based on the thousands of technology implementations in which they and their organizations have been integrally involved. Take this opportunity to learn about acritically important technology that may be the defining factor in determining success and failure in an increasingly complex Internet-enabled economy.


Walk over a major bridge in a Western city and chances are you will come across at least one or two love-locks. These are padlocks inscribed with names or initials and attached to a public structure, typically by a couple in declaration of romantic commitment, who then proceed to throw the key into the river below. Some assemblages of these love tokens are modest; others number the thousands. This has become a truly global phenomenon, with over 400 love-lock assemblages catalogued across 62 countries in all continents bar Antarctica: popular custom in the true sense of the term. Although this custom was practised prior to the 21 st century, with evidence of it in Serbia and Hungary in the 1900s, it did not gain widespread popularity until the mid-2000s — sparked, this paper contends, by an Italian teenage romance novel. This paper explores the transition from popular culture, defined here as mass-produced cultural products — including but not limited to television, film, literature and music — accessible to and consumed by the majority of a given society, to popular (or folk) custom. It also explores the reverse. As the love-lock custom gained popularity and familiarity, it became an established folk motif in films, television, and novels — from popular custom to popular culture — and this paper considers what these transitions demonstrate about the relationship, or interrelationship, between popular custom and popular culture.


Background: The AGE reader is a non-invasive device that measures tissue accumulation of advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) through skin auto-fluorescence (AF) and gives prediction of cardiovascular risk. For the risk prediction, the AGE reader uses a single reference curve, for both females and males, obtained from Caucasian subjects. Based on these reference curves, clinical cut-offs for a low, medium and high AF have been made. This study examines whether these reference values can be used for ethnic populations seen in Qatar. Furthermore, we assess whether gender and smoking affect skin AF in this particular population. Methods: Skin AF was measured in 200 Arabs, 99 South Asians and 35 Filipinos. Using multivariate linear regression analysis and adjusting for the covariates age and the presence of type 2 diabetes, we assessed whether ethnicity, smoking and gender were associated with skin AF. Results: The Arabs and the Filipinos had a significant higher skin AF then the South Asian population (0.272 (95% CI: 0.138, 0.406), p <0.001 and 0.354 (95% CI: 0.147- 0.561), p=0.001 respectively). This is equivalent to a horizontal shift of 14.6% and 19.0%, respectively. Also, skin AF was significantly higher in women compared to men (0.432 (95% CI: 0.307, 0.558), p <0.001). Smoking was positively associated with skin AF (0.21 (95% CI: -0.01, 0.41), p=0.056), with an increasing effect of number of pack-years smoked on AF (p=0.024). Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that the existing reference values should be expanded for ethnicity, gender and smoking. These results also indicate that the use of the AGE reader in clinical settings should be used with caution, since the clinical cut-off points are dependent on various factors such as ethnicity that still need to be studied in greater detail.


We studied the expression levels of fatty acid binding proteins in breast normal and cancer cell lines. Liver fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP) and intestine fatty acid binding proteins were shown to be up-regulated in breast cancer cell lines while adipose- and epidermal-fatty acid binding proteins were down regulated in breast cancer cells compared to normal breast cell lines. We have previously shown that blocking the expression of L-FABP resulted in remarkable effects on apoptosis and cell proliferation of prostate cancer cell lines (Hammamieh et al 2004). To study the mechanism of effect of the liver fatty acid binding protein in breast cancer cells, we designed an antisense oligodeoxynucleotide to block the production of liver-FABP in MCF-7 cells. The antisense was shown to inhibit the expression of L-FABP and to induce apoptosis in MCF-7 cells. This study examines the mechanism by which L-FABP antisense regulates proliferation and apoptosis in breast cancer cell lines. We used human cDNA microarrays to explore differentially expressed genes in MCF-7 breast cancer cells treated with L-FABP antisense oligonucleotide. Some of the genes that were differentially expressed were confirmed using quantitative RT-PCR. Genes related to cell growth, proliferation and angiogenesis showed significant variations. This suggests a possible use of these antisense ODNs as therapeutic agents for breast cancer in future.


Background: Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) is a pleiotropic cytokine of interleukin-6 family with a remarkable range of biological actions such as proliferative effects on the granulosa and theca cells. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of LIF on the growth and maturation of mouse fresh and vitrified preantral follicles, an in vitro model was developed. Methods: The ovaries of 14-day-old mice were vitrified in a mixture of ethylene glycol, ficoll 70 and sucrose in PB1 for 5 min. The preantral follicles were mechanically isolated from vitrified-warmed and non-vitrified ovaries. They were cultured in α-minimum essential medium supplemented with 5% fetal bovine serum, 100 mIU/ml recombinant follicle stimulating hormone, 1% insulin, transferrin and selenium, 20 ng/ml murine recombinant epidermal growth factor and different concentrations of LIF (25, 50, 100 ng/ml) for 12 days. On day 12, ovulation was induced using 1.5 mIU/ml human chorionic gonadotropin. In this study, the follicle diameter, survival rate and maturation rate were assessed. Results: The mean diameter of fresh and vitrified preantral follicles cultured in 50 ng/ml concentration of murine recombinant LIF was significantly higher than that of other concentrations in each group on day 2 (229.42 ± 30.40, 222.55 ± 33.4) (P<0.001) and on day 4 (340.45 ± 61.05, 299.50 ± 65.55), respectively (P<0.01). The survival rates of follicle in fresh and vitrified groups were 80.56% and 77.78, respectively. There was no significant difference between control and treated groups. The percentage of follicles which released metaphase II (MII) oocyte in fresh groups in the presence of 0, 25, 50, 100 ng/ml of LIF was 16%, 14.28%, 40% and 21.05% (P<0.01) and so in vitrified groups were 11.76%, 14.28%, 28.57% and 13.38%, respectively (P<0.05). There were significant differences between 50 ng/ml LIF-treated groups with other concentrations in each group. Conclusion: Therefore, in vitro growth and maturation of mouse preantral follicles were improved in the presence of 50 ng/ml LIF. Iran. Biomed. J. 10 (4): 185-190, 2006


Due to their unique interaction with matter, neutrons are an interesting research and diagnostic instrument for various applications. To be able to utilize neutrons for the different applications, they have to be generated by nuclear reactions. This can for instance be done in accelerator-based spallation sources or fission reactors, which provide the possibility of generating high-flux neutron beams. However, they could be complemented by a novel and compact neutron source which is based on the conversion of laser-accelerated ions into neutrons inside a converter material, a so-called catcher. The angular distribution of the emitted neutrons is a superposition of an isotropic emission from generated compound nuclei in the catcher material and a forward directed neutron beam originating from special reactions such as pre-equilibrium emission and deuteron break-up.

Neutrons from a laser-driven neutron source show an exponentially decaying energy spectrum with cut-off energies in the range of a few 10 MeV up to over 100 MeV. Nevertheless, for applications such as neutron resonance spectroscopy (NRS), neutrons in the epithermal energy range (0.1 eV - 100 keV) are preferable because many nuclei have distinct resonances in this regime. To maximize the neutron yield at epithermal energies, a moderating material is used to slow down the high-energy component of the neutron spectrum.

The presented scientific thesis will focus on the applicability of a laser-based neutron source regarding established neutron applications in the high- and low-energy regime. In a first step, the for applications indispensable reproducability of such a source will be investigated. For that purpose, the neutron yield in the direction of the incoming ion's flight path (henceforth called "forward direction") will be increased and the total neutron yield will be measured for several shots. In a second step, the applicability of a laser-driven neutron source for neutron resonance spectroscopy on a static sample will be studied. As many elements have resonances in the epithermal region, the emitted neutron spectrum has to be moderated to increase the neutron flux in the desired energy range. Therefore, the study includes the analysis of the moderated neutron spectrum itself and its alteration after the NRS sample.

The verification of reproducable neutron numbers and a detailed measurement of the angular distribution were conducted at the PHELIX laser (Petawatt High-Energy Laser for Heavy Ion EXperiments) at GSI Helmholtzzentrum fur Schwerionenforschung GmbH in Darmstadt, Germany. The 200 J and 500 fs short-pulse laser beam was focused onto thin deuterated polymer foils with thicknesses between 400 and 1200 nm. During the experiment, intensities of the order of 10^20 W/cm^2 on target were achieved. The accelerated ions impinged a beryllium catcher yielding mean maximum neutron numbers of (5.25±0.77)·10^10 per shot. For a detailed measurement of the angular distribution, up to 30 bubble neutron dosimeters were used simultaneously. The result shows a forward pointing neutron beam with an opening angle of (100±2)° at full width half maximum. The highest measured neutron yield in the forward direction was (1.42±0.25)·10^10 neutrons per steradian which is an increase of 40% compared to the highest reported neutron numbers so far.

The second key aspect of this thesis is the moderation of laser-driven neutrons and their subsequent application for a neutron resonance spectroscopy measurement on a static sample. This experiment was conducted at the Trident laser facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), USA. The short-pulse configuration provides a maximum laser energy of 80 J on target within a pulse length of 500 fs, yielding maximum intensities above 10^20 W/cm^2. Ions were accelerated from thin polymer foils with thicknesses in the range of a few 100 nm. The catcher was surrounded by a block of high density polyethylene to slow down high-energy neutrons and thus maximize the epithermal yield. This could successfully be achieved by an increase of a factor 3 more neutrons in the energy range of the indium resonance compared to shots without a moderator.

For the NRS measurement, a 5 mm indium sample was placed directly in front of the boron-doped microchannel plate (MCP) detector, which was used to measure the time of flight (ToF) transmission spectrum of the sample. The result of a single shot measurement shows a distinct resonance with a central energy of (1.61±0.19) eV and a width of (0.25±0.16) eV. These values are in good agreement with those of the indium resonance at 1.46 eV. During this experiment, we could sucessfully demonstrate a single shot neutron resonance spectroscopy measurement on a static sample.

In summary, in the framework of the presented thesis it will be demonstrated, that a laser-driven neutron source satisfies the requirement of constantly high neutron fluxes, which is very important for significant and reliable measurements during applications. In addition, the effective moderation and the feasibility of laser-driven neutrons for neutron resonance spectroscopy on a static sample will be confirmed for the first time.


Our goal is to calculate optimal vaccination patterns for a rapidly spreading disease in an urbanized highly mobile population. The goal being to determine if vaccination can effect a disease for which there is low immunity in the population. Different types of structured SIR models are investigated. We construct a model appropriate for a traveling urbanized population and introduce a control in terms of a vaccination program. Linear constraints, a quadratic cost on the control and a linear cost on the number of infected are imposed. In this setting we calculate optimal vaccination patterns using the maximum principle of Pontryagin.


NGOs' services for disadvantaged youth seeking to increase their employment is analysed in the article. A new view to NGOs' role in the process of youth working integration is presented, which is oriented to the specific needs and problems of youth integrating into the labour market and the fulfilment of these needs via participation in NGOs' activities. NGOs are seen as institutions which are able to develop disadvantaged youth common skills that are needed in the modern labour market. The data is presented from the research of NGOs representatives, accomplished during the project "Lithuanian development community of youth employment improvement".


Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr) cultivars with genetic reduction in seed phytate concentration will be a valuable resource to livestock producers both nutritionally and economically, as well as in the preservation of the environment. However, due to association with reduced seed germination and field emergence potential, low phytate (LP) soybean cultivars are not being advanced to commercialization. Soybean breeders of LP lines must adjust their techniques and resources in order to efficiently select LP germplasm. Reduced seed germination and field emergence potential associated with LP germplasm eliminates many individuals with the desired LP trait during early generation population development, making improvement of agronomic performance among LP lines difficult. Thus, development of resources for improved phenotyping, genotyping, and early generation population development will facilitate the commercialization of LP cultivars. Discovery of variation for field emergence potential among F2-derived LP families suggests the potential for using a pedigree method for early generation population development in LP germplasm, as it preserves diversity and allows selection for improved field emergence. Integration of markers into a pedigree method will be useful to breeder. An example is BARCSOYSSR_11_1495 with 90-93% selection efficiency in various V99-5089-derived populations. Another resource for improved LP selection is a time-efficient, high-throughput modified iron (Fe) colorimetric phytate assay that does not suffer from inorganic phosphorus (P) concentration interference. Together these tools will provide breeders more accurate selection of LP lines.


In this paper we propose a research model, set of constructs, and instrument for collecting data in China to investigate online behavior in the usage of file sharing technologies by music consumers. As a pilot study to test the constructs in our model and its suitability for use in China, we surveyed 152 people the United States. We found the constructs robust for further investigation. The instrument was revised based upon the results of factor analysis and reliability testing and translated into Chinese. Data was further collected from 439 people in China. Results show that the constructs satisfy the reliability testing as well as structural equation modeling for the Chinese sample.


The Practical, Authoritative, 360-Degree Technical Guide to Oracle Exadata: From Setup to Administration, Optimization, Tuning, and Troubleshooting The blazingly fast Oracle Exadata Database Machine is being embraced by thousands of large-scale users worldwide: by governments, the military, enterprise organizations, cloud service providers, and anyone who needs extreme performance. Now, Oracle Exadata Experts Handbook provides authoritative guidance to running Oracle Exadata with maximum reliability, effectiveness, performance, and efficiency. Six renowned Oracle technology experts have brought together core technical information, experience, best practices, and insider tips in a concise reference. Covering both 11g and 12c versions of Oracle Exadata software, they deliver hands-on coverage of best practices, setup, migration, monitoring, administration, performance tuning, and troubleshooting. Whether youre an Oracle Exadata DBA, DMA, architect, or manager, you need these insights. Get a 360-degree overview of the Oracle Exadata Database Machine Efficiently deploy RAC within the Oracle Exadata ecosystem Fully leverage Storage Cells extraordinary performance, via Offloading, Smart Scans, and Hybrid Columnar Compression Manage Exadata with OEM 12c: perform setup, configuration, asset/target discovery, and day-to-day administration Tune Oracle Exadata for even better performance Perform Exadata Backup/Recovery/DR with RMAN and Data Guard Migrate to Oracle Exadata from other platforms Use Oracle Exadata with the ZFS Storage Appliance Consolidate within the Exadata Database Cloud


We study the role of social learning in the diffusion of cash crops in a resettled village economy in northeastern Brazil. We combine detailed geo-coded data on farming plots with dyadic data on social ties among settlers, and we leverage natural exogenous variation in network formation induced by the land occupation movement and the agrarian reform. By using longitudinal data on farming decisions over 15 years we find consistent evidence of significant peer effects in the decision to farm new cash fruits (pineapple and passion fruit). Our results suggest that social diffusion is heterogeneous along observed plot and crop characteristics, i.e. farmers growing water-sensitive crop are more likely to respond to the actions of peers with similar water access conditions.


This entry examines the origins, key characteristics, and changing use of the concept of "civic humanism" by historians. The term originated in the work of twentieth-century historian Hans Baron and described the focus on the active life, republican political forms, and acceptance of vernacular writings that developed in Florence, Italy after 1402. Historians after Baron challenged, supported, expanded, and changed this initial conception. Most recently, a series of articles published in the early 1990s and two separate edited collections published in 2000 and 2015, respectively, have given the concept of civic humanism its current connotations. In the current scholarship civic humanism has lost many of its original characteristics and instead focuses on a more general application of learned culture to the politics of pre-modern Europe. Thus, the concept of civic humanism remains an important tool for historians, even as the historical understanding of it differs markedly from Baron's original thesis. Bust of Niccolo da Uzzano, by Donatello. Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence, Italy. "Civic humanism" describes a political culture and philosophy originating in Renaissance Italy in the 1400s but influential through the American War of Independence in the late 1700s and beyond. The term was originally developed in the first half of the twentieth century by the historian Hans Baron. Although publishing on civic humanism in earlier works, Baron codified this idea in his Crisis of the Early Italian Renaissance, published in 1955 and then again in revised form in 1966. For Baron, late medieval Italy was divided into two basic political groups: republics and tyrannies. Baron focused on the republic in Florence, Italy, and argued that late medieval Florentines idealized the contemplative life dedicated to study or prayer over the active life; prized Latin over the vernacular; and traced their origins and thus political subordination back to outside powers like the Roman emperor. All of this changed, Baron claimed, after a political crisis in 1402. He argued that in that year the armies of a Milanese tyrant threatened to conquer republican Florence, destroy its liberty, and subsume the city under a seigniorial yoke. The unexpected death of the tyrant saved Florence and, according to Baron, the city's brush with tyranny brought about the introduction of a new outlook called civic humanism. Baron used the writings of humanists like Leonardo Bruni and Matteo Palmieri to show that the new civic humanist city was characterized by a preference for the active life dedicated to public affairs over the contemplative life; a willingness to accept the importance of vernacular writings alongside Latin ones; and most importantly a belief in the absolute importance of political liberty and the supremacy of republican political forms over monarchical ones. Baron implied that this civic humanism formed the core of Italian Renaissance culture and rescued western civilization from a pre-modern world terrorized by the tyranny of petty despots. Baron's arguments proved enormously influential among Renaissance historians over the next fifty years. Part of Baron's appeal can be attributed to his characterization of all monarchies as tyrannies and his emphasis on the importance of republican political forms for original thought, both of which meshed with modern democratic values. In fact, the English historian J.G.A. Pocock picked up Baron's arguments and contended that Florentine civic humanism was carried through various intermediaries and underlay the great political thinkers of seventeenth and early eighteenth-century English history, who in turn influenced many political thinkers active in the thirteen American colonies and then the United States. In a second famous example, William Bouwsma applied Baron's ideas to what he viewed as a similar political crisis with similarly vast ramifications in late sixteenth-century Venice. Civic humanism, in short, for those who accepted these arguments, formed the foundation on which western democracies built their twentieth-century ideals. Even as it proved enormously influential, Baron's conception of civic humanism as a quite specific movement in intellectual history that was characterized by a handful of identifiable characteristics also met with immediate resistance. Some historians argued that Baron had vastly overestimated the sincerity of men trained to argue conflicting points of view on the same topic. Other historians disputed Baron's highly technical dating of many fourteenth and fifteenth-century neo-Latin texts. These dates were important to Baron because many of his arguments depended on showing how texts written before 1402 differed from those written after the crisis. Still others demonstrated that Baron oversimplified a very complicated situation: many of the characteristics Baron identified as new within the concept of civic humanism were definitively shown to have existed long before the fifteenth century. In addition, historians demonstrated that many of the same innovative aspects of humanist writings found in republican settings found equally sophisticated counterparts in texts originating in monarchical contexts. Thus, the importance of republican political forms to civic humanism and intellectual originality in general was called into question. The civic humanist edifice so carefully constructed by Baron and his many supporters seemed, by the turn of the millennium, to have been demolished by the chisels of dozens of articles and academic monographs. Since 1995 three major re-evaluations have attempted to piece together the remnants of the civic humanism thesis and reconstruct it, in refined form, for a new generation of scholars. In 1995 the American Historical Review published a series of articles that offered differing opinions on the legacy and continued relevance of Baron's civic humanism thesis. Most notably, the renowned scholar Ronald Witt offered a rare defence of many of Baron's central ideas. Alongside these articles, James Hankins published an important historiographical essay in the Journal of the History of Ideas that went beyond a simple historiography of civic humanism and offered his own ideas for the future of the concept. Most significantly, Hankins argued in favour of viewing humanists as rhetoricians who were trained and employed to write for or against causes as the situation required, irrespective of their own thoughts on the matter. Five years later Hankins released an edited volume in which numerous notable scholars offered revisions on the thought, figures, and concepts essential to Baron's ideas, such as Leonardo Bruni, Niccolò Machiavelli, republicanism, and the active life. In this book, featuring contributions largely situated within the history of philosophy, careful essays demonstrate the earlier origins of several key components of civic humanism as well as offering differing interpretations for key civic humanist texts. For example, one essay examines key similarities between the ideas expressed by Machiavelli and other strands of political thought, while other contributions show how writings by Leonardo Bruni and other humanists legitimated oligarchic control within the walls of Florence and Florentine imperial ambitions outside the city. Far from a freedom-loving republic, Florence was ruled by the few and sought more to expand its political empire than to defend the political independence of its neighbours. Most recently, two historians of Renaissance political culture, Nicholas Scott Baker and Brian Jeffrey Maxson, edited a second volume explicitly dedicated to the theme of civic humanism. This book sought to examine the validity of the concept of civic humanism after so much scholarship had struck down the concept. Moreover, the book sought to explore other ways in which culture and politics fit together during the Italian Renaissance. As a whole, the articles identify the concept of civic humanism, broadly defined as the application of learned culture to political life, as only one option in a full range of available methodological possibilities to understand how cultural and political life intersected. Thus, there is no doubt that, from the standpoint of the history of ideas, the concept first developed by Hans Baron must be used with caution and in ways not foreseen and even in direct contradiction to its original conception. Simultaneously, for historians of political culture there is no doubt of the continued vitality of the concept of civic humanism, broadly conceived as the application of learned culture to the pre-modern political world. Civic humanism should not serve as the sole explanatory framework for understanding the intersections between culture and politics during this period. Instead, civic humanism is one concept among many to explore the history, literature, and art of medieval and early modern Europe.


In mature fields, low oil production, increased gas production and water fractional flow of low pressure reservoir combined with the mobility ratio between the gas and oil feed contacts the w/o induced by the oil extraction process are accentuated in naturally fractured reservoirs (NFR) -. It is common N2 injection for pressure maintenance and decline of oil production; however N2 causes channeling towards producing wells. In various fields - NFR, closure of oil production by this mechanism loss value make unprofitable oil production and surface facilities for handling demanding high volume gas and / or water or gas production out of specification. In volumes estimated residual oil trapped in areas invaded by the gas cap and in areas of lower conductivity can be recovered if it has clearly identified enhanced recovery processes. Previous efforts to this work results showed potential benefits in terms of increased oil production and the significant reduction of Gas-Oil Ratio (GOR) and the technical and economic feasibility of using this type of process with surfactants developed specifically for the conditions of this area The technology tested and evaluated under methodological process is based on new supramolecular complexes wettability modifier, corrosion inhibitor and able to generate stable foams under high pressure, temperature and salinity, which penetrate and invade the channels of high conductivity formation cause decreased flow of gas by reducing gas mobility. The product in the liquid phase diffuses into the channels of lower conductivity which cannot penetrate the foam, and by spontaneous imbibition mechanism resulting from the change of wettability of the rock surface and reducing interfacial tension and favors an increase the oil recovery factor in naturally fractured reservoirs. The application of a methodological process allowed the parameters measurement and evaluation of test results, visualizing future opportunities for the new chemicals. This project was approved after evaluation from a process of allocation of federal funds.With the purpose of defining the further steps in the search for the chemicals stability and risk mitigation stages of industrial upgrading for the complexity the NFR, the following discussion is presented.In order to accelerate the knowledge of new technologies and its deployment on the field, PEMEX has diversified the efforts, to achieve the principal goals regarding new technologies. This will provide greater ability to assess best practices and technologies. To evaluate the efforts of companies a performance assessment model was designed and apply from 2008, which takes into account the integral complexity of each technology to attend the specific challenges from an Asset and to be fair in comparing the results obtained for the particular design of the test. The aim of this paper is to describe the results and the methodology used for developing the performance evaluation and identifying the new opportunities in the state of the art of these tests.Copyright © 2015 by ASME


Given the relative newness of free-space optics (FSO) technology in commercial applications, few standardized metrics exist for comparing the performance of different systems. Our goal here is to explain some of the design issues surrounding FSO systems and to provide sufficient information to allow potential users to evaluate the suitability of a specific FSO system for a particular application. In addition, we attempt to define the realistic performance limitations of FSO on the basis of existing technology and also to set reasonable expectations with regard to atmospheric conditions.


We analyse the dynamics of internationalisation and innovation decisions using firm-level data on Tunisian manufacturing firms from 2004 to 2006. We examine whether there are complementarities between exporting and innovation investments, and whether and how these complementarities affect the firm's performance. The analysis has been conducted on two clusters of firms. The first cluster distinguishes exporters from non-exporters, and the second distinguishes fully exporting firms from others. The results are consistent with complementarities between the exporting and innovation. The results also indicate that these complementarities positively affect the firm's performance for fully exporting firms.


Lithospheric thickness can act as an important physical control on the composition of asthenosphere-derived melts by restricting the minimum depth at which decompression melting can occur. A case study of plume-related Tertiary lavas from the Isle of Mull, Scotland, has revealed the presence of three successive magma types, which become progressively more depleted in the incompatible trace elements. Geochemical modeling suggests that melting initially took place within the garnet-Iherzolite stability field but subsequently involved more extensive melting (>10%) of spinel Iherzolite at shallower mantle depths. These results can be explained in terms of a progressively thinning lithosphere beneath the region during the evolution of the volcanic center. The observed degree of lithospheric thinning cannot be explained by extension alone, and it appears that some relatively rapid lower lithospheric erosion by the plume head is also required. Theoretical modeling suggests that lithospheric erosion can be a comparatively rapid process, and this has important implications for the various starting plume models.


So far, synthetic and natural coesite is known to incorporate hydrogen mainly via the hydrogarnet substitution. In this study, we synthesized for the first time coesite which incorporates hydrogen solely via a boron-based defect. The syntheses were carried out in a multi-anvil press at relatively high pressures (P) (9–12 GPa) and high temperatures (T) (1000–2000 °C) using boron-doped starting material with water in excess. The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra of these coesite crystals taken in the OH stretching region consist of two sharp peaks at 3535 and 3500 cm −1 , which were assigned previously to two different boron-based point defects, ν 6b and ν 6a , respectively. The water and boron content was determined by FTIR (water) and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) (boron): coesite crystals grown at 9 GPa and 1400 °C incorporate about 920 H/10 6 Si and 1600 B/10 6 Si. Polarized single-crystal spectra revealed that both hydroxyl groups must point in the crystallographic a direction of the structure but with a high degree of disorder around their equilibrium positions. The crystals were further investigated by high-pressure IR spectroscopy. From the specific response of the OH bands to increasing pressure in combination with literature data on structural changes with pressure, we conclude that ν 6b arises either from vibrations of an O1–H6b. . . O4 group with B at the T1 site or an O4–H6b. . . O1 group with B at the T2 site. Due to its different pressure behavior compared to ν 6b , the ν 6a band can be assigned either to vibrations of an O4–H6a. . . O5 group with B at the T1 site or an O5–H6a. . . O4 group with B at the T2 site. Most likely, the relatively high pressures and temperatures used to synthesize coesite in this study, compared to previous studies, favor the formation of the B-based defect as such a defect is accompanied by a decrease in the size of the tetrahedral site. In contrast, through the hydrogarnet substitution, vacant tetrahedral sites are up to 20 % larger than SiO 4 tetrahedra.


It starts with the definition. Systemic Risk is the risk inherent to an entire market or market segment, so says one website. From the definition, we can already see that systemic risk is primarily concerned with the prevention of risks to The System. The System in question is the global financial "system." So the goal of Systemic Risk is the prevention of loss to those involved in The System. You might ask, "why is Adler focusing on the obvious?" Well, I don't think it is that obvious who The System is and what their interests are. There are lots of well meaning people running around trying to craft new laws and methodologies to assess and prevent Systemic Risk. Most of them will fail without first understanding the needs and interests and goals of The System. The Goal of every System should be to serve the needs and interests of The Customer. Corruption of The System is when individuals or groups place the needs of themselves as actors in The System above the needs of The Customer. When The System is mostly serving the needs of itself, it is mostly corrupt. The Global Financial System has had corruption for decades. In the last decade, the influence of Systemic Actors exercising the needs of themselves over the needs of The Customer has become acute. The Financial Meltdown of the past 30 months is the result of this imbalance. So I wonder, which new brew of experts and which new conference will measure the needs of The System and compare them to the needs of The Customer to assess Risk? I have a self-serving answer:


Highly flexible and sensitive strain sensors are essential components of wearable electronic devices. Herein, we present a novel graphene woven fabric (GWF)/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) composite as a highly flexible, sensitive strain sensor capable of detecting feeble human motions with an extremely high piezoresistive gauge factor of 223 at a strain of 3% and excellent durability. A wireless wearable musical instrument prototype made of the composite sensor demonstrates conversion of human motions to music of different instruments and sounds.


Increasing COVID-19 cases has not only impacted health and day-to-day lives of people, but it has also had a material effect on India's economic growth. Stock returns of various sectors are evidence of a country's stagnated growth but the healthcare and pharmaceutical sector might be affected in a different manner. The purpose of this paper is to find out how has this pandemic has impacted the healthcare and pharma stocks. Daily closing prices of sector specific indexes for 233 days ranging from 15 May 2019 to 24 April 2020 have been taken to compare different sectors with our test sector, on the basis of different criteria. This study has applied the widely used event study methodology on our test sector; calculated abnormal returns, cumulative abnormal returns and also tested their significance. Event study approach suggests that there have been significant abnormal returns and cumulative abnormal returns in our test sector (healthcare and pharmaceutical sector) over the event window, though while comparing it with other sectors through another econometric model, the returns are not statistically significant and do not explicitly indicate the same.


This research was conducted to study the structural behaviour of precast
concrete sandwich panels with opening. Four types of sandwich panels
involving panels without opening, panels with door opening, panels with
window opening and panels with both door and window opening were studied.
The size of the panels was 900mm x l000mm x 120mm thick. The 120mm
thickness consists of two concrete layers with a sandwich insulation layer
40mm thick.
The panels were tested under axial load until failure. During the experiment,
the development of cracks was observed and the strain and dial gauges reading
recorded. The values of experimental ultimate load for the panel without
opening were compared to the theoretical ultimate load by a few researchers.
For panels with opening, the experimental ultimate loads were compared to
the theoretical equation for panels with opening by Saheb and Desayi. The theoretical equation used was actually meant to estimate the ultimate load of
ordinary reinforced concrete walls with opening. It was used in sandwich
panels with the assumption that the total thickness of the panels was equal to
the thickness of the concrete layers only.
From the calculations it was found that the theoretical equation by Saheb and
Oesayi for the ultimate load of ordinary reinforced concrete walls with
opening gave very close values to the experimental results for panels with
opening. This showed that the ultimate load equation for ordinary reinforced
concrete wall with opening by Saheb and Desayi could be used to estimate the
ultimate load of sandwich panels with opening. Beside the ultimate load, the
lateral deflection and the strain distribution in the reinforcement and concrete
surface were also observed and recorded.


ABSTRACT Background: Research in the field of substance misuse shows that identity change is key to recovery. Theories typically focus on either personal or social factors in this process; however, a framework encompassing agency and communion has proved useful in understanding narratives in similar populations. Objectives: The study proposes that agency and communion provide useful constructs through which to examine substance misuse and recovery. Method: The Life As A Film\(LAAF) and repertory grids were used to explore agency and communion in a sample of 32 participants. Results: Smallest Space Analysis of LAAF content revealed four narrative structures according to elements of agency and communion. Case examples indicated that agency and communion themes related to a recovery identity, and an absence of themes was associated with substance misuse. Repertory grid analysis revealed a pattern of fixed low agency and communion constructs in cases of substance misuse, and a transformed high agency-communion construct system in cases of recovery. Transformation from a low agency and communion substance-using identity toward a high agency and communion recovery identity was illustrated. Conclusions: The exploratory results highlight the centrality of agentic and communal growth in identity-transformative recovery from substance misuse.


Introduction: Forensic Dentistry is an area of Dentistry related to Law. Among its goals is the execution of human identification, defined as the process of determining the person's identity. The forensic dentist uses, in this process, ante-mortem records and data for comparison with post-mortem information obtained from the examination of the body. Objective: To describe the process of identification of a charred corpse by using dental records. Case report: The human material remained from a charred corpse was sent to an anthropological and dental analysis for identification purposes. This employed the analysis of the corpse examination and odontological records. Conclusion: The identification of the victim in this case points out to the need of an interdisciplinary work between Forensic Medicine and Dentistry in situations which other routine identification processes cannot be applied, highlighting the importance of the Forensic dentist for the final solution of the case.


The March Current Population Survey (CPS) is the primary data source for estimation of levels and trends in labor earnings and income inequality in the USA. Time-inconsistency problems related to top coding in theses data have led many researchers to use the ratio of the 90th and 10th percentiles of these distributions (P90/P10) rather than a more traditional summary measure of inequality. With access to public use and restricted-access internal CPS data, and bounding methods, we show that using P90/P10 does not completely obviate time-inconsistency problems, especially for household income inequality trends. Using internal data, we create consistent cell mean values for all top-coded public use values that, when used with public use data, closely track inequality trends in labor earnings and household income using internal data. But estimates of longer-term inequality trends with these corrected data based on P90/P10 differ from those based on the Gini coefficient. The choice of inequality measure matters.


Onset of air‐breathing in larval amphibious fishes represents a distinct developmental landmark and thus an ideal process to investigate heterokairy (intraspecific plasticity in the timing of the developmental events). We have determined the effect of hypoxia on air breathing onset and physiological and morphological characters in larvae of the Blue Gourami (Trichogaster trichopterus) and the Siamese Fighting Fish (Betta splendens). Larvae were exposed intermittently (12/12 h daily) to 21, 18, and 15% O2 from 1 to 40 days post‐fertilization (dpf). Survival, onset of air breathing, wet mass, mass‐specific oxygen consumption (VO2), and critical PO2 (Pcrit) were measured every 5 dpf. Hypoxia advanced by 4 days, and delayed by 5 days, the onset of air breathing in Betta and Trichogaster, respectively. Hypoxia had no effect on larval wet mass in either species, but larval mass at the onset of air‐breathing was 28–81% higher than identically aged larvae not yet breathing air. Hypoxic exposure increased VO2 by 50–100% at each day throughout larval development in Betta, but had no effect on larval Trichogaster. Hypoxia increased Pcrit in Betta by 1.5 mmHg, but reduced Pcrit by 1.8 mmHg in Trichogaster. We attribute these interspecific differences to their ecophysiological differences: Betta is a facultative air breather after 36 dpf while in Trichogaster air breathing is obligatory past 32 dpf.