This article provides a comprehensive solution to the financing of long-term care for older Americans that balances government and family responsibility, while recognizing the different settings in which long-term care is provided. The article begins by examining the spectrum of long-term care in the United States from home health care to assisted living to nursing homes, as well as hybrids such as continuing care retirement communities. Successive sections of the article then analyze the federal government's health care program for older persons (Medicare), the joint state and federal program for poor people of any age (Medicaid), and private long-term care insurance in terms of how these mechanisms treat long-term care in each setting. Finding serious deficiencies and inconsistencies in all three mechanisms, the article then offers a co-ordinated alternative: expand Medicare to cover long-term care in nursing homes but maintain responsibility for other long-term care settings with the affected individuals and their families. This approach recognizes that nursing home care substitutes for hospital care that Medicare would otherwise cover, while other long-term care settings substitute for family-provided care. Long-term care insurance would then be used as a means of financing long-term care in settings other than nursing homes, thereby making it more appealing. In addition, such insurance would be less expensive than presently, because it would no longer be priced to cover costly nursing home care. The article also recommends that such insurance be improved by standardizing policy options and features into a fixed set of packages that would be uniform among carriers. Other recommendations include ensuring price stability of issued policies and providing independent reviews of gatekeeper claim denials. The article concludes with some observations regarding financing of these proposals.


The majority of conventional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are not designed to specifically remove xenobiotic organic compounds or the priority pollutants identified by the Water Framework Directive. The main removal mechanisms which operate during the wastewater treatment process and are capable of effectively reducing the concentrations of conventional pollutants are sorption, volatilisation and biodegradation. These processes can be modelled through the application of the appropriate physico-chemical properties of specific pollutants i.e. the octanol-water partition coefficient (Kow) for sorption, Henry's Law constant (Kh) for volatilisation losses and either the appropriate decay rate constant or the half-life for the persistence of the pollutant for biodegradation. There is a significant lack of available experimental field data for many of the priority substances and so three different modelling approaches have been use to assess the fates of pollutants through both the primary and secondary treatment stages. Generally good agreement was observed between the models with regard to removal efficiencies during primary treatment. However, significant differences existed for secondary treatment, with the Byrns and STPWIN models being the most reliable when compared to the experimental data which was available. However, high removal is not necessarily consistent with protection of the aquatic environment where effluent concentrations play a significant role. These values need to be determined for priority pollutants leaving wastewater treatment plants.


Beginning with the Maxwell's equations for an isotropic nonlinear medium, we have obtained vector slowly varying amplitude equations. The equations are a nonparaxial vector generalization of the well-known scalar 3D+1 nonlinear Schrodinger equation. We have determined the dispersion region and medium parameters necessary for experimental observation of wave propagation described by these equations. We show that these equations admit exact vortex solutions with spin l=1. For the case of two vortices, we also obtain exact analytical expressions describing their interaction. Stability and interaction properties of these vortices are also investigated numerically by a split-step Fourier method. Finally, we discuss applications of these vortices in the area of nuclear fusion and the stabilization of laser pulses.


We present quantitative measurements and calculations of the spin–orbit-induced zero magnetic field spin-splitting in GaAs two-dimensional hole systems. The magneto-resistance oscillations in this system show a clear beating pattern which results from the unequal densities of the two spin subbands. We present a Fourier analysis technique that de-convolves the magneto-oscillations of the two subbands. The temperature dependence of the de-convolved oscillations allows us to deduce the effective masses of the subbands without assuming parabolic dispersions for the two subbands. Next, we demonstrate that heavy hole systems in heterostructures exhibit a decrease in spin-splitting with an increase in perpendicular electric field. Our results are in contrast to the more familiar case of electrons where spin-splitting increases with electric field. Another external parameter that effects spin-splitting is strain. We report direct measurements of the spin–orbit interaction-induced spin-splitting in a hole system as a function of anisotropic, in-plane strain. In addition, our piezoresistance measurements reveal a strong dependence on density and the direction along which the resistance is measured. In the end, we present Aharonov–Bohm resistance oscillations in a shallow two-dimensional GaAs hole ring structure, defined by local anodic surface oxidation. The amplitude of the oscillations is about 10% of the ring resistance, the strongest seen in a hole system.


Vaccination is the most effective strategy to prevent influenza. It is recommended that influenza vaccine be administered each year before the influenza season, i.e. from March to June, although for individuals at increased risk of severe influenza in whom vaccination was missed, vaccine may be administered later. For a review of the 2015 influenza season and ongoing real-time updates of the 2016 influenza season when it starts, refer to the website of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases of the National Health Laboratory Service (www.nicd.ac.za). In this article we provide recommendations for the use of influenza vaccines in anticipation of the 2016 Southern Hemisphere influenza season. Guidance is based on available evidence to assist clinicians in making decisions regarding influenza vaccination. It should be noted that this article includes general recommendations for vaccination with influenza vaccines available in South Africa and may differ from groups targeted in specific vaccination programmes, e.g. the National Department of Health Programme.


Dissociation of a plant receptor kinase inhibitor from its substrate is mediated by tyrosine phosphorylation. Despite sharing similar domain architecture, it is likely that receptor kinases evolved separately in plants and animals. Although plant receptor kinases are most closely related to an invertebrate cytoplasmic serine-threonine kinase, two receptor kinases that participate in brassinosteroid signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana demonstrate tyrosine autophosphorylation. Upon ligand binding to its extracellular domain, the receptor kinase BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE 1 (BRI1) undergoes a conformational change that activates its kinase domain, resulting in multiple autophosphorylation events and the release of its inhibitor BRI1 KINASE INHIBITOR (BKI1) from the plasma membrane. Jaillais et al. identified a motif in BKI1 that was required for its localization to the plasma membrane and found that BKI1 released from the membrane in brassinosteroid-treated plants was tyrosine-phosphorylated. BKI1 was not tyrosine-phosphorylated in bri1 null mutants, nor was it phosphorylated by a kinase-dead version of BRI1 in vitro. Mutating tyrosine residue 211 of BKI1's membrane localization domain to phenylalanine (Y211F) prevented both tyrosine phosphorylation of BKI1 and its dissociation from the membrane in response to brassinosteroid stimulation. Overexpression of BKI1Y211F in plants caused a dwarf phenotype similar to that resulting from overexpression of a constitutively membrane-localized version of BKI1, whereas overexpression of BKI1Y211D, which is constitutively cytosolic, gave rise to no abnormal phenotype. The authors determined that a C-terminal domain of BKI1 was required for its interaction with the kinase domain of BRI1 in vitro and that mutation or deletion of the BKI1 C-terminal domain prevented both the dwarf phenotype induced by BKI1 overexpression and coimmunoprecipitation of BKI1 with BRI1. The C-terminal domain of BKI1 bound to a region of BRI1 that is required for the interaction of BRI1 with its coreceptor BAK1, suggesting that BKI1 inhibited BRI1 activity by preventing receptor heterodimerization. Regulation of the subcellular localization of proteins is one of the many effects of tyrosine phosphorylation in animals, and this observation of a similar role for tyrosine phosphorylation in a plant suggests that plant and animal receptor kinase signaling systems, despite having evolved independently, may have converged on a common mechanism for regulation. Y. Jaillais, M. Hothorn, Y. Belkhadir, T. Dabi, Z. L. Nimchuk, E. M. Meyerowitz, J. Chory, Tyrosine phosphorylation controls brassinosteroid receptor activation by triggering membrane release of its kinase inhibitor. Genes Dev. 25, 232–237 (2011). [Abstract] [Full Text]


Mathematics, rightly viewed, possesses not only truth, but supreme beauty—a beauty cold and austere, like that of sculpture, without appeal to any part of our weaker nature, without the gorgeous trappings of painting or music, yet sublimely pure, and capable of a stern perfection such as only the greatest art can show. The true spirit of delight, the exaltation, the sense of being more than man, which is the touchstone of the highest excellence, is to be found in mathematics as surely as in poetry. Bertrand Russell, The Study of Mathematics, 19022


Wolfram syndrome (WFS) (MIM22230, chromosome 4; MIM 598500, mitochondrial) referred to as DIDMOAD (Diabetes Insipidus, Diabetes Mellitus, Optic Atrophy, Deafness), firstly described in 1938 by Wolfram and Wagener, is a rare neurodegenerative autosomal-recessive disorder mainly characterized by juvenile-onset Diabetes Mellitus (DM) by the age of 7 year and Optic Atrophy(OA) by 11 years of age. Other features include diabetes insipidus, sensorineural hearing loss, peripheral-neuropathy, ataxia, psychiatric problems, renal-tract abnormalities, and bladder-atony. Clinical diagnosis of WFS was confirmed by existence of DM and OA at an early age in the affected patients. WFS can be of; Type 1- mutations in WFS1 gene located at 4p16.1.116 chromosome and Type 2- mutation in WFS2 (CISD2) gene located at chromosome 4Q22-Q24, of Mitochondrial DNA. Disruption of the function of Wolframin, a transmembrane protein encoded by WFS1, has been found to cause early apoptosis, accounting for progressive beta-cell loss and neuronal degeneration associated with disease.


Collective Action and the Civil Rights Movement is a theoretical study of the dynamics of public-spirited collective action as well as a substantial study of the American civil rights movement and the local and national politics that surrounded it. In this major historical application of rational choice theory to a social movement, Dennis Chong reexamines the problem of organizing collective action by focusing on the social, psychological, and moral incentives of political activism that are often neglected by rational choice theorists. Using game theoretic concepts as well as dynamic models, he explores how rational individuals decide to participate in social movements and how these individual decisions translate into collective outcomes. In addition to applying formal modeling to the puzzling and important social phenomenon of collective action, he offers persuasive insights into the political and psychological dynamics that provoke and sustain public activism. This remarkably accessible study demonstrates how the civil rights movement succeeded against difficult odds by mobilizing community resources, resisting powerful opposition, and winning concessions from the government.


In this book we have gathered a number of prominent scholars who analyze the developments of information and law from their respective perspective. The papers were first presented at a colloquium at the Faculty of Law, Uppsala University in September 2014.The book is divided into two parts. The first part of the book is comprised of the contributions having a more general scope; developments within a new landscape, regulatory matters and questions relating to security, technology and information. The second part sets information and law in contexts and focuses towards more specific matters; fundamental rights in a new context, issues relating to the right to be forgotten and finally, welfare, health and research.The Internet and other information and communication technologies have created exciting new possibilities for connecting individuals across borders and continents. The new technologies also raise significant legal, ethical and political concerns. The Internet has thus permitted the instantaneous dissemination of information as well as created an entirely new arena for hate speech. New information and communication technologies have made possible the creation of large registries and databases with the potential to lead to effective cross-border law enforcement, foster important new research as well as unwarranted mapping of individual persons' private life. How society responds to this can have an impact on how we perceive democracy, and the realization of the rule of law, as well as on transparency and legitimacy in communication between individuals and states. It also affects the relationship between the public sphere and the individual.


In the politico-religious history of the Deuteronomists, past, present and future mingle in an often inextricable way. Long obsolete traditions, which had been unacceptable to the Davidic dynasty, were rediscovered and adapted to the aims of the Deuteronomists. Personages of the past were condemned and blackened in the light of the new ideology, whereas others were glorified and embellished as heroes of faith because their ideas suited the historians. This inevitably raises the question whether the Bible can be trusted as a source book for writing a history of Israel. Apparently not, say scholars like T.L. Thompson, P.R. Davies and N.P. Lemche. In this volume a number of authors take up this challenge, stating that the radical rejection of the biblical testimony in favour of a history based mainly on archaeology is ill-advised. Several contributions to this volume draw instructive parallels between the process of re-writing the history of South Africa and the work of the Deuteronomists.


Earth resources satellites have provided a means for the timely, efficient, and accurate monitoring of watershed snowcovered area. Several techniques are available for analysing the data ranging from simple photointerpretation to automated digital methods. Although photointerpretation methods are completely suitable and recommended for many applications, it is believed that a highly interactive digital processing system, when combined with a skilled remote sensing applications specialist, will provide maximum operational use of satellite snowcover observations. Several studies have shown that satellite-observed snowcovered area is significantly related to various expressions of seasonal streamflow. The results indicate that snowcovered area could be incorporated into conventional snowmelt runoff prediction methods as an additional index parameter for improving streamflow estimates. Additionally, the snowcovered area data are compatible with several numerical hydrologic models and quasioperational tests are being conducted.


Aim/Purpose: New models of curriculum and instruction are needed to help increase completion rates of doctoral programs, as only about half of all students who begin doctoral programs complete them. This paper presents preliminary results of an evaluation of a promising new model called the Ewing Model© where the culminating projects of a doctoral program is completed in a series of five sequential courses with a cohort.

Background: The Ewing Model©, a new model for completing a doctoral research project (DRP) in an online Doctor of Education (EdD) program, was implemented and evaluated for two predictors of doctoral program completion – social connectedness and usefulness of the curriculum and instruction. Previous research has shown these are salient factors predicting doctoral student success.

Methodology: This was a cross-sectional, quantitative study. An online survey of students who were in the midst of taking one of five sequential DRP courses was emailed in the middle of a term. Survey question answers were posed as 5-point Likert scale options, and means were calculated.

Contribution: This paper provides evidence that the Ewing Model© for completing a culminating project in a doctoral program that facilitates social connectedness and provides structure might be effective in helping students to complete their doctoral programs.

Findings: Social connectedness and usefulness of the curriculum and instruction were generally high among students going through the DRP process. The frequency of online discussion forums was found to play a role in how connected students felt.

Recommendations for Practitioners: Institutions of higher education could consider using a similar model to achieve improved social connectedness and usefulness of the curriculum and instruction, which may help doctoral students complete their doctoral programs. They might also consider incorporating other teaching strategies into the same model that may intervene on other predictors of doctoral program completion.

Recommendation for Researchers: Researchers should take into account that many other individual and environmental factors besides social connectedness and usefulness of the curriculum and instruction influence doctoral program completion.

Impact on Society: The findings have implications for improving doctoral program completion rates, which also alleviates the economic, social, and emotional strain that results from unfinished doctoral degrees.

Future Research: Future research could focus on evaluating variations of the Ewing Model© depending on the unique requirements of different types of culminating projects in doctoral programs, assessing other known predictors of doctoral program completion besides social connectedness and usefulness of the curriculum and instruction, and assessing student completion rates using this model.


A new species of deep-reef fish in the goby genus Palatogobius is described from recent submersible collections off Curaçao and Dominica. Video footage of schools of this species reveal predation by the invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois spp.), the first record of undescribed fauna potentially being eaten by lionfish outside of its native range. We present molecular phylogenetic data for all valid species of Palatogobius and related genera, as well as a taxonomic key to the species of Palatogobius and a generic key to Palatogobius and related genera in the western Atlantic. Lastly, we discuss ecological and behavioral aspects of some deep-reef fishes in light of potential threats from invasive lionfish.


Extracted text; In the United States (U.S.) there are 6.4 million pregnancies per year, over half of which (51%) are unintended. At the time of hospital discharge many women do not have a postpartum contraception plan which puts them at risk for an unintended pregnancy. The consequences of unintended pregnancy for women, children, society and the healthcare system can be devastating. Healthy People 2020 recognized pregnancy and postpartum health behaviors as national objectives but did not include contraception. In 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported an especially high-unmet need for contraception in postpartum women.
The purpose of this educational counseling intervention was to address contraception education and planning for the postpartum period using the Plan-Do-Study-Act Cycle as a conceptual framework. The target population was postpartum patients who received their antenatal care at East Carolina University Women's Physicians and Brody School of Medicine Outpatient Center (ECU OB/GYN). The methodology for this educational counseling intervention was to (a) perform a retrospective chart review to assess if postpartum contraception education was introduced prenatally and at hospital discharge, (b) implement an educational intervention for providers using the Diffusion of Innovations framework, and (c) perform a prospective chart review following implementation of the educational intervention at hospital discharge. The goal of this educational intervention was to formulate a plan to ensure all prenatal patients received standard education regarding postpartum contraception and were discharged after delivery with a well-defined plan for contraception.


When using acoustic wave devices as sensors, responses arise from perturbations in wave-propagation characteristics (velocity and attenuation) caused by wave interactions with a surface layer. Simultaneous measurement of both velocity and attenuation changes helps elucidate the wave-perturbation mechanisms. A number of wave-surface-layer interactions have been investigated involving surface acoustic waves (SAWs) in the gas phase and acoustic plate modes (APMs) in liquids. These include mass loading of a SAW, acoustoelectric interactions between SAWs and a conductive film overlay, mass loading of an APM, and viscous coupling of an APM to an adjacent liquid medium.<<ETX>>


Abstract. We have investigated the behaviour of light scattering by particulates of various sizes (0.1 μm to 100 μm) at a small scattering angle (below 20°). It has been previously shown that, for a small angle, the scattered intensities are weakly dependent upon the particulates' composition (Renard et al., 2010). Particles found in the atmosphere exhibit roughness that leads to large discrepancies with the classical Mie solution in terms of scattered intensities in the low angular set-up. This article focuses on building an effective theoretical tool to predict the behaviour of light scattering by real particulates at a small scattering angle. We present both the classical Mie theory and its adaptation to the case of rough particulates with a fairly simple roughness parameterisation. An experimental device was built, corresponding to the angular set-up of interest (low scattering angle and therefore low angular aperture). Measurements are presented that confirm the theoretical results with good agreement. It was found that differences between the classical Mie solution and actual measurements – especially for large particulates – can be attributed to the particulate roughness. It was also found that, in this low angular set-up, saturation of the scattered intensities occurs for relatively small values of the roughness parameter. This confirms the low variability in the scattered intensities observed for atmospheric particulates of different kinds. A direct interest of this study is a broadening of the dynamic range of optical counters: using a small angle of aperture for measurements allows greater dynamics in terms of particle size. Thus it allows a single device to observe a broad range of particle sizes whilst utilising the same electronics.


Attribute Based Access Control (ABAC) mechanisms have been attracting a lot of interest from the research community in recent times. This is especially because of the flexibility and extensibility it provides by using attributes assigned to subjects as the basis for access control. ABAC enables an administrator of a server to enforce access policies on the data, services and other such resources fairly easily. It also accommodates new policies and changes to existing policies gracefully, thereby making it a potentially good mechanism for implementing access control in large systems, particularly in today's age of Cloud Computing. However management of the attributes in ABAC environment is an area that has been little touched upon. Having a mechanism to allow multiple ABAC based systems to share data and resources can go a long way in making ABAC scalable. At the same time each system should be able to specify their own attribute sets independently . In the research presented in this document a new mechanism is proposed that would enable users to share resources and data in a cloud environment using ABAC techniques in a distributed manner. The focus is mainly on decentralizing the access policy specifications for the shared data so that each data owner can specify the access policy independent of others. The concept of ontologies and semantic web is introduced in the ABAC paradigm that would help in giving a scalable structure to the attributes and also allow systems having different sets of attributes to communicate and share resources.


Understanding water movement through a glacier is fundamental to several critical issues in glaciology, including glacier dynamics, glacier‐induced floods, and the prediction of runoff from glacierized drainage basins. To this end we have synthesized a conceptual model of water movement through a temperate glacier from the surface to the outlet stream. Processes that regulate the rate and distribution of water input at the glacier surface and that regulate water movement from the surface to the bed play important but commonly neglected roles in glacier hydrology. Where a glacier is covered by a layer of porous, permeable firn (the accumulation zone), the flux of water to the glacier interior varies slowly because the firn temporarily stores water and thereby smooths out variations in the supply rate. In the firn‐free ablation zone, in contrast, the flux of water into the glacier depends directly on the rate of surface melt or rainfall and therefore varies greatly in time. Water moves from the surface to the bed through an upward branching arborescent network consisting of both steeply inclined conduits, formed by the enlargement of intergranular veins, and gently inclined conduits, spawned by water flow along the bottoms of near‐surface fractures (crevasses). Englacial drainage conduits deliver water to the glacier bed at a limited number of points, probably a long distance downglacier of where water enters the glacier. Englacial conduits supplied from the accumulation zone are quasi steady state features that convey the slowly varying water flux delivered via the firn. Their size adjusts so that they are usually full of water and flow is pressurized. In contrast, water flow in englacial conduits supplied from the ablation area is pressurized only near times of peak daily flow or during rainstorms; flow is otherwise in an open‐channel configuration. The subglacial drainage system typically consists of several elements that are distinct both morphologically and hydrologically. An upglacier branching, arborescent network of channels incised into the basal ice conveys water rapidly. Much of the water flux to the bed probably enters directly into the arborescent channel network, which covers only a small fraction of the glacier bed. More extensive spatially is a nonarborescent network, which commonly includes cavities (gaps between the glacier sole and bed), channels incised into the bed, and a layer of permeable sediment. The nonarborescent network conveys water slowly and is usually poorly connected to the arborescent system. The arborescent channel network largely collapses during winter but reforms in the spring as the first flush of meltwater to the bed destabilizes the cavities within the nonarborescent network. The volume of water stored by a glacier varies diurnally and seasonally. Small, temperate alpine glaciers seem to attain a maximum seasonal water storage of ∼200 mm of water averaged over the area of the glacier bed, with daily fluctuations of as much as 20–30 mm. The likely storage capacity of subglacial cavities is insufficient to account for estimated stored water volumes, so most water storage may actually occur englacially. Stored water may also be released abruptly and catastrophically in the form of outburst floods.


All aspire to liberty and security in their lives but few people truly enjoy them. This book explains why this is so. In what Conor Gearty calls our 'neo-democratic' world, the proclamation of universal liberty and security is mocked by facts on the ground: the vast inequalities in supposedly free societies, the authoritarian regimes with regular elections, and the terrible socio-economic deprivation camouflaged by cynically proclaimed commitments to human rights.

Gearty's book offers an explanation of how this has come about, providing also a criticism of the present age which tolerates it. He then goes on to set out a manifesto for a better future, a place where liberty and security can be rich platforms for everyone's life.

The book identifies neo-democracies as those places which play at democracy so as to disguise the injustice at their core. But it is not just the new 'democracies' that have turned 'neo', the so-called established democracies are also hurtling in the same direction, as is the United Nations.

A new vision of universal freedom is urgently required. Drawing on scholarship in law, human rights and political science this book argues for just such a vision, one in which the great achievements of our democratic past are not jettisoned as easily as were the socialist ideals of the original democracy-makers.


Metadata interoperability is a fundamental requirement for access to information within networked knowledge organization systems. The Harmony international digital library project [1] has developed a common underlying data model (the ABC model) to enable the scalable mapping of metadata descriptions across domains and media types. The ABC model [2] provides a set of basic building blocks for metadata modeling and recognizes the importance of 'events' to describe unambiguously metadata for objects with a complex history. To test and evaluate the interoperability capabilities of this model, we applied it to some real multimedia examples and analysed the results of mapping from the ABC model to various different metadata domains using XSLT [3]. This work revealed serious limitations in the ability of XSLT to support flexible dynamic semantic mapping. To overcome this, we developed MetaNet [4], a metadata term thesaurus which provides the additional semantic knowledge that is non-existent within declarative XML-encoded metadata descriptions. This paper describes MetaNet, its RDF Schema [5] representation and a hybrid mapping approach which combines the structural and syntactic mapping capabilities of XSLT with the semantic knowledge of MetaNet, to enable flexible and dynamic mapping among metadata standards.


M ore than 70% of our earth is covered by water, yet we have explored less than 5% of the aquatic environment. Aquatic robots, such as autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), and their supporting infrastructure play a major role in the collection of oceanographic data (e.g., [11], [17], and [29]). To make new discoveries and improve our overall understanding of the ocean, scientists must make use of these platforms by implementing effective monitoring and sampling techniques to study ocean upwelling, tidal mixing, and other ocean processes. Effective observation and continual monitoring of a dynamic system as complex as the ocean cannot be done with one instrument in a fixed location. A more practical approach is to deploy a collection of static and mobile sensors, where the information gleaned from the acquired data is distributed across the network. Additionally, orchestrating a multisensor, long-term deployment with a high volume of distributed data involves a robust, rapid, and cost-effective communication network. Connecting all of these components , which form an aquatic robotic system, in synchronous operation can greatly assist the scientists in improving our overall understanding of the complex ocean environment. The Center for Integrated Networked Aquatic Platforms [CINAPS (pronounced as sin-aps)] is located at the University


Mitral and aortic valve replacement is a procedure which is common in cardiac surgery. Some of these replacement valves are mechanical and contain moving metal parts. Should the patient in whom such a valve has been implanted be involved in magnetic resonance imaging, there is a possible dangerous interaction between the moving metal parts and the static magnetic field due to the Lenz effect. Mathematical models of two relatively common forms of single-leaflet valves have been derived and the magnitude of the torque which opposes the motion of the valve leaflet has been calculated for a valve disc of solid metal. In addition, a differential model of a ring-strengthener valve type has been considered to determine the likely significance of the Lenz effect in the context of the human heart. For common magnetic field strengths at present, i.e. 1 to 2 T, the effect is not particularly significant. However, there is a marked increase in back pressure as static magnetic field strength increases. There are concerns that, since field strengths in the range 3 to 4 T are increasingly being used, the Lenz effect could become significant. At 5 to 10 T the malfunction of the mechanical heart valve could cause the heart to behave as though it is diseased. For unhealthy or old patients this could possibly prove fatal.


In 2017 a silicate rock test material was re-issued in the geoanalytical proficiency test GeoPT after an interval of 18 years. The second distribution was participant-blind. Consensus values (for each analyte for which measurements were submitted by a sufficient number of participants) were compared and tested for significant difference in location. Such an experiment can provide information about the stability of both the test material and—the main focus of the present paper—the assigned values, which are consensus values as estimated location parameters. The validity of a consensus as an assigned value in proficiency testing has often been questioned in metrological thinking although there is seldom a practicable alternative. Over the whole suit of analytes, there was no indication of change in the location estimates. This is a remarkable finding, given the incidental changes that had occurred between the two rounds of the proficiency test, especially (a) changes in the analytical technology used, (b) the turnover in participant laboratories, and (c) the large increase in emphasis on data quality in the intervening period.


Delfabbro, P., & Hammarstrom, A. (2014). Is early alcohol consumption related to adult alcohol use? Longitudinal analyses based on the Northern Sweden Cohort. The International Journal Of Alcohol And Drug Research, 3 (4), 227-233. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.7895/ijadr.v3i4.187 Aim: This paper examines whether early alcohol consumption is related to adult alcohol consumption and self-reported health. Design: 1,083 people were tracked from the age of 16 years in 1981 to the age of 43, with 94% of the living respondents (n = 1,010) retained in the study. Setting: Data were drawn from the Northern Swedish Cohort study. Measures: Alcohol consumption at age 16 was the independent measure. Dependent measures included the level of alcohol consumption at age 43 years and self-reported health status. Socio-demographic control variables included parental relationship status, occupational status and employment, as well as the respondent's smoking status and level of social alienation. Findings: Women who drank alcohol at greater amounts at age 16 were more likely to drink at a higher level at age 43. No relationship was found between male consumption at age 16 and health or alcohol consumption at age 43. Alcohol consumption at age 16 was not significantly related to self-reported health at age 43 after other background variables had been controlled. Conclusions: The results partially support previous research indicating an association between adolescent and longer-term adult drinking and health, but also highlight the importance of examining the role of socio-demographic factors as influential confounding variables.


Relatively recently, the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) claims that experiential legal education might negatively harm bar passage performance. Nevertheless, experiential learning opportunities, and, in particular, externships, are some of the most meaningful educational opportunities available to law school students. That raises an important empirical question, given the increasing emphasis of legal educators in providing more experiential learning opportunities for law students and the widespread participation of students, especially in externship programs, as one type of experiential learning opportunity. Do externship experiences have demonstrable value in positively influencing bar exam outcomes, or, as the NCBE seems to suggest, do externships negatively impact bar exam outcomes? This article walks step-by-step through the process of evaluating whether externship participation at our law school has any statistical relationship to bar exam scores, particularly for academically-struggling law school students. Initially, using longitudinal bar passage data over a three-year period, this study observes that students participating in externships positively outperform non-participants in bar passage rates, particularly for those students that struggled academically in law school. However, based on further statistical evaluation using regression analysis, this article finds that externship participation (to include number of externships taken) has no observable statistical relationship to bar exam scores, either positive or negative, leading to the conclusion that the NCBE's claim, at least based on our bar takers with respect to externship participation, seems to be without merit.


As part of wider social and democratic governance reforms, the Government of Ghana embarked on a process of education decentralization in 1987 (GOG, 1996). The central focus of this policy was the prescription of community participation in the affairs of school in each locality (Essuman & Akyeampong, 2011). Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) policy recommends the formation of School Management Committees (SMCs), governing bodies and Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) by individual schools to work hand-in-hand with the head teacher and guide him/her in school policy formulation (GES, 2001). Capacity has become a topical issue in decentralisation discourse and critics of the latter have argued against the lack of technical and human resource availability at the local level (De Grauwe et al., 2005; Robinson, 2007), but unfortunately, research on capacity of formal governance bodies appears to have been less undertaken in poorer rural areas in Ghana. In recognition of this, the study sought to understand the nature and quality of capacity and how that impact on participation in school from the perspectives of SMCs in two rural school communities in Effutu Municipality. The study adopted qualitative methods of focus groups, supported by some initial documentary analysis to gain understanding of school governance from key stakeholder perspectives. The findings revealed that although formal school governing bodies existed in the rural study communities, many of the SMC members lacked human and material resource to engage fully in school management. The study recommends capacity building and training programmes to enable the SMC members upgrade their knowledge and skills in school governance.


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In this book Greg Elmer brings the perspectives of cultural and media studies to the subject of consumer profiling and feedback technology in the digital economy. He examines the multiplicity of processes that monitor consumers and automatically collect, store, and cross-reference personal information. When we buy a book at Amazon.com or a kayak from L.L. Bean, our transactions are recorded, stored, and deployed to forecast our future behavior--thus we may receive solicitations to buy another book by the same author or the latest in kayaking gear. Elmer charts this process, explaining the technologies that make it possible and examining the social and political implications.Elmer begins by establishing a theoretical framework for his discussion, proposing a "diagrammatic approach" that draws on but questions Foucault's theory of surveillance. In the second part of the book, he presents the historical background of the technology of consumer profiling, including such pre-electronic tools as the census and the warranty card, and describes the software and technology in use today for demographic mapping. In the third part, he looks at two case studies--a marketing event sponsored by Molson that was held in the Canadian Arctic (contrasting the attendees and the indigenous inhabitants) and the use of "cookies" to collect personal information on the World Wide Web, which (along with other similar technologies) automate the process of information collection and cross-referencing. Elmer concludes by considering the politics of profiling, arguing that we must begin to question our everyday electronic routines.


Understanding the impacts and synergies of the many threats facing tropical forests is a key research challenge. Here, three potential threats are addressed: drought, fire and
lianas. Using a network of 31 plots, changes attributed to these threats are addressed over two decades in Ghanaian forests.

Ghana experienced a multi-decade drought beginning in the early 1970s. The impact of this drought on functional composition and forest structure was tested. The results show clear shifts in functional composition. Despite this, biomass increased during the study period. This suggests that shifting species composition in favour of drought-tolerant species increases the resilience of tropical forests to long-term drought.

A strong El Nino event in 1983 led to widespread wildfires in the Ghanaian forest zone. To test the long-term impacts of these fires the structure and composition of seven burnt
plots and three control plots were compared. 27 years after initial fires, stem density and biomass were reduced in burnt plots, and composition was characteristic of disturbed
forest. Over the twenty year study period, forest structure showed evidence of regeneration, but no recovery of floristic composition was observed.

In contrast to the large increase in lianas observed in the Neotropics, there was only a very slight increase in the percentage of infested trees over the study period. Forest
structure was found to be the main driver of liana spatial distribution. Importantly, large lianas showed different spatial patterns, as forest turnover was the strongest predictor of large liana distribution.

Overall, fire was found to be the strongest threat, having a large and long-term impact on forest structure and composition. The results highlight that the prevention of fire occurrence should be a priority in tropical forest regions, as should the maintenance of biodiversity to maximise the resilience of forest to external changes.


Background: Ischaemic cardiovascular disease, including myocardial infarction and stroke, is the
leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Atherosclerosis and coronary
artery disease, which underpin ischaemic cardiovascular disorders, are characterised
by chronic inflammation of the blood vessel wall and endothelial dysfunction. C-type
natriuretic peptide (CNP) has recently been identified as an endothelium-derived
hyperpolarising factor with anti-atherogenic properties. The studies described herein
investigated the hypothesis that the vasoprotective profile of CNP includes opposing
effects on endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and regulation of
blood pressure.
Methods: Cellular incorporation of bromodeoxyuridine was used to determine cell proliferation
and immunoblotting was employed to assess expression/activity of intracellular
signalling proteins in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and rat aortic
smooth muscle cells (RAoSMC). An endothelium specific CNP knockout (ecCNP
KO) mouse model was developed and organ bath pharmacology utilised to assess
vascular reactivity in vitro, and radiotelemetric monitoring used to determine blood
pressure in vivo.
Principal findings: CNP augmented HUVEC proliferation in a natriuretic peptide receptor (NPR)-Cdependent
fashion by up-regulating the cell cycle promoter, cyclin D1. In contrast,
CNP increased expression of the cell cycle inhibitors p21waf1/cip1/p27kip1 in RAoSMC
and reduced cell growth; the pro- and anti-mitogenic effects of CNP were mediated in
an extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2-dependent manner. Vascular
reactivity and endothelial function were disrupted in isolated aortae from female
ecCNP KO mice compared to WT, whilst in males was unchanged. Female ecCNP
KO mice were hypertensive. Conclusions: The anti-atherogenic properties of CNP are mediated in part by NPR-C and ERK 1/2
signalling, resulting in a differential regulation of cell cycle proteins that promotes
endothelial cell proliferation and inhibits smooth muscle cell growth. Moreover,
endothelium-derived CNP is key to blood pressure regulation in females. These data
suggest that targeting CNP/NPR-C signalling may represent a novel approach for the
treatment of cardiovascular disease.


Objectives:
The present study examined the effects of a pre-existing relationship between co-witnesses on memory conformity. The study aimed to identify whether eyewitnesses were at a higher risk of conforming to co-witnesses that they were familiar with, than to unfamiliar co-witnesses.
Design:
The study utilised a novel experimental paradigm in which participants viewed footage of a crime before partaking in a post-event discussion with their group. It employed a three-way between subjects design, where participants either had a pre-existing relationship with their co-witnesses, had no previous relations to their co-witnesses, or were not permitted to discuss the event with their co-witnesses (control).
Methods:
Four hundred twenty participants took part in the study. They were placed into groups of five and viewed a CCTV footage of bar fight breaking out, due to the ambiguity of the footage, there was a clear heterogeneity of statements. Participants then took part in a post-event discussion with group members before giving individual statements.
Results:
A one-way between groups analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted. Results indicated that eyewitness groups with pre-existing relationships had a significantly higher level of statement similarity than eyewitnesses in the control and no-relations conditions. There were no significant differences in statement similarity between eyewitnesses who discussed the event with strangers and eyewitnesses in the control groups.
Conclusions:
 The results indicate that eyewitnesses are more likely to accept misinformation from peers than from strangers. Explanations for the findings, along with implication for police interventions, are discussed.


Abstract. New-particle formation in the plumes of coal-fired power plants and other anthropogenic sulfur sources may be an important source of particles in the atmosphere. It remains unclear, however, how best to reproduce this formation in global and regional aerosol models with grid-box lengths that are 10s of kilometers and larger. The predictive power of these models is thus limited by the resultant uncertainties in aerosol size distributions. In this paper, we focus on sub-grid sulfate aerosol processes within coal-fired power plant plumes: the sub-grid oxidation of SO 2 with condensation of H 2 SO 4 onto newly-formed and pre-existing particles. We have developed a modeling framework with aerosol microphysics in the System for Atmospheric Modelling (SAM), a Large-Eddy Simulation/Cloud-Resolving Model (LES/CRM). The model is evaluated against aircraft observations of new-particle formation in two different power-plant plumes and reproduces the major features of the observations. We show how the downwind plume aerosols can be greatly modified by both meteorological and background aerosol conditions. In general, new-particle formation and growth is greatly reduced during polluted conditions due to the large pre-existing aerosol surface area for H 2 SO 4 condensation and particle coagulation. The new-particle formation and growth rates are also a strong function of the amount of sunlight and NO x since both control OH concentrations. The results of this study highlight the importance for improved sub-grid particle formation schemes in regional and global aerosol models.


Biogeochemical processes on exposed pyrite ores result in extremely high levels of sulfuric acid at these locations. Acidophiles that thrive in these conditions must overcome significant challenges, including an environment with proton concentrations at pH 3 or below. The role of sulfur metabolism in the archaeon "Ferroplasma acidarmanus" strain fer1's ability to thrive in this environment was investigated due to its growth-dependent production of methanethiol, a volatile organic sulfur compound. Two putative sequences for methionine- Γ-lyase (EC 22.214.171.124), an enzyme known to carry out A,Γ-elimination on L-methionine to produce methanethiol, were identified in fer1. Bioinformatic analyses identified a conserved pyridoxal-5+-phosphate (PLP) binding domain and a partially conserved catalytic domain in both putative sequences. Detection of PLP-dependent and L-methionine-dependent production of A-keto compounds and thiol groups in fer1 confirmed the presence of methionine-Γ-lyase activity. Further, fer1 lysate was capable of processing related substrates, including D-methionine, L-cysteine, L-cystathionine, and L/D-homocysteine. When the two putative fer1 methionine-Γ- lyase gene-coded proteins were expressed in Escherichia coli cells, one sequence demonstrated an ability to carry out A, Γ-elimination activity, while the other exhibited Γ-replacement activity. These fer1 methionine-Γ-lyases also exhibited optimum pH, substrate specificity, and catalytic preferences that are different from methionine-Γ-lyases from other organisms. These differences are discussed in the context of molecular phylogeny constructed using a maximum likelihood algorithm based on methionine-Γ-lyase sequences from a diverse selection of organisms.


The flow behaviour of post-consumer recycled polyolefins, their blends and
layered-silicate nanocomposites was studied by capillary rheometry and freesurface
melt state elongational measurements to assess suitability for
foaming applications. A novel, extrusion foaming technique and a flow
simulation model were developed to attempt to correlate flow and foaming
behaviour. The recycled polyolefins were high-density polyethylene (HOPE),
low-density polyethylene (LOPE) and polypropylene (PP) of high-molecular
weight, suitable for extrusion; that also contained also paper and inorganic
fillers. LOPE-PP and HOPE-PP blends were prepared in a batch mixer with
and without compatibilising agents, ethylene-propylene rubber (EPR) and
ethylene-propylene (EP) copolymer. Several mixing conditions (temperature,
time, rotor speed) were used to modify the morphology and the flow
behaviour of the blend systems. In shear flow diverse pseudoplastic index,
zero shear rate viscosity and the extensional viscosities, whilst, in uniaxial
extensional flow the effects of process conditions on strain energy density,
elongation at break and melt modulus were detected. The melt strength of
uncompatibilised LOPE-rich systems is generally higher. The use of small
quantities of EPR, 2.5 and 5.0% (w/w) can further improve the rheological
properties in uniaxial extension, but shear flow behaviour is virtually
unchanged by the compatibilisers. EP didn't improve the extensional flow
behaviour of HOPE-PP blends.
The influence of processing conditions and composition on the preparation of
melt intercalated HOPE and HOPE-PP layered-silicate nanocomposites was
conducted as a way of enhancing foaming behaviour; montmorillonite
particles were dispersed with the aid of a compatibilising agent. Ideal mixing
conditions (temperature, rotor speed and time) were determined for these
nanocomposites based on rheological measurements. In HOPE
nanocomposites, the melt elongation at break is reduced and the tensile
modulus increased. The clay content has a significant influence on the melt
tensile modulus. Wall slip behaviour appeared enhanced comparatively to
unmodified HOPE. In HOPE-PP nanocomposite blends it is possible to
modify the melt tensile modulus and elongation by changing blend
composition and clay dispersion morphologies.
A finite element model of capillary die flow was developed using commercial
simulation software to assist the interpretation of an extrusion foaming
technique. Experiments were carried out using azodicarbonamide as a
blowing agent and a capillary rheometer and extruding the materials through
a capillary die. Extruding at a shear rate of 300s-1 and at a temperature close
to the melting point yielded the lowest foam densities; LOPE, the material
with the highest melt strength and extensibility, achieved a density of 430 kg
m-3. Blends of HOPE-PP, LOPE-PP and HOPE-PP nanocomposites didn't
show an improved foaming behaviour with densities always above 600 kg m-
3 Oensities of 360kg m-3 and 500 kg m-3 were obtained with HOPE
nanocomposites and unmodified HOPE, respectively.


This article will focus on the importance of committed and participating civil communities in the realisation of health rights on the African continent. The various social, material, organisational, religious and cultural conceptions unique to the Malawian and Ugandan communities will be touched upon to show that community-specific responses to health rights are shaped by and are being informed by the social and cultural milieu of these African societies. From the examples put forward in this article it will become clear that the realisation of health rights on the African continent will remain a mere pipe dream if the social and cultural milieu of health needs and rights in Malawi and Uganda are ignored. First, the constitutional and legislative frameworks for health rights in Uganda and Malawi will be outlined whereafter the most pertinent social, religious and cultural conceptions that currently impact on the realisation of the right to health in these two countries will be discussed. The importance of recognising and addressing these social determinants of health on the African continent will be emphasised and a more contextualised approach to the realisation of health rights will be advocated for.


Flynn contributes to the emerging field of childhood studies in the Hebrew Bible by isolating stages of a child's life and, through a comparative perspective, studies the place of children in the domestic cult and their relationship to the deity in that cult. The study gathers data relevant to different stages of a child's life from a plethora of Mesopotamian materials (prayers, myths, medical texts, rituals), and uses that data as an interpretive lens for Israelite texts about children at similar stages such as: pre-born children, the birth stage, breast feeding, adoption, slavery, children's death and burial rituals, and childhood delinquency. This analysis presses the questions of value and violence, the importance of the domestic cult for expressing the child's value beyond economic value, and how children were valued in cultures with high infant mortality rates. From the earliest stages to the moments when children die, and to the children's responsibilities in the domestic cult later in life, this study demonstrates that a child is uniquely wrapped up in the domestic cult and, in particular, is connected with the deity. The domestic-cultic value of children forms the much broader understanding of children in the ancient world, through which other more problematic representations can be tested. Throughout the study, it becomes apparent that children's value in the domestic cult is an intentional catalyst for the social promotion of YHWHism.


The question of whether divided government in the United States is good or bad cannot be answered with a simple yes or no. While decision-making under such circumstances is far from perfect, shared power gets a decidedly bad rap. Criticisms leveled against divided government include problems arising from so-called "gridlock," the fear that it leads to highly contentious executive-legislative relations, and the difficulty it may cause the president in making administrative and judicial appointments. On the flip side, one can argue that divided government limits the size and scope of government and fosters healthy competition between presidents and Congress that produces quality legislation. Perhaps the most common criticism leveled against divided government is that it produces gridlock. The level of gridlock stemming from divided government can be determined by examining "the share of salient issues on the nation's agenda left in limbo at the close of each Congress." (1) At first glance, gridlock seems inevitable when power is shared, but there appears to be no statistically significant difference in terms of comparing legislative accomplishments of governments under unified or divided rule. As political scientist David Mayhew points out, the passage rate of "significant" legislation during times of divided government is only marginally lower than that during periods of unified control. In fact, Mayhew finds that unified government produces only about one more piece of significant legislation per two-year election cycle. (2) Using a narrower definition to describe significant legislation, Sean Kelly, another political scientist, arrives at a similar conclusion. Divided government, he asserts, produces only about three fewer pieces of legislation per two-year interval, a result that, again, is not statistically significant. (3) Thus, it appears that claims that divided government leads to "gridlock" are little more than hyperbole. There are numerous examples of major legislation adopted during periods of divided government. For example, the Marshall Plan resulted in the greatest investment of foreign aid in American history. Dealing with a Republican-controlled Congress, President Harry S. Truman did not have the luxury of unified party control, but that did not stop him from gaining support for sending financial aid to Western Europe. Working closely with the Republican Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Arthur Vandenburg, Truman crafted compromise legislation that incorporated many Republican ideas into the final bill without affecting the integrity of the plan. This provided political cover for congressional Republicans who supported a foreign aid bill unpopular in their districts because it only provided aid to Western Europe. (4) President Dwight D. Eisenhower also achieved a number of legislative victories during a period of divided government. For example, the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act of 1956 injected over $31 billion into the interstate highway system. At the time, this constituted the largest investment in public roads in American history. While passage of this bill required compromise, chiefly on its "pay-as-you-go" provision, consensus was eventually reached and the American people benefited greatly from this piece of bipartisan legislation. (5) The Agricultural Act of 1954 provides another example of a legislative triumph for President Eisenhower. In an effort to limit government involvement in agriculture, Eisenhower tried to curb farm subsidies, but opposition from farm state Republicans, notably Clifford Hope (R-KS), caused him to scale back his ambitious plan. (6) This demonstrates that policy rifts do not necessarily occur only across party lines; they may also occur within parties based on self-interest. This further undermines claims that unified government cannot be stymied by gridlock. One-party rule (i.e., control of the White House and both houses of Congress) does not guarantee smooth passage of major legislation. …


Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) were novel colloidal drug carrier systems offering controlled release profiles for many pharmaceutically active agents. The objective of present research work was to develop Tolnaftate-solid lipid nanoparticles using solid lipid as drug carrier. As the drug was inactive orally, it was delivered by topical route. Hot homogenization along with ultrasonication were used for such purpose. Then they were converted to gel. The drug compatibility was checked by using FTIR studies. Seven different formulations were prepared by variable concentrations of lipids and its effect on drug loading was studied. Produced TolnaftateSLN gels were evaluated for the parameters like Homogenity, Spreadability, Viscosity, pH, Drug content, Entrapment Efficiency, invitro drug release & invitro drug permeation studies. Antifungal activity of the optimized formulation (F7) was also studied. Tolnaftate -SLNs have good potential in treating topical fungal infections.


Abstract An electrostatic cloud droplet sizing device (electrostatic disdrometer) originally developed by Keily and Millen has been tested, modified extensively, and calibrated in our laboratory. The investigations have shown that soon after entry into the probe orifice, the incoming droplet is broken into many fragments. These impact and splash on an electrode raised to a 510 V potential. Measured pulses for a given droplet size give a reproducible calibration curve. Airborne tests of the probe have shown it to operate reliably with minimal maintenance. Comparisons were made between values of the liquid water content measured by the electrostatic disdrometer and by the Johnson-Williams hot-wire, liquid-water-content meter and between the droplet size distributions measured by the disdrometer and by impaction slide replicas. The comparisons were satisfactory within the limits of instrument measuring and sampling errors and actual variations in the droplets spectra resulting from the separation of the inst...


The Integrated Assessment of Black Carbon and Tropospheric Ozone looks into all aspects of anthropogeic emissions of black carbon and tropospheric ozone precursors, such as methane. It analyses the trends in emissions of these substances and the drivers of these emissions; summarizes the science of atmospheric processes where these substances are involved; discusses related impacts on the climatic sysem, human health, crops in vulnerable regions and ecosystems; and societal responses to the environmntal changes caused by those impacts. The Assessment examines a large number of potential measures to reduce harmful emissions, identifying a small set of specific measures that would likely produce the greatest benefits, and which could be implemented with currently available technology. An outlook up to 2070 is developed illustrating the benefits of those emission mitigation policies and mesures for human well-being and climate. The Assessment concludes that rapid mitigation of anthropogenic black carbon and tropospheric ozone precursor emissions would complement carbon dioxide reduction measures and would have immediate benefits for human well-being. The Assessment is intended to support informed decision making at all levels as a guide for assessment, planning and management for the future.


Enter the world of film noir, a world of darkness, ambiguity, and moral corruption. Meet the cynical and obsessive heroes of film noir portrayed by actors like Humphrey Bogart, Peter Lorre, James Cagney, Joan Crawford and Bette Davis. You may encounter a gun-toting gangster, a femme fatale wrapped in fur, a detective with the brim of his hat turned down, or a desperate murderer lurking in the shadows of a doorway. It's a world we all know - the seedy underbelly of the American Dream, and every bit as much a part of our culture. This wonderfully exhaustive text - tallying more than three hundred thousand words with hundreds of film stills and photos new to the work - distills everything about the genre into one volume from movies to stars to themes and motifs, and brings us up to date with contemporary contributions to the genre. Essentially a new work, this completely revised, expanded and redesigned classic is a pioneering work and the final word on a dark and mysterious subject.


These Ecole polytechnique federale de Lausanne EPFL, n° 674 (1987) Reference doi:10.5075/epfl-thesis-674Print copy in library catalog Record created on 2005-03-16, modified on 2016-08-08


How do peers influence the impact of incentives? Despite much work on incentives, little is known about the spillover effects of incentives. We investigate two mechanisms by which these effects can occur: through peers' actions and peers' incentives. In a field experiment on snack choice (grapes versus cookies), we randomize who receives incentives, the fraction of peers incentivized, and whether or not it can be observed that peers' choices are incentivized among over 1,500 children in the school lunchroom. Incentives increase the likelihood of initially choosing grapes. However, peer spillover effects can be large enough to undo these positive effects.


The problem of cognitive dysfunctions in patients with somatic diseases occupies a prominent place now since they are one of the most common manifestations of organic brain lesions. The early detection of potentially cured cognitive impairments is one of the important tasks of a present-day therapist, cardiologist, endocrinologist, and family doctor as the patients with early-stage cognitive impairments constitute the majority of those who have sought medical advice. In the modern world, primary health care physicians' actions are decisive in predicting the development of dementia since the detection of early non-dementia forms of cognitive impairments and neuroprotective therapy with mexidol in particular are frequently quite sufficient to considerably reduce the degree of the impairments and to improve the prognosis of dementia.


We propose a phenomenological model for the evolutionary behaviour of shape memory alloys, where the possibility of plastic deformation is taken in to account. Two dissipative mechanisms are considered, namely the dissipation associated with solid-solid (martensitic) phase transformations and plastic dissipation. The plastic contribution may lead to an irreversibility of the evolution. The existence of a so-called energetic solution is established for a suitable relaxation of the problem in the spaceof Young measures. 2010 The Author. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications. All rights reserved.


The essential oils normally had low physicochemical stability and low solubility in water. These facts limit their industrial applications in general and in food formulations particularly. This chapter characterizes the physicochemical properties and the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of three encapsulated essential oils – guava leaf, yarrow and black pepper essential oils – in hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPβCD).


BACKGROUND
The potential progression from intestinal metaplasia to low grade dysplasia, to high grade dysplasia and to adenocarcinoma represents a well recognized sequence in patients with Barrett's esophagus (BE). The time required for this transformation is not well known.

AIM
To report the results of a 10 years follow up of patients with BE.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Between 1989 and 2000 we followed 402 patients with BE.

RESULTS
Sixty six subjects (16.2%) presented low grade dysplasia at the time of diagnosis and 10 patients (2 women/8 men) developed adenocarcinoma during the follow-up period. Four out of these 10 patients were operated because of gastro-esophageal reflux disease, but after 3-5 years, reflux symptoms recurred. The other 6 patients rejected surgery and were on Omeprazole with good symptomatic results. Two patients had a short BE (< 3 cm), seven cases had a classic BE (3-10 cm) and one patient had an extensive > 10 cm BE. The mean time elapsed from intestinal metaplasia to low grade dysplasia was 9 months, to high grade dysplasia 56 months and to adenocarcinoma 82 months. From low grade dysplasia to early cancer it was 18 months, from high grade dysplasia to early cancer 14 months and from high grade dysplasia to advanced transmural cancer 14 months. All patients were subjected to esophagectomy. Five patients detected as State I are alive without any evidence of recurrence after 36 to 130 months after surgery. Five patients with advanced transmural carcinoma subjected to radical esophagectomy died because of progression of the malignancy between 3 and 24 months after surgery.

CONCLUSIONS
Progression to adenocarcinoma may occur even in absence of reflux symptoms while on acid suppression therapy. Detection at early stage intestinal metaplasia in the esophagus offers a high chance of cure after surgical resection.


Direct measurement of the ultimate limit of the polarization cross talk of the birefringent fibers caused by anisotropic Rayleigh scattering (ARS) is presented theoretically and experimentally by using polarization optical time-domain reflectometry (POTDR). With POTDR, ARS appears as the bias existing in the backscattered power ratio between the cross-coupled and excited modes. A value twice that of the bias corresponds to the depolarization ratio representing the anisotropy of the fiber core material. The biases measured by birefringent polarization-maintaining fibers are all within 3% of the mean value 0.048.


A PERFORMER'S ANALYSIS OF THE BASS ROLES IN SELECTED OLD TESTAMENT NARRATIVE ENGLISH ORATORIOS OF GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL William Archie Knowles, D.M.A. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2003 Chairperson: Dr. Ronald A. Turner This document facilitates the study of the bass roles, including the bass arias and recitatives that are in the Old Testament English oratorios of George Frideric Handel. This study is largely dependent upon the Chrysander editions of the oratorios, however both the Barenreiter and Novello editions are consulted where available. This work may serve as a reference for bass soloists, or vocal pedagogues in selecting bass oratorio arias and recitatives, and in study for preparation of a bass role in one or more ofthe selected oratorios. Ten oratorios were selected for this study, based on their dramatic emphasis, Handel's more mature compositional style, and the use of the English language. While all arias are discussed, recitatives were selected on the basis that they stand-alone and are not in dialogue with another character. The study is limited to ten of Handel's Old Testament English oratorios: Esther (1718-20 version and 1732 revision), Deborah (1733), Athalia (1733), Saul (1738), Samson (1741), Joseph and His Brethren (1743), Belshazzar (1744), Joshua (1747), Solomon (1748), and Jephtha (1751). The study in concerned with the dramatic function of each aria and recitative within the plot ofthe oratorio, as well as the range, tessitura, literary rhyme scheme (if applicable), and tonal structure of each aria and recitative. Compositional devices that are used in melodic construction, level of difficulty, and maturity of voice needed for performance will be also be discussed for each aria and recitative. Chapter 1 of the study is the introduction to the dissertation, including objectives, delimitations, need for study, basic assumptions, and related literature. Chapter 2 discusses Handel's compositional development from Germany, while in Italy, and finally in England. Chapter 3 is concerned with a historical overview of the genre of oratorio. Chapter 4 focuses on the bass roles and the arias and recitatives within the selected oratorios. Chapter 5 concludes the dissertation, makes observations and directs for further study.


Data replication, the main failure resilience strategy used for big data analytics jobs, can be unnecessarily inefficient. It can cause serious performance degradation when applied to intermediate job outputs in multi-job computations. For instance, for I/O-intensive big data jobs, data replication is especially expensive because very large datasets need to be replicated. Reducing the number of replicas is not a satisfactory solution as it only aggravates a fundamental limitation of data replication: its failure resilience guarantees are limited by the number of available replicas. When all replicas of some piece of intermediate job output are lost, cascading job recomputations may be required for recovery. In this paper we show how job recomputation can be made a first-order failure resilience strategy for big data analytics. The need for data replication can thus be significantly reduced. We present RCMP, a system that performs efficient job recomputation. RCMP can persist task outputs across jobs and leverage them to minimize the work performed during job recomputations. More importantly, RCMP addresses two important challenges that appear during job recomputations. The first is efficiently utilizing the available compute node parallelism. The second is dealing with hot-spots. RCMP handles both by switching to a finer-grained task scheduling granularity for recomputations. Our experiments show that RCMP's benefits hold across two different clusters, for job inputs as small as 40GB or as large as 1.2TB. Compared to RCMP, data replication is 30%-100% worse during failure-free periods. More importantly, by efficiently performing recomputations, RCMP is comparable or better even under single and double data loss events.


Background: Keratoconus (KC) is a progressive, non-inflammatory bilateral but (usually asymmetrical) ecstatic corneal disease, characterized by paraxial stromal thinning and weakening that leads to corneal surface distortion. The reported incidence and prevalence of KC varies widely depending upon the geographic location, diagnostic criteria used and the cohort of patients selected. Aim: To estimate the incidence and indices of KC in patients seeking refractive procedures in Beni Sueif governorate at a span period of one year from March 2013 to March 2014. To describe and analyze the characteristics of the KC population under study. Materials and methods: This study as designed as a prospective surveillance study. All clinical records in the computerized database from pentacam with the clinical diagnosis of KC and / or suspected were included and statistically analyzed. Results: Data from 2116 cases with the average 28.8 ± 6.5 years old were analyzed over the span of 1 year starting from March 2013 to March 2014. Based on topographic images of the pentacam 36 eyes were diagnosed as KC. The incidence of KC was 1.7% ( 95% confidence interval, 0.55-1.45). In keratoconic patients, the mean age was 28.1 years, the mean K1 and K2 were 45.18±3.44 D and 49.49 ± 4.28 D respectively. The mean minimal pachymetry value was 463± 6.51um, the mean index of surface variance (ISV) was 61± 32, the mean index of vertical asymmetry (IVA) was 0.63±0.38, the mean keratoconus indices (KI) was 1.08±0.14. Conclusion: This study provides the first population–based estimate of the incidence of keratoconus in Beni suef governorate in the upper Egypt. According to this study incidence rate of KC is comparable to the rate among the Caucasian people in middle Asia e.g. Iran while incidence rate is much higher among Malaysia and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia citizens.


Recent research has proposed the lottery ticket hypothesis, suggesting that for a deep neural network, there exist trainable sub-networks performing equally or better than the original model with commensurate training steps. While this discovery is insightful, finding proper sub-networks requires iterative training and pruning. The high cost incurred limits the applications of the lottery ticket hypothesis. We show there exists a subset of the aforementioned sub-networks that converge significantly faster during the training process and thus can mitigate the cost issue. We conduct extensive experiments to show such sub-networks consistently exist across various model structures for a restrictive setting of hyperparameters ($e.g.$, carefully selected learning rate, pruning ratio, and model capacity). As a practical application of our findings, we demonstrate that such sub-networks can help in cutting down the total time of adversarial training, a standard approach to improve robustness, by up to 49\% on CIFAR-10 to achieve the state-of-the-art robustness.


Prior research has examined age, gender, experience, and voluntariness as the main moderators of beliefs on technology acceptance. This paper extends this line of research beyond these demographic and situational variables. Motivated by research that suggests that behavioral models do not universally hold across cultures, the paper identifies espoused national cultural values as an important set of individual difference moderators in technology acceptance. Building on research in psychological anthropology and cultural psychology that assesses cultural traits by personality tests at the individual level of analysis, we argue that individuals espouse national cultural values to differing degrees. These espoused national cultural values of masculinity/femininity, individualism/collectivism, power distance, and uncertainty avoidance are incorporated into an extended model of technology acceptance as moderators. We conducted two studies to test our model. Results indicated that, as hypothesized, social norms are stronger determinants of intended behavior for individuals who espouse feminine and high uncertainty avoidance cultural values. Contrary to expectations, espoused masculinity/femininity values did not moderate the relationship between perceived usefulness and behavioral intention but, as expected, did moderate the relationship between perceived ease of use and behavioral intention.


In the Thailand market, many business practices and social life are closely interlinked through a complex network of social networks and relations, especially Small and Medium enterprises (SMEs) where the business owner hold the decision-making role and has the authority to control the company, deals with others based not just on cost- benefit economic considerations alone but also intertwined with social relationships, personal and business contacts. With the ever-changing market conditions and high competitive nature of Small and Medium enterprises (SMEs) in Thailand, where there is approximately 2.28 million SMEs in year 2006 or comprising of 99.4 percent of enterprise in Thailand (Office of Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion OSMEP, 2006), this number is increasing every each year, resulting in a highly competitive business environment. Thus, this results in the need for a more elaborate and active network management and connection which play an important role in the promotion of the competitive advantage of the firm. The knowledge of network and the competitive advantage it brings is well recognised in the literature of business network. To a certain extent, the business networking in Thailand market, as with most other countries in Asia-Pacific region where there exist a Chinese-influenced society, is influenced from a Chinese business network called `Guanxi', but major questions have not been addressed by the literatures about the nature and the parallel to the Chinese form of `Guanxi', its effectiveness, practice and operations for gaining competitive advantage in specific business segments of the Thailand market. The original perspective of the research aimed to extend the knowledge in the area of `Guanxi' and business network for practical contribution to the particular instance of SMEs in Thailand context. This perspective generated on adopting the key principles of Guanxi knowledge into local practice of Thai SMEs for gaining business competitive advantage, and achieved by identifying, examining and developing the framework for particular SMEs business in Thailand. The author's research methodological approach focuses on examining the existing `Guanxi' framework of the process of `Guanxi' development (initiating, building and using of `Guanxi') and the `Guanxi' building framework of Trust (Xin) and Feeling (Qing), as a starting point to further extend its implication in the context of the particular SME in Thailand. The author employed the `Interactionism' perspective as a philosophical stance for the research with the research strategy of 'case study research'.


An independence assumption has been used as a solution to calculate cross-media ads reach when cross-media panel data are unavailable. In this paper, we introduce restricted conditional independence assumption (RCIA) and apply it to calculate the digital video incremental reach on top of TV. By conducting large-scale simulation studies based on the cross-media universes in a single source panel, we show that RCIA based incremental reach is close to the standard calculation based on the cross-media universes. Moreover, substantial variance reduction is achieved from RCIA with single-media panel data compared to the standard calculation based on the cross-media universes. We use distance correlation to measure the strength of dependence between ad impressions of TV campaigns and digital video. The magnutudes of distance correlation between these two types of ad impressions are small, and only ∼ 2% TV campaigns show statistically significant dependence. As a summary, because of its high accuracy, low variance, simplicity and low cost, we recommend that the RCIA approximation as a preferred solution than the standard cross-media universe calculation.


The thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) is a recently described inhibitor of fibrinolysis that decreases plasminogen binding to the fibrin surface. The plasma TAFI concentration is almost entirely genetically determined. We investigated whether plasma TAFI levels and polymorphisms located in the TAFI gene could constitute risk markers of myocardial infarction (MI). Plasma TAFI antigen (Ag) levels were assayed by ELISA and 2 TAFI gene polymorphisms (Ala147Thr and C+1542G in the 3′ untranslated region) were determined in a large European case-control study. This study compared 598 men recruited 3 to 6 months after MI with 653 age-matched controls from North Europe (Stockholm, Sweden, and London, England) and South Europe (Marseilles, France, and San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy). A TAFI Ag value above the 90th percentile was associated with a significantly lower risk of MI (odds ratio 0.55, P <0.02), indicating that elevated TAFI may be protective against MI. As previously shown, the 2 TAFI gene polymorphisms were in strong linkage disequilibrium and were associated with the TAFI Ag concentration, with carriers of the Thr147 and 1542C alleles having higher levels (P <0.0005). These effects were similar in controls and cases and in each center. There was a difference in allele frequency between cases and controls for the Ala147Thr polymorphism, with Thr147 allele carriers being more frequent in controls than in cases in 2 centers, Stockholm (P =0.03) and San Giovanni Rotondo (P =0.03); the odds ratio for the entire cohort was 0.78 (P <0.05). In conclusion, patients with a recent MI presented lower values of TAFI Ag and higher frequencies of the "TAFI-decreasing" alleles. The geographical differences observed do not contribute to explaining the North-South gradient in MI risk in Europe.


The development of powerful muscle function is fundamental to the strength and conditioning process. Optimal load resistance training uses the load that maximises power output to more efficiently achieve this. However, research has shown that factors including measurement method and training status can significantly influence the optimal load. The five experimental studies of this thesis investigated these factors. First, the way in which the positive lifting phase is identified was examined to establish the underpinnings of ballistic resistance exercise preference over traditional alternatives. The results of this study showed that the positive lifting phase of ballistic resistance exercise did not consider the deceleration phase and when this was applied to traditional resistance exercise a greater portion of the positive lifting phase was spent accelerating the barbell. This finding suggested that the assumption of ballistic resistance exercise superiority is theoretically unfounded whilst potentially posing a greater risk of injury. The next three studies established the reliability and suitability of different methods used to measure resistance exercise power output. The second study revealed that the most practically applicable, theoretically sound and reliable method of obtaining power output used the barbell kinematics approach where the acceleration of the barbell was considered but body mass excluded. This may have important implications for field-based methods that are underpinned by this approach. The results of the third and fourth study reinforced the findings of study two. The third study considered whether neglecting horizontal barbell power caused the barbell kinematics approach to underestimate resistance exercise power output, and established that the horizontal contribution did not exceed 2%. The effect of bilateral asymmetries on barbell power output was examined in the fourth study and demonstrated that although ground kinetic side differences reached 21% they were not transmitted to left and right barbell end power outputs, with left and right bar end differences remaining below 4%. The barbell kinematics approach was then used in the fifth study, to show that stronger, more experienced individuals generated greater mean (17 to 35%) and peak (20 to 45%) power outputs and maximised mean and peak power with loads that were considerably less (3 to 15% of IRM less) than their weaker, less experienced counterparts. Training status did not significantly affect power and optimal load reliability. To summarise, measurement methods should not be used interchangeably. The barbell kinematics approach is recommended to obtain resistance exercise power output but the optimal load should be prescribed on an individual athlete basis and routinely monitored for maximum accuracy.


INTRODUCTION Professional discourse concerning scholarly communication (SC) suggests a broad consensus that this is a burgeoning functional area in academic libraries. The transformed research lifecycle and the corresponding changes in copyright applications, publishing models, and open access policies have generated unprecedented opportunities for innovative library engagement with the academy and its researchers. Accordingly, the roles for librarians have shifted to accommodate new responsibilities. Previous research on SC librarianship is mainly focused on the provision of services, administrative structures, and the analysis of relevant job descriptions. Little has been written regarding the implications of SC on the preparation of new library professionals, and no research has been produced on the relative perspectives of library students. METHOD The author surveyed MLIS students who were completing semester-long courses on SC at three universities to elicit their perceptions of that subject matter in terms of their library education and career pathways. RESULTS All respondents qualified SC as interesting and important subject matter, and a majority indicated relevance to their professional pursuits. Student perspectives are given on the viability of SC librarianship and the perceived bearing of this specialty area in different types of libraries. DISCUSSION Survey data suggests a possible correlation between SC courses and relative career appeal. The data may warrant attention among MLIS curriculum planners, given the academy's recognition of the need for SC specialists. CONCLUSION The transformed research lifecycle necessitates new professional competencies for library practitioners. Implications for library education are discussed, and areas for future research are proposed.


Dual water supply systems were installed in several newly built housing estates in the Netherlands in the late1990s. These residential homes were provided with both drinking water and separately with so-called household water for toilet flushing, laundry and the garden tap. Household water was produced by limited treatment from a variety of sources and had a lower quality than drinking water. No legislation for (the quality of) this type of water was present at the time and the Dutch government appointed six of these estates as pilot projects. Four pilot projects were intensively monitored for toxicological and microbiological safety as well as microbiological stability during a period of almost 16 months. Specific incidents such as cross connections between drinking water and household water and observations of viruses and pathogenic protozoa in treated water demonstrated that some of these systems were microbiologically unsafe. Furthermore certain household waters had a relatively high biofilm formation potential leading to growth of Legionella sp. and Aeromonas and complaints from customers about the smell and colour of the household water. In nearly all cases concentrations of heavy metals and organic pollutants were below drinking water standards, hence the toxicological risk caused by chemical substances was not significant. Based on the results of this study the Dutch government decided to discourage the production and distribution of household water on a large scale. At present all projects owned by water companies in the Netherlands have been terminated by replacing household water with drinking water.


Registration of point cloud datasets from a laser scanner is crucial in pursuing an accurate product in the reverse engineering. In practice, dataset error and registration error are the main sources of failure in achieving an accurate registration result. The lack of the inspection method of registration result becomes a challenge in guaranteeing the accuracy. This paper presents a novel method of the inspection and verification of point clouds registration to minimize the registration errors. In this method, aligned point clouds are inspected and verified using data from a CMM taken in correspondence with pre-defined object features. Point cloud segmentation and feature extraction are utilized to define concerned features while a grid method is used to perform the correspondence between the considered feature and CMM dataset. The method was implemented into a real case product to analyze its reliability. Based on the implementation, the proposed method showed the effectiveness in inspecting and verifying the registration result.


To the Editor: West Nile virus (WNV) has been in Europe at least since the 1960s (1). Before 2010, WNV epidemics in Europe were caused mainly by lineage 1 strains. However, in 2010, a major WNV epidemic in Central Macedonia, Greece, was caused by a lineage 2 strain (Nea Santa-Greece-2010) (2).

This strain also circulated during 2011 (3), causing a second epidemic among humans throughout the country (4). Although the virus was closely related to the goshawk-Hungary-2004 strain circulating in Hungary, Austria, and Italy (5–7), severe epidemics occurred only in Greece; 273 cases of West Nile neuroinvasive disease (WNND) in humans were reported during the 2 seasons (2,4).

A third epidemic occurred in 2012, and 109 WNND cases were reported (8). Until mid-August, most cases were in central (Attica; 29 cases) and northeastern Greece (East Macedonia and Thrace; 10 cases). In contrast, during the same period, only 3 cases were confirmed at the location of the 2010 epidemic epicenter, in Central Macedonia (9). This situation led to the question of whether the Nea Santa-Greece-2010 strain was responsible for the third epidemic in Greece.

In May 2012, for the second consecutive year, 12 sentinel chicken flocks (72 chickens) and 62 dry ice–baited (source of carbon dioxide) CDC mosquito traps (John W. Hock, Gainesville, FL, USA) were set in areas of Central Macedonia where WNV transmission had been high. The 3 objectives were to 1) monitor WNV activity by testing weekly for antibodies against WNV in sentinel chickens, 2) molecularly characterize the virus, and 3) assess population dynamics of the major vector species.

Serum from the sentinel chickens was tested for WNV-specific antibodies by using the ID-Screen West Nile Competition ELISA kit (IDvet, Montpellier, France). Seropositive chickens were removed from the sentinel flocks and replaced with seronegative chickens.

No enzootic activity was detected until mid-August. Antibodies were first found on August 21, in 2 chickens from the rice-growing region of western Thessaloniki (Delta and Chalkidona municipalities). The seroconversion rate in these municipalities peaked on August 27, when 4 chickens were seropositive, and remained high until September 4. Seroconversion was detected for 10 more birds in the same and other bordering municipalities, all near the rice-growing region and flood plain of the Axios, Loudias, and Aliakmonas Rivers. WNV-specific antibodies were detected in 5 more chickens sampled on September 11, in 2 chickens sampled on September 18, and in 3 chickens sampled on September 25, bringing the total number of seroconverted chickens to 26 (26.5%) of 98 (original 72 + 26 replacements). The highest rates of seroconversion among chickens were detected near rice-growing areas, where Culex mosquito activity (mostly Cx. pipiens, followed by Cx. modestus) was also highest. Culex mosquito populations peaked in mid-July, ≈30 days before the first case in a human was detected, and maintained high activity until late September.

For the 26 chickens that seroconverted, RNA was retrospectively extracted from serum by using the QIAamp Viral RNA Mini Kit (QIAGEN, Hilden, Germany). Extracts were examined by using a 1-tube, real-time, reverse transcription PCR protocol and primers (WNPolUp, WNPolDo2) (3) and TaqMan probe (WNPolProb2: 5′-FAM-TCTCTCTCTTTCCCATCATGTTGT-BHQ1–3′) specific to the nonstructural (NS) 5 gene. WNV RNA was detected in 2 seropositive chickens from 2 locations, in samples taken about 1 week before seroconversion.

The positive RNA samples were reverse transcribed, and 3 overlapping fragments of the NS3 gene were amplified by PCR and then sequenced. Both complete NS3 sequences of 1,857 bp were identical (GenBank accession no. {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"JX843471","term_id":"422779562"}}JX843471). Highest nucleotide sequence identity (99.8%) was to the strain Nea Santa-Greece-2010. Only 3 synonymous nucleotide substitutions consisting of transitions were identified, indicating minimum evolution of the virus during 2010–2012 (Figure). Molecular characterization of the 2 isolates actively circulating where cases in humans had been confirmed suggests that the strain responsible for the 2012 epidemic in Greece was again Nea Santa-Greece-2010.

Figure

Phylogenetic tree inferred with maximum-likelihood analysis, based on complete nonstructural (NS) 3 nt sequences (1,863 bp) of lineage 2 West Nile virus strains. Isolation source is indicated in boldface. The general time reversible model with gamma distributed ...

The surveillance system successfully identified areas with increased levels of vector and WNV activity. This information was quickly disseminated to public health authorities so they could intensify control measures in the affected areas. After the first seroconversions in chickens were detected, 9 new WNND cases and 2 cases without central nervous system manifestations in humans were reported from residences near (6–15 km) the chicken coops that housed the seropositive birds (8). Of the 9 cases of WNND, 7 were reported after the rate of chicken seroconversion peaked.

The continuous occurrence of WNV epidemics in Greece indicates that the virus will probably remain a serious threat. This probability is further supported by the epidemic pattern in the United States, where ≈10 years after its introduction WNV is still causing large epidemics (10). Surveillance programs that can accurately determine public health risk and lead to timely vector control interventions are needed to prevent human infection.

Particularly in areas such as Europe, where numerous strains of different virulence coexist, molecular identification of the circulating viruses is necessary for risk assessment. Captive sentinel chicken surveillance with repetitive sampling might be an informative tool.