Background: Modern man is experiencing two parallel processes, decreasing the average sleep duration and increasing the body mass index. Sleep as an important process plays an important role in most bodily functions. Human and animal research suggests that short sleep duration is a new risk factor for weight gain and obesity. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of sleep deprivation on obesity among children and adolescents. Materials and methods: The electronic search strategy was created and completed by the researcher and the results of the studies were reviewed. Computer search was performed using PubMed, MEDLINE and Google Scholar with the keywords: sleep deprivation, sleep deprivation, Short sleep, Sleep duration, Insomnia, Obesity, Weight gain and Body mass index. Results: The results of research analysis support the theory that insufficient sleep leads to disturbances in internal hormones, energy balance and weight gain, and can predict weight gain. Conclusion: Sleep deprivation may affect body weight through appetite by affecting hormones that play a role in energy balance. The association between short sleep and obesity is greater in those 27 and under. This shows the importance of night sleep, which is one of the influential factors associated with obesity and overweight, especially among children and adolescents.


Homodyne interferometry with a frequency comb as multi-wavelength source is a powerful method to measure long distances with high accuracy. The measurement principle requires that individual comb modes are spectrally resolved, making hundreds or thousands of accurately known wavelengths available for interferometry. For this reason the method cannot be applied directly to frequency combs with a low repetition rate (e.g. 100 MHz), since the modes are too close to be resolved. In this paper we use cavity mode filtering to increasing the pulse repetition rate of a comb and we apply the filtered comb for mode-resolved absolute distance measurement. Mode-filtering takes place with a single Fabry-Perot cavity in a Vernier configuration, allowing to set mode spacings ranging from 10s of GHz to more than 100 GHz. Large mode-spacings significantly reduce the requirements on the resolution of the spectrometer. We demonstrate absolute long distance measurement with a mode-filtered frequency comb using a simple array spectrometer for mode-resolved detection. Here a 1 GHz comb is used, that is converted into a 56 GHz comb by mode-filtering. A trade-o between non-ambiguity range and spectral resolution needs to be made when choosing a filter ratio. The pulse-to-pulse distance after filtering is 5.3 mm in this case, so to overcome ambiguity a rough measurement with an accuracy of about 2.5 mm is required. We show that in comparison to a conventional counting interferometer an agreement within 0.5 µm for distances up to 50 m is found. The presented method may enable the field application of low-repetition rate frequency comb lasers, like fiber lasers, for multi-wavelength homodyne interferometry. It relaxes the requirements on the spectral resolution, allowing for simple grating spectrometers as detector.


In the period following the global financial crisis high profile regulatory breaches and other instances of banks' misconduct triggered widespread concern that the culture and standards of conduct in banks had declined to a point of unacceptability. The crisis also brought into sharp focus the inability of banks to completely and accurately report the risks they accept in order to create shareholder value. These events and circumstances culminated in a crisis of trust between banks and their stakeholders that include governments, regulators, investors and customers. In this same period regulators focused on their primary 'capital-at-risk' regimes administered through the Basel capital accords, reinforcing additional levels of capital as a bank's primary protection against unexpected losses. At the same time Basel introduced 'firm-at-risk' mandates that required improvements in banks' control over risk data and associated technology infrastructure. The most significant game changing post-crisis regulatory mandate in this regard is the Basel Committee's principles for effective risk data aggregation and risk reporting also known as 'BCBS 239'. This new mandate requires banks: to implement controls over risk data that are as robust as those applicable to accounting data; to create accurate and single authoritative sources of risk data; and to ensure the precision, timeliness, comprehensiveness and adaptability of risk reporting. BCBS 239 effectively sets the parameters for enterprise risk management (ERM) and provides the foundation on which risk governance and risk cultures can positively evolve.Whereas BCBS 239 expressly states that a common risk metric for all forms of risk is not required, the authors challenge this thinking and argue that it is only through the adoption of a common risk metric that the objectives of BCBS 239 can be reasonably achieved. Part 1 of this paper explains why bankers – risk managers and accountants in particular – must view the need for the convergence of finance and risk systems within a common control and reporting framework as an imperative. Part 2 describes the 'Risk Accounting' methodology and its introduction of both a common measurement framework for all forms of risk and a common risk metric, the 'Risk Unit' or RU.


Aim: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are extremely carcinogenic environmental pollutants which have now become a global environmental problem. Such pollutants can accumulate in soil and can adversely affect the growth and physiology of plants. The current study aims to investigate the effect of such pollutants on the plants secondary metabolism with special emphasis on the production of nutraceutical principles. Materials and Methods: A well-known dietary plant Portulaca oleracea was collected from agricultural land in close vicinity to thermal power units, and results were compared to a background sample. Pigment estimation, evaluation of total phenolics/flavonoids, and Non-enzymatic antioxidant principles, namely ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol were carried out. Primary metabolites, such as total proteins and carbohydrates, were also estimated. The identification of individual phenolic and flavonoid principles were also carried out. Results were supported with real-time histochemical evidence and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) studies. Results: Chlorophyll a showed a significant reduction of 40.85% when compared to control and so was the case with β-carotene, which recorded a decline of 33.5% when compared to control. Total phenolics and flavonoids, ascorbic acid, and α-toopherol showed a decline of 42.25%, 28.17%, 45.5%, and 81.9%, respectively, when compared to control. Gallic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, naringenin, quercetin, ellagic acid, and rutin were found to be significantly lesser in pollution exposed plants. Significant cell death was evident from histochemical studies as well, along with blockage of stomata as reflected from SEM studies. Conclusion: P. oleracea exposed to PAH pollution showed a significant decline in the production of phytochemicals with special emphasis on nutraceutical contents.


Dynamic time warping is a popular technique for comparing time series, providing both a distance measure that is insensitive to local compression and stretches and the warping which optimally deforms one of the two input series onto the other. A variety of algorithms and constraints have been discussed in the literature. The dtw package provides an unification of them; it allows R users to compute time series alignments mixing freely a variety of continuity constraints, restriction windows, endpoints, local distance definitions, and so on. The package also provides functions for visualizing alignments and constraints using several classic diagram types.


Spatial concentration in Latin America, especially in the southern cone, reaches high levels in all dimensions. Despite significant economic growth in the last two decades, trade openness, the return to democratic regimes and reductions in the Gini coefficients the primacy indexes of most Latin American countries remain relatively constant and among the highest in the world. This situation challenges most regional and urban economics theories that predict a reduction in spatial concentration as development proceeds, after an initial period of concentration. Furthermore, Latin American countries could be trapped in processes of agglomeration without growth. The objective of this article is twofold: first, we describe some characteristics of spatial concentration and its persistence in Latin America with special emphasis in the case of Chile; and second, we propose future research lines related to the need of rebalancing Latin American spatial economies focusing on the importance of institutions as an explanation of the persistence of spatial concentration.


Abstract. A spectral correlation algorithm for the analysis of hyperspectral fluorescence images is proposed by Ellingsen et al. [J. Biomed. Opt. 18, 020501 (2013)]. Here, it is applied to the analysis of double-stained Aβ amyloid plaques being related to the Alzheimer's disease (AD). Sections of APP/PS1 AD mice model brains are double stained with luminescent-conjugated oligothiophenes, known to bind to amyloid protein deposits. Hyperspectral fluorescence images of the brain sections are recorded and by applying the correlation algorithm the spectral inhomogeneity of the double-stained samples is mapped in terms of radial distribution and spectral content. To further investigate the progression of Aβ amyloid plaque formation, 19 AD mice of different ages up to 23 months are characterized, enabling a statistical analysis of the plaque heterogeneity. In accordance with recent findings by Nyström et al. [ACS Chem. Biol. 8, 1128–1133 (2013)], the spectral distribution within Aβ plaques is found to vary with age throughout the lifespan of the mouse. With the new correlation algorithm, it is possible to quantify the spectral abundance of the two stains depending on the relative distance from the plaque center and mouse age. Thus, we demonstrate the use of the correlation analysis approach in double-staining experiments and how it is possible to relate these to structural/spectral changes in biological samples.


An extensive survey of soil mycobiota on citrus and grapevine plantations in Sahel-Saleem City, Assiut Governorate, Egypt was carried out using the dilution-plate method and 2 isolation media at 25 °C. Sixty-four genera and 195 species of filamentous fungi and 10 genera and 13 species of yeasts were recovered. A higher diversity (number of genera and species) and gross total counts were recovered from citrus than from grapevine soil. The peak of filamentous fungi recovered from both soils was found to be in February. Aspergillus (45 species) was the most dominant genus; A. ochraceus predominated in citrus plantations, while A. niger and A. aculeatus in grapevine. The Penicillium count came second after Aspergillus in citrus (23 species) and after Aspergillus and Fusarium in grapevine (11 species). Penicillium citrinum, P. ochrochloron and P. olsonii were more common in citrus plantations, but they were replaced by P. oxalicum in grapevine soil. Fusarium (19 species) was represented in 88.9–100% of both soils on both media; F. solani predominated in both soils, while F. incarnatum came next in citrus, and F. babinda and F. oxysporum in grapevine. Humicola (3 species) with the dominant H. fuscoatra was recorded in 61.1–83.3% of soil of both plantations, while Talaromyces (with T. purpureogenus followed by T. pinophilus being the most common) was recorded in 83.3–100% on DRBC and 38.9–50% on DYM from the soil of plantations of both crops. Volutella (5 species) was common in citrus but missing from grapevine soil. The present study reveals that hyaline fungi predominated over dark-coloured ones. Yeasts comprised only minor proportions in both soils (maximum 0.5%). They showed their peak in the soil of citrus plantations in April and in grapevine in February. All species were recovered in one or two samples only. Diutina catenulata, Debaryomyces hansenii, Galactomyces (3 species), Hanseniaspora occidentalis, Kluyveromyces marxianus, Meyerozyma caribbica, and Schwanniomyces pseudopolymorphus were encountered in citrus only, while Cryptococcus laurentii, Pichia kudriavzevii, Meyerozyma guilliermondii and Rhodotorula sp. in grapevine only. Physiological and growth characteristics were obtained for most of the recovered yeasts.


In order to construe the claims of a patent, the court must fix the meaning of the claim terms as of a particular point in time. Both the knowledge of the PHOSITA in a particular field and the meaning of particular terms to that PHOSITA will frequently change over time. But at which point in time shall we fix the meaning of the claims? It is a fundamental principle of patent law that the time at which we determine the meaning of claim terms varies depending on what legal rule is at issue. Where the question is one of novelty or nonobviousness - whether the invention is truly new - the courts compare the patented invention to the prior art as both were understood at the time of the invention. Where the question is one of enablement or written description - whether the inventor understood and described the invention in sufficient detail - courts evaluate the adequacy of the disclosure based on the meaning of the claims at the time the patent application was filed. Where the question involves the meaning of a special patent claim element called a means-plus-function claim, courts evaluate the scope of that claim element at the time the patent issues. And where the question involves alleged infringement of the patent, courts evaluate infringement in at least some circumstances based on the meaning of the claim at the time of infringement. An equally fundamental principle of patent law is that patent claims must be construed as an integrated whole. In particular, patentees (or accused infringers, for that matter) are not permitted to argue that a patent claim means one thing when it comes to validity and something else entirely when it comes to infringement. Instead, courts give claims a single meaning in any given case, engaging in only one act of claim construction for any given patent. These two principles contradict each other. In this paper, I seek to resolve this conflict. In Part I of this paper, I document the distinguished pedigree of both principles. In Part II, I argue that patent claim terms should have a fixed meaning throughout time, and that that meaning should be fixed at the time the patent application is first filed. Part II also discusses some complications that arise as a result of the prosecution process, and how to deal with the problem of later-developed technology.


Abstract. We use a global aerosol microphysics model in combination with an offline radiative transfer model to quantify the radiative effect of biogenic secondary organic aerosol (SOA) in the present-day atmosphere. Through its role in particle growth and ageing, the presence of biogenic SOA increases the global annual mean concentration of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN; at 0.2% supersaturation) by 3.6–21.1%, depending upon the yield of SOA production from biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs), and the nature and treatment of concurrent primary carbonaceous emissions. This increase in CCN causes a rise in global annual mean cloud droplet number concentration (CDNC) of 1.9–5.2%, and a global mean first aerosol indirect effect (AIE) of between +0.01 W m−2 and −0.12 W m−2. The radiative impact of biogenic SOA is far greater when biogenic oxidation products also contribute to the very early stages of new particle formation; using two organically mediated mechanisms for new particle formation, we simulate global annual mean first AIEs of −0.22 W m−2 and −0.77 W m−2. The inclusion of biogenic SOA substantially improves the simulated seasonal cycle in the concentration of CCN-sized particles observed at three forested sites. The best correlation is found when the organically mediated nucleation mechanisms are applied, suggesting that the first AIE of biogenic SOA could be as large as −0.77 W m−2. The radiative impact of SOA is sensitive to the presence of anthropogenic emissions. Lower background aerosol concentrations simulated with anthropogenic emissions from 1750 give rise to a greater fractional CCN increase and a more substantial first AIE from biogenic SOA. Consequently, the anthropogenic indirect radiative forcing between 1750 and the present day is sensitive to assumptions about the amount and role of biogenic SOA. We also calculate an annual global mean direct radiative effect of between −0.08 W m−2 and −0.78 W m−2 in the present day, with uncertainty in the amount of SOA produced from the oxidation of BVOCs accounting for most of this range.


The future of economic and social rights is unlikely to resemble its past. Neglected within the human rights movement, avoided by courts, and subsumed within a conception of development in which economic growth was considered a necessary (and, by some, sufficient) condition for rights fulfillment, economic and social rights enjoyed an uncertain status in international human rights law and in the public laws of most countries. Yet today, under conditions of immense poverty, insecurity, and social distress, the rights to education, health care, housing, social security, food, water, and sanitation are increasingly at the top of the human rights agenda. Economic and social rights are now present in most of the world's constitutions, most of the main human rights covenants, and are often given an explicit justiciable status. At the same time, as different legal traditions and regions embrace this shift, their highly integrated economies face a profound reckoning with economic justice. The future cannot be predicted; but neither can it be ignored. This paper, introducing the book's 21 chapters, incorporates a detailed examination of constitutions, courts and international mechanisms of accountability. These signal a transformation in debates about human rights, democracy, law and development.


Members of a previously reported family with glucocorticoid resistance and several New World primates have high plasma cortisol concentrations without any signs of glucocorticoid excess. The glucocorticoid receptor in circulating leukocytes and cultured skin fibroblasts from these patients and the animals is characterized by a decreased affinity for dexamethasone. On the other hand, the cell content of receptor is similar to that of corresponding tissues of normal humans. Detailed biochemical-biophysical studies of the glucocorticoid receptor in this familial syndrome and animal model became possible with the use of Epstein-Barr virus-transformed lymphocyte lines. Cell lines from patients with this syndrome and from the marmoset (Saguinus oedipus) contained decreased amounts of glucocorticoid receptors with concomitant decreases in nuclear receptor content compared to cultured Epstein-Barr virus-transformed lymphocytes from normal human subjects. This may reflect diminished induction of glucocorticoid receptor during viral transformation of cells from the patients and the animal model. Receptors from a severely affected glucocorticoid-resistant patient and the marmoset had decreased affinity for dexamethasone. Evidence for a mild affinity defect of the glucocorticoid receptor in a patient with asymptomatic glucocorticoid resistance was obtained by increased hormone-receptor dissociation at an elevated temperature. Thermal stability, mero-receptor formation, thermal activation of cytosolic receptor, and mol wt of receptors from all cell lines were normal. Only the receptors of the severely affected patient had a discernible defect in temperature-induced activation of intact cells. We conclude that the major detectable change in the receptor in both the patients and the animal model is the decreased affinity for glucocorticoid. Viral receptor induction is decreased in both patient and marmoset cells. The physiological relevance of this phenomenon is not known. Gross receptor molecule changes or changes in its stability at higher temperatures were not found. Mixing studies did not show involvement of cytosolic modifiers or inhibitors. Mutation(s) of the receptor molecule leading to low affinity for the hormone is the most likely explanation of the isolated glucocorticoid resistance in the patients. The glucocorticoid resistance of the New World primate, which is part of generalized steroid hormone resistance, appears to be a result of more complex changes.


Red Snapper Sink is located on the continental shelf, about 42 km (26 ml) east of Crescent Beach, Florida. In 1991, advanced technical-diving techniques enabled divers to explore the bottom of the sinkhole for the first time. The opening of the sinkhole at a depth of 27.5 m (90 ft) is approximately 122 m (400 ft) in diameter. The maximum recorded depth in the sinkhole is 147 m (482 ft). The sloping sides of the sinkhole are developed on loose Holocene sand and shell from 27 to 34.5 m (88 to 113 ft). Pleistocene sand and clayey sand crop out from 34.5 to 41 m (113 to 134 ft). From 41 m (134 ft) to about 116 m (380 ft), Red Snapper Sink is a vertical shaft measuring about 45.5 m (150 ft) in width to 52 m (170 ft) in length. The walls of the shaft from 41 to 50 m (134 to 164 ft) transect slightly indurated Pliocene shelly sand. The walls are composed of moderately indurated Pliocene silty sands and sandy silts from 50 to 63 m (164 to 206 ft). From 63 to 102 m (206 to 335 ft), the walls are developed in clayey sands and sandy clays of the Upper Hawthorn Group (Miocene). The Lower Hawthorn consists of a dolomitic limestone containing phosphate pebbles and carbonate interclasts with phosphatic rims from 102 to 116 m (335 to 380 ft). The top of the Ocala Limestone occurs at 116 m (380 ft), and below this depth, the walls of the shaft are undercut. Water samples collected at the bottom show normal seawater specific conductance and chloride and sulfate concentrations. During a dive to 147 m (482 ft), sea water was observed flowing into small caves at the base of the wall, indicating that during the dive period, the sinkhole conveyed saltwater into the Floridan aquifer system. Seismic profiles show that Red Snapper Sink is the surficial expression of a dissolution collapse feature that possibly originated in Upper Cretaceous or Paleocene rocks. Similar buried features in northeastern Florida could provide a hydraulic connection between freshwater zones and deeper, more saline zones of the Floridan aquifer system. The presence of these collapse features could help explain the anomalous distribution of elevated chloride concentrations in parts of eastern Duval County.


Abstract. This paper investigates the relationship between high latitude upper mesospheric winds and the state of the stratospheric polar vortex in the absence of major sudden stratospheric warmings. A ground based Michelson Interferometer stationed at Resolute Bay (74°43' N, 94°58' W) in the Canadian High Arctic is used to measure mesopause region neutral winds using the hydroxyl (OH) Meinel-band airglow emission (central altitude of ~85 km). These observed winds are compared to analysis winds in the upper stratosphere during November and December of 1995 and 1996; years characterized as cold, stable polar vortex periods. Correlation of mesopause wind speeds with those from the upper stratosphere is found to be significant for the 1996 season when the polar vortex is subtly displaced off its initial location by a strong Aleutian High. These mesopause winds are observed to lead stratospheric winds by approximately two days with increasing (decreasing) mesospheric winds predictive of decreasing (increasing) stratospheric winds. No statistically significant correlations are found for the 1995 season when there is no such displacement of the polar vortex.


This thesis makes an historical and contemporaneous analysis of patenting of methods of medical treatment of human beings in Australia and other common law jurisdictions that derived their origin from the UK law. The issue of patenting of methods of medical treatment has never been an easy question to discuss for it raises public policy considerations surrounding this area. The main difficulty derives from the conflict between the intellectual property and practice of medicine. There is a public policy concern that in order to ensure the best possible health treatment, physicians must always be free in their choice of treatment. Since a patent may restrict this freedom, many countries around the globe prohibit methods of medical treatment from being granted patent protection. Yet, Australian courts decided to depart from those exclusions.
This thesis examines how courts deal with express exclusions of patents for method of medical treatment and how such exclusions can be avoided by creative drafting of patent specifications. It will also examine the approach taken in Australia where there are no express exclusions. It first provides the descriptive background of the case law in UK, Member States of the European Patent Convention, Canada, Israel, New Zealand, US and Australia in order to make a comparative analysis of the approaches adopted in these countries in dealing with the issue, and in order to establish the framework around which the doctrinal issues can be analysed.
Against this background an examination of the origins of the patent law is necessary in order to fully assess the interpretation of patent legislation by courts and consequences of such interpretation for medical profession. The thesis investigates the pre-enacting history of the 1624 Statute of Monopolies in order to analyse whether patenting of methods of medical treatment of human beings is 'generally inconvenient' within the meaning of the proviso to s 6 of the Statute of Monopolies, which in turn, form a part of s 18 (1) of the Patents Act 1990 (Cth).
The analysis of early patent law cases at the time they were argued and decided will lead to the conclusion that the actual original meaning of the term 'generally inconvenient' has been wrongly interpreted and applied by modern courts. The thesis considers the role of the courts in deciding whether methods of medical treatment should be granted patent protection and whether judges should and/or have ability to make moral or public policy judgments in interpreting statutes.
The thesis explore the consequences of interpretation of 'generally inconvenient' as a main public policy objection to granting patents for methods of medical treatment. It concludes that it is questionable whether the term 'generally inconvenient' includes public policy considerations in its scope, and though there may be some circumstances where a patent to method of medical treatment should be rejected on public policy grounds, 'generally inconvenient' does not provide a basis upon which patents to methods of medical treatment can be denied.
The thesis is that such methods should not be expressly excluded from patenting. Each method must be treated equally with other inventions and examined on its merits, on case by case basis. The tensions associated with patents for methods of medical treatment can be resolved within patent legislation by making the public policy ground for objection a separate criterion for patentability, equally relevant for any invention. Accordingly, the author argues that legislative amendments are necessary to rectify the existing problem and makes a number of proposals to this effect. The author also suggests the involvement of an independent body to make public policy decisions.


The title compound, [Fe(C5H5)(C21H24NPS)]I·CHCl3, is built up from a (ferrocenylmethyl)trimethylammonium cation, a iodine anion and a chloroform solvent molecule, all residing in general positions. The N atom of the ammonium group is displaced by 1.182 (2) Å from the plane of the substituted cyclopentadienyl (Cp) ring towards the Fe atom, whereas the C atom attached to the same Cp ring is slightly below this plane by −0.128 (2) Å. These deviations might result from weak agostic interactions between the two H atoms of the CH2 group and the Fe atom.


Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes immediate damage to the nervous tissue accompanied by loss of motor and sensory function. The limited self-repair competence of injured nervous tissue underscores the need for reparative interventions to recover function after SCI. The vasculature of the spinal cord plays a crucial role in SCI and repair. Ruptured and sheared blood vessels in the injury epicenter and blood vessels with a breached blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB) in the surrounding tissue cause bleeding and inflammation, which contribute to the overall tissue damage. The insufficient formation of new functional vasculature in and near the injury impedes endogenous tissue repair and limits the prospect of repair approaches. Limiting the loss of blood vessels, stabilizing the BSCB, and promoting the formation of new blood vessels are therapeutic targets for spinal cord repair. Inflammation is an integral part of injury-mediated vascular damage, which has deleterious and reparative consequences. Inflammation and the formation of new blood vessels are intricately interwoven. Biomaterials can be effectively used for promoting and guiding blood vessel formation or modulating the inflammatory response after SCI, thereby governing the extent of damage and the success of reparative interventions. This review deals with the vasculature after SCI, the reciprocal interactions between inflammation and blood vessel formation, and the potential of biomaterials to support revascularization and immunomodulation in damaged spinal cord nervous tissue.


This study investigates the effect of written error correction, and the opinions and preferences regarding written error correction by Form 2 students in Bau, Sarawak. The instruments utilized in this study are questionnaires and students' writing scripts. A guided descriptive essay entitled: "My Family" was administered for the pre-test. The pre-test writing scripts were checked and graded based on explicit written error correction, also known as "direct" or "over" error corrections (Ferris, 2004). Four treatment sessions for one month duration were carried out before the post-test with the same title was administered again. The writing scores of both the pre-test and post-test were graded based on Chia's (2010) writing scoring rubrics. The scoring rubrics consist of four writing variables: content, organization and development, readability and grammar and mechanics. A paired sample t-test was performed to compare the students' performance in their pretest and post-test. The findings of this study reveal that the students performed well after written error correction where the total mean score for pre-test is 5.71 and 8.17 (sig. 0.001) for the post-test. The writing variable which benefits most from written error correction is the fourth variable, grammar and mechanics. The pre-test mean for grammar and mechanics is 5.77 and the post-test mean is 8.82 (sig. 0.001). The three section questionnaire used in this study was adapted from Amrheria (2010) and Grami (2005). The data collected from the questionnaires were analysed descriptively. The findings depicted that the students' opinions were positive (between "agree" and "strongly agree") towards written error correction with a total of 90.1 percent (mean: 4.2). As for the students' preferences regarding written error correction, the majority of respondents "agree" and "strongly agree" with a total average of 92.2 percent (mean: 4.3) who claimed that they prefer written error correction. This study was conducted to fill a gap in the existing literature on investigating the effects of written error correction on ESL student writing among lower secondary school students. The implications of this study include the importance for teachers, researchers, students and ESL teaching field in general. This study is just a "journey of a thousand miles that begins with a single step" (Lao-tzu) and further research in the field of error corrections is greatly needed to improve students' command of English.


This paper describes the visual analysis tool WebQuilt, a web usability logging and visualization system that helps web design teams record and analyze usability tests. The logging portion of WebQuilt unobtrusively gathers clickstream data as users complete specified tasks. This data is then aggregated and presented as an interactive graph, where nodes of the graph are images of the web pages visited, and arrows are the transitions between pages. To aid analysis of the gathered usability test data, the WebQuilt visualization provides filtering capabilities and semantic zooming, allowing the designer to understand the test results at the gestalt view of the entire graph, and then drill down to sub-paths and single pages. The visualization highlights important usability issues, such as pages where users spent a lot of time, pages where users get off track during the task, navigation patterns, and exit pages, all within the context of a specific task. WebQuilt is designed to conduct remote usability testing on a variety of Internet-enabled devices and provide a way to identify potential usability problems when the tester cannot be present to observe and record user actions.


In most regions in West Africa, livelihoods depend heavily on forest ecosystem goods and services, often in interplay with agricultural and livestock production systems. Numerous drivers of change are creating a range of fundamental economic, ecological, social and political challenges for the governance of forest commons. Climate change and its impacts on countries' and regions' development add a new dimension to an already challenging situation. Governance systems are challenged to set a frame for formulating, financing and implementing adaptation strategies at multiple layers, often in a context of ongoing institutional changes such as decentralisation. A deeper understanding of actors, institutions and networks is needed to overcome barriers in socio-ecological systems to adaptation and enable or enhance adaptive capacity. In this paper, we explore the relationship between governance and adaptive capacity, and characterise and assess the effects of a set of variables and indicators related to two core variables: Institutional flexibility, and individual and organisational understandings and perceptions. We present a comparative analysis with multiple methods based on a number of case studies undertaken at different levels in Burkina Faso and Mali. One of the key findings indicates the importance and influence of discourses and narratives, and how they affect adaptive capacity at different levels. Revealing the ideological character of discourses can help to enable adaptive capacity, as it would break the influence of the actors that employ these narratives to pursuit their own interests.


In today's world most of the countries are following the market rule to determine their economic determinants with some to follow the mixed role of the government. There are a very few countries or states that are following the socialistic nature of development. One such country is Venezuela which has a long history of socialism and the degree of socialism got magnified under the regime of Hugo Chavez. The last election result in favour of Chavez has put some questions before the economists and politicians regarding its grounds. The present study has been framed in line with examining whether the role of economic factors have done the trick for Chavez to regain the presidential power. The study for the period of 1998-2010 has observed that the country has suffered in major economic factors compared to two Latin heroes Brazil and Argentina, albeit he has won the election. The study further observed that there are certain political grounds that played role for the favourable verdict.


Background: Early detection and treatment of Hepatitis C can change the natural history of disease. Aim: The primary aim of this study was to detect infection of hepatitis C using a rapid immunochromatographic assay in a community setting. The secondary aims included assessment of prevalence rate and disease characteristics; including liver function tests, viral load, grade and stage of disease on the liver biopsy. Methods: Two cohorts of 4000 and 321 2 people (.004% of the population) were surveyed over a three week period each between December 2008 through August 2009. Qualitative detection of hepatitis C antibodies was done using a colloidal gold enhanced rapid immunochromatographic assay (Health Chem Diagnostics LLC, FL-USA).Viral load was calculated using RT PCR (Taqman) and those found positive underwent liver biopsy.28 and 33patients with proven chronic hepatitis C formed the controls for validation of the kit used in the first and the second cohort.


remarriage Bibiaghdas Asghari1, Maryam Eskafi1 Abstract This study was done to investigate female heads of household's decision-making process for remarriage and its barriers. Since an important part of these women's life was not researchable through questionnaires and details of their life would be omitted, it's felt the need to do qualitative work; therefore, it's a qualitative study by narrative analysis strategy in which we used both thematic analysis and structural analysis by using semi-structured interviews with 9 women in Gonabad. The results of this study showed these persons strongly felt the lack of husband due to the variety of needs, but barriers to remarriage have a deterrent role in the final decision to remarriage and this structural pressure is to the extent that put women in conflict for making final decision and this conflict will increase over time. In the final, 9 of them had feeling the need, tending to remarry, social perceptions, expectations originated from emotions, expectations originated from position, subjective norms and evaluating and expecting benefits.


Using methods of the Mossbauer spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and thermodynamic analysis of phase formation in silicate multi-component melts, the detailed study of composition, morphology, and properties of fly ash microspheres resulting from combustion of three coals (Irsha-Borodinskii, Kuznetskii and Ekibastuzskii) was carried out. About 60 microspherical products with an iron content of 2–94 wt.% Fe2O3 were obtained. The ranges of microsphere composition, suitable for liquid radioactive waste solidification in the forms of iron phosphate (36–94 wt.% Fe2O3) and aluminosilicate (2–20 wt.% Fe2O3) ceramics were determined. The possibility of producing porous materials and specific microspherical sorbents, based on coal fly ash cenospheres and their application for mmobilisation of liquid radioactive waste solidification was demonstrated.


In the West and Central African region, there are 60 million poor people. Cameroon's Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (2003) states that 40% of the population is below the poverty line, with farmers particularly hard hit. The recent economic 'crisis' triggered new interest in diversification as a basis for more sustainable farm livelihoods. A key element is the inclusion of indigenous fruit trees such as 'Bush mango' (Irvingia gabonensis) and 'Safou' (Dacryodes edulis) in the farming system. Between 1999 and 2002, research was carried out in the humid forest zone of Cameroon and Southeast Nigeria to find ways of overcoming the constraints faced by farmers trying to cultivate indigenous fruit trees as new crops.


One of the major issues in stochastic gradient descent (SGD) methods is how to choose an appropriate step size while running the algorithm. Since the traditional line search technique does not apply for stochastic optimization algorithms, the common practice in SGD is either to use a diminishing step size, or to tune a fixed step size by hand, which can be time consuming in practice. In this paper, we propose to use the Barzilai-Borwein (BB) method to automatically compute step sizes for SGD and its variant: stochastic variance reduced gradient (SVRG) method, which leads to two algorithms: SGD-BB and SVRG-BB. We prove that SVRG-BB converges linearly for strongly convex objective functions. As a by-product, we prove the linear convergence result of SVRG with Option I proposed in [10], whose convergence result is missing in the literature. Numerical experiments on standard data sets show that the performance of SGD-BB and SVRG-BB is comparable to and sometimes even better than SGD and SVRG with best-tuned step sizes, and is superior to some advanced SGD variants.


Virtual water flows are used to map the indirect water consumption connections implied by the supply chain of a city, region, or country. This information can be used to manage supply chains to achieve environmental policy objectives and mitigate environmental risks to critical supply chains. A limitation of prior work is that these flows are typically analyzed using monolayer networks, which ignores crucial intersectoral or interlayer couplings. Here, we use a multilayer network to account for such couplings when analyzing blue virtual water flows in the United States. Our multilayer network consists of 115 different regions (nodes), covering the entire conterminous United States; 41 coupled economic sectors (layers); and ∼2 × 107 possible links. To analyze the multilayer network, we focus on three fundamental network properties: topological connectivity, mesoscale structure, and node centrality. The network has a high connectivity, with each node being on average connected to roughly 2/3 of the network's nodes. Interlayer flows are a major driver of connectivity, representing ∼54% of all the network's connections. Five different groups of tightly connected nodes (communities) characterize the network. Each community represents a preferred spatial mode of long‐range virtual water interaction within the United States. We find that large (populous) cities have a stronger influence than small ones on network functioning because they attract and recirculate more virtual water through their supply chains. Our results also highlight differences between the multilayer and monolayer virtual water network, which overall show that the former provides a more realistic representation of virtual water flows.


A lot of people come up with queries on what would be the future role of radiologist. Will the role of the radiologist become more primary to the patient management than it is now or will the increasing clarity of images make him less useful, with images speaking for themselves. In my view radiologist will continue his role and probably will provide more and more information to the referring physician. His domain of knowledge will expand. In the past, the basis of radiology has resided primarily in knowledge of physics and anatomy. The future radiologist will have to provide functional and molecular imaging, as well as continued expansion of electronic imaging, computer applications, and interventional radiology. We will see an integration of functional and anatomical information and applications like MR-PET will be commonly used for brain pathologies. CT scans will become more and more faster and number of slices will increase with adaptations for radiation doses. We will do more and more endoluminal studies and seeing the inside of the blood vessels, bowel and bronchus will replace diagnostic endoscopy as we know today. May be with evolution of MR-microscopy we will encroach on the pathologists domains too. Radiologist of the future will be more efficient. Radiology volumes will increase tremendously. The average number of studies interpreted by each radiologist will be very high. Digital radiology and picture archiving and communication systems, or PACS, will offer newer more efficient solutions and will be more user friendly. Proper integration of advanced communication technology into radiology practices not only will improve our diagnostic accuracy and communication with our patients, colleagues, and referring physicians but will also provide efficiencies needed to meet the data overload that already exists. Subspecialization will become a norm, with some groups providing reports on only some subsets of patients and offer a level of expertise which referring specialists often demand. There will be an increasing role for a radiologist to participate in the globalization of medicine. The worldwide communication network or internet is making the world "Flat" and as experts in communications, radiologists should assume a leadership role in the globalization of medicine.. May be we will see some turf loss between surgeons and interventional radiologists. Already we see cardiologists and gynecologists giving some expertise into radiological procedures and diagnosis. However, this would be partly compensated by tremendous increase in the volume of such procedures. Concluding, what radiology in the 2101 will be like is a matter of opinion, I encourage all readers to send me their opinions at firstname.lastname@example.com


A rapid incoherent control scheme is proposed for driving a quantum system from an initial mixed state to a final state having a high fidelity with a target pure state. This scheme consists of two main steps: rapid purification of the initial mixed state and time-optimal control of the conditional state. The first step rapidly purifies the initial mixed state into an almost-pure state (conditional state) through continuous measurements and feedback control. The second step finds a set of suitable time-optimal controls through the control design of a reference model to drive the quantum system from the conditional state to the final state. The switching time between the two steps is determined by the expected purity or fidelity and the resultant state is an almost-pure state having a high fidelity with the target pure state. As an illustrative example, the authors apply the present rapid incoherent control scheme to a spin system. The potential applications of model predictive control to quantum systems are also discussed briefly.


In the present paper I intend to put forward some inquiries regarding the socio-labor guidance and transition of the young people in the co-ordinates of contemporary society. The outstanding paradox in which some young people are immersed when trying to get a first, second, third employment is also analyzed: "The job of looking for a job". This is a common experience shared by many young people when they try to find a place in the complex labor panorama. Looking for a job is a recurrent situation in contemporary society, given the high dose of precarious employment in which the productive world moves. Life-long jobs belong to the past and what is normal is that people strive to enter the competitive labor market repeatedly. Moreover, the paper offers the partial results of a larger research project that approaches tutorship, decision taking and expectations before the academic-labor future of the studentship in the last years of secondary school. Finally, I suggest some insights in the line that it is not longer feasible to work with old-fashioned guidance, trying to channel people's vocation and offering them information so that they get a job that provides them with the happiness of "doing what you like". Behind these ideas lay the normal biographies, the predictable itineraries. Labor market complexity makes the transition to working life very difficult. Once immersed in it, biographies and labor itineraries are constructed and reconstructed at the rhythm of the changing fortunes of times.


The Mohawk Canal bridge was constructed in August 1994, just outside Roll, Arizona. It is a simple-span, double-lane, stress-laminated deck superstructure, approximately 6.4 m (21 ft) long and 10.4 m (34 ft) wide and constructed with Combination 16F-V3 Douglas Fir glued-laminated timber beam laminations. The performance of the bridge was monitored continuously for 2 years, beginning shortly after installation. Performance monitoring involved gathering and evaluating data relative to the moisture content of the wood deck, the force level of the steel stressing bars, the vertical creep of the deck, and the behavior of the bridge under static load conditions. Furthermore, comprehensive visual inspections were conducted to assess the overall condition of the structure. Based on field evaluations, the bridge is performing properly with no structural deficiencies.


Abstract Introduction Current approach to processing polysomnography is labor intensive and produces metrics that are poor at identifying obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) phenotypes necessary to enhance personalized care. We describe our approach to utilize Dynamic Phenotype Learning (DPL) as an innovative machine learning technique to identify OSA subtypes that can better predict clinical risk and success with therapies. Methods This study is a collaboration between Kaiser Permanente Southern California (KPSC), a large integrated health system, and EnsoData Research, which specializes in applied A.I. analysis of physiologic waveforms. KPSC sleep medicine compiled a database of N=5,368–234,250 subjects that include Types I, II, III, or IV sleep study data, daily PAP data, patient reported data, and comprehensive electronic health record information, with present research applications to study the relationship between OSA and PAP adherence with cardiovascular outcomes, health economic impacts, novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outcomes, and predictive PAP adherence and OSA severity clinical decision tools. DPL is a machine learning method for studying known and new biomarkers and care-pathway indices, including personalized screening, diagnostic, treatment, adherence, and outcomes predictors, that can be rooted in physiologic data. DPL processes waveform signal data without scoring, annotations, or expert synthesis, by applying a novel machine learning mechanism that blurs supervised and unsupervised deep learning paradigms, to find relationships between physiome dynamics expressed in waveforms and phenotypes and endotypes of interest. Results We demonstrate DPL method with an illustrative study on known indices, to explain its ability to (1) lift theoretical-empirical predictive accuracy ceilings and (b) reduce several sources of bias and variance. We show DPL exceeds the ROC-AUC and PRC-AUC of equivalent deep learning models in N=30,000 Report-Demographic (ODI, PLMSI, Weight), Scoring (REM, OSA), and Waveform (EEG, PPG) datasets respectively to predict AHI, TST, Brain Age, and OSA-Insomnia. We present our current collaboration advancing DPL to identify specific phenotypes that better predict: (a) cardiovascular risk; (b) neurocognitive outcomes; (c) response to PAP and alternative therapies. Conclusion DPL methods are being applied to large and comprehensive patient dataset to identify phenotypic indices and biomarkers with potential to take us beyond the AHI, and uncover relationships between OSA sub-types, treatments, and health outcomes. Support (if any):


Abstract The Pb–Ag–Sb sulfide roshchinite, Cu0.09Ag1.04Pb0.65Sb2.82As0.37S6.08, is a lillianite homologue N=4 with a complex incommensurate superstructure in the 8.46 Å direction of the orthorhombic crystal lattice with a 19.0804(1) Å, b 8.4591(2) Å and c 12.9451(3) Å, superspace group Pbcn(0σ20)00s, q=0.41458(3)b*. A structure solution and refinement in (3+1) superspace, based on 10,019 observed reflections and 437 refined parameters was terminated at Robs (wR) equal to 7.27 (8.07)% using satellites up to second order; Robs is 4.82 for main reflections only. The Pb atoms in trigonal coordination prisms on planes of unit-cell twinning are semiperiodically replaced by antimony. The marginal columns of (311)PbS slabs of the Sb–Ag based structure which is based on PbS-like topology contain Sb, Ag(Cu) and mixed Ag/Sb sites in a complicated sequence. Central portions of the slabs are occupied by Sb–S crankshaft chains, best exposed on the (100)PbS planes, which run diagonally across the slabs. In these planes, in their majority the chains display Sb3S4 form and two opposing orientations, zig-zagging along the [010] direction. Every six chains, a parallel configuration of two chains occurs, but occasionally this interval is reduced to five chains. This, together with related compositional changes in the Pb– and Ag–Sb column, explains the one-dimensionally incommensurate character of roshchinite. Modestly elevated contents of As replacing Sb are the probable reason of modulation and non-commensurability in roshchinite.


A thorough understanding of the joint default behavior of credit-risky securities is essential for credit risk measurement as well as the valuation of many credit derivatives and collateralized debt obligations. A simple and tractable intensity-based model predicts correlated defaults in which unpredictable default arrival times are jointly exponentially distributed. All relevant results are given in closed form, so the model can be easily implemented. The efficient simulation of dependent default times for pricing and risk management purposes is straightforward as well. Parameter calibration relies on market data as well as data from the rating agencies and credit risk management solutions.


This Article argues that the Federal Circuit in Chamberlain and Storage Tech is developing a parallel common law doctrine of fair access. As applied, this doctrine manifests the court's approach as to the appropriate balance between the interests of copyright owners and information users in the context of access to copyrighted works. It is parallel to the statutory approach due to its deviation from Congress's policy as reflected in the DMCA. Applying the Hohfeldian model of fundamental jural relations to the anti-circumvention norms, the Article criticizes Chamberlain's theory, which argues that the anti-circumvention law did not establish a new property right allowing owners to prohibit access to their digital works. In connection to a possible interpretation of the fair access doctrine that would allow fair use (and other copyright defenses) as a valid protection against anti-circumvention and anti-trafficking claims, it shall be argued that the Federal Circuit's decisions have paved the way not only for the incorporation of traditional copyright infringement defenses into the anti-circumvention law, but also provided solid arguments to defendants in cases where such defenses, and particularly statutory fair use, are inapplicable. The court's analysis effectively opens up the door to an alternative judicial approach of anti-circumvention construction - the fair access doctrine. In light of the legislature's bewilderedness as to if and how to modify the flawed access control provisions of the DMCA, Its development in the course of future disputes could furnish an effective shield for defendants in circumstances of unjustified application of the anticircumvention rules.


In this paper, we develop a simple autoconfiguration mechanism for OLSR networks. The mechanism aims at solving the simple, but common, problem of one or more new nodes emerging in an existing network. We propose a simple solution, which allows these new nodes to acquire an address and participate in the network. Our method is simple, both algorithmically and in the requirements of the network. While we recognize that this is a partial solution to the general autoconfiguration problem, we argue that the mechanism described in this paper will satisfy the requirements in a great number of real-world situations. We note, that while the address autoconfiguration mechanisms in this paper are presented in the context of OLSR, they are equally applicable for other MANET routing protocols.


The problem of this study was inadequate communication between secondary school teachers and students in discussing sexrelated issues. The objectives of the study were to: Establish the level of awareness of secondary school students on issues related to sex, investigate the perceptions of teachers and students on the teaching and learning of sex education in schools, investigate the communication methods used by teachers and students in communicating sexrelated issues with students, identify the challenges that the teachers and students face in communicating sex-related issues and to suggest ways through which communication between teachers and students on sex issues could be improved. The assumption of the study was that teachers and students frequently share information related to sex. The study adopted a descriptive survey design and data were largely descriptive by nature. In collecting the data, 393 students and 28 teachers participated in the study. Data were collected using questionnaires and interview schedule for teachers and students. This study used qualitative design to analyze data. The data were presented in tables and figures using percentages and frequencies. The signicance of this study was that the findings would provide teachers and students with proper communication skills they can adopt in discussing sex-related issues. Findings indicated that most students have been exposed to sex education. This has been mostly at the upper primary and lower secondary levels of education. With regard to attitude towards sex education in schools, the findings showed a positive attitude among the teachers and students. The findings revealed that the communication methods used by the teachers and the students are mainly one way like dictation and lecture methods. This is not effective for proper communication to occur. Findings of the study also revealed that there are challenges that the teachers and students face in discussing sex-related topics. These include: shyness, religious inhibitions, lack of teaching aids, lack of adequate training for teachers as well as lack of proper guidelines from the Ministry of Education. In relation to what should be done to improve communication between teachers and students on sexrelated issues, this study found the following: Open class discussions, use of debates based on sex topics, incorporating sex education with the curriculum, availing resources like books and other visual aids, more time to be created and sensitizing the parents and the community in general on the need to encourage the children to be open in discussing sexrelated issues.


Tax harmonization or coordination of corporate taxation in the European Union is usually considered from two complementary points of view: tax base and tax rate. These two perspectives structure the debate on whether EU Member States, and more broadly states belonging to the same economic area, should harmonize or coordinate their policies on tax matters.However, little attention has been paid so far to a more basic question which is at the core of tax theory: who are corporate taxpayers? Are they defined in the same way throughout Europe? Comparative law shows that the conditions that must be met in order to be subject to corporate income tax are very different from one country to another. The way tax systems define foreign entities that fall under their corporate income tax may also vary significantly, which may in practice give rise to interesting tax planning opportunities.Against this background, the 2013 EATLP Congress devoted to corporate income tax subjects was designed to enhance the main similarities and differences that exist between many countries (European countries and the United States). It is the first time that such joint research has been conducted on an international scale on this fundamental topic and it has given rise to an ambitious publication.This book therefore provides a basis for tax policy decisions at a national and European level. It also constitutes a starting point for academic reflection on a core issue affecting the structure of corporate income taxation.


A common problem behavior in animal shelters is excessive noise from barking, which can regularly exceed 100dBs.  Noise levels in animal shelters are correlated with increased stress in dogs, which may lead to increased problem behavior and a decrease in adoption.  The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the use of respondent conditioning procedures to reduce barking noise level in an animal shelter by pairing a door chime with edible items.  Following a baseline and neutral stimulus phase, the door chime was paired with edible items over a period of three weeks.  Following this pairing phase, the pairing was stopped to determine if the door chime would act as a conditioned stimulus and reduce barking.  These procedures were replicated following an additional baseline phase.  Overall, the procedure was effective in reducing the noise level of the kennel area as compared to baseline levels. Implications and future research areas are discussed.


Bone is one of the most commonly replaced tissues in the body. Bone tissue engineering
has become one of the key areas of research as a successful treatment option for bone
regeneration. Scaffolds are used in tissue engineering to direct tissue development and
open pore scaffolds with a pore size range of 100 – 400 μm and porosity >90%, are
preferred.
Bioceramics have been used in numerous orthopaedic applications since the 1960s.
While bioinert materials such as zirconia have been used in load bearing applications
due to their impressive mechanical properties, bioactive materials such as
hydroxyapatite (HA) have been used to promote bone growth. Porous bioceramic
structures have found uses as scaffolds which act as frameworks to support and guide
tissue growth in tissue engineering applications. There is constant demand for new
processing methods for producing structures of both graded and uniform porosity.
The current methods used for producing structures of graded porosity involve complex
and multiple manufacturing steps. This thesis investigates the feasibility of using
electrohydrodynamic (EHD) atomisation to produce foams with graded porosity as a
'one-step' processing method, using zirconia as the ceramic material due to its extensive
use in industrial and biomedical applications. Modifications have been made to the
electrospraying set–up configuration and a range of suspension concentrations have
been utilised to determine the experimental conditions. Control of porosity, pore size and depth of penetration has been obtained by varying parameters such as spray time,
sintering temperature and the sacrificial template.
Secondly, a combination of the traditional slurry dipping method and the EHD method
have been introduced and used to process scaffolds with better surface and mechanical
properties than using each method individually. For this work, a nano–HA suspension
has been used and the scaffolds produced have been characterised by X-ray diffraction,
X-ray microtomography, scanning electron microscopy and compression testing.
Due to limitations in the HA suspension, zirconia was used as the ceramic material to
produce scaffolds using the EHD method, which was manipulated to enhance its
efficiency. The effects of changing and modifying the polymeric template by subjecting
the templates to various pre–treatment methods on the microstructure and mechanical
properties were investigated. It has been possible to achieve porous scaffolds of
mechanical strength within the recommended region for cancellous bone. Finally, these
mechanically strong scaffolds have been dipped in a nano–HA suspension and sintered
at a lower temperature with an attempt to make the scaffolds bioactive since zirconia is
bioinert. These composite structures have been tested for their bioactivity using
simulated body fluid (SBF). The SBF results have proved to be favourable and apatite
growth has been observed on the composite scaffolds using SEM images, additional
apatite peaks on the XRD spectra and the increase in the mechanical properties.


Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) working across borders face increased accountability demands. Although many have proposed ways of changing accountability practices, the debate is rarely informed by leaders' perspectives of how accountability is perceived and practiced across different organizational settings. In interviews with NGO leaders we find aspirations to make accountability more meaningful and integrated, in particular by listening more to stakeholders other than donors. However, these aspirations are rarely put in practice and leaders continue to highlight traditional means such as financial accounting. This gap is particularly pronounced for smaller organizations and reflects an increasingly competitive environment shaped by rating agencies and a focus on financial metrics. To move from aspirations to practice, NGOs have to be willing to share more meaningful information about their work and outcomes with stakeholders. Practicing transparency that empowers beneficiaries is central to effective organizational learning and balancing demands from different stakeholders.


Southern coastal parts of Kerala are well-reported high background radiation areas. Hence, the radiological protection of the population in this region may have some concern. In the present work, samples were collected during three different seasons, namely premonsoon, monsoon, and postmonsoon. The radionuclide activities obtained for various seasons have been compared in order to understand the enrichment of radionuclides during various seasons. The activities of natural radionuclides, namely 40K, 226Ra, and 232Th in sand samples collected from Southern coastal parts of Kerala were determined using NaI (Tl) gamma-ray spectrometer. Sand samples collected during postmonsoon showed enhanced level of radionuclides concentration. The radiation dose to the population was also estimated from the activities of radionuclides in order to assess the radiation levels. The calculated values of risk assessment parameters were within the safe limits, which indicate the radiation exposure to the population due to these radionuclides is insignificant. However, seasonal variation of radionuclides concentration is significant. The results of the present systematic investigation are presented and discussed here in detail.


US manufacturing is today in a critical period. As a consequence of new global competitors, changes in technologies, and significant shifts in national priorities, our manufacturing base has shrunk alarmingly and thousands of manufacturing jobs have been lost. To address this problem, a unique team was formed called the Manufacturing Vision Group, which included members from five major companies (Chaparral Steel, DEC, Ford Motor Company, Hewlett-Packard, and Eastman Kodak) and four major universities (Harvard, MIT, Purdue, and Stanford). In The Perpetual Enterprise Machine, this group argues that the manufacturer that can initiate successful projects-leading to new products and processes-will be the one that prospers in the years ahead. They reveal how to launch a successful project and how projects can be mechanisms for growth and learning for the firm. The Perpetual Enterprise Machine outlines seven critical elements that outstanding development projects have in common, principles that can be powerful engines of success for the manufacturer facing the challenges of today's fiercely competitive environment. Successful firms are able to use their Core Capabilities across functions, to bring together disciplines and personnel crucial to the success of the program. They have a Guiding Vision, shared by all members of the project team, that helps coordinate the actions of workers with different skills and priorities. They Push the Performance Envelope, striving to make the improvements needed to cope with a rapidly changing competitive environment. They have Leadership, someone who can navigate uncertain terrain, who sees the project's essential elements and how they fit together. They instill the team with a sense of Ownership and Commitment, linking their personal success, status, and esteem to accomplishing project goals. They use Prototyping to learn rapidly and reduce mistakes. And they Integrate within Projects, approaching individual tasks in terms of a system-wide solution. Throughout the book, the authors illustrate these seven principles with real life case histories. We see the story behind Kodak's development of the FunSaver camera (done on a unique CAD/CAM system that greatly helped integration and shortened the lead time from design to production); Ford's 1991 Crown Victoria, the first project launched under their Concept-to-Customer system; Chaparral Steel's development of the world's first horizontal steel caster; and Hewlett-Packard's wildly successful DeskJet printer. The Perpetual Enterprise Machine delivers the insights of some of the top minds from industry and academia on one of the primary concerns of American business-how to revitalize our manufacturing industries. Visionary-yet engaging and immediately accessible-it gives managers the opportunity to profit from the trials and triumphs of five major corporations, and helps them shape the kinds of projects that will thrive and prosper in the years ahead.


In the context of mapping and mobile vision services, the recognition of objects of the urban infrastructure plays an important role. E.g., the recognition of buildings can foster pointers to relevant information spaces, such as, annotation services, it can provide a semantic index for scene understanding, and can enable more efficient navigation by direct reference to landmark buildings. The presented work provides a generic technology for the recognition of urban objects, i.e., buildings, in terms of a reliable mobile vision service. The presented detection system grounds recognition on a Maximum A Posteriori based decision making on weak object hypotheses from local descriptor responses in the mobile imagery. We present an improvement over standard image descriptors by selecting only informative keys for descriptor matching. Selection is applied first to reduce the complexity of the object model and second to accelerate detection by selective attention. We trained a decision tree to rapidly and efficiently estimate an image descriptor's posterior entropy value, retaining only those keys for thorough analysis and voting with high information content. The experiments were performed on typical, low quality mobile phone imagery on urban tourist sites under varying environment conditions (changes in scale, viewpoint, illumination, varying degrees of partial occlusion). We demonstrate in this challenging outdoor object detection task the superiority in using informative keys to standard descriptors using a publicly available mobile phone image database, reporting increased reliability in object/background separation, accurate object identification, and providing a confidence quality measure that enables a highly stable mobile vision service. We show further results on imagery captured from a mobile mapping van that demonstrate the capability to localize complex objects of interest in un-calibrated imagery within urban environments. * Corresponding author


Carotid artery disease was assessed in 180 patients by means of color Doppler flow imaging. Color Doppler findings in 360 carotid arteries were compared with the results of standard Doppler sonography, and color Doppler findings in 60 bifurcations were compared with the results of intraarterial angiography. The sensitivity of color Doppler for the detection of carotid disease was 100% when compared with angiography. The accuracy of color Doppler in classifying minor (40-60%), moderate (61-80%), and severe (81-90%) stenosis ranged from 91.3% to 97.8% vs standard Doppler sonography, and from 91.7% to 95.8% vs angiography. Whereas all occlusions were identified correctly by both color Doppler and angiography, four pseudoocclusions of the carotid artery were misdiagnosed as occluded. Characteristic features providing reliable criteria of the degree of stenosis are (1) intensity, extent, and duration of color fading; (2) postprocessed systolic peak frequency; (3) plaque extent on serial sonograms; and (4) poststenotic flow patterns. Display of hemodynamic disturbances induced by less pronounced plaques showed highly variable patterns that could not be anticipated from the plaque morphology alone. Thus, color Doppler preserves the advantages of standard Doppler and duplex sonography but provides additional information about otherwise anechoic necrotic and thrombotic material that often causes cerebral embolisms. With atherogenesis, repair mechanisms may be sustained or progression be stopped by reducing the risk factors and instituting medical treatment; thus, the application of this noninvasive technique is important.


Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by an incompletely reversible limitation in airflow. The BODE index was devised to better reflect the multisystem effects of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), allowing for better prognostic estimation than that provided by forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) alone. The grading system, based on four parameters—that is, body mass index, airflow obstruction, Modified Medical Research Council (MMRC) dyspnea score and the 6 min walk distance—was verified by population studies. Materials and Methods: The diagnosed and undiagnosed COPD patients who visited study center for any respiratory complain and further met the inclusion criteria selected as subjects during specified schedule. A total of 100 COPD patients were randomly chosen from the outpatient department and were evaluated via FEV1% ,Six Minute walk test ,Body mass index and MMRC dyspnea score and the BODE score was calculated. Results: We found that there is an association of increasing age with higher BODE categorization.(p=0.034). MMRC grade of the patients is significantly associated with the BODE index (p<0.001). In the MMRC Grade 4, majority of the patients were in BODE 3 index.45% patients were underweight, 41% were normal weight, 12% were overweight and 2% patients were obese. As the BODE index increases, FEV1 progressively decline. (p<0.001).There was highly significant correlation between BODE index and six minute walk distance (p=0.001). The baseline BODE index of the patients is associated with follow-up BODE index(p<0.001).The improvement in distance travelled was observed in the patients of BODE 2 and BODE 3 index with regular follow up and regular treatment. Conclusion: We believe that the BODE index is useful because it includes one domain that quantifies the degree of pulmonary impairment (FEV1), one that captures the patient's perception of symptoms (the MMRC dyspnea scale), and two independent domains (the distance walked in six minutes and the bodymass index) that express the systemic consequences of COPD. BODE score in follow up is a powerful tool in assessing the effect of treatment and progression of the disease.


The assemblage of benthic macroinvertebrates in relation to some selected environmental variables of the two headwater streams of Aiba Reservoir was studied from May 2013 to March 2014. This was with a view to assessing the health status and water quality of the streams, and comparing their taxa richness with similar studies on the reservoir and its out‐flowing stream. A total of 23 taxa were recorded in the study. NO3− and PO43− showed indirect relationships (P < 0.05) with bioindicators of good water quality, while dissolved oxygen (DO) showed indirect relationship (P < 0.05) with bioindicators of poor water quality. The streams were of poor biological water quality, and diversity indices revealed that they were polluted and unstable in habitat structure. Anthropogenic impacts at the upper reaches need to be mitigated and regular biomonitoring of the streams is of the essence, in order to conserve the integrity of the downstream reservoir.


The general idea is to follow the Varieties-of-Capitalism literature on generating indicators on the economic systems actually implemented. However, this literature mostly concentrates on the enterprise (or micro) level in traditional OECD countries, categorizing countries between the extremes: liberal market economies and controlled market economies. It largely neglects the role of the government spending, the transition of former socialist countries and developing countries, and the political process behind the choice of an economic system. We broaden the perspective by combining the Varieties-of-Capitalism with the Worlds-of-Welfare-States literature in order to provide a comprehensive view on government activities in transition. With the perspective of our contribution to WWWforEurope, we concentrate especially on social welfare, innovation systems, macro stability, and, of course, how these aspects work together (or not) and are explained by the political background. We will a cluster analysis for OECD and European transition countries and comparative country studies on Slovakia and Hungary. These countries are of special relevance because they represent extreme cases (Slovakia: significant switch in transition path towards star performer, Hungary: muddling towards problem case). One part of the comparative work concentrates on the comparison of Slovakia with other new EU members that also face to challenge of state building after dissolution of one or the other sort (Czech Rep. and the Baltics). The other part of the comparative work concentrates on Hungary in comparison with the other EU-CEECs. A broad based comparison will most likely be possible on available data only. The possibility for deeper qualitative comparisons will have to be determined during the project. The comparative components will focus on the macroeconomic background (Slovakia) and the welfare state (Hungary) respectively. Cluster analysis (initially forseen for MS25) and comparative country studies allows us to draw conclusions for the EU by providing a first comparison of the position of CEECs with respect to the "old" EU members, most interestingly the southern crisis countries that are often categorized into a form called mixed market economies with sometimes contradicting institutional set ups. Do CEECs converge towards prototype models or do they (still) constitute own models?


This paper proposes a system that provides the sensation of touching virtual objects in a mobile touch panel using a retractable stylus and the mobile touch panel. The proposed system provides a sensation like the stylus is being inserted into the monitor, and that the user is actually touching the object in the screen when the user pushes a retractable stylus downward on the display. A DC motor is mounted in the retractable stylus, and this motor shrinks the length of the stylus based on feedback from a pressure sensor in the tip of the stylus. When the tip of the virtual stylus touches a virtual object, a voice coil motor in the stylus oscillates according to the surface of the virtual object. So the user experiences a sensation like touching the object on the monitor by using the proposed system.


Many different areas of research are addressing reduction of energy in computing systems. These include new semiconductor technologies, low-power design rules, clock gating, and voltage/frequency scaling, just to name a few. This paper presents a new energy reduction approach involving the compiler and computer system architecture. Eliminating unnecessary writes in the system has the potential to reduce energy by 15 percent in the cache-memory hierarchy. Unnecessary writes occur when modified cache lines are evicted and written back to the next cache level or to main memory even though the modified data contained in those lines is no longer needed by the program or does not change the existing memory contents. Unnecessary writes include values in retreating stacks and values in heap objects that have been deallocated. Unnecessary writes also occur as a result of unmodified data values being written back as part of a modified cache line. Unnecessary writes affect a computer system's performance in several ways. The energy used by these writes is wasted energy. The unnecessary writes require execution time as memory bandwidth and they reduce the component lifetime of limited write-cycle technologies such as flash memory or phase-change memory (PCM). This paper characterizes the number and type of unnecessary writes through the memory hierarchy and quantifies the amount of potential energy savings that can be obtained from eliminating unnecessary writes.


Abstract. We use the connection between auroral sightings and rapid geomagnetic field variations in a concept for a Regional Auroral Forecast (RAF) service. The service is based on statistical relationships between near-real-time alerts issued by the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center and magnetic time derivative (dB∕dt) values measured by five MIRACLE magnetometer stations located in Finland at auroral and sub-auroral latitudes. Our database contains NOAA alerts and dB∕dt observations from the years 2002–2012. These data are used to create a set of conditional probabilities, which tell the service user when the probability of seeing auroras exceeds the average conditions in Fennoscandia during the coming 0–12 h. Favourable conditions for auroral displays are associated with ground magnetic field time derivative values (dB∕dt) exceeding certain latitude-dependent threshold values. Our statistical analyses reveal that the probabilities of recording dB∕dt exceeding the thresholds stay below 50 % after NOAA alerts on X-ray bursts or on energetic particle flux enhancements. Therefore, those alerts are not very useful for auroral forecasts if we want to keep the number of false alarms low. However, NOAA alerts on global geomagnetic storms (characterized with Kp values  >  4) enable probability estimates of  >  50 % with lead times of 3–12 h. RAF forecasts thus rely heavily on the well-known fact that bright auroras appear during geomagnetic storms. The additional new piece of information which RAF brings to the previous picture is the knowledge on typical storm durations at different latitudes. For example, the service users south of the Arctic Circle will learn that after a NOAA ALTK06 issuance in night, auroral spotting should be done within 12 h after the alert, while at higher latitudes conditions can remain favourable during the next night.


This study aims to shed new light on the references to the materiality of magic in the description of the witch Pamphile's laboratory at Apul. Met. 3,17,4-5. Through comparing this passage with earlier descriptions of magical paraphernalia in Horace, Lucan, and Petronius and by drawing parallels with non-literary evidence – especially the Papyri Graecae Magicae and the Defixionum Tabellae – it will be shown how Apuleius borrows from the material culture of magic to provide his readership with an exceptionally realistic and gruesome account. Leonardo Costantini is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, where he is working on a new commentary on Apuleius' Metamorphoses 3 to complete the GCA series. His research focuses on the literary and textual aspects of Apuleius' literary works, the ancient novels, writings of the Second Sophistic, taking into account their socio-cultural background with particular attention to Greco-Roman magic. A reworked version of his doctoral dissertation, devoted to Apuleius' Apologia and magic, is forthcoming at De Gruyter, series: Beiträge zur Altertumskunde.


The compositions of lesion types that precede and that may initiate the development of advanced atherosclerotic lesions are described and the possible mechanisms of their development are reviewed. While advanced lesions involve disorganization of the intima and deformity of the artery, such changes are absent or minimal in their precursors. Advanced lesions are either overtly clinical or they predispose to the complications that cause ischemic episodes; precursors are silent and do not lead directly to complications. The precursors are arranged in a temporal sequence of three characteristic lesion types. Types I and II are generally the only lesion types found in children, although they may also occur in adults. Type I lesions represent the very initial changes and are recognized as an increase in the number of intimal macrophages and the appearance of macrophages filled with lipid droplets (foam cells). Type II lesions include the fatty streak lesion, the first grossly visible lesion, and are characterized by layers of macrophage foam cells and lipid droplets within intimal smooth muscle cells and minimal coarse-grained particles and heterogeneous droplets of extracellular lipid. Type III (intermediate) lesions are the morphological and chemical bridge between type II and advanced lesions. Type III lesions appear in some adaptive intimal thickenings (progression-prone locations) in young adults and are characterized by pools of extracellular lipid in addition to all the components of type II lesions.


In this paper, I analyze conversations among family members whose appropriation of media texts represents conversational strategies whereby common ground is exploited for different purposes. In particular, intertextual quotation is shown to 1) allow participants to take evaluative stances towards ongoing conversation, 2) reflect interactive alignment and 3) serve as pragmatic moves to rekey or reframe interaction as strategies for conflict resolution. The data come from recorded conversations among members of a four-person, SwedishAmerican family. Within the case-study family, the intertextual quotation of media texts is primarily established by the parents as a playful act, ratified by repetition and laughter. The association of intertextual quotation and playfulness is subsequently exploited both by parents and children to reframe and rekey potentially contentious interactions.


Physical activity (PA) and limiting sedentary behavior have been recognized as health-promoting behaviors for many years. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, changes in lifestyle habits have occurred, causing disparities in PA practice. This article aimed to examine the characteristics of French adults who self-reported having difficulties in continuing their exercise practices during the pandemic. Multivariate logistic regressions were used to test whether certain demographic, morphologic, behavioral (sleep, sedentary lifestyle, extent of household chores), and exercise-related variables were significant predictors of experiencing such difficulties, based on data from an online survey of insurance company members. Difficulties in PA practice were found in 57% of the population surveyed. Several factors were identified as predictors of experiencing difficulties, including a high BMI, the type and number of physical activities usually practiced before lockdown, as well as the number of times per week dedicated to PA. For the employed population, specific factors were additionally decisive: sex, time spent in front of screens, and sleeping. Our results will allow public health policy makers and stakeholders in PA and prevention to better target populations in difficulty during periods of disruption, such as that of the pandemic; thus, allowing them to propose structural or organizational solutions for the continuity of PA practice.


Humankind, for Gregory of Nyssa, was poisoned through a primordial act of eating the forbidden fruit from the Garden of Eden. As a result, the toxin of sin and death has been blended into the body and soul of each person, dispersing itself throughout the component parts of their nature. If eating and drinking initiated the spiritual and physical degradation of humanity, Gregory argues, then it must also be through eating and drinking—namely, through the Eucharist—that humanity will be healed. This article proposes that Gregory9s instruction on the Eucharist in his Catechetical Oration should be understood as more than merely a metaphorical flourish, more than a clever use of medical imagery at the service of a sacramental theology. Rather, his use of technical medical terminology and concepts about dietetics and pharmacology are an example of medical knowledge being applied within the embodied practices of a particular Christian ritual. That is, when read in light of the crucial medical concept of krasis—in which health and disease are identified as a delicate blending of hot, cold, wet, and dry—we are better able to discern how Gregory9s discussion of ritualized bread-eating functions as a medical intervention into the diseased and dying nature of humanity. In his discussion of food9s power to reconfigure the four fundamental qualities of human physiology, Gregory presents the Eucharistic bread as part of a dietary regimen, a method for blending Christ9s healing and life-giving power into bodies that are currently bent toward death. In this way, the bread is offered as a singularly potent antidote for sicknesses afflicting body and soul alike.


Background. Collaborative relationships support the progress of scientific research by providing a collaborator access to resources, skills, information, and technologies. Studies have highlighted the importance of collaborative relationships among scientists. However, less attention has been paid to the characteristics of the relationships. Objectives. This study identified two key concepts, intellectual and social, as a theoretical approach to investigate collaborative relationships among scientists. Methods. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 27 Taiwanese fishery scientists at the Taiwan Fisheries Research Institute, the Academia Sinica, the National Taiwan University, the National Taiwan Ocean University, and the National Museum of Marine Biology & Aquarium. Results. The results reveal that intellectual relationships among fishery scientists involve solving research puzzles collaboratively, giving informal comments on colleagues' work, and seeking professional recognition. Fishery scientists shape social relationships through academic activities such as collaborating with thesis supervisors as co-authors, selecting research partners according to their professional ability, and contributing to a local or global fish database for building individual professional identity. The fishery scientists considered coauthorship as a core requirement to maintain collaborative relationships. Support from thesis supervisors is important for facilitating collaborative relationships. This support affects the selection of known people as research partners, instead of selecting partners from different countries.


Objective This study aims to compare the efficiency of erbium: yttrium–aluminum–garnet (Er: YAG) laser, carboxytherapy, and platelet-4rich plasma (PRP) in the treatment of striae distensae. Background Striae distance or striae distensae are common dermal scars characterized by flattening and atrophy of the epidermis, and result in considerable aesthetic concern. Patients and methods The study was conducted on 60 female patients with striae in the area between the diaphragm and the knee, whose ages ranged between 16 and 50 years. Cases were collected from the inpatient and outpatient dermatology clinics, Shebin El-Kom Teaching Hospital, in the period from October 2016 to April 2017. Detailed history, and full general and dermatological examination were done; photography and CO2 injection were performed on 20 patients (group A), while PRP injection was done to the resting 20 (group B), and 20 patients were treated by Er: YAG laser (group C). All the potential side effects were discussed with all patients' group prior to their participation. Results The mean age of the patients was 26.39±11.51 years. The most common sites affected by striae distensae were the abdomen, thighs and the hips. There was no significant difference regarding the patients' skin type, duration of striae, and the result at the end of treatment sessions (P>0.05). However, there was a statistically significant difference (P<0.05) regarding the color of striae (P=0.036) and width of striae (P=0.023). Additionally, highly statistically significant (P=0.001) difference was obtained between the studied maneuvers regarding the type of pain and the modality of treatment and the improvement degree (P=0.00). The overall patient's satisfaction after the end of the eighth session of carboxytherapy and the fourth session of PRP and the sixth session of Er: YAG laser was evaluated. The Er: YAG laser has an upper hand on carboxytherapy and PRP injection in the treatment of striae distensae regarding the results and patient's satisfaction. Conclusion The clinical improvement of striae distensae can be obtained with the use of the Er: YAG fractional laser. The results of this study demonstrated the safety and efficacy as well as low-incidence side effects of Er: YAG fractional laser in the treatment of striae distensae as compared with CO2 and PRP. So, more randomized, controlled studies are needed to further evaluate the efficacy of lasers for the treatment of striae distensae among different skin types and different ages.


Photonic devices such as light emitters, detectors, solar cells etc. are playing increasingly important roles in modern society. Yet their structures and designs are still under constant improvement, driven mostly by advances in material science and progress in integration techniques. A common challenge in these devices is to precisely manage transmission and absorption of light when it enters or escapes active regions. In certain devices it is even required to have both high optical transmission as well as high electrical conductivity. The current thesis investigates how structured metallic films can be devised to meet these challenges. Our work demonstrates that nanostructured noble metals can be tailored as either transparent or highly absorptive at wavelengths of interest, with or without electrical conductivity.In the first part of this work, metallic photonic crystals in the form of a thin gold film with an array of holes were fabricated with various geometrical parameters (hole size, pitch and metal thickness) on different substrate materials to investigate the impact of each parameter on the transmittance spectra at mid- to long-wave infrared wavelengths. Pitch size is shown to be the dominating factor for the high-transmittance band positions. Fill factor and metal thickness collectively define the selectivity of the pass bands. The selective transmission of infrared light can be used to improve the performance of infrared detectors. In the second part of this work, a thin-film multilayer structure based on two coupled metal-insulator-metal optical resonators was investigated for achieving a transparent conductor at visible wavelength range. The fabricated silver-based sample has a figure of merit (transmissivity-over-resistance) comparable to that of the traditionally used indium tin oxide. Such structures can potentially be used in light-emitting diodes and displays. In the third part of this work, a thin gold nanoparticle layer is obtained from a thermal annealing process. The interplay between this nanoparticle layer and a substrate metal reflector gives rise to broadband extinction of light at the near-infrared wavelength range. Specular and diffuse reflectances were singled out. Samples with high absorption or high diffuse reflection are identified. The structures can potentially be incorporated in solar cells as diffuse back reflectors or as spectrally selective absorbers for solar thermal collectors. In the fourth part of this work, the possibility of using a metal-insulator-metal structure (based on titanium, alumina, and aluminum) for achieving artificial coloration is explored. Through a diffusion-assisted deposition procedure, the dielectric spacer has a laterally varying thickness. Thereby the sample exhibits a continuum of visible colors. The reflectance spectra of the fabricated sample in the visible range were measured, and agreement to theoretical calculation is found to be very good. The artificial colors can be patterned at various geometries. Their potential application, besides functioning as spectrally selective absorbers in optoelectronic devices, can be used for security applications of consumer and artistic products.


Myopia is a common ocular condition worldwide and the mechanism of myopia is still not clear. A number of animal models of myopia and refractive error development have been proposed. The fact that form deprivation myopia could be induced in tilapia fish, as shown previously in my research, suggests the possibility that tilapia could be a new animal model for myopia research. In the first part of this thesis the tilapia model was perfected and then, based on this model, the effect of systemic hormones (thyroid hormones) associated with eye and body development was investigated during refractive error development. Lastly, the physiological and morphological changes on the retina were further studied with optical coherence tomography (OCT). In these experiments, significant amounts of myopia, and hyperopia were induced within two weeks using goggles with lens inserts as in other higher vertebrate animal models, e.g. chicks. The results from form deprivation treatment also show that the sensitivity of tilapia eyes may be an age related effect during the emmetropization process. The larger the fish, the less hyperopic the fish eye, though the small eye artefact may be a factor. The susceptibility of the refractive development of the eye to the visual environment may be also linked to plasma hormone levels. It was found that induced refractive errors could be shifted in the hyperopic direction with high levels of thyroid hormones. Also, after 2 weeks of treatment with negative or positive lens/goggles, the tilapia retina becomes thinner or thicker, respectively. When the goggles are removed, the thickness of the retina changes within hours and gradually returns to normal.