Flax and jute fibres are inexpensive and easily available bast fibres and they are extensively used as reinforcement in polymer matrix composites. However, due to their susceptibility to moisture absorption, their application is restricted to non-structural interior products. In this study, flax- and jute fibre-reinforced bioresin-based epoxy biocomposites were fabricated using hand lay-up method and their nanoindentation and flexural properties were investigated. In order to study the effects of water absorption on the nanoindentation and flexural properties, the biocomposites were subjected to water immersion tests by immersing specimens in a de-ionised water bath at 25℃ for a period of 961 h. The nanoindentation behaviour and flexural properties of water-immersed specimens were evaluated and compared alongside with dry specimens. The percentage of moisture uptake and diffusion coefficient (D) was recorded higher for jute-reinforced specimens compared with flax. The flexural properties for both types of specimens were found to decrease with increase in percentage moisture uptake. Comparison of flexural strength and flexural modulus between flax dry and flax wet biocomposites showed that wet samples lost almost 40% of strength and 69% of modulus compared with dry flax samples. The jute wet samples lost 60% of strength and 80% of modulus compared with dry samples. The nanohardness value decreased from 0.207 to 0.135 GPa for dry flax sample after immersion in water.


The question of how humans come to trust anonymous others has been addressed by both economists and evolutionary psychologists recently. However, the idea of monetary calculation, as articulated by Ludwig von Mises and other Austrian school economists, is missing from their accounts. Game theory and evolutionary psychology might tell us why we trade at all with anonymous others, but monetary calculation is needed to explain how we decide which trades to make. When actors can know which trades are more likely to be mutually beneficial, anonymous trade is more likely to occur and is better able to extend social cooperation.


The state of the New York City subway system has worsened considerably over the past few years. As a consequence of rising ridership and decaying infrastructure, the network is plagued by delays and frequently fails to deliver New Yorkers to their destinations on time. While these delays are a headache for anyone who depends on the subway to get around, they do not affect all riders in the same way. In this post, we explain why subway delays disproportionately affect low-income New Yorkers. We show that wealthier commuters who rely on the subway are less likely to experience extensive issues on their commutes.


Fingertip ridges improve the tactile perception of fine features. Why do humans have epidermal ridges and why are they arranged in whorls? Previous work has established two cutaneous mechanoreceptor channels by which the perception of coarse and fine spatial features is transmitted from the finger surfaces to tactile processing centers; the slowly adapting mechanoreceptor class is primarily used for the detection of edges and skin stretches, whereas the Pacinian corpuscles pick up vibrations at a few hundred hertz. Scheibert et al. do not answer the second question but are able to offer a response to the first by using an artificial spherical cap (like a miniature swimming cap) whose surface has been patterned with ridges of similar size and frequency to what are found on human fingerpads. Rubbing this cap across patterned surfaces reveals that the presence of the ridges serves to amplify the pressure deflection by 100-fold and that this occurs optimally within the range of the Pacinian fibers. J. Scheibert, S. Leurent, A. Prevost, G. Debrégeas, The role of fingerprints in the coding of tactile information probed with a biomimetic sensor. Science 323, 1503–1506 (2009). [Abstract] [Full Text]


INTRODUCTION
The incidence of oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAC) is rising dramatically and overall survival remains extremely poor. Iron has been shown to potentiate tumourigenesis in OAC, and iron chelation therapy demonstrates promise in vivo as an adjunct to neoadjuvant and palliative chemotherapy. OAC, however, has traditionally been associated with iron deficiency anaemia. The aim of this study was therefore to formally quantify the iron status of OAC patients in order to guide the design of future clinical trials involving iron chelation therapy.

METHODS
Demographic and cancer specific data were collected prospectively from all patients presenting with OAC and gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC). Patients had haemoglobin, serum iron, serum ferritin and serum transferrin receptor (sTfR) levels measured to assess systemic iron status. In addition, the sTfR/log ferritin (sTfR-F) index was calculated.

RESULTS
Average haemoglobin, serum iron, serum ferritin, sTfR and sTfR-F index values for all patients presenting with OAC were within normal sex specific reference ranges. No statistical difference in iron status was observed between OAC patients presenting with resectable and advanced OAC. Patients with OAC are relatively iron replete compared with those presenting with GAC. Iron parameters were not significantly altered by standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

CONCLUSIONS
Patients presenting with resectable or advanced OAC could be considered as candidates for a clinical trial of iron chelation therapy as an addition to standard neoadjuvant or palliative treatments.


Termination charges toward newer entrants are often set asymmetrically to exceed efficient costs for telephony traffic. Such practices are said to be beneficial to consumers as well as providing competition a "leg-up". However claims of consumer benefit are dubious at best, while infant industry arguments are no more likely to apply to telecommunications than they apply anywhere else. Appropriate forms of termination regulation are then considered.


Based on a survey concerning personal networks of a sample of 416 people living in Catalonia we address two questions: First, are there differences between native-born and foreign-born residents in terms of the geographical repartition of their personal networks? Second, regarding active contacts providing support, where do they live? Our data show that on average 70% of the active contacts of native-born residents live in the same city whereas immigrants have more than 50% of their active contacts living in another city or country, regardless of the length of residence in Catalonia. Natives and immigrants also differ in the location of supportive network contacts, mostly non-locals in the latter case. With regard to the social interactions among nationals and immigrants, our results bring us to characterize the Catalan society as a "dual society", with a social divide between the two groups. We suggest that this situation can be applicable to most of the countries where a "sub-functional class" is working in a dual labour market.


Assessing the performance of a student involves some form of judgement, and where more than one assessor is involved this usually requires some form of moderation to ensure consistent and fair results. Often this involves meetings or communication between assessors, which is referred to as social moderation. This paper reports on a study that investigated the use of online technologies to support a form of social moderation of artworks submitted for assessment in a senior secondary school course in Western Australia. Online systems were used to facilitate communications and provide access to digital representations of the submissions along with assessment tools. In particular a pairwise comparison judging online tool was used. This approach to social moderation was tested in a realistic context involving a sample of 12 teachers from rural schools for whom face-to-face meetings would be difficult. The aim was to investigate whether the use of these online systems would support good moderation outcomes and valuable professional learning for those involved. The study found that this approach to online social moderation was feasible, and participants perceived that it had improved the consistency of their judgements because they had developed an improved understanding of the assessment criteria and standard of work. However, analysis of scores and reliability data suggested some were not adequately consistent, and it was likely that this was due to their inexperience in assessing such work. Therefore some changes to the processes of this form of online social moderation were recommended.


Greenhouse gas emissions from a well established, unfertilized tropical grass-legume pasture were monitored
over two consecutive years using high resolution automatic sampling. Nitrous oxide emissions were highest
during the summer months and were highly episodic, related more to the size and distribution of rain events
than WFPS alone. Mean annual emissions were significantly higher during 2008 (5.7 ± 1.0 g N2O-N/ha/day)
than 2007 (3.9 ± 0.4 and g N2O-N/ha/day) despite receiving nearly 500 mm less rain. Mean CO2 (28.2 ± 1.5
kg CO2 C/ha/day) was not significantly different (P < 0.01) between measurement years, emissions being
highly dependent on temperature. A negative correlation between CO2 and WFPS at >70% indicated a
threshold for soil conditions favouring denitrification. The use of automatic chambers for high resolution
greenhouse gas sampling can greatly reduce emission estimation errors associated with temperature and
WFPS changes.


While there is significant progress with policy and a lively debate regarding the potential impact of open access publishing, few studies have examined academics' behavior and attitudes to open access publishing (OAP) in scholarly journals. This article seeks to address this gap through an international and interdisciplinary survey of academics. Issues covered include: use of and intentions regarding OAP, and perceptions regarding advantages and disadvantages of OAP, journal article publication services, peer review, and reuse. Despite reporting engagement in OAP, academics were unsure about their future intentions regarding OAP. Broadly, academics identified the potential for wider circulation as the key advantage of OAP, and were more positive about its benefits than they were negative about its disadvantages. As regards services, rigorous peer review, followed by rapid publication were most valued. Academics reported strong views on reuse of their work; they were relatively happy with noncommercial reuse, but not in favor of commercial reuse, adaptations, and inclusion in anthologies. Comparing science, technology, and medicine with arts, humanities, and social sciences showed a significant difference in attitude on a number of questions, but, in general, the effect size was small, suggesting that attitudes are relatively consistent across the academic community.


This examination essay is a study of the aria Ritorna vincitor! from the opera Aida by composer Giuseppe Verdi. The aim of this study is to address the vocal and interpretational questions that may arise while learning the aria. My work with this essay has included searching for information about Verdi, the opera Aida and the cultural, political and musical climate wherein the opera was born. I have also watched the opera and listened to several versions of the aria. I concentrated especially on the interpretations of Mirella Freni, Leontyne Price and Maria Callas. I also created a musical analysis of the aria. Throughout the process of writing this essay I have kept in my mind my own perspective as a singer. I have formed my study from the information I find useful in the process of approaching a new piece of music. The process of writing this essay has provided me with a lot of insight into the musical ideals and ideas behind Verdi's work. Writing this essay made me aware of the dilemma of fulfilling the vocal expectations of the tradition and at the same time interpreting the drama convincingly. I have found a lot of useful material for a singer's artistic development and all that I have learned will certainly come into use in my future vocal studies.


A reflective optic-fiber orientation-dependant inclinometer, in which a short piece of polarization-maintaining photonic crystal fiber (PM-PCF) is spliced with a lead-in single mode fiber (SMF) without any offset, is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The hollow holes within the PM-PCF are partly collapsed due to the directional arc-heating splicing and couple two linearly polarized (LP) modes into the downstream PM-PCF. Then two LP-modes are reflected at the end face of PM-PCF and recoupled back into the lead-in SMF again via the collapsed splicing cross section. A well-defined interference pattern is obtained as the result of polarized modes interference. Both orientation and sensitivity of bending is determined unambiguously with this compact PM-PCF configuration.


In 1940s Shanghai, beautiful young Jiazhi spends her days playing mahjong and drinking tea with high society ladies. But China is occupied by invading Japanese forces and things are not always what they seem in wartime. Jiazhi's life is a front. A patriotic student radical, her mission is to seduce a powerful employee of the occupying government and lead him to the assassin's bullet. Yet as she waits for him to arrive at their liaison, Jiazhi begins to wonder if she is cut out to be a femme fatale and coldly take Mr Yi to his death. Or is she beginning to fall in love with him? A passionate tale of espionage, deception and love, "Lust, Caution" is accompanied here by four further dazzling short stories by Eileen Chang.


This paper introduces the concept of an alternative milieu in order to provide a more thorough account of the nature and development of 'alternative' places. It argues that such places have been generally neglected within geography, and that where they have been the object of research it is usually through a narrow conceptual lens. It is argued that the concept of an alternative milieu provides three analytical benefits. Firstly, it highlights the diversity of alterity within a given locality, a factor that is obscured by simplistic place images or narrower analytical frames. Secondly, it emphasises the significance of geographically fixed institutions in the formation of alternative places. Thirdly, it provides an anchor concept around which the processes that lead to the formation of alternative places can be orientated. The utility of the concept is illustrated through a case study of the emergence of an alternative milieu around the market town of Totnes in the United Kingdom.


Relationship between agents in a society can be represented as a network structure where the nodes and connections represent the causal links among different actions. Such a network of causality and influences can be represented by a Bayesian network where the topology of the network together with the conditional and prior probabilities represent an agent's view of the influence of different factors on outcomes of agent interactions. We propose the use of Bayesian Networks to aid an agent in its negotiation with other agents. We define and use the concept of a negotiation context in which negotiation takes place between two agents. We provide a decision mechanism by which an agent can take actions to create a favorable negotiation context in addition to choosing a negotiation offer that is likely to be accepted by the other agent.


In the past, most of the meetings and conventions were held in convention centers in the luxury hotels in Bangkok because Thailand had no independent convention centers or facilities that offered the same range of services as the hotels. The Thai government decided to construct a convention center named "The Queen Sirikit National Convention Center" (QSNCC) when Thailand got approval from theWorld Bank committees in 1989 to be the host in holding the World Bank and the International Mutual Fund meeting in October, 1991. The purpose of the QSNCC is currently to encourage the growth of the meetings and convention industry in Thailand. The QSNCC named after HerMajesty the Queen ofThailand, is a fitting monument to celebrate her auspicious 60th birthday which falls on August 12, 1992. After considering the services and facilities of the QSNCC and the competitors which are the Bangkok Convention Center owned and located in the Central Plaza Hotel and the Grand Ballroom owned and located in the Shangri La Hotel, the problems of the QSNCC are 1 . Size and facilities are limited to the World Bank committee. 2. Ceiling height in building C and D is too low to hold an exhibition. 3. Catering service is limited to less than 1,000 participants. 4. Too few breakout sessions are available. 5. Convention service managers are not provided. 6. Price is high when compared to competitors. 7. No hotel space is available. 8. Terms ofmanagement contract is too short. Therefore, the QSNCC should be changed in various ways to encourage potential customers to come and use the QSNCC.


This paper describes an evidence-based practice project. At the University of Cincinnati, two courses, Engineering Models I and II, are offered to all first-year engineering students and form a two-semester sequence in which students apply fundamental theories from algebra, trigonometry, calculus and physics to relevant engineering applications chosen from a variety of disciplines. MATLAB ® is introduced and progressively developed as a computing tool to enable students to explore engineering concepts, to investigate solutions to problems too complex for hand solutions, to analyze and present data effectively, and to develop an appreciation of the power and limitations of computer tools. Students are introduced to the basics of programming as well as such ideas as interpolation, curve-fitting, and numeric differentiation and integration, through applications areas such as data analysis, image processing, communications, position tracking, basic mechanics, and system modeling. Throughout the courses, several team projects are introduced requiring the students to use MATLAB ® to develop solutions to open-ended design problems. The Engineering Models sequence was required for all incoming first-year engineering and engineering technology students starting with the 2012-2013 academic year. Lectures, recitation activities, homework assignments, exams, and projects were common across all sections, though some variation existed in how lectures were delivered. In order to reduce variation between sections, a flipped pedagogy was implemented for the 2013-2014 academic year in these courses. Specifically, videos were created from the lecture material which students watched prior to lecture and lecture time was then devoted to solving problems, either in small groups or as a class. Through end-of-semester surveys completed by the students, it was found that many students preferred to simply review the provided slides instead of watching the lectures. While the videos do provide additional content not available solely through the slides, they are still a mostly passive way to gain information (there are practice quizzes available, but the videos themselves do not provide much interaction). To cater to those students who did not gain much from the videos, a system was created that is more interactive. The system, dubbed the Engineering Models Practice System, was created in MATLAB and was modeled after the successful online site Codecademy, where students are presented with course content and are asked to complete simple exercises based on this material. The content available in the practice system is the same as that in the videos, but affords students the opportunity to immediately apply the material towards solving simple problems. This paper will use data from end-of-semester student surveys and performance on course assignments to analyze the effectiveness of the practice system compared to the traditional lecture preparation options.


Evidence suggests that children in out-of-home care function better when placed in kinship compared with foster care. Less is known about the functioning of children in the unique form of kinship care where grandparents are caring full-time for their grandchildren in informal care arrangements. As grandparent carers are increasingly taking on this role, it is timely to investigate the functioning of the children in this form of care and the characteristics of the grandparents themselves. We compared the functioning of children in the two types of care. We also investigated carer characteristics, including the relationship between child functioning, social support and daily hassles on carer stress. One hundred fourteen cares and 180 children were assessed on a range of demographic and clinical measures. Children in grandparent care were displaying better behavioural and adaptive functioning than children living with foster carers. Grandparent carers reported higher levels of distress in the carer role. Predictors of carer stress included severity of child behaviour problems and daily hassles. Both group of carers and the children in their care would benefit from increased support from treatment services.


In this paper, we study the ruin problem with investment in a general framework where the business part X is a Levy process and the return on investment R is a semimartingale. We obtain upper bounds on the finite and infinite time ruin probabilities that decrease as a power function when the initial capital increases. When R is a Levy process, we retrieve the well-known results. Then, we show that these bounds are asymptotically optimal in the finite time case, under some simple conditions on the characteristics of X. Finally, we obtain a condition for ruin with probability one when X is a Brownian motion with negative drift and express it explicitly using the characteristics of R.


Physicians prescribing drugs for patients with schizophrenia and related conditions are remarkably concentrated in their choice among antipsychotic drugs. In 2007 the single antipsychotic drug prescribed by a physician accounted for 66% of all antipsychotic prescriptions written by that physician. Which particular branded antipsychotic was the prescriber's "favorite" varied widely across physicians, i.e. physician prescribing concentration patterns are diverse. Building on Frank and Zeckhauser's [2007] characterization of physician treatments varying from "custom made" to "ready-to-wear", we construct a model of physician learning that generates a number of hypotheses. Using 2007 annual antipsychotic prescribing behavior on 17,652 physicians from IMS Health, we evaluate these predictions empirically. While physician prescribing behavior is generally quite concentrated, prescribers having greater volumes, those with training in psychiatry, male prescribers, and those not approaching retirement age tend to have less concentrated prescribing patterns.


This thesis examines the development of the international marriage business in Japan in the 1980s and 1990s, and the experiences of female participants from China, South Korea, and the Philippines who married through this system and currently live in Japan.

The study treats these women as active female migrants and contributes to a gendered understanding of the process of contemporary migration. The thesis argues for an acknowledgement of the way in which the international marriage business served the purposes of marriage and migration for women in male dominant and economically stratified societies in Asia, without downplaying the fact that the same system and its ideology oppresses women. The study argues that, for these women, participation in international marriage by introduction was about marriage and migration. Analysis of the intricate sites of marriage and migration was thus critical to understanding their experiences. The thesis also argues for recognition of the diverse and complex experiences of the women participants.

Part I of this study investigates the macro-economic, social and political factors that influenced development of the international marriage business in Japan. It analyses representations of international introduction marriage and its female participants, and maps the ways in which patriarchal gender ideology in the international marriage business system intersects with global capitalism, and other hegemonic power relations operating in contemporary Japan.

Part II examines the marriage and migration experiences of 45 women. The section identifies conflicts faced by the women and examines processes of negotiation inside and outside the family domain. It investigates the extent of the women's agency in their decision to many and live in a foreign country, covering interconnected arenas of marriage, family, paid work, involvement in women's groups and questions of legal citizenship. The women's narratives demonstrate the importance of articulating a structurally embedded analysis with active female agency in the study of international marriage migration.


The Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) is the largest ocean-current on our planet responsible for exchanging water masses between the three world oceans Pacific, Atlantic and the Indian Ocean. As this transport of water masses and heat affects our climate directly, changes in the global ocean circulation have significant influence on our climate. Hence a reconstruction of altering flow patterns e.g. due to tectonic events can help to understand past climate changes. These changes in flow patterns are documented in sedimentary features and distribution. Unfortunately, empirical data about the dynamics of the ACC up to now mostly originates from measurements in the Indian Sector of the Southern Ocean, Scotia Sea and South of Australia. To complete our picture, two sample regions where chosen to document the influence of the ACC on sedimentation processes. The first is situated near the East Pacific Rise (EPR, 44,5° S) north of the ACC, the second one lies south of the ACC in the Bellingshausen Abyssal Plane (BAP, 60,75° S). High-resolution multichannel seismic reflection profiles are used to analyze the sedimentary structures of these regions. A first data analysis reveals a number of contourite drifts near the EPR while in the BAP mostly pelagic sedimentation prevails. Furthermore, the deposits near the EPR are thinner than in the BAP, the sedimentary load is three times as much as in the EPR region. The missing contourite drifts in the BAP are a sign of little bottom current activity. The contourite drifts near the EPR indicate strong bottom currents suggesting a strong influence of deep water within the ACC. The larger sediment load in the BAP probably comes from the difference in crustal age. With similar sedimentation rates between 7 and 12 mm/a the BAP region has a sediment load of 475 meters, the EPR region the sediment load is between 110 and 160 meters.


The Plain Meaning Rule is often assailed on the grounds that it is unprincipled - that it substitutes for careful analysis an interpreter's ad hoc and impressionistic intuition about the meaning of legal texts. But what if judges and lawyers had the means to test their intuitions about plain meaning systematically? Then initial linguistic impressions about the meaning of a legal text might be viewed as hypotheses to be tested, rather than determinative criteria upon which to base important decisions. There exists very little legal scholarship on corpus linguistics - the study of language function and use through large, electronic linguistic databases called "corpora" - and the role that corpus methods might play in legal interpretation. This omission becomes more and more striking as scholars and jurists (and even the United States Supreme Court) have found themselves persuaded by corpus-based arguments. This Article argues that the plain or ordinary meaning of a given term in a given context is an empirical matter that may be quantified through corpus-based methods. These methods, when applied to questions of legal ambiguity, present significant advantages over existing empirical approaches to plain meaning and over the prevailing intuition-based interpretive approach of many courts. Because large, sophisticated linguistic corpora are widely available and easy to use, and because corpus methods offer a more principled and systematic alternative to the impressionistic interpretation of legal texts, corpus linguistics may one day revolutionize the process of legal interpretation.


The present study was carried out with the purpose of internal evaluation of educational groups in dentistry faculty of Tabriz Medical University using CIPP model. Statistical population of this descriptive- cross sectional study consists of faculty members (n=106) and specialized assistants (n=108), conducted as whole counting. Questionnaires in four aspects of context, input, process and product were used to collect data. Reliability coefficient was obtained by Cronbach's Alpha method. It was 0.886 for faculty members and 0.916 for assistants. Descriptive statistical methods were used for data analysis. In the context aspect, it was assessed fairly favorable and favorable by professors and assistants, respectively, for Endodontics, dental Prosthodontics, Pathology and Pediatric dentistry groups; it was evaluated fairly favorable for the other groups according to both perspectives. Professors of Periodontics group evaluated the input aspect fairly favorable and the assistants evaluated it favorable; Radiology professors assessed the input favorable and assistants recognized it fairly favorable and in other groups, professors and assistants assessed the input aspect fairly favorable. The process aspect was evaluated fairly favorable in Orthodontics, Pediatric and Radiology groups, favorable in Pathology group, and fairly favorable according to the professors and favorable according to the assistants in other groups. The product aspect was favorable in operative and Pathology groups from professors' viewpoints and fairly favorable according to the assistants' opinions.


Spatio-temporal patterns of the spread of infectious diseases are commonly driven by environmental and ecological factors. This is particularly true for vector-borne diseases because vector populations can be strongly affected by host distribution as well as by climatic and landscape variables. Here, we aim to identify environmental drivers for bluetongue virus (BTV), the causative agent of a major vector-borne disease of ruminants that has emerged multiple times in Europe in recent decades. In order to determine the importance of climatic, landscape and host-related factors affecting BTV diffusion across Europe, we fitted different phylogeographic models to a dataset of 113 time-stamped and geo-referenced BTV genomes, representing multiple strains and serotypes. Diffusion models using continuous space revealed that terrestrial habitat below 300 m altitude, wind direction and higher livestock densities were associated with faster BTV movement. Results of discrete phylogeographic analysis involving generalized linear models broadly supported these findings, but varied considerably with the level of spatial partitioning. Contrary to common perception, we found no evidence for average temperature having a positive effect on BTV diffusion, though both methodological and biological reasons could be responsible for this result. Our study provides important insights into the drivers of BTV transmission at the landscape scale that could inform predictive models of viral spread and have implications for designing control strategies.


Today, a plethora of parallel execution platforms are available. One platform in particular is the GPGPU – a massively parallel architecture designed for exploiting data parallelism. However, GPGPUS are notoriously difficult to program due to the way data is accessed and processed, and many interconnected factors affect the performance. This makes it an exceptionally challengingtask to write correct and high-performing applications for GPGPUS. This thesis project aims to address this problem by investigating how ForSyDe models – a software engineering methodology where applications are modeled at a very high level of abstraction – can be synthesized into CUDA C code for execution on NVIDIA CUDA-enabled graphics cards. The report proposes a software synthesis process which discovers one type of potential data parallelism in a model and generates either pure C or CUDA C code. A prototype of the software synthesis component has also been implemented and tested on models derived from two applications – a Mandelbrot generator and an industrial-scale image processor. The synthesized CUDA code produced in the tests was shown to be both correct and efficient, provided there was enough computation complexity in the processes to amortize the overhead cost of using the GPGPU.


During the recent years, despite the suffusion of the globalization discussions and expansion of the relationships in the virtual world, the place and sense of place are still in the focal point of the attention in many of the theoretical and empirical studies. The importance of integrating the objective and subjective approaches into these concepts underlines the balance and equilibrium in concomitantly dealing with the physical properties of the places and the social and cultural values of the society. In this regard, narrating the society's stories, including memories, beliefs, values and myths in the urban space, would be effective in the strengthening of the bond with them. This is while the majority of the prior stories and events are neglected in dealing with urban spaces and places. Thus, it is necessary to deal with the society's narrations in the text of urban space as the factor connecting the individuals to their living environments. The present article investigates the role of the society's stories and their narrations in respect to the fortification of the sense of place. The main question is that how the sense of place can be reinforced and continued by the assistance of the narrations and readings of the society's stories in the urban spaces? To do so, use has been made of a descriptive-analytical method to firstly review the texts and theories related to this issue and explore the experts' concepts and notions; then, the primary concepts' interrelationships are explicated and analyzed. Based on the positive and corroborating effect of the narrations of the place stories on the sense of place and within the format of the layered semiotic approach, the urban space will be introduced as a text and its stories are consequently considered as the textual layers. In order to preserve the coherence of the place's text in whole, the role and value of the various layers of the place's textactivities, form and imaginationsshould be aligned with and strengthening the value and role of the textual layer of the place's stories. To display the stories, it has to be specified within a context that which stories are of greater importance to society. Then, the physical and non-physical methods and elements showcasing them should be determined.


Background. Suicide and suicide attempts are commonly encountered in primary healthcare. To manage them competently and in a non-judgmental manner, health workers require an in-depth understanding of this problem. Objective. To determine the reasons for suicide attempts among patients admitted at Tshilidzini Hospital.  Method. A descriptive qualitative study used an unstructured in-depth interview for data collection, with 10 purposively selected participants. The data were analysed thematically. Results. The participants gave the following reasons for their suicidal acts: poverty, unemployment and its associated financial difficulties; domestic violence; interpersonal conflicts; HIV/AIDS-related problems; maternal death; depression; hallucinations; and accusations of witchcraft. These factors interacted, producing feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness and lack of meaning in life, thereby driving the individual to resort to desperate measures. The choice of method for each suicide attempt was influenced by availability, knowledge, experience and the seriousness of intent to die. Conclusion. This study supports the idea that a suicidal act is a complex phenomenon arising in an distinctive way in each individual, based on the interplay of various factors.


The authors study the out-of-sample predictability of the returns of pan-European harmonized mutual funds that follow hedge fund–like investment strategies ("alternative UCITS") and allow retail investors to gain access to nontraditional investment strategies. Given these funds' higher liquidity compared with hedge funds, investors could exploit relevant information more easily and use it for their asset allocation and risk management decisions. Using a large set of fundamental and technical variables, the authors estimate single predictor models, combination forecasts, and multivariate regression models. Forming hypothetical funds-of-funds portfolios based on predicted returns generates economic gains for investors, especially during crisis times. Combination approaches and multivariate models reduce estimation uncertainty and lead to economic gains across different market environments. TOPICS: Mutual funds/passive investing/indexing, real assets/alternative investments/private equity, performance measurement, developed markets, statistical methods


With the resignation of General Renee Emilio Ponce in March 1993, the Salvadorian army s sixty-year domination of El Salvador came to an end. The country s January 1992 peace accords stripped the military of the power it once enjoyed, placing many areas under civilian rule. Establishing civilian control during the transition to democracy was no easy task, especially for a country that had never experienced even a brief period of democracy in its history.Phillip J. Williams and Knut Walter argue that prolonged military rule produced powerful obstacles that limited the possibilities for demilitarization in the wake of the peace accords. The failure of the accords to address several key aspects of the military s political power had important implications for the democratic transition and for future civil-military relations.Drawing on an impressive array of primary source materials and interviews, this book will be valuable to students, scholars, and policy makers concerned with civil-military relations, democratic transitions, and the peace process in Central America."


The paper first examines the problems involved in the measurement of the thickness of germanium wafers, the difficulties encountered in handling and manoeuvring them due to their small size and weight and the nature of their material composition. Errors and failings in hand measurement are discussed, together with the advantages of mechanical measurement. The design and construction of an automatic measuring machine are then described, showing how the wafers are measured, sorted into seven different sizes and counted. The movement of them to the measuring point is by mechanical means, but they are measured, sorted and counted electronically. Measurement is effected by an electronic comparator of high magnification and accuracy, the output signal of which is amplified and then used to operate the sorting mechanism. Some half-million wafers were measured during the development period, which is described, together with the difficulties encountered and the modifications found necessary finally to produce the consistency and accuracy of measurement required. In conclusion, the assets of the machine in eliminating human error in hand measurement and operator fatigue, together with its production capacity, are described.


We propose a learning algorithm for fair classification that achieves both group fairness (the proportion of members in a protected group receiving positive classification is identical to the proportion in the population as a whole), and individual fairness (similar individuals should be treated similarly). We formulate fairness as an optimization problem of finding a good representation of the data with two competing goals: to encode the data as well as possible, while simultaneously obfuscating any information about membership in the protected group. We show positive results of our algorithm relative to other known techniques, on three datasets. Moreover, we demonstrate several advantages to our approach. First, our intermediate representation can be used for other classification tasks (i.e., transfer learning is possible); secondly, we take a step toward learning a distance metric which can find important dimensions of the data for classification.


Bullying and being bullied put adolescents at risk for developing violent behaviors. Depression and anxiety are two of the underlying issues related to this type of behavior. Recognizing the warning signs may help mental health care professionals prevent violence in the adolescent's life.


A phenomenon in which the signs and symptoms of some genetic conditions tend to become more severe and/or appear at an earlier age as the disorder is passed from one generation to the next. Huntington disease is an example of a genetic disorder in which the biological mechanism for this phenomenon has been well documented. In other cases, it may be due to factors such as increased surveillance or other nongenetic causes.


Emerging medical nanotechnology applications often utilize magnetic forces to guide the movement of superparamagnetic particle linked cells and drugs in order to achieve a therapeutic effect. Superparamagnetic particle labeled endothelial cells have previously been captured on the surface of prototype nickel-plated stents in proof of concept studies. Facilitated endothelialization may help improve the healing of stented arteries and reduce the risk of stent thrombosis and restenosis. Extensive evaluation of candidate materials led to the development of a magnetizable 2205 duplex stainless steel stent. Magnetic field strengths of approximately 630 mG were induced within these stents by holding them in close proximity to a 0.7 T rare earth magnet. The magnetic field strength was reliably maintained over several days, but was partially reduced upon mild mechanical shock or plastic deformation. Mechanical testing demonstrated that stents could withstand crimping and expansion necessary for vascular implantation; however, magnetic field strength was significantly reduced. When placed in an endothelial cell suspension of 1×106 cells/mL, magnetized stents captured approximately 310 cells/mm2 compared to approximately 35 cells/mm2 for non-magnetized control stents. These data provide quantitative support to the observation that low level magnetization of stents may be adequate to attract labeled, autologous, blood-derived endothelial outgrowth cells following stent placement. This, in turn, may lead to more rapid and complete healing of stented arteries with a concomitant improvement in stent performance.


Abstract. This paper proposes an absolute phase unwrapping method for three-dimensional measurement that uses two cameras and one projector. On the left camera image, each pixel has one wrapped phase value, which corresponds to multiple projector candidates with different absolute phase values. We use the geometric relationship of the system to map projector candidates into the right camera candidates. By applying a series of candidate rejection criteria, a unique correspondence pair between two camera images can be determined. Then, the absolute phase is obtained by tracing the correspondence point back to the projector space. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed absolute phase unwrapping algorithm can successfully work on both complex geometry and multiple isolated objects measurement.


ABSTRACT The paper presents possibilities of comprehensive use of support tools for pupils at risk of school failure in the Czech primary schools practice in order to support the implementation of inclusive education. The research data obtained during the project implemented in the Pilsen region in period of 2016–2019 brought the results of assessment of new support tools that are not yet systemically introduced in the Czech educational system and commonly available for all schools, although these instruments seem to be very effective or even necessary for quality inclusive education. The most important new tools include the position of inclusion coordinator in schools, strengthening the counselling services available directly in schools, as well as new strategies for promotion of cooperation between the schools, families, and social services – including some specific techniques, such as parenting workshops on child support in education, case conferences with child's participation or seminars for parents and teachers on collaboration with social services. However, the exploitation of the results of this research and assessment will depend largely on political decisions at both local and governmental levels.


Humans build 3D understandings of the world through active object exploration, using jointly their senses of vision and touch. However, in 3D shape reconstruction, most recent progress has relied on static datasets of limited sensory data such as RGB images, depth maps or haptic readings, leaving the active exploration of the shape largely unexplored. Inactive touch sensing for 3D reconstruction, the goal is to actively select the tactile readings that maximize the improvement in shape reconstruction accuracy. However, the development of deep learning-based active touch models is largely limited by the lack of frameworks for shape exploration. In this paper, we focus on this problem and introduce a system composed of: 1) a haptic simulator leveraging high spatial resolution vision-based tactile sensors for active touching of 3D objects; 2)a mesh-based 3D shape reconstruction model that relies on tactile or visuotactile signals; and 3) a set of data-driven solutions with either tactile or visuotactile priors to guide the shape exploration. Our framework enables the development of the first fully data-driven solutions to active touch on top of learned models for object understanding. Our experiments show the benefits of such solutions in the task of 3D shape understanding where our models consistently outperform natural baselines. We provide our framework as a tool to foster future research in this direction.


This study provides a Web-based solution for issuing online key and accessing to
disconnected areas which are disconnected from any server or portal. In some
locations there is no facility for connecting to server, because of inaccessibility or
cost of network connection. Beside, the key must be generated in the easiest way for
customer's convenience. Online users can book and reserve their desired room or can
purchase their coveted event's ticket by the internet easily. The thesis gives reliable
solution to design a method and system for generating access code and issuing the
key or ticket with offering a safe and reduced cost way. The issued key is perceptible
for offline and standalone lock system. Barcode has been chosen, according to its
advantages, such as cheapness, simple product and ease of use. The Verifier Machine
can be located at each venue entry point are standalone devices, and are not
connected in any way neither among them nor to any central database, server or portal. Functionality of simulator application in generating the access code, ability of
portal in issuing barcode form key, stability of printed key and capability of
demonstrated standalone machine in decrypting and verifying was tested
successfully. The achieved system presents a simple, low cost, and flexible method
for authorization and authentication in accessing doors at remote areas


This paper examines the contested "biological" meaning of the genetic effects of radiation amid nuclear fear during the 1950s and 1960s. In particular, I explore how the question of irreversibility, a question that eventually led to the discovery of DNA repair, took shape in the context of postwar concerns of atomic energy. Yale biophysicists who opposed nuclear weapons testing later ironically played a central role in the discovery of DNA excision repair, or "error-correcting codes" that suggested the reversibility of the genetic effects of radiation. At Yale and elsewhere, continuing anticipation of medical applications from radiation therapy contributed to the discovery of DNA repair. The story of the discovery of DNA repair illustrates how the gene was studied in the atomic age and illuminates its legacy for the postwar life sciences. I argue that it was through the investigation of the irreversibility of the biological effects of radiation that biologists departed from an inert view of genetic stability and began to appreciate the dynamic stability of the gene. Moreover, the reformulation of DNA repair around notions of information and error-correction helped radiobiologists to expand the relevance of DNA repair research beyond radiobiology, even after the public concerns on nuclear fallout faded in the mid-1960s.


Obtaining a
greater understanding of photo-induced electron-transfer (PET) processes is key
to synthesizing photovoltaic materials with enhanced efficiency. Gaining knowledge about the structure
property relationship in photo-active donor-bridge-acceptor (D-B-A)
dyads will help to optimize electronic and photoelectronic materials. Metal
acetylide complexes have attracted increasing interest for their potential
applications as building blocks for electronic and photoelectronic materials.
Their unique υ(C≡C) (2000-2100 cm-1) allows for selective
excitation, making them an appealing target for attenuating PET processes
across a metal acetylide backbone. The following topics will be discussed: i.) an overview of
M(cyclam′) alkynyl chemistry, where M = Cr, Fe, Co, or Ni, with a focus on
reactivity and spectroscopy, ii.) selective synthesis
of dissymmetric species, utilizing a CoIII(cyclam) (1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane)
alkynyl bridge, iii) synthesis and characterization of metal alkynyl D-B-A dyads trans- [R'2N-4-C6H4C2-CoIII(cyclam)-Cn-NAPR]+
(n = 2 or 4), where the chromophore acceptor is NAPiPr (N-isopropyl-1,8-napthalimide) and the
putative donor is -C6H4-4-NR'2 (R' = Me or Ph-4-OMe), iv.) design
and synthesis of D-B-A derivatives, alter NAPR (R = mesityl,
methyl, 1-ethylpropyl, 2-ethylhexyl, or octyl) to tune reactivity and
crystallinity, v.) electronic and spectroscopic influence the bridging center
on A, and vi.) effect of η2
coordination of MX2 (MX2 = CuCl2 or Ag(NO3)2)
to the alkyne bridge on electron transfer.


The Kitt Peak National Observatory is located in the Quinlan Mountains, southwest of Tucson, Arizona. For more than 40 years, astronomers have used the telescopes here to make many remarkable discoveries about the Universe. Today, Kitt Peak is the most visited astronomical observatory site in the world. With over twenty telescopes of different types and sizes, the site gives visitors an indication of the great diversity of modern astronomy. This guide gives a comprehensive tour of the Kitt Peak telescopes, and introduces some of the important science that is done with them. It also points out some of the beautiful surrounding scenery, and gives an idea of what it is like to be an astronomer on the mountain. The book will enable visitors to make the most of their trip, and contains color-coded walking tours of the telescopes.


A 1 yr study was conducted across a 45 m depth gradient on the north shore of Jamaica to explore the hypothesis that depth-specific variability associated with thermocline oscillations effects growth rates of the scleractinian coral Madracis mirabilis. Multiple periods of high-frequency temperature variability were detected at 30 to 55 m depth, indicative of vertical transport of subther- mocline water onto the reef slope at semidiurnal and shorter intervals. Cooling, expressed as cumu- lative degree-days below the depth-averaged daily temperature increased from 1.6°C d at 10 m to 50°C d at 45 and 55 m depth. The sum of the daily temperature variance increased almost 3-fold from 3.7 to 9.9°C 2 from 10 to 55 m. Coral growth rates showed a bimodal distribution as a function of depth, with fastest growth (3.86 to 4.12 g yr -1 ) at 10 and 30 m, reduced growth (2.46 to 3.21 g yr -1 ) at 20 and 45 m, and slowest growth (0.97 g yr -1 ) at 55 m. To assess possible differences among sites differing with respect to the intensity of internal-wave forcing, growth rates of M. mirabilis were compared at 20 and 30 m depth in Jamaica with previous results from the Florida Keys. Overall growth rates were greater in Florida than in Jamaica, corresponding to greater internal-wave activity in Florida, and a similar effect of enhanced growth at 30 m was observed at both sites. Vertical oscillations of the thermocline are a widespread phenomenon, and may contribute to patterns of coral growth in a variety of deep reef environments.


Long-acting human growth hormone (hGH) is intended to improve compliance, adherence and efficacy for patients with growth hormone deficiency or other growth disorders. There is poor patient compliance with daily dosing and novel strategies for improving pharmacokinetic half-life and potency are under development. Subcutaneously and intramuscularly administered recombinant human growth hormone (aka somatropin) has a short half-life of just a few hours. Growth hormone is cleared by glomerular filtration based on its size and through receptor mediated uptake. By engineering a multimeric hGH, the clearance via glomerular filtration may be reduced and the receptor binding improved through multiple points of contact. A synthetic form of hGH was created by linking multiple hGH proteins together through bi-functional PEG linkers. In addition a recombinant form of hGH was created by expressing three hGH proteins tethered together by a repetitive amino acid linker sequence. These engineered proteins were evaluated for structure and function. The tethered hGH proteins were potent and increased weight gain in hypophysectomized rats.


It is a common idea amongst all religious and spiritual traditions that human beings should have some kind of self-control. Although we enjoy free will, we need to exercise our free will in a responsible way. In the same way that we expect others to respect our dignity and interests, we should respect dignity and interests of others. We should also safeguard our own dignity and long term interests. Thus, we cannot simply go after our whims and desires and do whatever we want. We need to have self-control and self-discipline which leads to self-purification. If we purify our hearts we will no longer need to resist our temptations and control ourselves against lower desires and lusts, since a purified person desires nothing except what is good and moral for himself and others. In what follows, we will study the necessity of self-control and self-purification.


Abstract SICStus Prolog has evolved for nearly 25 years. This is an appropriate point in time for revisiting the main language and design decisions, and try to distill some lessons. SICStus Prolog was conceived in a context of multiple, conflicting Prolog dialect camps and a fledgling standardization effort. We reflect on the impact of this effort and role model implementations on our development. After summarizing the development history, we give a guided tour of the system anatomy, exposing some designs that were not published before. We give an overview of our new interactive development environment, and describe a sample of key applications. Finally, we try to identify key good and not so good design decisions.


The present study presents a comparative analysis of different group aggregation methods adopted in AHP by testing them against social choice axioms with a case study of Delhi transport system. The group aggregation (GA) methods and their correctness were tested while prioritizing the alternative options to achieve energy efficient and less polluting transport system in Delhi. It was observed that among all group aggregation methods, geometric mean method (GMM) - the most widely adopted GA method of AHP - showed poor performance and failed to satisfy the most popular "pareto optimality and non-dictatorship axiom" raising questions on its validity as GA method adopted in AHP. All other group aggregation methods viz. weighted arithmetic mean method with varying weights and equal weights (WAMM, WeAMM) and arithmetic mean of individual priorities (AMM) resulted in concurring results with the individual member priorities. This study demonstrates that WeAMM resulted in better aggregation of individual priorities compared to WAMM. Comparative analysis between individual and group priorities demonstrates that the arithmetic mean (AMM) of priorities by individual members of the group showed minimum deviation from the group consensus making it the most suitable and simple method to aggregate individual preferences to arrive at a group consensus.


Purpose : The objective of this study was to assess users' satisfaction and effectiveness of assistive devices in four regions of Afghanistan, namely Mazar-e-Sharif, Ghazni, Jalalabad and Taloqan. Method : A random sample of 785 users, who were provided with 874 mobility and assistive devices in four regional prosthetic and orthotic workshops of the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA), participated in the study. Results: The study revealed that the majority of the participants rated the assistive devices as very useful. While 45% of respondents even described them as excellent, 49% expressed a good level of satisfaction with the services they received at treatment centres. Similarly, the majority of respondents (67%) mentioned a maximum level of improvement, while 15% claimed to have witnessed some improvement in their physical condition. Fitting, comfort, and ease of use, along with durability, weight and appearance were rated as the most important factors of assistive devices. On the other hand, slow service and limited access to maintenance and repair facilities were identified as reasons for dissatisfaction. Conclusion : The study provided continuous and valuable information to rehabilitation professionals regarding device effectiveness and satisfaction. The findings also recommended a stronger focus on comfort and usefulness of mobility and assistive devices. Lastly, the study suggested that lack of local device-repair service needs to be addressed by rehabilitation professionals.


For the past decade, the land rush discourse has analyzed foreign investment in land and agriculture around the world, with Africa being a continent of particular focus due to the scale of acquisitions that have taken place. Gabon, a largely forested state in Central Africa, has been neglected in the land rush conversations, despite having over half of its land allocated to forestry, agriculture, and mining concessions. This paper draws on existing evidence and contributes new empirical data through expert interviews to fill this critical knowledge gap. We situate Gabon's historic relationship with land, establishing the intrinsic relationship between colonial land tenure systems and present-day land rights. Our findings analyze the macro context of investors and investments, as well as the impacts related to rural–urban linkages and infrastructure development into the forests, civil society, human–environment relationships, and certification programs. While challenges continue to be experienced, the promise of Gabon's first national land use plan—the use of sustainable concessions and mandatory forestry certification—offers a unique opportunity for Gabon to transition towards a future that better benefits its population while also protecting its natural resources.


Objective: To investigate whether the use of amlodipine/atorvastatin can affect vascular endothelial function as well as blood vessel elasticity and lipid level compared with hypotensor alone.
Method: There were 162 participants selected into domestic compound hypotensive tablets (Group 1), amlodipine tablets (Group 2) and amlodipine/atorvastatin group (Group 3) randomly. After 3 months, 144 participants remained. Each participant's medical history was collected, and each participant underwent a blood biochemical examination including high-sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hs-CRP), Flow-Mediated-Dilation (FMD) and Endothelium-Independent Dilatation (EID), and carotid-Femoral Pulse Wave Velocity (c-f PWV) before and after the 3-month follow-up period.
Results: Compared with baseline, the FMD values of all groups improved significantly. Group 3 showed the greatest difference, followed by Groups 2 and 1. In contrast, no difference in EID was noted (P>0.05 in three groups). After treatment, the c-f PWV of Groups 2 and 3 turned to be significantly better (P<0.05), while that of Group 1 did not change. There was no statistical significant difference among three groups. The lipid levels of the participants in Group 3 decreased, while those in Groups 1 and 2 did not change. The hs-CRP levels of Groups 2 and 3 decreased significantly, whereas that of Group 1 did not change.
Conclusions: In conclusion, we found that Amlodipine/atorvastatin combination pills can improve vascular endothelial function as well as vascular elasticity, and down-regulate the level of hs-CRP.


textabstractThis dissertation aims to enhance our understanding of how incumbent firms organize innovation in response to the challenges and opportunities they face. The first paper focuses on understanding all components of the complex innovation ecosystem. In this chapter we synthesize the literature on innovation and provide a critical review of the field. The second paper centers on how firms can succeed in grassroots innovation, thereby harnessing the knowledge and skills of their entire employee base. In this chapter we take an in-depth look at grassroots innovation and its success determinants. The third paper looks at how the inevitable resistance to change affects innovation performance, and how resistance can be turned into a strength. We further explain the relationship between resistance to change and innovation performance by studying the mediating effect of the reaction of concerned employees.


We investigated the changes in total body weight, glycogen, protein, and lipid contents of the endoparasitoid Pimpla turionellae L. (Hymenoptera : Ichneumonidae) reared on Galleria mellonella L. (Lepidoptera : Pyralidae) exposed to various sublethal doses of cypermethrin added to the food of host larvae. Cypermethrin affected the total body weight of larvae, pupae, and adult females but not males. Results revealed that the levels of glycogen, protein, and lipid in all stages and sexes of the wasp tended to decline with respect to con- trols. Females showed the most striking decrease in glycogen content whereas larvae were more susceptible to cypermethrin than pupae and adults in terms of decrease in protein and lipid contents.


Climate change is happening, and its effects are already visible across the world. Human activities and businesses are being impacted in all sectors by extreme weather and climate events and chronic shifts in climate such as increasing temperature, changes in rainfall patterns and sea-level rise. These physical impacts of climate change are expected to worsen over the next few decades, threatening financial investments and activities. If the regulatory framework has evolved, with the set of recommendations issued by the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) for a better climate risks reporting in the financial sector, the investors lack the tools and expertise to quantify the impacts of physical climate risks on their assets and investments. Moreover, the physical impacts of climate change are highly localized, and tailored, detailed information is needed, from climate variables to financial indicators. This report introduces the impact chain framework that can help decision makers understand risk assessment implementation issues, and build capacity for analyzing and managing risks. This framework is further detailed and illustrated through several case studies on assets and portfolios. This report presents both the methods and the tailored information generated for the finance sector, from the assessment of vulnerabilities to the creation of financial indicators. We describe commonalities and differences across sectors, type of portfolios and data availability context. We highlight the challenges and the opportunities of the project's inter-disciplinary approach. Full reference: F. Gallo and V. Lepousez (2020). Assessing physical climate risks for financial decision makers: common methodologies, challenges and case studies. Carbone 4. ClimINVEST project report.


OBJECTIVES
To estimate the frequency of self-reporting of road traffic accidents in the previous year in the general population and to determine the associated factors.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
We conducted a secondary analysis of the data of the III National Survey of Drug Use in the General Population of Peru, 2006. We measured socio-demographical variables: age, gender, place of origin, educational level and marital status. We also evaluated the use of legal, illegal and medical drugs. The independent variable was the self-reporting of a road traffic accident. We performed the descriptive, bivariate and multivariate analysis of the socio-demographical variables and the drug use (legal and illegal), together with the self-reporting of the traffic accident.

RESULTS
The frequency of reporting of road traffic accidents in the last year according to the survey was 2.93% (95%CI: 2.92-2.94). The associated factors for self-reporting of a road traffic accident were: to live in the jungle areas (OR: 2.03; 95%CI:1.55-2.65), male gender (OR: 1.79; 95%CI: 1.46-2.22), legal drugs use in the last year (OR: 1.98, 95%CI: 1.53-2.55), alcohol consumption in the last year (OR: 1.82; 95%CI: 1.44-2.32) and medical drugs use in the last year (OR: 2.45, 95%CI 1.63-3.68).

CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of self-reporting of road traffic accidents in the last year was very high compared to similar studies and other reporting sources. The variables associated with having had a traffic accident were: living in the jungle area, being male, legal drug use in the last month, especially alcohol and medical drug use in the last month. It is necessary to think carefully about the information system of the road traffic accidents in order to achieve a better picture of the problem putting emphasis in the legal drugs use.


In rapidly changing social, economic and intellectual environments it is imperative that teaching and learning should be transformed from being primarily concerned with the transmission of knowledge (learning about) to being primarily concerned with the practices of a knowledge domain (learning to be). Law lecturers are faced with a new generation of law students, many of whom may be the first in their families to enter university, and one of the important challenges that we face, when educating law students, is how to enable these students to take their place in a very important profession. To meet this challenge it is necessary to instill skills that will be beneficial to the profession, future clients and the community as a whole. We at the University of Johannesburg are endeavouring to do so through embracing a therapeutic jurisprudence approach that focuses on the well-being of the student, the client and the community. The integration of therapeutic jurisprudence throughout the law student's studies, starting with orientation and continuing through to the final-year clinical experience, will enhance the therapeutic outcomes for all of the parties involved. A therapeutic jurisprudence approach, combined with appropriate teaching and learning methods, will enhance the student's interpersonal skills and writing and reading skills. The teaching methods invoked include role-play to transform formal knowledge into living knowledge, thereby stimulating students' natural practical curiosity and creating a learning environment that supports collaboration and encourages students to act purposefully in such an environment. This article discusses the teaching of first-generation students and how to overcome the existing social, cultural, economic and linguistic barriers by using a therapeutic jurisprudence approach, while upholding the values that should guide legal practice, such as integrity and respect for diversity and human dignity. The constitutional imperative of access to justice for all underlines the importance for law teachers of incorporating therapeutic jurisprudence in their teaching methods. In South Africa, law lecturers face many challenges in teaching law students and first-generation students. Passionate teachers will produce passionate students and realize that they have the power to transform thoughts, policies and lives. Students should be reminded that law is not just about financial rewards, but the ultimate reward of contributing to the betterment of society. The legal profession expects us to produce a well-rounded graduate for entry into the profession. This necessitates that our teaching methods be appropriate to prepare the student for an entry level of competence for the legal profession. Therapeutic jurisprudence creates the opportunity for the lecturer not only to equip the student with the skills required by the profession but to implement teaching methods that will prove to be beneficial for all of the role-players involved. The honing of skills such as legal writing and oral advocacy from the first year of study creates the opportunity for the students to develop to their full potential. In order to support a meaningful, integrated teaching approach, the development of skills is expanded on during each year of study and can prove beneficial to all role-players during clinical education, where the student has the opportunity to apply the acquired skills in real-life situations. The impact of a therapeutic jurisprudence on the development of legal skills can now be measured through the student's ability to focus on the well-being of the client and the community.


Ambient intelligence systems facilitate job performance by medical staff in health care services. Several papers detail scenarios in which these technologies may support clinicians in their daily work processes, but their specific characteristics suggest such technologies also could be useful for surveillance and subsequent control of employees. Until now, only little attention has focused on resolving such issues. On the basis of 16 in-depth interviews with medical staff from three German hospitals, this study identifies a reserved attitude and several acceptance problems among interviewees. The qualitative data indicate 10 hypotheses, tested using a questionnaire study of 215 nurses in training from Germany and India. The investigation of the quantitative data relies on partial least squares modeling to identify and categorise problems with user acceptance of ambient intelligence and mobile systems on various levels. The results of this mixed methods study mainly indicate that German participants assess ambient intelligence much more critically. Consequently, specific strategies for implementing such technologies should be adopted.


Purpose: In this prospective study, we used 2D chemical shift imaging (CSI), a multi-voxel proton spectroscopy technique, to evaluate the brain metabolites on conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in normal-appearing white and grey matter in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPSLE); without neuropsychiatric symptoms (non-NPSLE); and healthy controls (HCs). Our objective was to find metabolites that discriminated NPSLE patients from the non-NPSLE and HC cohorts. Materials and methods: The study included 23 NPSLE patients, 20 non-NPSLE patients, and 21 HCs. A clinical assessment including the SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI) and systemic lupus international collaborating clinics (SLICC) scores was conducted. All patients underwent conventional MRI and 2D CSI technique to acquire the following metabolic ratios: NAA/Cr, Cho/Cr, and Cho/NAA in the anterior and posterior insula, anterior frontal and parietal white and grey matter, thalamus, basal ganglia, and occipital grey matter. Results: In terms of metabolic differences, the NPSLE patients had significant differences compared with the non-NPSLE and HC groups in the: left posterior insula (increased Cho/NAA; p = 0.008), right internal capsule (increased Cho/Cr; p < 0.05), left thalamus (increased NAA/Cr; p = 0.011), anterior grey matter (increased NAA/Cr; p = 0.004), posterior grey matter (increased Cho/NAA; p = 0.016), anterior white matter (increased NAA/Cr; p = 0.012), and left posterior white matter (increased Cho/NAA; p = 0.022). The NPSLE patients showed significantly higher SLEDAI scores ( p < 0.001). Conclusion: We found several significant distinct metabolic differences between NPSLE and non-NPSLE/HC patients in various brain locations. Keywords: systemic lupus erythematosus; SLE; neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus; NPSLE; spectroscopy


Methodology for in the software development life cycle has rapidly evolved over the last couple decades. This evolution is related to strategies born in just-in-time manufacturing which reveal themselves through methods such as rapid application development, waterfall development, spiral development, agile development, and DevOps. Coupled with consumer and industry adoption of cloud-based technologies, software releases to consumers can happen minutes after code-commits. This environment breeds highly competitive firms, rapid and frequent new entrants, ever changing resource barriers, and a constant threat of replacement. To mitigate these risks the adoption of dynamic capabilities could improve firm success and assist in ensuring continued competitive advantages. This paper will suggest ways to enable this in an example market, identify possible weaknesses, and suggest further avenues for research. The outcome of this paper would be actionable initiatives a firm could implement and track to solidify their position or extend their position in changing and converging markets. An example of suggestions specific to a firm in the immutable infrastructure (or continuous configuration management) market to address a possible market convergence. Personal experience in this market will be incorporated. MSMITH ETM 526 Spring 2018 Page 1


We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. (Declaration of Independence, 1776)


The structure of Earth's magnetosphere is poorly understood when the interplanetary magnetic field is northward. Under this condition, uncharacteristically energetic plasma is observed in the magnetotail lobes, which is not expected in the textbook model of the magnetosphere. Using satellite observations, we show that these lobe plasma signatures occur on high-latitude magnetic field lines that have been closed by the fundamental plasma process of magnetic reconnection. Previously, it has been suggested that closed flux can become trapped in the lobe and that this plasma-trapping process could explain another poorly understood phenomenon: the presence of auroras at extremely high latitudes, called transpolar arcs. Observations of the aurora at the same time as the lobe plasma signatures reveal the presence of a transpolar arc. The excellent correspondence between the transpolar arc and the trapped closed flux at high altitudes provides very strong evidence of the trapping mechanism as the cause of transpolar arcs. Plasma observed in magnetotail lobes results from trapped magnetic flux and is also manifested as transpolar arc auroras. How trans-polar arcs transpire above Auroral arcs within the polar cap are a visual marvel, and they may also indicate trapped energetic plasma in Earth's magnetosphere. Fear et al. combined simultaneous observations of both the aurora and signatures of the trapped plasma in Earth's magnetotail to demonstrate one recent instance of this phenomenon. Some researchers have proposed that flux generated by magnetic reconnection might get trapped in the magnetotail lobe, but the standard magnetosphere model does not predict it. This study confirms the idea by taking advantage of a period when the interplanetary magnetic field points northward, a state not yet well understood. Science, this issue p. 1506


INTRODUCTION
Among people with diabetes, about 40% of those aged 45 years, and more than 60% of those aged 75 years and over, will have a blood pressure over 140/90 mmHg. Major cardiac events occur in approximately 5% of people with diabetes and untreated hypertension each year, and the risk is higher in those with other risk factors, such as diabetic nephropathy.

METHODS AND OUTCOMES
We conducted a systematic review and aimed to answer the following clinical questions: What are the effects of antihypertensives in people with diabetes and hypertension? What are the effects of different blood pressure targets in people with diabetes and hypertension? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important databases up to February 2009 (Clinical Evidence reviews are updated periodically; please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review). We included harms alerts from relevant organisations such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

RESULTS
We found 22 systematic reviews, RCTs, or observational studies that met our inclusion criteria.

CONCLUSIONS
In this systematic review, we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: alpha-blockers; angiotensin II receptor antagonists; angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors; beta-blockers; blood pressure targets (lower or higher); calcium-channel blockers; and diuretics.


Insider threat causes great damage to data in any organization and is considered a serious issue. In spite of the presence of threat prevention mechanisms, sophisticated insiders still continue to attack a database with new techniques. One such technique which remains an advantage for insiders to attack databases is the dependency relationship among data items. This thesis investigates the ways by which an authorized insider detects dependencies in order to perform malicious write operations. The goal is to monitor malicious write operations performed by an insider by taking advantage of dependencies. A term called 'threshold' is associated with every data item, which defines the limit and constraints to which changes could be made to a data item by a write operation. Having threshold as the key factor, the thesis proposes two different attack prevention systems which involve log and dependency graphs that aid in monitoring malicious activities and ultimately secure the data items in a database. The proposed systems continuously monitors all the data items to prevent malicious operations, but the priority is to secure the most sensitive data items first, since any damage to them can hinder the functions of critical applications that use the database. By prioritizing the data items, delay in the transaction execution time is reduced in addition to mitigating insider threats arising from write operations. The developed algorithms have been implemented on a simulated database and the results show that the models mitigate insider threats arising from write operations effectively. This thesis is approved for recommendation to the Graduate Council.


Nodes in a cognitive radio mesh network may select from a set of available channels to use provided they do not interfere with primary users. This ability can improve overall network performance but introduces the question of how best to use these channels. This project addresses the following specific problem: given a routing path P , choose which channels each link in P should use and their transmission schedule so as to maximize the end-to-end data flow rate (throughput) supported by the entire path. This problem is relevant to applications such as streaming video or data where a connection may be long lasting and require a high constant throughput. The problem is hard due to the presence of both intra-flow and inter-flow interference. We have developed a new constant-factor approximation algorithm for this problem. If certain conditions on the path are met, the performance guarantee is 1/4 of optimal. It has been shown by simulation results that the end-to-end throughput given by the proposed algorithm is often within 90% or better of optimal.


People perceive any kind of information with different level of attention and involvement. It is due to the way how our brain functions, redundancy and importance of the perceived data. This work deals with visual information, in particular with images.
Image analysis and processing is often requires running computationally expensive algorithms. The knowledge of which part of an image is important over other parts allows for reduction of data to be processed. Besides computational cost a broad variety of applications, including image compression, quality assessment, adaptive content display and rendering, can benefit from this kind of information. The development of an accurate visual importance estimation method may bring a useful tool for image processing domain and that is the main goal for this work. In the following two novel approaches to saliency detection are presented. In comparison to previous works in this field the proposed approaches tackles saliency estimation on the object-wise level. In addition, one of the proposed approach solves saliency detection problem through modelling 3-D spatial relationships between objects in a scene.
Moreover, a novel idea of the application of saliency to diversification of image retrieval results is presented.


This article examines the process in which Chinese science actors undertook nanotechnology research as an innovation journey. In this journey, Chinese science actors sought domestic and overseas networks to overcome resource and infrastructural constraints. To analyze salient issues at different stages of this journey, I draw on an established framework from the literature of technology innovation. Thus, the "Chinese nanotech innovation journey" is divided into five temporal stages. My findings suggest that network resources are able to compensate for an inadequate infrastructure in significant ways. Yet, the utility of networks depended on overcoming communication difficulties and trust barriers and the adoption of a learning-by-doing attitude. This research combines quantitative data and ethnographic fieldwork. In the conclusion, I discuss the broader implications of this research and directions for further studies.


In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the study of genre analysis, not only among applied linguists and language teachers for pedagogical reasons but also among research communities. Move analysis is one of the genre-based approaches used to analyse the structure of texts whereby the texts of the chosen corpus were analysed into 'hierarchical schematic structures or Moves'. One of the genres that have received extensive attention from researchers in move analysis study is Research Article (RA). This is due to its importance in discussing and sharing academic knowledge (Peacock, 2002; Huang, 2014). Therefore, the aim of this work is to analyse the move structure in the discussion section of research articles in the field of Pharmacy. The two objectives of the study is to investigate the extent which the discussion sections in Pharmacy articles
can be used with reference to a framework of discussion sections in Applied Linguistics articles and to explore how the writers in Pharmacy construct arguments about the meaning and significance of results in commenting on result moves. In meeting the objectives, twenty discussion sections of Pharmacy research articles have been selected from an international journal and analysed using a schematic structure of Applied Linguistics. Overall, the schematic structure of Applied Linguistics discussion sections can be used to analyse the Pharmacy discussion sections with some modification of the existing framework. All the four moves in the Applied Linguistic framework also occurred in the Pharmacy discussion sections. There are also two additional moves that occurred in the Pharmacy discussion sections. Most of the discussion sections were dominated by Move 3 (Reporting a result) which occurred in 29% of the corpus and Move 4 (Commenting on result), 40% of the corpus. These two moves were used by the Pharmacy writers to construct their argument with regards to their findings. It is hoped that the framework of discussion sections in Pharmacy research article developed in the
study could be used as reference for pedagogical reason.


In the thirty-two years between the presidencies of Dwight Eisenhower and Bill Clinton, Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe generated two characterizations, one comic-parodic and one serious-academic: first, that of the rollicking and faintly comical children's story; second, that of the leading candidate for the first genuine "novel" in English literature. The first characterization underwrote such burlesque, ironic, humorous, or otherwise displaced recastings as the Disney film Robinson Crusoe on Mars (featuring Dick van Dyke as an astronaut stranded on Mars, where he experiences numerous funny misadventures); the perennially popular comic television serial Gilligan's Island, billed as "the madcap adventures of seven castaways engaged in the funny business of survival"; and the science-fiction television series Lost in Space, featuring cantankerous characters and a whimsical robot amusing their audience with their struggle to stay alive on uncharted planets. The second characterization, by way of contrast, has produced a whole school of synoptical-historical criticism about the purported "rise" of a monumental "novel," a "rise" in which major critics from Ian Watt to Maximillian Novak have placed Robinson Crusoe at or near the beginning. Between the 1960s and the early 1990s, Robinson Crusoe did an amazing job in fulfilling two sets of expectations. In the academy, it stood as the keystone of the great English prose tradition; in popular culture, it stood as a parodic vehicle for low pratfalls and goofy slapstick. One would be hard put to find any instance in literary history of a work that has so fluently and pervasively elicited such contrary responses. In an equally unprecedented turn of events, these two schools of interpretation seem to have acceded over the last decade not to other, new and improved critical analyses of this polyvalent novel, but to nothing at all. True, there is a vast up-to-the-minute critical literature on Defoe, yet most of it is aimed at his other works, particularly at works written in a female or a piratical-countercultural voice (Moll Flanders, Roxana, Captain Singleton, Jonathan Wild).(1) Much of this critical literature is rather antagonistic to a middle-class white mercantilist colonialist Protestant adventurer like Robinson Crusoe, being more concerned with applauding Defoe' s minorities and women. Unexpectedly, among Defoe's characters Crusoe would qualify as the most "oppressed" and the greatest victim of injustice. The most moral of Defoe's protagonists, Crusoe spends too much time in prayer to draw the charges--theft, piracy, treason, pickpocketing--that could and have been leveled against Defoe's other characters. Despite all there is to recommend it, however, Robinson Crusoe has become a kind of castaway again, a strange vacuity in contemporary Defoe studies. Moreover, the leading citizens of Defoe's critical island-Ian Watt, J. Alan Downie, Paula Backscheider, John Richetti, Manuel Schonhorn, J. Paul Hunter, Maximillian Novak-are now, in their seniority, entering the laureled world of legend, leaving behind something of an empty atoll, at least with respect to history's favorite castaway. To some degree, the occasional disappearance of part of Defoe's canon is probably necessary as a critical survival technique. No critical approach can encompass so big, elusive, and protean an author as Defoe. There are probably more tenable approaches to Defoe than there are available Defoe critics. Defoe's taste for strong topics--pirates, pilferers, solitaries, abused women, "what d'ye call 'ems"--encourages critics to try out every possible approach. Disagreement flourishes: Moll Flanders is either about women's liberation or about spiritual whoredom; Captain Singleton is either a celebration of the underclasses or a mystery play against evildoers. Critical conflict is nothing new, but the fact that Defoe's writings can plausibly sustain so many contradictions points up their unique resistance to critical closure. …


Behavioural performance gradually declines when individuals perform monotonous tasks. The road safety research community tends to agree that driver monotony alters driving performance, especially for professional drivers. Monotony is a well known but poorly understood driver state that can lead to road crashes. With sophisticated instrumentation it is possible to determine if a driver or test subject is likely to be in these or similar states. This paper investigates the state of monotony to determine if relatively simple instrumentation can measure wether or not a driver is likely to be in or approaching this state. First the Mackworth clock test, a well known protocol for producing a monotonous state is reproduced in a laboratory based experiment. A number of physiological indicators and Electroencephalograph (EEG) are monitored during the experiment. The stimuli (event) contains 24 different targets the participant reacts to during a 1-hour testing session. The state of monotony is verified by continuous EEG recording, a baseline is determined by examining pre and post event activity. A range of possible peripheral measures are then also simultaneously recorded such as Galvanic Skin Response (GSR), Electrocardiogram (EKG), Electrooculograph (EOG), Electromyograph EMG and 3D head tilt (using a custom built accelerometer based device) together with user inputs. Preliminary results from a test pool of eight subjects indicates that some of these peripheral physiological measures may contain markers that correlate well with alpha and theta EEG activity, thus indicating the state of monotony. A sensor that shows a lot of promise for future research is the GSR. Inexpensive instrumentation and an in-car based test procedure are recommended for further investigation in order to develop a sustainable Monotony Diagnosis Module (MDM).


Methane production in soil is a microbiological process that occurs under strict anaerobic conditions. A laboratory incubation study was conducted using 10 wetland rice (Oryza sativa L.) soils from the Philippines to establish soil characteristics that govern the redox characteristics and CH 4 production of soils upon wetting. Labile soil organic matter in the Ap horizon was quantified as enrichment of C and N and non-clay-protected C and N fractions. The C/N ratio of the enriched fraction controlled the rate of reduction upon flooding, whereas the buffering capacity, measured as extractable Fe 3+ content, controlled the reduction capacity for the soils. Methane production was influenced both by the reduction characteristics of the soils and labile organic substrates.


Hydraulic heritage systems, both underground and exposed, have been known to be sustainable for millennia. Persian and also Roman aqueducts are examples of such hydrosystems. Their values are often overlooked but they have undeniable advantages: they have functional interconnectedness with their surrounding society and ecology, which sometimes leads to revitalization plans. By using the notion "qualifying role", this paper will raise questions concerning the disregarded functions and early and historical positions of hydraulic heritage systems. This article illustrates the qualifying role of Qanats in urban drainage by describing the skill in their planning and construction. This is shown by a problematic case study in Iran, where the construction of a drainage system modelled on bygone Qanat"s techniques resulted in a dramatic drawdown in the water level of the area soon after construction.


In an attempt to increase the economic value of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), the starchy roots have been processed into fruity-food products. The formulated fruity sweet potato products have similar appearances, tastes, and nutrient contents, but had higher vitamin A levels when compared with other processed fruit and vegetable products. The developed products were rated high in sensory scores and consumer acceptability tests. The formulations, nutrient compositions, and factors which affect product quality are presented. Technology transfer has been carried out through seminars, workshops, trainings, and demonstrations. Technologies for the catsup and the beverage have already been adopted by farmers' cooperatives and catsup/food processing companies in the Philippines. Factors that could accelerate transfer of the technologies to the private sector are discussed. t ~: ~. ~,. ~. ~~ Ii!'


The Green-backed Firecrown is the only hummingbird species found throughout the temperate rainforests of southern South America and is among the region's most important pollinators. A diverse assemblage of the region's flora appears to rely on the Green-backed Firecrown for pollination, which makes the firecrown vital for ecosystem function. However, relatively little is known of firecrown ecology. We examined the foraging patterns of Green-backed Firecrowns of various ages and both sexes, using pollen samples taken from birds in southern Chile. We hypothesized that males and females would carry distinct pollen communities (sets of pollen morphospecies) and would differ in the number of pollen morphospecies carried. We found a clear difference between pollen communities carried by hummingbirds in summer and winter, but little differentiation by age and sex. We also found that females, on average, carried more pollen morphospecies than do males, and juveniles carried more morphospecies than do adults. All Green-backed Firecrowns carried significantly higher numbers of pollen grains in summer than in winter. Our results show intriguing differences in foraging behavior and pollination roles across ages and between sexes, which support anecdotal observations that adult males are territorialists while females and juveniles forage opportunistically. Since Green-backed Firecrowns are the only hummingbird species throughout most of their range, sexually divergent foraging patterns suggest that males and females may fill the ecological roles of different species. Our results add to the field's understanding of the foraging patterns of Green-backed Firecrowns and help us better appreciate the complexity of its ecological role.