Introduction Synthetic lethal genetic interactions are re-emerging as an important concept in the post-genomics era due to their potential for use in precision medicine against cancers. Synthetic lethal drug design exploits the functional redundancy of genes disrupted in cancers (including tumour suppressors) to develop specific treatments against them. CDH1, which encodes E-cadherin, is a tumour supressor gene with loss of function in breast and stomach cancers. Experimental screens have identified candidate synthetic lethal interactions with CDH1, which can be further supported with bioinformatics analysis. Furthermore, gene expression data enables investigation of synthetic lethal pathways and the structure of synthetic lethal genes. Methods A computational methodology, the Synthetic Lethal Prediction Tool (SLIPT) was developed to detect synthetic lethal interactions in gene expression data. The application of this methodology is demonstrated on interactions with CDH1 in breast and stomach cancer data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project. Synthetic lethal genes and pathways were further investigated with unsupervised clustering, gene set over-representation analysis, metagenes, and permutation resampling. In particular, analyses focused on comparing SLIPT gene candidates to an experimental short interfering RNA (siRNA) screen. Network analysis methods were applied to the most supported pathways to test for pathway structure between synthetic lethal candidates. Simulation and modelling was used to assess the statistical performance of SLIPT, including simulated data with correlation structures from graph structures. iii Results Many candidate synthetic lethal partners of CDH1 were detected in TCGA breast cancer. These genes clustered into several distinct groups, with distinct biological functions and elevated expression in different clinical subtypes. While the number of genes detected by both SLIPT and siRNA was not significant, these contained significantly enriched pathways. In particular, Gαi signalling, cytoplasmic microfibres, and extracellular fibrin clotting were robustly supported by both approaches, which is consistent with the known cytoskeletal and cell signalling roles of E-cadherin. Many of these pathways were replicated in stomach cancer data. The pathways supported only by SLIPT included regulation of immune signalling and translation, which were not expected to be detected in an isogenic cell line model but are still candidates for further investigation. Synthetic lethal candidates detected by SLIPT and siRNA were compared within the graph structures of the candidate synthetic lethal pathways. SLIPT genes had lower centrality and were consistently upstream of siRNA candidates, specifically in the Gαi signalling pathway. A statistical model of synthetic lethality was used to simulate gene expression data with known synthetic lethal partners for a gene. The SLIPT methodology had high statistical performance when detecting few synthetic lethal partners, which diminished with more synthetic lethal partners or lower sample size. The SLIPT methodology performed better than Pearson correlation or the χ-test. In particular, it performed well with high specificity for datasets containing thousands of genes, or genes positively correlated with the query gene (as expected to occur in gene expression data). SLIPT was robust across correlation structures, including those derived from complex pathway structures, and often distinguished synthetic lethal genes from those positively or negatively correlated with them. Thus this thesis has developed, evaluated, and applied a bioinformatics approach for the discovery of synthetic lethal genes from gene expression data. This approach has been demonstrated to detect biologically informative and clinically relevant candidate synthetic lethal partners for CDH1 in breast and stomach cancers.


The Handbooks in Finance are intended to be a definitive source for comprehensive and accessible information in the field of finance. Each individual volume in the series presents an accurate self-contained survey of a sub-field of finance, suitable for use by finance and economics professors and lecturers, professional researchers, graduate students and as a teaching supplement. It is fitting that the series Handbooks in Finance devotes a handbook to Asset and Liability Management. Volume 2 focuses on applications and case studies in asset and liability management. The growth in knowledge about practical asset and liability modeling has followed the popularity of these models in diverse business settings. This volume portrays ALM in practice, in contrast to Volume 1, which addresses the theories and methodologies behind these models. In original articles practitioners and scholars describe and analyze models used in banking, insurance, money management, individual investor financial planning, pension funds, and social security. They put the traditional purpose of ALM, to control interest rate and liquidity risks, into rich and broad-minded frameworks. Readers interested in other business settings will find their discussions of financial institutions both instructive and revealing.


We study the worst-case adaptive optimization problem with budget constraint that is useful for modeling various practical applications in artificial intelligence and machine learning. We investigate the near-optimality of greedy algorithms for this problem with both modular and non-modular cost functions. In both cases, we prove that two simple greedy algorithms are not near-optimal but the best between them is near-optimal if the utility function satisfies pointwise submodularity and pointwise cost-sensitive submodularity respectively. This implies a combined algorithm that is near-optimal with respect to the optimal algorithm that uses half of the budget. We discuss applications of our theoretical results and also report experiments comparing the greedy algorithms on the active learning problem.


The Census Bureau has recently begun releasing official statistics that measure the movements of firms in and out of business and workers in and out of jobs. The economic analyses in "Producer Dynamics" exploit this newly available data to address issues in industrial organization, labor, growth, macroeconomics, and international trade. This innovative volume brings together a group of renowned economists to probe topics such as firm dynamics across countries; patterns of employment dynamics; firm dynamics in nonmanufacturing industries such as retail, health services, and agriculture; employer-employee turnover from matched worker/firm data sets; and turnover in international markets. "Producer Dynamics" will serve as an invaluable reference for economists and policy makers seeking to understand the links between firms and workers, and the sources of economic dynamics, in the age of globalization.


For years the dominant theme of higher education in Uruguay has been financial distress. However the literature relating to higher education has not addressed the question of how higher education institutions receive their funding. The aim of this study was to provide an analytical view of the current model of financing higher education in this country and predictions about its possible evolution or change according to the views of different stakeholders. This study used a qualitative approach and multi-modal tools - documents, literature, semi structured interviews, a Focus Group and speeches at Parliamentary sessions- were chosen to address several questions from different perspectives. Findings in this research suggest that the traditional historical funding model used until the 1990s has evolved into a historical/ incremental model. In this case, increases, or new funds that are allocated to the system, are tied to certain specific purposes determined in the Budget laws. In this way, funding relies on: (a) historical allocations, actually the biggest part of the allocations, which are always the same and are expected to be the same; and (b) new allocations (increases) focused on certain projects which are specified in the Budget Laws by the Parliament. In this way, Uruguay mirrors the regional pattern in which very little strategic planning occurs in the financing process. This study suggests, too, a particular approach to accountability in Uruguayan higher education. Resources are allocated to the system by the Parliament on a decentralised basis and institutions keep broad decision-making powers. The Ministry of Education and Culture is not involved in the process of allocating resources to higher education. The Government applies no control on institutional performance or efficiency. University autonomy is considered the raison d´etre of this approach; information gathered for this study suggests that Governmental agencies hold very little concern about the use of public funds. Internal use of public appropriations has bureaucratic controls and is only monitored through the conventional accounting audits prescribed by law. This research shows that a new left wing state-wide administration headed by the Frente Amplio Party will devote more funds to the finance of public higher education, primarily concerned with the insufficient amount of funds devoted historically to the sector. A considerable increase is expected as political leaders and Government officers have announced that the educational sector will receive added funding in the future Budget Law. However, there is also a view that, although the system will receive further funding, the funding model will remain the same. Moreover, whilst there is concern about the insufficient amount of funds devoted to the sector, the majority of stakeholders are not paying attention to the merits or problems of the current model of funding the sector. This study also suggests that: a) in the future the funding authorities may expand the mechanism of allocating funds oriented to special programmes and, in this way, introduce some kind of strategic orientations; b) further funding for public institutions may be originated in the collection of the graduate tax and that its utility could be improved in ways to introduce more funding to the system; c) it is unlikely that a future model will consider the use of formulae or quality considerations; and d) the introduction of a tuition-fee scheme is very improbable in the short term because the availability of further funding will reduce the pressures to introduce alternative funds to complement public revenues. Further, the ideological and political predominance of the Frente Amplio party in the Parliament (historically placed against tuition-fees) will certainly abort discussions about cost-recovery in the public University.


According to advocates, eco-certification can improve developing country farmers' environmental and economic performance. However, these notional benefits can be undercut by selfselection: the tendency of relatively wealthy farmers already meeting eco-certification standards to disproportionately participate. Empirical evidence on this matter is scarce. Using original farm-level survey data along with matching and difference-in-differences matching models, we analyze the producer-level effects of organic coffee certification in southeast Colombia. We find that certification improves coffee growers' environmental performance. It significantly reduces sewage disposal in the fields and increases the adoption of organic fertilizer. However, we are not able to discern economic benefits. The return on certified production is not significantly different from that on conventional production.


Elective root replacement of the ascending aorta in people with Marfan syndrome has been established practice for more than 25 years; it greatly reduces the risk they face from fatal aortic dissection.1 Now that low perioperative risk is assured and long-term survival is expected, long-term consequences and the durability of the surgery have become important considerations. The question for people with Marfan syndrome, their families and their surgeons is whether to choose the valve-sparing or valve-replacement forms of surgery. This question is at the core of the systematic review and meta-analysis published in Heart ( in press ).2 The decision as to which option to prefer is dominated by a trade-off between these competing risks; the analysis presented informs the choice but does not make it any easier. How would an individual patient weigh the risk of stroke versus a given possibility of the need for reoperation? The calculated estimates of the thromboembolic hazards associated with a mechanical valve at 0.7% per year, and the risk of native valve failure mandating reoperation at 1.3% a year, are the central conclusions of this report.

The review incorporates 12 publications from 1995 to 2009, comprising reports of 35–675 patients, with a total of 1434. The average age of the patients at the time of surgery was 34 years. The systematic reviewers could not find data on the degree of aortic regurgitation, or the aortic root dimensions before surgery, which are two of the important criteria used in decision-making1 and would have informed readers of the severity of disease in patients in whom surgery was undertaken. But the large majority of patients with Marfan syndrome develop aortic root dilatation and we know that if this is allowed to continue unchecked then about two-thirds of …


Machine learning models often generalize poorly to out-of-distribution (OOD) data as a result of relying on features that are spuriously correlated with the label during training. Recently, the technique of Invariant Risk Minimization (IRM) was proposed to learn predictors that only use invariant features by conserving the feature-conditioned label expectation $\mathbb{E}_e[y|f(x)]$ across environments. However, more recent studies have demonstrated that IRM-v1, a practical version of IRM, can fail in various settings. Here, we identify a fundamental flaw of IRM formulation that causes the failure. We then introduce a complementary notion of invariance, MRI, based on conserving the label-conditioned feature expectation $\mathbb{E}_e[f(x)|y]$, which is free of this flaw. Further, we introduce a simplified, practical version of the MRI formulation called MRI-v1. We prove that for general linear problems, MRI-v1 guarantees invariant predictors given sufficient number of environments. We also empirically demonstrate that MRI-v1 strongly out-performs IRM-v1 and consistently achieves near-optimal OOD generalization in image-based nonlinear problems.


In the aftermath of the French Revolution, Jean Honore Fragonard, perhaps the most significant French painter of the eighteenth century, was condemned first as a purveyor of luxury items and later as an artist who abandoned noble subjects for the erotic genre. In this revisionist, art-historical study, Mary D. Sheriff challenges such pejorative views of Fragonard by arguing that he is better understood as an artist whose unsurpassed technical skill and witty manipulation of academic standards established a dynamic relation with the audience his art both courted and created. Sheriff begins her inquiry with an appraisal of Fragonard criticism, followed by an extensive and thoroughly original reading of selected works by Fragonard and of the eroticism encoded in them. Art and eroticism converge in a discussion of execution, in which Sheriff explores the changing conception of execution and elucidates its complex rhetorical and cultural underpinnings. Drawing on analytic methods from contemporary critical theory and an understanding of each work's cultural milieu, Sheriff pays particular attention throughout to the relation between beholder and work of art, which she views as manifest in the artist's preoccupation with the play between the real and the fictive. Scholars and students of art history, eighteenth-century culture and history, critical theory, literary criticism, and all those drawn to the work of this great French painter will find this work essential reading."


'Non-traditional' security problems like pandemic diseases, climate change and terrorism now pervade the global agenda. Many argue that sovereign state-based governance is no longer adequate, demanding and constructing new approaches to manage border-spanning threats. Drawing on critical literature in political science, political geography and political economy, this is the first book that systematically explains the outcomes of these efforts. It shows that transboundary security challenges are primarily governed not through supranational organisations, but by transforming state apparatuses and integrating them into multilevel, regional or global regulatory governance networks. The socio-political contestation shaping this process determines the form, content and operation of transnational security governance regimes. Using three in-depth case studies – environmental degradation, pandemic disease, and transnational crime – this innovative book integrates global governance and international security studies and identifies the political and normative implications of non-traditional security governance, providing insights for scholars and policymakers alike.


Build custom business applications for SharePoint with Visual Studio LightSwitchincluding intuitive apps that dont require a single line of code. This example-driven guide takes non-programmers step-by-step through the process of creating simple apps and utilities, and shows programmers familiar with C# or Visual Basic how to build customized applications with more functionality.Discover how to build and test your applications quickly without a lot of expensive server hardware. Once you get up to speed with LightSwitch, youll create quality line-of-business applications tailored to specific customer needs in no time, whether you work in-house or for a vendor.Learn how the LightSwitch Presentation, Logic, and Storage layers work behind the scenes Configure your SharePoint server and workstation to work with this development environment Navigate the graphical environment and its various user screens Use examples to build simple single-function applications for search and data entry Expand your apps capabilities by using LightSwitch extensions and Silverlight controls Connect your LightSwitch app to external data sources, such as Excel, SQL Server, SQLite, and cloud-based applications


The ILO will increase its efforts to advocate access to adequate skills development opportunities for disabled persons, in the coming years, as part of the process of implementing these international standards. To provide a solid knowledge base for these activities, a literature review of skills development initiatives targeting persons with disabilities was commissioned, focusing in particular on the contribution of skills development to enhancing the productivity of disabled persons. It is hoped that the review will contribute to opening opportunities for disabled persons to acquire skills which will lead them to obtaining and keeping decent work. Tony Powers of Powers and Associates (Australia) was the author of this working paper. The research was guided by Barbara Murray, Senior Specialist on Disability, Jo-Ann Bakker edited and prepared the manuscript for publication. The research was conducted as part of the preparation of the report for the General Discussion on Skills for improved productivity, employment growth and development at the 97th session of the International Labour Conference (2008). This working paper reviews the available evidence connecting the employment and economic status of disabled persons with their skills and productivity. It examines skills development strategies and their effect on employment, income-generation and productivity in both the formal and informal sectors in developed and developing countries. It also considers the impact of policies and practices designed to assist disabled people to achieve their productivity potential at work, including workplace accommodations and teleworking. It includes a number of illustrative case studies. It concludes with key policy messages which emerge from the literature review.


The immersion of any material in a water system triggers a surface microbial colonization which simultaneously influences the corrosion behavior of the substratum. The present study was focused on the As(V) influence on the biofilm formation and their consequences on the corrosion behavior of different substrata. Commercial materials used in water distribution networks: alloys based on Fe, Zn and Cu and polypropylene (as blank) were tested in laboratory water closed circuits either in the absence or presence of 5 mg L−1 As(V). Microbial sessile counting, microscopic techniques (SEM, ESEM, CSLM), and anodic polarization curves were performed. All the materials revealed very different behaviors. Except for copper, bacterial counts were higher for those coupons exposed to the water with As(V). The morphology of the corrosion products as well as the development of the corrosion process were highly influenced by the characteristics of the microbial biofilm, the nature of the substrata, and the presence or not of As(V).


Wetlands are an important source of livelihoods for riparian communities, and this makes them vulnerable to over-exploitation of their natural resources. Therefore, there is need to undertake regular monitoring of resource use in these ecosystems. However, one most costeffective and sustainable approaches is for institutions to undertake wetlands research in partnership with communities. This approach will make communities living within wetlands have ownership of the research process and subsequent scientific intervention in them. One basic approach to encourage community participation in wetlands research is through community internships program that was initiated by Okavango Research Institute (ORI). Interns were selected from some villages around the Delta per annum through a participatory process that involved the village leadership. The interns then spent two weeks at ORI. During this time the interns were exposed to some of the basic research activities at ORI. They were also given an opportunity to acquire new skills like Information Technology (IT), Geographical Information Systems (GIS), plant identification, and also worked with Monitoring Unit which collects, captures, processes, and analyses and disseminates information on critical environmental parameters of the Okavango Delta and its upstream Basin. A review of this program by interviewing interns and the village leadership revealed that it had a positive impact on the participants. Interns indicated that they acquired new skills and understanding which enabled some of them to start youth based initiatives back in their communities. The village leadership also lauded the program because they observed that it empowered the participants and made them valuable community members who contributed to village development initiatives. In view of this positive feedback, it is envisaged that the primary objective of the program is achieved, and that the interns can be used to create community research partnerships in wetlands research.


Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) youth are in need of school support groups given their higher risk for mental health issues, sexual risk taking behaviors, eating disorders, substance use, victimization, and more. The current study examined the use of school support groups with GLBT youth. The researcher gathered qualitative data about GLBT school support groups from the Twin Cities metro in the state of Minnesota. Data were collected from four school social workers and one teacher, who all have experience facilitating GLBT support groups. The major themes that emerged from this study were risk factors, group effectiveness, sense of community, sense of trust, honesty, and group safety, and personal growth and confidence. Risk factors seen in students identifying as GLBT were greatly discussed in the interviews. Overall, participants felt that support groups for GLBT youth are effective, and that trust, honesty, and group safety helps a group be effective. Additionally, being part of a GLBT support group provides students with a sense of community and helps them grow emotionally, socially, and personally. Therefore, school support professionals should consider implementing GLBT support groups in their schools, and social workers around the nation should advocate for safe school laws. Future studies should strive to examine this topic more extensively with the use of a larger sample from urban and rural communities, as well as student input.


Conversion of tropical forests into cropland and pasture has risen incessantly during the last few decades. With the aim of providing evidence for informed-decision on sustainable forest management, this thesis examined the dynamics of land use change in southern Burkina Faso, whether tree diversity and natural regeneration are favored in protected forests under varying human population pressures and local perception of forest decline. Spatial analysis revealed a rapid land use change both at local and regional scales over the past 16 years, characterized by a high conversion rate of forest to agricultural land, driven by rural immigration, changes in farming systems and fuelwood extraction. The protected forest harbored relatively less species (45) than the unprotected forests (58). Irrespective of the forest conservation status, stem density and basal area were higher in a site with higher human population density than otherwise. Shannon's measure of evenness and Fisher's diversity index were significantly high in the less populated site and unprotected forests, respectively. Seedling density did not vary significantly between protected and unprotected forests and sites with varying human pressures, and the majority of the species was characterized by very low seedling density, with a clumped population distribution. A survey on uses of forests and perception on their decline revealed 82 plant species that are being used for various purposes (food, medicine, energy, animal feed and construction), suggesting the key role the forest resources play in poverty reduction and sustaining seasonal shocks (like food scarcity or income generation). The thesis draws the following major conclusions: 1) the size of cropland increases at the expense of declining forest cover both at local and regional levels; 2) the designation of protected areas by itself appears ineffective in ensuring conservation of tree diversity and natural regeneration in the Sudanian dry forest reserves; and 3) the local people depend on the forests to meet their subsistence, energy, income and medicinal needs, with distinct variability between gender, residence status, and ethnic group. The decline of the dry forest in the region has been perceived by the various stake-holders. To effectively protect the remaining dry forests, the forest management strategy should promote the idea of "conservation by utilization" where ownership and management right should be devolved to the local people and equitable benefit-sharing mechanisms established.


The success of Chinese township-village enterprises (TVEs) poses a puzzle for a property rights approach to the theory of the firm, since no one really holds well-defined, transferable property rights to control and claim the residual profits of TVEs. TVEs also pose a second puzzle: in the last five or seven years, they have started to experience serious problems, despite reforms which have improved TVEs from a property rights perspective. This paper takes ideas from property rights and institutional approaches to economics and examines whether those ideas can help explain both of these puzzles. As to the first puzzle, reforms in the seventies and eighties created product market competition and gave local governmental officials and TVE managers enough of a stake in the success of the enterprises to encourage investment in them. TVEs were less imperfect than their leading alternatives, state-owned enterprises and private enterprises, the latter of which faced much discrimination. As to the second puzzle, although property rights reforms have improved TVE performance, reforms reducing the discrimination against private enterprises have made them more attractive. The paper also draws four general lessons from the TVE experience about the relationship between property rights and economic development. First, defining property rights properly is important to development, but other institutions (e.g. norms, financial institutions, capital markets, labor markets, political structure) are also quite important. Second, would-be reformers need to carefully consider the political constraints facing proposed changes in property rights. Third, property rights reforms are at least as much the effect of economic development as they are its cause. Fourth, the development path followed may affect the end states which can be feasibly reached.


People with mental illness do not receive the services they need while incarcerated. This leads to a revolving door where mentally ill inmates are released from custody no better off than they were when they went in and they frequently reoffend, putting them back in the criminal justice system. One alternative to the traditional criminal courts is mental health courts, diversion programs that steer offenders away from incarceration. They seek to reduce recidivism by connecting mentally ill offenders with community services and bettering the lives of the participants. This research examined one specific mental health court. Interviews were conducted with various professionals working at the court to determine the impact of this program on participants. There were many major findings from this research. First, the professionals felt there were many benefits for participants that come from participation in the mental health court. Second, the professionals felt the community benefited from increased safety and reduced recidivism. Third, the professionals thought that the biggest challenge for participants in the mental health court was the amount of work involved in participation. Finally, the professionals felt that the mental health court would benefit from increased resources.


The two-legged humanoid structure has advantages for an assistive robot in the human living and working environment. A bipedal humanoid robot can avoid typical obstacles at homes and offices, reach consoles and appliances designed for human use and can be carried in human transport vehicles. Also, it is speculated that the absorption of robots in the human shape into the human society can be easier than that of other artificial forms. However, the control of bipedal walk is a challenge. Walking performance on solely even floor is not satisfactory. The complications of obtaining a balanced walk are dramatically more pronounced on uneven surfaces like inclined planes, which are quite commonly encountered in human surroundings. The difficulties lie in a variety of tasks ranging from sensor and data fusion to the design of adaptation systems which respond to changing surface conditions. This thesis presents a study on bipedal walk on inclined planes with changing slopes. A Zero Moment Point (ZMP) based gait synthesis technique is employed. The pitch angle reference for the foot sole plane −as expressed in a coordinate frame attached at the robot body − is adjusted online by a fuzzy logic system to adapt to different walking surface slopes. Average ankle pitch torques and the average value of the body pitch angle, computed over a history of a predetermined number of sampling instants, are used as the inputs to this system. The proposed control method is tested via walking experiments with the 29 degreesof- freedom (DOF) human-sized full-body humanoid robot SURALP (Sabanci University Robotics Research Laboratory Platform). Experiments are performed on even floor and inclined planes with different slopes. The results indicate that the approach presented is successful in enabling the robot to stably enter, ascend and leave inclined planes with 15 percent (8.5 degrees) grade. The thesis starts with a terminology section on bipedal walking and introduces a number of successful humanoid robot projects. A survey of control techniques for the walk on uneven surfaces is presented. The design and construction of the experimental robotic platform SURALP is discussed with the mechanical, electronic, walking reference generation and control aspects. The fuzzy reference adjustment system proposed for the walk on inclined planes is detailed and experimental results are presented.


With a high seed content of protein and oil, soybean is one of the most widely-grown legumes worldwide. Inoculation process enables soybean to achieve most, and sometimes all, of his nitrogen requirements through N2-fixation process, however, this process, like soybean plant itself, is drought-sensitive. Drought is globally-increasingly imposed as a result of climatic changes, negatively affecting soybean production. An experiment was conducted in Debrecen, Hungary in 2017 and 2018 to evaluate the influence of moderate drought stress on some physiological parameters of both inoculated and non-inoculated soybean plants. Results showed that drought negatively affected soybean's physiology and yield, regardless of inoculation; however, inoculated plants could maintain better values of studied parameters relative to their non-inoculated counterparts. On the other hand, drought occurring during R4 stage had more noticeable effects on soybean plants as compared to drought occurring earlier (at V2 stage) during vegetative period. It was concluded that inoculation could be a beneficial strategy in order for soybean to reveal better physiology and, consequently, better yield under moderate drought conditions, and that the timing of drought stress occurrence is crucial regarding soybean's vigor and final seed yield.


Recent research has identified anti-vaccination propaganda in the so-called Russian Troll Tweets strongly associated with the 2016 US Presidential election. This study builds on this: hypothesising that if vaccination content was found in the sample, the Russia Tweets would be likely to contain other science content, and perhaps, similar pseudo or anti-science messages. As well as vaccination, climate change, genetically modified organisms, Ebola, flat Earth beliefs (flat Earthism) and Zika were found in the Russia tweets. Genetically modified organisms and flat Earthism appear to have been camouflage content – tweeted at similar rates to other Twitter users – while climate change, Ebola, Zika and vaccination appear to have been emphasised beyond the background rate for strategic disinformation purposes.


Irrigation practice across the world is vital to successful green revolution all year round to achieving sustainable development goals in food security, socio-economic and rural development. However, irrigation practice in Nigeria has not achieved the set goals despite the huge investment involved. Moreover, the level of investment and abundant water resources ought to have expedited the goals of food self-sufficiency and socio-economic development in the country. This review attempts to uncover the underline issues regarding the irrigation practice in Nigeria through the evaluation of past and present practices, and its future prospects. The review showed that the major persistent issues that have been hindering the performance of irrigation practice to achieving the set goals were inconsistent government policies, lack of political commitment, low awareness and lack of technical know-how among the farmers on irrigation farming system, and untimely financial intervention. In addition, the communication gap between the government and the farmers was responsible for some cases of underutilization and abandonment of large-scale irrigation system. The study concluded that to achieve food security and socio-economic development through irrigation systems practice in Nigeria, there is need to provide proper policy framework, appropriate technology, and farmers' awareness and their inclusion in the decision making process.

 Key words: Irrigation practice, Green revolution, socio-economic development.


This study compares the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), difference score, and residual change score methods in testing the group effect for pretest–posttest data in terms of statistical power and Type I error rates using a Monte Carlo simulation. Previous research has mathematically shown the effect of stability of individual scores from pretest to posttest, reliability, and nonrandomization (i.e., pretest imbalance) on the performance of the ANCOVA, difference score, and residual change score methods. However, related power issues have not been adequately addressed. The authors examined the impact of stability of measurement over time, reliability of covariate and criterion, nonrandomization, sample size, and treatment effect size on statistical power of the three methods. Across conditions, ANCOVA and residual change score methods had similar power rates. When reliability was less than perfect, ANCOVA had more power than the difference score method when there was an increase from pretest to posttest and a positive baseline imbalance (i.e., treatment group had higher pretest scores than the control group), or when there was a decrease from pretest to posttest and a negative baseline imbalance, and vice versa. In case of perfect reliability, the statistical power of ANCOVA did not differ from the difference score method. For the difference score method, when reliability was low, there was no effect of stability on power, whereas when reliability was high or perfect, power increased as stability increased for medium and large effect sizes. Difference scores may be preferred over ANCOVA under certain circumstances.


We explore the ability of a locally informed individual agent to predict the future state of a cell in systems of varying degrees of complexity using Wolfram's one-dimensional binary cellular automata. We then compare the agent's performance to that of two small groups of agents voting by majority rule. We find stable rules (class I) to be highly predictable, and most complex (class IV) and chaotic rules (class III) to be unpredictable. However, we find rules that produce regular patterns (class II) vary widely in their predictability. We then show that the predictability of a class II rule depends on whether it produces vertical or horizontal patterns. We comment on the implications of our findings for the limitations of collective wisdom in complex environments.


Judging by the reception of recent special issues of Social Epistemology (16, no. 1, 2002), Library Trends (52, no. 3, 2004), and the Journal of Documentation (61, no. 1, 2005), current levels of interest in philosophical topics among information scientists are high. Yet it can be difficult for the non-specialist to gain effective entry to a literature that is sometimes perceived to have limited practical application and to be characterized by a forbidding technical vocabulary. In this panel session, four speakers with expertise in both information science and philosophy (Fallis, Ph.D. Philosophy, UC Irvine; Furner, M.A. Philosophy, Cambridge; Mathiesen, Ph.D. Philosophy, UC Irvine; Renear, Ph.D. Philosophy, Brown) will introduce attendees to the disciplinary intersection of the two fields by considering current issues, inviting comments, and provoking discussion among the panelists and the audience. The general questions to be discussed will include the following: What can information scientists learn from the advances being made in contemporary analytical philosophy? What relevance do ontology, epistemology, ethics, and philosophy of art have for the practicing information professional? What distinguishes "philosophy of information" from related fields? What are the issues and trends that are revealed as significant when we look at information-related phenomena, practices, and scholarship from a philosophical viewpoint? What are the various ways in which taking a philosophical approach can help us to understand information-related problems? How may philosophical work in information science be evaluated? And in what directions is such work likely to proceed in the future?


Background: Over the last few decades, education, including nursing, has afforded considerable attention to collaborative learning. However, students can also sometimes find working in a group negatively impacts on their learning. Problems encountered with group work may be more upsetting when the student's grade depends on the work of the group. Successful collaborative learning requires students to have positive beliefs about collaborative learning. Few studies have examined student experiences of group work when a group mark is awarded. To motivate group learning, educators must better understand the effect a group mark has on student experience of group work. Objective: To describe nursing student's experiences of receiving a group mark for collaborative learning modules and the impact this has on their learning and group work experiences. Design: A qualitative descriptive approach was employed. Setting: One higher education institution in Ireland in which nursing students undertake a primary degree. Participants: A total of 14 undergraduate nursing students (across years 1, 2, and 4) who were completing a degree in children's and general nursing participated. These students were selected because they were exposed to problem based learning modules through which they receive a collective group mark for collaborative learning. Methods: Individual and focus group interviews were conducted. Data were analysed thematically. Results: Students reported binary dependent relationships; whereby each student was dependent on other group members and other group members were dependent on each student for their grade. This mutual dependency created an array of negative emotions which emerged across the three sub-themes of lack of controllability; challenges of co-dependency and invisible work. Conclusion: Students must be taught effective group work skills to enhance learning and group work experiences. Further research is needed to examine the appropriateness of awarding group grades where results contribute to degree classification.


The basic functioning of the world is mostly led by negative trends. One of the fundamental reasons for this phenomenon is that the different technologies (hardware, software, resources) do not act properly and in the proper structure by means of the produced products and services. Therefore, the examination of technologies and resources is a key question of our world and development from various aspects. Technologies convey all positive and negative impacts which can be regarded as the fundamental reasons and causes of harmonious or disharmonious development. For this reason, the role of technologies in development and harmonious functioning is of paramount importance.
As a final conclusion, we established that the different technologies (hardware, software, resources) are interpreted as impact conveyors which predominate by means of products and services in a way that their relation system is determined. By using the thermodynamic interpretation which is the basis of the functioning of the world, we built a system consisting of 14 elements to evaluate different technologies, to interpret its functioning and to develop positive interactions and trends.


Context: Extensive and rapid continuous growth in Internet Protocol (IP) based networks and as the result of increasing dependencies on these networks makes them extremely challenging to manage and keep them running all the time. 24/7 non-stop monitoring is important to minimize the down time of the network. For this reason dependency on automated network monitoring has been increased. Objectives: There are many tools and systems available for network monitoring. This includes expensive commercial solutions to open source products. Nagios and OpenNMS are two of the most popular systems and they are considered to be close competitors. Comparison discussions about them are very common at different forums on internet. But no empirical study for comparison analysis has been done. In this thesis the comparison study between Nagios and OpenNMS was conducted. Methods: Network monitoring functionalities are listed down from literature followed by industrial interviews with the networking professionals. Then taking these functionalities as a base, to evaluate, survey studies for both systems were conducted separately and comparison analysis of the results was performed. Usability evaluation of both systems was done by conducting usability testing and comparison analysis of the results was performed. Results: Besides providing the comparison of both systems this study also can help to findout the strengths and weaknesses of both systems separately. And in the end we suggested a list of functionalities and features which might help in selection of a monitoring system and also might be helpful for improvement of the monitoring systems.


To reduce the likelihood of conflict and confusion when relating
documented examples to deployed systems, an IPv6 unicast address
prefix is reserved for use in examples in RFCs, books, documentation,
and the like. Since site-local and link-local unicast addresses have
special meaning in IPv6, these addresses cannot be used in many
example situations. The document describes the use of the IPv6 address
prefix 2001:DB8::/32 as a reserved prefix for use in documentation.
This memo provides information for the Internet community.


Click tracking is gaining in popularity, and the practice of web analytics is growing fast. Whether strategic customers are willing to visit a website when they know their clicks may be tracked is an important yet complex problem, which depends on various factors. Using a newsvendor framework, we examine this problem by focusing on the operational factor: how product availability induces strategic customers to voluntarily provide advance demand information. We find that a strong Nash equilibrium exists where every customer is willing to click, and customer incentives to click are robust to noise. Hence, we demonstrate the promise of strategic customer behavior in the context of click tracking, contrary to the conventional wisdom that it is typically a peril for the firm. Notably, click tracking is typically advantageous to both the firm and its customers, compared with other strategies such as advance selling, quantity commitment, availability guarantees, and quick response. Lastly, we extend to two settings by including marketing decisions, price-sensitive demand and markdown pricing, and discuss how operations and marketing decisions interact in influencing the value of click tracking.


As stated by Jonathan Stern in his foreword to the volume "The Globalization of Natural Gas Markets: New Challenges and Opportunities for Europe" by Manfred Hafner and Simone Tagliapietra, the terms "globalisation and "gas markets" could only have been placed in the same title of a book on this subject over the past five years. In their latest volume on the challenging topic of natural gas markets, the authors shed light on a number of issues, including the rapid expansion of the LNG market, the US shale gas revolution, the EU gas security of supply architecture, the EU gas market outlook and the new gas supply potential for Europe.


We conducted a two-nation study (United States, n = 1500; England, n = 1500) to test a novel theory of science communication. The cultural cognition thesis posits that individuals make extensive reliance on cultural meanings in forming perceptions of risk. The logic of the cultural cognition thesis suggests the potential value of a distinctive two-channel science communication strategy that combines information content ("Channel 1") with cultural meanings ("Channel 2") selected to promote open-minded assessment of information across diverse communities. In the study, scientific information content on climate change was held constant while the cultural meaning of that information was experimentally manipulated. Consistent with the study hypotheses, we found that making citizens aware of the potential contribution of geoengineering as a supplement to restriction of CO2 emissions helps to offset cultural polarization over the validity of climate-change science. We also tested the hypothesis, derived from competing models of science communication, that exposure to information on geoengineering would provoke discounting of climate-change risks generally. Contrary to this hypothesis, we found that subjects exposed to information about geoengineering were slightly more concerned about climate change risks than those assigned to a control condition.


Activated protein C (APC) is best known for its abilities to reduce inflammation and increase blood flow but also has antiapoptotic activity in brain endothelial cells, which may help protect the brain from ischemic injury. Guo et al. report that the naturally occurring compound also protects mouse cortical neurons from apoptosis. Exposure of cultured neurons to APC blocked apoptosis induced by two modes of injury—overstimulation of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors and exposure to the chemical agent staurosporin. APC treatment blocked injury-induced activation of caspases, the nuclear translocation of mitochondrial protein apoptosis-inducing factor, and the expression of proapoptotic factors p53 and Bax. These effects required the expression of protease-activated receptors (PARs), whose activation in brain endothelial cells depends on activation of the APC receptor. Both antibody blockage of PAR proteins and lack of PAR expression in neurons of PAR-null mice thwarted APC's protective effect against apoptosis. Intracerebral injection of APC reduced NMDA-induced lesions in mice by 70%, which suggests a possible new avenue for treating neurodegenerative disorders and brain injury. H. Guo, D. Liu, H. Gelbard, T. Cheng, R. Insalaco, J. A. Fernández, J. H. Griffin, B. V. Zlokovic, Activated protein C prevents neuronal apoptosis via protease activated receptors 1 and 3. Neuron 41, 563-572 (2004). [Online Journal]


The Arctic region is sensitive to climate change. Since the Arctic sea-ice cover influences the surface heat budget of the Earth the observed sea-ice decline is seen as an indication of global warming. Furthermore, the dynamics of sea ice plays an important role for the sea-ice mass distribution in the Arctic, for the production of dense, cold, and salty water in the Arctic Ocean, which contributes to the thermohaline circulation, and also for the freshwater budget of the Nordic Seas. Thus, a realistic description of sea-ice motion is important to draw conclusions for the mass transport and sea-ice mass distribution. The Finite-Element Sea-Ice Model simulates the large-scale physical sea-ice processes like the sea-ice growth and circulation realistically. The model domain covers the entire Arctic Ocean and its marginal seas. Together with the Singular Evolutive Interpolated Kalman (SEIK) Filter and remotely sensed sea-ice drift observations this sea-ice model is applied for data assimilation to investigate details of the sea-ice dynamics. So far, drift assimilation has been carried out to analyze and modify only the drift field with subsequent computation of the advection or redistribution of ice mass which corresponds more to the physical model behavior than a statistical analysis that the SEIK Filter provides. The sea-ice drift data assimilation with the SEIK Filter achieves drift modification and furthermore changes in the two other sea-ice variables concentration and thickness. The modifications of these "unobserved variables" (within the meaning of data assimilation) are validated and it is found that they are in good agreement for at least 2 months for the sea-ice thickness and even 4 months for the sea-ice concentration which is the longest period examined. The drift improvement is achieved due to the seaice concentration and thickness changes which leads to a sustainable effect for further sea-ice drift simulation. Furthermore, the assimilation results suggest a higher thickness variability that the model alone is not able to produce. A localized version of the SEIK Filter leads to a more pronounced drift correction which is not sustainable in course of further model integration because in this case the sea-ice concentration and thickness are not much affected by the assimilation method. This thesis describes the initial work of the sea ice drift assimilation with the SEIK Filter and further examines the ability of the SEIK Filter to modify the model state using the observation data. The applicability, capability, limitation of the assimilation method and suggestions are discussed.


We surveyed 3,539 workers on Amazon's Mechanical Turk to gauge their response to ve scenarios describing scientic experiments|including one scenario based on Facebook's emotional contagion experiment. Respondents 1 who reported being already aware of Facebook's experiment responded very dierently to the scenario based on it than those who reported being unaware, so we focused on 2,102 respondents who reported being unaware. We asked these respondents whether they would want someone they cared about to be included as a participant, interpreting an answer of 'no' as indicating concern for participants. A greater fraction of respondents were concerned about the two of the four scenarios inspired by university-approved experiments than expressed concern for Facebook's experiment. We also asked whether the experiment should be allowed to proceed, interpreting a 'no' answer as disapproval of the experiment. A similar or greater fraction of respondents disapproved of the two more controversial scenarios based on university-approved studies as disapproved of the Facebook-experiment scenario. We found a statistically signicant reduction (for = 0:05) in disapproval and concern for participants in a group of respondents shown a hypothetical variant of Facebook's experiment in which the manipulation performed by researchers was to insert extra positive posts into users' news feeds|instead of removing positive or negative posts based on treatment group.


Within Nordic studies, general terms such as standardsprak/standardsvenska and rikssprak/rikssvenska, as well as others referring to the same phenomenon, can signify two concepts, that of 'autonomous language' and that of 'variety, which in contrast to dialects and other variants is generally accepted and stylistically neutral', i.e. what is normally signified as a standard variety. This study analyzes the definition of a standard language variety according to a hierarchic logical concept system, through definitions and various kinds of descriptions. Unfortunately, the 'standard variety' concept is much too often taken for granted and left without a definition, despite of there being, in Nordic studies as well as in international linguistics, a considerate agreement of the difficulty of satisfactorily defining the concept. Moreover, existing descriptions and definitions of the concept are diffuse, indistinct and difficult or even  impossible to operationalize and implement. A survey is being made of characteristics generally in use; these connect primarmily to geographical and social aspects, and to aspects connected to codification, written language form, language use and function, norm and norm ideal, and history. Finally is stressed the importance of primarily using such distinctive conceptions, e.g.  those concerning language ideology, which decide the choice of varieties of society and of its communicators.


Abstract As China invests in its nuclear forces and U.S.-China relations become increasingly strained, questions of U.S. nuclear doctrine require greater attention. The key strategic nuclear question facing the United States is whether to attempt to maintain and enhance its damage-limitation capability against China. The answer is less straightforward than it was during the Cold War, because China's nuclear force is orders of magnitude smaller than the Soviet force was. Part of the answer depends on the military-technical feasibility of the United States achieving a significant damage-limitation capability: What would be the outcome of military competition over the survivability of China's intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and command and control, and over the effectiveness of U.S. ballistic missile defenses? The answer also depends on the benefits that a damage-limitation capability would provide; these could include contributions to homeland deterrence, extended deterrence, and reassurance of U.S. regional allies. The final piece of the analysis concerns the potential costs of a damage-limitation capability, which could include increased escalatory pressures during crises and growing political tension between the United States and China. A thorough analysis demonstrates that the United States should forgo such a capability because the prospects for preserving a significant damage-limitation capability are poor; the deterrent benefits would be small; and the escalatory and political costs would be relatively large.


Purpose: The objective of this article is to present an experiment in which social campaign messages could embedded in different types of computer games and to propose a framework to assess effectiveness of such approach with the use of cognitive neuroscience techniques (for example electroencephalography and eye-tracking) and questionnaires. Design/Methodology/Approach: The research is designed to gather data from two different sources, survey and cognitive neuroscience tools and to integrate obtained information. Findings: The obtained results, focusing mostly on recall and interest of experiment's participants allow to state that using computer games for the purpose of social campaigns is very promising. Moreover, evaluating the efficacy of the messages and the medium itself using two very distinct methods, considering both conscious and subconscious opinions of examined subjects offers an additional quality to this type of research. Practical Implications: The proposed solution of testing the effectiveness of computer games in social campaigns can be used both by pracitioners that develop such campaigns and by scientists aiming to conduct advertising reserch. Originality/Value: Taking into account data from two different sources allows to capture both conscious and subconscious opinions about the social advertsising in the game, which shows the comprehensive image of the advertising's effectiveness.


The solar spectrum not only contains information about the composition and structure of the sun, it also provides a bright and stable continuum source for earth remote sensing (atmosphere and surface). Many types of remote sensors use solar radiation. While high-resolution spaceborne sensors (e.g. ACE) can largely remove the effects of the solar spectrum by exo-atmospheric calibration, this isn't an option for sub-orbital sensors, such as the FTIR spectrometers used in the NDACC and TCCON networks. In this case the solar contribution must be explicitly included in the spectral analysis. In this talk the methods used to derive the solar spectrum are presented, and the underlying solar physics are discussed. Implication for remote sensing are described.


Recent EEG and fMRI evidence suggests that behavioral errors are foreshadowed by systematic changes in brain activity preceding the outcome by seconds. In order to further characterize this type of error precursor activity, we investigated single-trial event-related EEG activity from 70 participants performing a modified Eriksen flanker task, in particular focusing on the trial-by-trial dynamics of a fronto-central independent component that previously has been associated with error and feedback processing. The stimulus-locked peaks in the N2 and P3 latency range in the event-related averages showed expected compatibility and error-related modulations. In addition, a small pre-stimulus negative slow wave was present at erroneous trials. Significant error-preceding activity was found in local stimulus sequences with decreased conflict in the form of less negativity at the N2 latency (310–350 ms) accumulating across five trials before errors; concomitantly response times were speeding across trials. These results illustrate that error-preceding activity in event-related EEG is associated with the performance monitoring system and we conclude that the dynamics of performance monitoring contribute to the generation of error-prone states in addition to the more remote and indirect effects in ongoing activity such as posterior alpha power in EEG and default mode drifts in fMRI.


Abstract One of the few and most complete records of the MDICE (Middle Darriwilian Isotope Carbon Excursion) is herein documented from Baltoscandia. Based on a core section penetrating the condensed Lower–Middle Ordovician succession (~46 m) on the island of Öland, southeastern Sweden, we provide an integrated scheme for carbon isotope chemostratigraphy (313 samples) and conodont biostratigraphy (29 samples) for this period. The carbonate succession in the Tingskullen core records 12 conodont zones and 6 subzones, including the Oepikodus evae, Trapezognathus diprion, Baltoniodus triangularis, B. navis, B. norrlandicus, Lenodus antivariabilis, L. variabilis, Yangtzeplacognathus crassus, Eoplacognathus pseudoplanus (Microzarkodina hagetiana and Microzarkodina ozarkodella subzones), E. suecicus, Pygodus serra (E. foliaceus, E. reclinatus, E. robustus and E. lindstroemi subzones) and Pygodus anserinus zones in ascending order. The δ13Ccarb record reveals an apparently complete record of the MDICE, including a rising limb, a well-defined peak and a falling limb. The anomaly covers a thickness of c. 27 m in the core and spans the Eoplacognathus pseudoplanus, E. suecicus, Pygodus serra and P. anserinus conodont zones. Combined with the new, detailed conodont biostratigraphy, the MDICE in the Tingskullen core can be used for detailed correlation with successions from Baltica, North America, the Argentine Precordillera, South China and North China.


Efforts to promote rechargeable electric lighting as a replacement for fuel-based light sources in developing countries are typically predicated on the notion that lighting service levels can be maintained or improved while reducing the costs and environmental impacts of existing practices. However, the extremely low incomes of those who depend on fuel-based lighting create a need to balance the hypothetically possible or desirable levels of light with those that are sufficient and affordable. In a pilot study of four night vendors in Kenya, we document a field technique we developed to simultaneously measure the effectiveness of lighting service provided by a lighting system and conduct a survey of lighting service demand by end-users. We took gridded illuminance measurements across each vendor's working and selling area, with users indicating the sufficiency of light at each point. User light sources included a mix of kerosene-fueled hurricane lanterns, pressure lamps, and LED lanterns. We observed illuminance levels ranging from just above zero to 150 lux. The LED systems markedly improved the lighting service levels over those provided by kerosene-fueled hurricane lanterns. Users reported that the minimum acceptable threshold was about 2 lux. The results also indicated that the LED lamps in use by the subjects did not always provide sufficient illumination over the desired retail areas. Our sample size is much too small, however, to reach any conclusions about requirements in the broader population. Given the small number of subjects and very specific type of user, our results should be regarded as indicative rather than conclusive. We recommend replicating the method at larger scales and across a variety of user types and contexts. Policymakers should revisit the subject of recommended illuminance levels regularly as LED technology advances and the price/service balance point evolves.


Change detection is of paramount importance in medical imaging, serving as a non-invasive quantifiable powerful tool in diagnosis and in assessment of the outcome of treatment of tumors. We present a new quantitative method for detecting changes in volumetric medical data and in clustering of anatomical structures, based on assessment of volumetric distortions that are required in order to deform a test three-dimensional medical dataset segment onto its previously-acquired reference, or a given prototype in the case clustering. Unlike the voxel-based classical techniques of shape comparison, our algorithm operates on tetrahedral meshes and can, therefore be applied on both closed, simply-connected, surfaces and in volumetric domains with more sophisticated boundaries.


Introduction Access to appropriate health care is often difficult for people living in rural areas because of a widespread shortage of appropriately educated local, rural healthcare workers and the distance, time and cost of travelling to larger urban health centres. This shortage is due to many factors including medical education, practice conditions, health system, regulatory, community, personal, family and financial considerations. (1,2) Developing a sufficient and sustainable rural physician workforce requires commitment and cooperation from communities, governments and medical schools.. Medical education can play an important role in the recruitment and retention of rural physicians. (3) Most of the world's medical schools, however, are situated in large cities; most medical students grow up in affluent urban areas, learn little about rural health-care needs and experience little or no medical learning in the rural context. Physician graduates flow almost entirely into large city practices with an insufficient trickle getting out into practice in rural areas. Some medical schools in large cities have developed specific programmes for educating physicians for rural regions. A few medical schools are located in small cities within large rural regions and have a rural regional focus. Graduates of these medical schools often also serve rural populations well outside their own regions. Unfortunately for many developing countries, especially in Africa, many graduates of their medical schools end up in rural practice, often not in Africa, but rather in developed countries where they have been enticed to serve the rural populations. Social responsibility Medical schools should operate under a social accountability framework that includes responsibility to their regions. Four fundamental questions focus on how medical schools can contribute to the education, recruitment and retention of rural physicians in their region and beyond. Students from rural areas Can students from rural areas get admitted into medical school doctor education programmes? Importantly for rural physician workforce planning, physicians who practice in rural areas compared to physicians in urban practice are much more likely to come from a rural background. Students from racial areas, however, face many difficulties and, in most countries, are under-represented in medical schools especially compared to those whose parents are urban, wealthy and highly educated. People in rural regions should expect to have a fair opportunity to get into medical school. Governments and medical schools need to implement cohesive strategies including premedical school outreach education preparatory courses; admission policies that recognize diversity of geographic backgrounds and experiences; and tuition and scholarship support to make medical school affordable.' In Australia, the percentage of students of rural origin in medical schools has more than doubled in response to national policies and incentives. Aboriginal/indigenous people make up an important subset of the world's rural peoples and their health, education and economic status are often worse than the average for rural people. In addition, cultural differences and misunderstandings often create huge barriers. The Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada has partnered with the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada to increase the admission of and support for indigenous students in Canada's medical schools and to develop a First Nations, Inuit and Metis health competencies curriculum framework. Ateneo de Zamboanga University School of Medicine in the Philippines and University of Malaysia Sabah are recent examples of small regional medical schools established with a focus on local indigenous health care. Relevant education Can medical students get education that is relevant to the rural context ? …


In this study, we model the volatility dynamics of Istanbul Gold Exchange with several GARCH models, which incorporate asymmetry and long-range dependence in the conditional volatility. We use daily spot prices of the gold exchange from January 4, 2006 to November 20, 2013. In addition, forecasting performances of the models are evaluated based on three commonly used measures. We examine the out-of-sample predictions for 1, 5 and 20-days ahead as the portfolio managers usually focus on longer horizons (20-days) as well as relatively short horizons (1 and 5-days ahead). The forecasting results point out the superior performance of EGARCH and CGARCH models. Hence our results provide useful information for investors and portfolio managers to consider asymmetric reactions to the news and long-range dependence property of the gold market in Turkey.


An artist's workshop was held at Lawaki Beach House from 21-28th September, 2013.

Pacific cultures and societies are central to the USP mission, vision and values and a theme that permeates every aspect of the Strategic plan. Central to the positioning of the university as the international leader in Pacific Studies, Arts and Culture is the creation of an internally recognized centre for visual and performing arts and pacific heritage which will showcase and promote pacific talent in all areas of art. The idea of an innovative interdisciplinary program, such as the one described here, which draws upon creative expression, community experiences and academic research on climate change to support and underlie these goal.

The aims of our workshop were twofold. It was an opportunity for our Centre artists to bond more formally as a group, and to learn new skills and observe different art processes.
To learn more about environmental issues and use our art as a medium to convey information and educate children and the public regarding these issues.


Introduction: In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to evaluate the distribution of allergic sensitivity to the common inhalant allergens in different age groups. We also aimed to determine the factors that may be associated with sensitization in adults from the European region of Istanbul.
Materials and Method: Using SPSS statistical analysis software, we retrospectively evaluated Skin Prick Test (SPT) data from 2587 patients with symptoms similar to Allergic Rhinitis (AR).
Results: Analysis of data revealed that that the frequency of sensitization to the common inhalant allergens significantly decreased by age. Animal dander was found to be the most common cause of allergic reactions among adult patients (p<0.05). When compared to the birth in other months, the frequency of sensitization to animal dander was significantly higher among individuals born in January (p<0.05). Gender-based analysis of the results revealed that the prevalence of sensitization to animal dander was significantly higher among females<45 y of age (p<0.05). The prevalence of sensitization to the inhalant allergens was found to be the lowest among elderly patients (42.9%; p<0.000).
Conclusion: Personalized assessment of allergic conditions is important for planning a suitable treatment protocol for allergic diseases in the elderly. Our findings may contribute to design effective care plans and improve the environmental conditions for adult patients with symptoms similar to AR.


Permafrost in steep bedrock is abundant in many cold-mountain areas, and its degradation can cause slope instability that is unexpected and unprecedented in location, magnitude, frequency, and timing. These phenomena bear consequences for the understanding of landscape evolution, natural hazards, and the safe and sustainable
operation of high-mountain infrastructure. Permafrost in steep bedrock is an emerging field of research. Knowledge of rock temperatures, ice content, mechanisms of degradation, and the processes that link warming and destabilization is often fragmental.
In this article we provide a review and discussion of existing literature and pinpoint important questions. Ice-filled joints are common in bedrock permafrost and possibly actively widened by ice segregation. Broad evidence of destabilization by warming permafrost exists despite problems of attributing individual events to this phenomenon
with certainty. Convex topography such as ridges, spurs, and peaks is often subject to faster and deeper thaw than other areas. Permafrost degradation in steep bedrock can be
strongly affected by percolating water in fractures. This degradation by advection is difficult to predict and can lead to quick and deepdevelopment of thaw corridors along
fractures in permafrost and potentially destabilize much greater volumes of rock than conduction would. Although most research on steep bedrock permafrost originates from the Alps, it will likely gain importance in other geographic regions with mountain permafrost.


Problem solving and researching are connected activities in the engineering profession and across education. The empirical research presented in this paper considered the effectiveness for teaching and learning of a model that was based on this connection and derived from the parameters of the Research Skill Development framework. The model, devised by students for students, is called the Optimising Problem Solving (OPS) pentagon, and was piloted in a large first-year engineering course in 2014-2015 and in another university in the first half of 2016. This article presents data from formal research conducted on the 2016 offering of the course gathered from pre (n=221) and post (n=169) surveys, and semi-structured interviews of students (n=5) and student/tutors (n=5) sixteen months after course completion. Statistically significant (p < 0.01) changes from pre to post in items with medium to large effect sizes provided student perspectives on which problem-solving skills improved, and the interview data provided rich detail on the nature of changes and how these changes were effected. For the 2016 cohort studied, our evidence suggests that use of the OPS pentagon was associated with improved student problem-solving skills, and tutors' capacity to teach problem solving.


In Privilege or Punish: Criminal Justice and the Challenge of Family Ties, Dan Markel, Jennifer Collins, and Ethan Leib make an important contribution to the growing literature on criminal law and families by documenting the ways that criminal law advantages and burdens actors based on familial status and identifying the potential harms that are unleashed when criminal law recognizes family status. This Feature seeks to complement that contribution by situating the authors' observations within the context of two considerations beyond Privilege or Punish's immediate focus: chronological trends and the practical realities that can shape application of formal law. By distinguishing criminal law's traditions from contemporary trends, the Feature identifies both a gradual de-emphasis of legally recognized family forms and an increased willingness to enforce criminal law within families, regardless of how they are comprised. It concludes by arguing that effective enforcement of criminal law within families often requires the criminal justice system to yield to family relationships, not for the purpose of promoting preferred family forms, but to serve the criminal law's familiar retributive and utilitarian goals.


Acacia mangium Willd. and Acacia aulacocarpa A. Cum. Ex. Benth are among the two
important Acacias planted in Malaysia and both species exhibited multiple-leader (ML).
ML is the formation of more than one stems from the base of planted trees which affect
the productivity of the stands if they are to be used for timber production. With more
volume of wood per tree basis, ML trees were considered as an advantage for pulp and
paper industry. However, its productivity and wood quality are still being questionable
to the industry. Thus, this study was conducted to evaluate the growth performance after
seven years, aboveground biomass (AGB), specific gravity of wood (SGwd) and
photosynthetic efficiency of ML trees of these species.
Growth performance of seven-year old trees was based on diameter at breast height
(Dbh) and height. Then, biomass was estimated fiom a total of 72 trees (2 species x 4
provenances x 3 Dbh classes x 3 replicates. Specific gravity of wood (SGwmd) was then
estimated using similar Dbh groupings and also based on three levels of height. In
addition, gas exchange was also estimated using similar Dbh groupings between ML
and single stemmed trees to establish the light response curve to estimate their
maximum rate of photosynthesis (A,,) and quantum yield (@).
The growth performance at 7 year-old indicated significant differences at P10.05
between species and provenances with regards to Dbh and height. A. mangium
outperformed A. aulacocarpa for both attributes. On the other hand, trees of A.
aulacocarpa from PNG provenances performed better than the ones from QLD. There
were also significant differences at P10.05 between provenance in terms of stem and
total biomass and; between Dbh, dl parameters of AGB of A. mangium. A. mangium
fiom SW of Boset WP (PNG) recorded the highest mean of AGB i400.19 kg) and
Russel & Gap CK (QLD) recorded the least (202.68 kg). On the other hand, A.
aulacocarpa showed significant differences between provenances and Dbh classes for
all parameters measured with provenance from Arufi E. Morehaed WP (PNG) gave the
highest total AGB (219.72 kg) and provenance from 3K S Mt Larcom, QLD recorded
the least (34.12 kg). A. mangium was better than A. aulacocarpa in terms of biomass
production. In addition, eight regression equations to estimate aboveground biomass
and revealed that Dbh is the main factor affecting the production of the different
provenances.
Generally, SGwWd of A. aulacocarpa was higher than the ones produced by A. mangium
especially from lower part of trees. There was also significant difference between height
levels with regards to provenance and Dbh classes. Generally, the order of SGwmd
production for both species is bottom> middle> top. Moreover, there was no significant
difference at P10.05 between provenances, growth habits (ML and SS), Dbh classes and
their interaction in terms of A,,. Similar statistical analyses were also obtained for
quantum yield except for between provenances of A. mangium.
Based on composite ranking of all attributes revealed that A. mangium from SW of
Boset (PNG), Captain Billy Road (QLD) and Bensbach WP (PNG) and A. aulacocarpa
from Arufi E. Morehaed WP (PNG) and W. Morehead (PNG) showed relatively good
performance and indicated their suitability and robustness to local environment. The
results also revealed that growth performance was positively correlated with AGB but
not for SGwmd, A,, and quantum yield between species and provenances. Thus, the
above potential provenances should be considered in breeding programme of Acacia
species for the purpose of high yield productivity.


The efficiency with which the anaerobic fungi (phylum Neocallimastigomycota) degrade plant biomass is well-recognized and in recent years has received renewed interest. To further understand the biological mechanisms that are utilized by the rumen anaerobic fungi to break down lignocellulose, we have used a transcriptomic approach to examine carbohydrate digestion by Neocallimastix frontalis, Piromyces rhizinflata, Orpinomyces joyonii, and Anaeromyces mucronatus cultured on several carbon sources. The number of predicted unique transcripts ranged from 6,633 to 12,751. Pfam domains were identified in 62–70% of the fungal proteins and were linked to gene ontology terms to infer the biological function of the transcripts. Most of the predicted functions are consistent across species suggesting a similar overall strategy evolved for successful colonization of the rumen. However, the presence of differential profiles in enzyme classes suggests that there may be also be niche specialization. All fungal species were found to express an extensive array of transcripts encoding carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZymes) ranging from 8.3 to 11.3% of the transcriptome. CAZyme families involved in hemicellulose digestion were the most abundant across all four fungi. This study provides additional insight into how anaerobic fungi have evolved to become specialists at breaking down the plant cell wall in the complex and, strictly anaerobic rumen ecosystem.


There are applications for the measurement of body asymmetry as some studies have shown a correlation between asymmetry and fitness for some species. In our study of the endangered Pygmy Bluetongue Lizard, the asymmetry of its head is being investigated to see whether this has a correlation with its health and chance of survival in the wild. As there are restrictions on handling the endangered lizards, their digital photos must be taken in the field and therefore it is difficult to impose restrictions on the conditions under which the digital images are acquired. In this paper, we propose a novel automatic technique that is invariant to rotation, size, illumination and tilt, for the measurement of lizard symmetry based on its digital imagery and the resulting symmetry index is used to infer the lizard's asymmetry. The conventional manual methods being used by biologists for fluctuating asymmetry measurement have a number of disadvantages including human errors, and their methods of measurement are based on counting the number of scales and length measurement that do not often agree well with visual assessment. Our proposed image processing technique is non-invasive, robust in a way that will give a similar symmetric index for different images of the same lizard, and more importantly based on the actual image scale pattern of the lizards. Hence our proposed method will also give a better agreement with visual assessment.


The Council for the Organisation of Relief Services Overseas (CORSO), established in 1944, was dedicated to the relief of poverty overseas. It was a New Zealand organisation which acted to co-ordinate the activities of different national bodies; all of whom shared a vision of working towards such relief of the poverty. CORSO's primary vision for such relief being organised "under one umbrella" attracted 50 member organisations by 1967. Legitimacy theory provides an undemanding theoretical frame for early CORSO. It also explains the period of crisis in relation to reduced legitimacy when, in the 1960s, CORSO began to focus increasingly on development to build foundations for impoverished peoples overseas to gain greater self-reliance. This change in strategic direction was insufficiently communicated to the general public, though it was generally accepted within the organisation.From the 1970s the increased politicisation of society impacted on CORSO's membership, and Maori radicals became prominent in CORSO along with "leftist" individuals and groups. The early strong coalition was progressively replaced with divisiveness from the mid-1970s amid growing public mistrust of CORSO; as it changed from an apolitical body to one increasingly focused on issues from an anti-capitalist stance. Polarisation and the subsequent consequences are similar to other not-for-profit coalitions.Deterioration in budgeting was concomitant with CORSO's declining Appeal proceeds. Without suggesting a central role for accounting in CORSO's decline, the correlation of robust or deficient accounting processes respectively with economic good and poor health appears positive. Until the late 1960s, evidence indicates a robust accounting process which subsequently deteriorated, from the 1975 Treasurer's Report onwards. In examining CORSO's decline from 1970, until its "functional death" in 1991, the causes of this decline provide a valuable illustration of the importance of political independence and integrity for charitable organisations' survival. The data for this study is derived from primary and secondary sources including newspaper articles, annual reports, correspondence and opinion surveys. This research also analyses accounting data, evidencing a correlation of robust or deficient accounting processes respectively with economic excellent or poor health. To this extent the accounting data provides a "bio-marker" of organisational health. Key to CORSO's demise was a change in strategic direction brokered by governing members which resulted in a philosophical shift unsupported by many of its core orthodox member bodies, with 'fatal' consequences. CORSO from 1990 was not a broad-based coalition, but survives as a persistent, yet impaired, brand name employed by a small coalition of socialists and Maori radicals. CORSO failed to erect barriers to capture, or to recognise it. This historic perspective on the demise of such a giant in New Zealand charities provides a clear illustration of a failure to sense and adapt sufficiently to its dynamic political landscape, and illustrates how the not-for-profit sector is more dependant than other sectors on continuing legitimisation processes in its implicit contract with the society to which it offers its vision.


ABSTRACT Although older adults are often concerned about instances of forgetting, forgetting can be a useful feature of our memory system. Specifically, strategically forgetting less important information can benefit memory for goal-relevant information (i.e., responsible remembering and responsible forgetting). In two experiments, we presented younger and older adults with a list of words (either unrelated words or items to bring on a camping trip) with a cue indicating whether participants ("You") or their "Friend" was responsible for remembering each item. Results revealed that both younger and older adults engaged in responsible remembering and forgetting by better remembering items they were responsible for remembering, indicating a strategic utilization of their limited memory capacity. Additionally, regardless of age and the cue indicating who was responsible for remembering each item, participants used importance to guide the encoding and retrieval of information. Thus, people may be able to engage strategic cognitive mechanisms to maximize memory utility for important, goal-relevant information, and responsible forgetting can enhance memory utility in both younger and older adults by using importance to drive memory and reduce consequences for forgetting.


Two major high burnup boiling water reactor (BWR) issues today are (1) shadow corrosion (hydrogen) induced fuel channel bowing and (2) accelerated hydrogen pickup fraction, HPUF of fuel claddings. Both these issues occur only at high burnups. Several factors impact the tendency for fuel channel bowing, the most recent one that is responsible for the current issue of difficulties to insert control rods is due to differences in hydrogen pickup of the different facing surfaces of the fuel channel. Accelerated HPUF of fuel cladding at high burnups may result in reducing fuel clad integrity during reactivity initiated accidents and cask drop accident during dry storage conditions. Some fuel vendors are now shifting from Zry-2 to Zry-4 in structural components to mitigate the fuel channel bowing issue. All BWR fuel vendors are also looking into new alloys (other than Zry-2 and Zry-4) for structural materials. However, one should keep in mind that it is imperative that a mechanistic understanding of the accelerated HPUF is developed to understand the accelerated HPUF tendency in Zry-2. Without such an understanding, it is not possible to rule out that accelerated HPUF can occur also for the new alloys under certain in-pile conditions. This paper summarizes the state of knowledge on the accelerated HPUF and provides suggestions on (1) the mechanism responsible for the accelerated HPUF of Zry-2 at high burnups and (2) how the currently used Zry-2 material for fuel rods and structural materials in BWRs can be modified to delay the accelerated HPUF at high burnups.


Drilling wells are classified upon the purpose, depth, location, and the matter of material to be explored. Drilling methods also vary. One of which is rotary drilling method. The aim of this study is to outline the processes during the rotary drilling utilized for the extraction of CO2 gas. The problems encountered during and after drilling were identified and solution schemes were proposed. As a practical application, the drilling activities in Kemerhisar district were chosen. The drilling operations through the CO2 bearing formation of Kemerhisar district was followed in a particular borehole, down to the depth of 220 m, and the fragments coming from the bottom of the hole were logged on a one-meter basis detail. During drilling operation, the performance of equipment were monitored and such properties as drilling speed, drilling fluid properties, gas emissions and water intakes were recorded. Upon those, well design and development were carried out. An appropriate drilling rig was set and the CO2 gas was securely extracted. The well yield was evaluated to be 15 % water and 85 % gas. An increase with CO2/water ratio was observed deeper than 100 m. CO2 content reaches maximum level in the alternating layers of limestone and mudstone, between the depths 0f 165 m and 205 m. In conclusion barite added drilling mud as well as safety values would be needed where the pressures are really high. Gas emission with high pressures would be able to control by such a heavy drilling mud. This would certainly prevent the cease of pump, sudden gas ejections, and the collapse of the borehole perimeter. Needless to say, it would ensure the working safety for the crew as well.


Starch applications in food systems are mainly influenced by solubility, gelatinization, paste viscosity, digestibility, and retrogradation. These characteristics result from properties such as the size and shape of granules, amylose and amylopectin contents, distribution of polymer chains, degree of crystallinity, and extraction of waste. In beans, the percentage of starch contents on dry basis is between 45 and 60%, being 24–65% amylose. This chapter evaluated the structure of common beans starch granules ( Phaseolus vulgaris ) and cowpea ( Vigna unguiculata ) in raw and cooked forms, by optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Thus it was possible to observe the gelatinization of the starch granules especially in cowpea and carioca beans, as well as the "hard-to-cook" phenomenon in the black beans.


To the Editor: During the global epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), the illness was transmitted rapidly within hospitals, which created pools of persons who became infected and through whom the disease was spread. Intrahospital transmission amplified regional outbreaks and augmented spread of the illness into the community (1–3). Healthcare workers, hospital patients, and hospital visitors accounted for 18%–58% of all cases of SARS in the five countries with the largest outbreaks (1,2). The concentration of SARS among hospital staff strained hospital facilities, personnel, and finances.

National Taiwan University Hospital, established more than 100 years ago, is the first teaching hospital and the best resource in Taiwan for managing patients with illnesses that are difficult to treat. The hospital has 2,400 beds and provides primary and tertiary care services in Taipei. Taipei City was among the hardest hit areas by SARS in the world (3). From March 10 to July 23, 2003, the hospital reported 270 patients with SARS, many of whom were severely ill. The hospital treated 180 of the 665 patients with SARS reported in Taiwan, even though it was staffed by 4,450 of the country's 178,000 healthcare workers. SARS had an impact on this hospital for three likely reasons. First, the hospital identified and treated the first SARS patients in Taiwan (4,5). Second, it provided easy access through the emergency room and outpatient clinics. Febrile persons with a travel history to SARS-affected areas or other risk of SARS exposure came directly to this hospital for care. Third, many hospitals, particularly private facilities, were reluctant to report and admit patients with SARS during the early stage of the epidemic because of financial considerations and fear.

The hospital felt the brunt of the epidemic in Taiwan during early May 2003, which paralleled the severity of the SARS epidemic in Taipei (3,4,6). The maximal number of SARS patients admitted to the hospital within 24 hours was 12 on May 3. The maximal number of SARS patients reported within 24 hours was 15 on May 6; 8 patients were transferred to other hospitals on May 7. However, 18 patients stayed overnight in the emergency room on May 7. Subsequently, SARS developed in 12 emergency room healthcare workers (6,7).

Our preliminary studies showed that the average inpatient cost for patients with SARS was not higher than for patients with pneumonia, after adjustment for age, sex, and length of stay (MF Chen, unpub. data). However, SARS caused financial and operational disruptions in the hospital. During this period, hospital utilization rates decreased. Compared with the previous year's rates, outpatient and emergency visits fell to 37%, inpatient admissions fell to 29%, and surgical procedures fell to 15%. Bed occupancy decreased from 86% in May 2002 to 38% in May 2003. SARS also imposed physical and psychological concerns on the healthcare workers.

During the later stage of the SARS epidemic, the Taiwan government offered special financial assistance to hospitals and healthcare workers as an incentive to help fight SARS. The country's National Health Insurance program compensated hospitals for the decrease in revenues, based on the hospital's reimbursement amount before the SARS epidemic. This measure was effective in motivating other hospitals to accept patients with SARS. The proportion of inpatients with SARS at the hospital dropped from 79.5% during March 10 to April 23, to 46.2% during April 24 to May 1, to 11.6% during May 2 to July 23. This financial assistance program remarkably reduced the impact on the hospital as other hospitals began treating patients with SARS.

Preparations for a medical emergency must address the availability and quality of medical care as well as the implications for public health policy, including political, legal, social, financial, and ethical issues (1). The importance of a sound financial policy cannot be overemphasized. Since the 1980s, healthcare systems have become free market enterprises. Laws and regulations are needed to allow governments to mobilize the resources of all hospitals and compensate them during health crises. Government agencies need to work together with the healthcare system, including health insurance systems and social services, well in advance of epidemic emergencies to maximize limited resources and distribute them equitably.

Democratic societies must preserve human rights (including the right to medical care and freedom from fear), while respecting and protecting the rights and safety of hospitals and healthcare workers. We now face the potential resurgence of SARS, other emerging and reemerging infectious diseases, and the threat of bioterrorism. Careful consideration of the financial issues of hospital management should be an important part of social policy. The emergence of SARS provides a reminder of the potential threat to the entire healthcare system when a new disease suddenly appears. A major lesson from the SARS experience is that government planning and intervention are required.


Aims Infection following transplantation is a cause of morbidity and mortality. Perfusion fluid (PF) used to preserve organs between recovery and transplantation represents a medium suitable for the growth of microbes. We evaluated the relevance of positive growth from PF sampled before the implantation of kidney or kidney–pancreas (KP) allografts. Methods Between January 2007 and January 2011, 548 kidney/KP transplants were performed in our centre. A retrospective review of patient records with culture-positive PF was performed. Results PF was received from 483 (88%) patients, of which 35 (7%, 95% CI 5.3% to 9.9%) were positive for bacteria (31/483, 6.4%, 95% CI 4.6% to 9.8%) and fungi (4/483, 0.8%, 95% CI 0.3% to 2.1%). Thirty-two of the 35 culture-positive PF (91.4%, 95% CI 77.6% to 97%) were considered insignificant. The remaining three patients developed sepsis postoperatively, which was considered to be possibly related to growth in PF; Escherichia coli in one and Klebsiella pneumoniae in two. Of the non-skin flora bacteria cultured from PF, six were resistant to the prophylactic antibiotic given intraoperatively, but only one developed infection postoperatively (E coli, resistant to the co-amoxiclav). Conclusions Significant attributable morbidity associated with PF-positive culture results was relatively rare. Culture of organisms other than Enterobacteriaceae or fungi are likely to represent contamination.