Helicobacter pylori (H. Pylori) infection is currently recognized as the major cause of chronic active gastritis, peptic ulcer disease and mucosa associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma and carcinoma of the stomach. Eradication of the infection will prevent the recurrence of the majority of such diseases. Different combined treatments have been tried in Iran for eradication of H. Pylori , but the optimal eradication needs further evaluation. Herein, we have reviewed the eradication regimens of H. Pylori used by Iranian scientists during a 16 year period from 1990 to 2006, regarding the number, the type of drugs used, the duration, eradication rate, and their side effects. From 26 articles retrieved, 22 drug regimens were evaluated. Triple drug therapy was favored in our country, as it consisted of 63% of the regimens. But it could not achieve an optimal eradication rate. Of eight quadruple drug regimens, two led to an optimal eradication rate, with the highest eradication rate being 92% based on furazolidone quadruple regimen. But this regimen had significant side effects in more than 62% of the patients. The best first line treatment regimen for eradication of H. Pylori in Iran seems to be a type of furazolidone or clarithromycin based quadruple therapy for a minimum duration of two weeks. However, the patients should be monitored for furazolidone side effects. Furthermore, in metronidazole based quadruple therapy drug resistance is a major problem, even with doses of more than 1 gm/day. In patients with treatment failure, medication should be adjusted according to antibiotic sensitivity and newer antibiotic therapies, which is designed as clinical trials. Iran J Med Sci 2006; 31(4): 181-185.


This Article considers the role of tax lawyers in the corporate tax shelter controversy. In the mid-1990s, a large market emerged in abusive tax shelters, which cost the treasury tens of billions of dollars in lost tax revenue a year. Although individual tax lawyers were deeply involved in abusive tax shelters, the organized tax bar supported law reforms intended to rein in the tax shelter market. The bar's initiatives included due diligence obligations for opinion letters issued in connection with tax shelters and other proposals intended to strengthen practice standards. The tax bar's positions in the tax shelter debate cannot be adequately explained by conventional accounts of the organized bar, which assume that bar groups act to further lawyers' or clients' economic interests or to improve the reputation of the bar. Nor, however, should the bar's positions be taken as pure expressions of public-mindedness. A more nuanced conception of professionalism is required to account for the bar's initiatives. This Article argues that the bar's positions reflect a specific professional ideology of tax practice in which tax lawyers, by virtue of their expertise, serve as gatekeepers for the tax system. While not conferring immediate economic benefits to tax lawyers, the bar's reforms further tax lawyers' long-term reputational and other interests, even as they serve to bind lawyers to higher practice standards and protect the integrity of the tax system.


Communications thinker and prophet Marshall McLuhan gave us the phrases "the medium is the message" and "global village". Today, with the explosion of electronic technologies and on-line communication, his ideas are more relevant than ever. Forward Through the Rearview Mirror is an evocative and visually exciting exploration of McLuhan's life and work in the context of the information age. The book consists of short prose passages, aphorisms, interviews, letters, and dialogues by McLuhan -- many never before published -- interwoven with biographical text by his biographer Philip Marchand and commentary by such cultural critics as Louis Rossetto, Neil Postman, Camille Paglia, and Lewis Lapham.The book is organized into four parts: Global Village and Identity, Medium is the Message, and Extensions of Man. In keeping with McLuhan's style of speaking and writing, the text consists of a series of brief entries, ranging in length from a single line to a page. The entries have been selected and positioned so that they can be read consecutively as a narrative or randomly as individual ideas. Throughout, the material by McLuhan appears in a different typeface and color from the material by others, to make the two clearly distinguishable. Part book, part magazine, part storyboard, this multidimensional look at the ideas and life of the patron saint of Wired magazine will appeal to anyone interested in technology, contemporary thought, and popular culture.


It has often been argued that Africa in general, and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) in particular, is 'different' and that it therefore requires 'exceptional' solutions to its development problems. In contrast, in this paper we argue that strong internal heterogeneity combined with general trends similar to those experienced elsewhere in the world make local economic development (LED) as likely to succeed in SSA as in other low- and middle-income countries. The likelihood of success depends mostly on place-specific conditions. Many of the most prosperous parts of the continent already have the basic enabling conditions for the design and implementation of LED strategies in place. Less favourable resource endowments, poor accessibility, and relatively weak civil societies can undermine the viability of LED outside the wealthier and most prosperous areas. In smaller urban areas and intermediate regions and city-regions, which lack only a few of the basic preconditions for LED, further capacity building may still enable the success of the approach. In contrast, LED may not be relevant for the poorest and most remote parts of SSA, where existing conditions do not provide a strong enough base on which to build LED strategies.


Microsomal particles enriched up to 20-fold in glucose 6-phosphatase activity (as compared to crude microsomal fractions) were prepared from livers of phenobarbital-treated, normal, and diabetic rats by a method involving sucrose-density gradient centrifugation through a layer containing deoxycholate, followed by flotation of the delipidated particles in a phospholipid-detergent mixture. The flotation with phospholipid resulted in the extraction of additional protein, in a corresponding increase in specific activity, and in relipidation of the particles to their original phospholipid content. Detergents alone did not extract any additional protein. Relipidation caused a change in the properties of the microsomal membrane, as indicated by a 4-fold decrease in the K(m) for glucose 6-phosphate and mannose 6-phosphate. The maximal rate was not affected. The crude homogenate of diabetic rat liver contained more latent enzyme than that of normal rats. The diabetic rats also yielded purified microsomal particles of specific glucose 6-phosphatase activity twice that of normal and five times that of phenobarbital-treated rats, indicating that some regulatory mechanism exists for the incorporation of different amounts of the enzyme into the endoplasmic reticulum.


The standard derivation of a Phillips curve from a DSGE model requires that all variables are measured as deviations from their steady states. But in practice this is not done. The steady state for output is estimated by some statistical procedure, such as the HP filter, and the steady state for other variables, including inflation, is treated as a constant. This is inconsistent with the theory and raises econometric problems since inflation, for instance, is a very persistent series. We argue that the natural definition of the steady state is the long-horizon forecast and estimate these permanent components from a cointegrating VAR that takes account of global interactions. This estimate of the steady state will reflect any long-run theoretical relationships embodied in the cointegrating vectors. We then estimate Phillips Curves and other standard monetary transmission equations using deviations from the steady states on US data. This is both consistent with the theory and uses the relevant economic information about steady states.


This article examines aspects of cultural exchange between the Middle East and the West in which Sufism, Christianity, the traditions of the Circassians and New Age concepts played a central role. It focuses on the teaching of Murat Yagan, of Abkhaz-Circassian origin who grew up in Turkey and immigrated to Canada in the 1960s, where he developed his philosophy, Ahmsta Kebzeh ("the knowledge of the art of living"). The Kebzeh way of life emphasizes modesty, mutual responsibility and compassion. Yagan linked these values to the ancient ethos of the Caucasus Mountains which he sought to revive as the basis of a universal vision. The nature of Kebzeh was influenced by the cosmopolitan environment in which Yagan was educated in Turkey; by his enrollment with Sufi circles in North America; and by the multicultural Canadian atmosphere. These diverse influences enabled him to devise an ecumenical model of dialogue between cultures. The article provides a first-time survey and analysis of Kebzeh ideological and communal features. It sheds new light on the role of ethnicity and cultural heritage in immigrant societies in the context of the evolution of spirituality in Canada, a relatively unexplored milieu in comparison to the United States and Europe.


The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of chief executive officer duality on the
profitability of money deposit banks. The research design adopted by this study is the quantitative
approach. The population of interest for this study comprised the twenty-two deposit money banks listed
on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) as at March (2016) for the period of sixteen years from 2000 to
2016. The study utilized only the secondary source of data. There exists a negative relationship between
CEO duality and profitability. This further entails that for the sampled banks, CEO duality contributes
negatively to the profitability of the selected money deposit banks in Nigeria. The coefficient of
determination which measures the control power of the independent variable over the dependent variable
was calculated with the instrument of adjusted R-Squared and it yielded 0.296170. This entails that the
variations in profitability of the selected deposit money banks is not significantly influenced by CEO
duality. Based on the findings, the study concludes that on the average, effect of chief executive officer
duality has no significant effect on the profitability of money deposit banks. This finding reveals that dual
role has no positive and significant influence and contribution towards profitability in money deposit
banks. This should be thoroughly ascertained for it to be either suspended or significantly minimized


"Cyrtoceratites arduennensis", one of the stratigraphically oldest ammonoids and type species of the ambiguously defined genus Anetoceras, was first described from the Eifel Mountains. It has been misinterpreted several times and is here re-described, based on the holotype and additional material from the type area. Anetoceras arduennense (STEININGER, 1853) has a crioconical conch with whorls almost touching the preceding volution. The revision of the subfamily Anetoceratinae leads to the result that only five genera (Metabactrites, Borivites, Ivoites gen. nov. as a replacement name for Teneroceras, Anetoceras, and Erbenoceras) can be regarded valid, which probably represent a phyletic series.


Objective New approaches are needed to evaluate quality improvement (QI) within large-scale public health efforts. This case report details challenges to large-scale QI evaluation, and proposes solutions relying on adaptive study design. Study design We used two sequential evaluative methods to study a QI effort to improve delivery of HIV preventive care in public health facilities in three districts in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, over a 3-year period. We initially used a cluster randomised controlled trial (RCT) design. Principal findings During the RCT study period, tensions arose between intervention implementation and evaluation design due to loss of integrity of the randomisation unit over time, pressure to implement changes across the randomisation unit boundaries, and use of administrative rather than functional structures for the randomisation. In response to this loss of design integrity, we switched to a more flexible intervention design and a mixed-methods quasiexperimental evaluation relying on both a qualitative analysis and an interrupted time series quantitative analysis. Conclusions Cluster RCT designs may not be optimal for evaluating complex interventions to improve implementation in uncontrolled 'real world' settings. More flexible, context-sensitive evaluation designs offer a better balance of the need to adjust the intervention during the evaluation to meet implementation challenges while providing the data required to evaluate effectiveness. Our case study involved HIV care in a resource-limited setting, but these issues likely apply to complex improvement interventions in other settings.


Background and Aim: Pathology Information Systems provide opportunities for pathologists and clinical laboratory professionals to influence clinical care and modern research programs. The objective of this study was to determine the minimum data set of Anatomical Pathology Information System from the experts' point of view. Materials and Methods: This study is considered an applied research conducted through a descriptive cross-sectional research method. The research instrument was a questionnaire containing data elements related to sample and those related to the patient. This questionnaire was completed by three groups of participants including 22 experts in the field of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, 23 experts in Health Informatics and Health Information Management, and 6 Insurance experts. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and SPSS software. Results: The results indicated that all information elements contained in the questionnaire except the address of the pathologist, resident or the person who performs the act of gross examination were considered as informational elements essential to the system and the high average of five was allocated to them. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, the Minimum Data Set of Anatomical Pathology Information System can be presented in two main categories: Clinical and non-clinical information, which include identity information, management information, insurance information, clinical information and the data related to the study of anatomiaca pathology samples.


The problem of friction identification within the presliding and sliding regimes is addressed and three identification methods, designated as the LuGre (LG) method, the nonlinear regression (NLR) method, and dynamic nonlinear regression with direct application of the excitation (DNLRX) method, are postulated. The first employs the LG model structure, the second the basic Maxwell slip model structure, and the third an extended version of it. The Maxwell Slip model structure accounts for the presliding hysteresis with nonlocal memory, but is confined to providing constant sliding friction. This limitation is circumvented by the postulated extended version. In all methods identification is based upon signals obtained from a single experiment. The methods are successfully assessed via Monte Carlo experiments, as well as via a laboratory setup. The DNLRX is shown to achieve the best overall performance, followed by the NLR and LG methods. A simple DNLRX-based feedforward friction compensation scheme is also postulated and assessed. The results indicate that it is capable of yielding effective friction compensation.


The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) announced an industry-wide cooperative research program to evaluate alternative refrigerants that have low global warming potential (GWP). R410A is a common refrigerant for air conditioning and heat pumping application but has a GWP of 2088. Drop-in tests of three R410A low-GWP alternative refrigerants (R32, D2Y60 and L41a) in a 3 ton split heat pump unit are performed according to ASHRAE Standard 116-1995 test matrix. The test matrix is expanded to include extended cooling and heating conditions which represent extreme weather conditions. The results show that R32 and L41a are good replacement candidates for R410A. However, the capacity of D2Y60 is lower than that of R410A by an average of 18% for cooling and 14% for heating. An in-house component based vapor compression system simulation tool is validated against the experimental data. The heat exchanger model used in the system simulation uses an in-house finite volume model. The compressor model uses the 10-coefficient R410A compressor map. A total of 32 experiments are used in the validation. The results of the validation are in good agreement with the experiments. Most of the predicted COP and capacity results lie within 5% of the measured values. The largest error is in the case of low temperature and extended condition tests because the mass flow rates were estimated and not measured. Soft optimization options, by varying the size of the compressor, are carried out to match the capacity to that of R410A. As the compressor size increases, the mass flow rate, power consumption, and capacity increase, while the COP decreases.


Known as the greatest traveler of premodern times, Abu Abdallah ibn Battuta was born in Morocco in 1304 and educated in Islamic law. At the age of twenty-one, he left home to make the holy pilgrimage to Mecca. This was only the first of a series of extraordinary journeys that spanned nearly three decades and took him not only eastward to India and China but also north to the Volga River valley and south to Tanzania. The narrative of these travels has been known to specialists in Islamic and medieval history for years. Ross E. Dunn's 1986 retelling of these tales, however, was the first work of scholarship to make the legendary traveler's story accessible to a general audience. Now updated with revisions, a new preface, and an updated bibliography, Dunn's classic interprets Ibn Battuta's adventures and places them within the rich, trans-hemispheric cultural setting of medieval Islam.


An integral connection point between the screenplay and reader/viewer is the protagonist's transformative journey.  The construction of this narrative backbone is critical to the articulation of overarching thematic concerns and story premise but also reflects the story creator's worldview- one often coloured by representations of gender.  The Hollywood model certainly divides narrative function along gender lines but does this representation hold true within a different cultural context?  This article examines the selected screen stories of Danish director Susanne Bier whose partnership with screenwriter Anders Thomas Jensen is one of Denmark's most successful film partnerships.  Employing a case study methodology I examine the dramatic function of and agency afforded screen characters and the critical dynamic between cultural landscape, practitioner preference and narrative inquiry.  Key to this address is an exploration of mobility, legacy and sacrifice as textual considerations of gender and its utilisation as transnational narrative strategy.


This article engages the persisting and commonplace claim that post-Soviet politics is imbued with the prevalence of very close linkages between security and identity. Such a claim is often made in analyses of Russo-Baltic relations, where especially the inter-ethnic policies of the ethnic Estonians and Latvians have been found to be in a triadic conflict with the interests of their Russophone minorities and the declared policy preferences of the contemporary Russian Federation. However, this article contests such claims and argues that there are several signs of a gradual erosion of the intense security/identity linkages. First, the article outlines some overall developments in the strategic and politico-economic context that have accounted for a relative accommodation in Russo-Baltic relations. Second, the article enquires into the subjective roots of such accommodation patterns by introducing an in-depth analysis of Russo-Estonian relations that makes use of an intensive fieldwork method, Q methodology. It becomes clear that security/identity linkages, as subjectively perceived by ethnic Estonians and Estonia's Russophones, are best understood as varied: in some discourses that issue from these groups, they are very close, but relatively loose in others. Such a variation in security/identity linkages is an important condition for the gradual erosion of tensions that has been taking place in Russo-Estonian relations and in Russo-Baltic relations in general. On the whole, these findings speak to the importance of methodological plurality and case-sensitiveness in the study of the complexities of security/identity linkages.


We present lambda_sym, a typed λ-calculus for lenient symbolic execution, where some language constructs do not recognize symbolic values. Its type system, however, ensures safe behavior of all symbolic values in a program. Our calculus extends a base occurrence typing system with symbolic types and mutable state, making it a suitable model for both functional and imperative symbolically executed languages. Naively allowing mutation in this mixed setting introduces soundness issues, however, so we further add concreteness polymorphism, which restores soundness without rejecting too many valid programs. To show that our calculus is a useful model for a real language, we implemented Typed Rosette, a typed extension of the solver-aided Rosette language. We evaluate Typed Rosette by porting a large code base, demonstrating that our type system accommodates a wide variety of symbolically executed programs.


The digital library evaluation field has an evolving nature and it is characterized by a noteworthy proclivity to enfold various methodological orientations. Given the fact that the scientific literature in the specific domain is vast, researchers require tools that will exhibit either commonly acceptable practices, or areas for further investigation. In this paper, a data mining methodology is proposed to identify prominent patterns in the evaluation of digital libraries. Using Machine Learning techniques, all papers presented in the ECDL and JCDL conferences between the years 2001 and 2011 were categorized as relevant or non-relevant to the DL evaluation domain. Then, the relevant papers were semantically annotated according to the Digital Library Evaluation Ontology (DiLEO) vocabulary. The produced set of annotations was clustered to evaluation patterns for the most frequently used tools, methods and goals of the domain. Our findings highlight the expressive nature of DiLEO, place emphasis on semantic annotation as a necessary step in handling domain-centric corpora and underline the potential of the proposed methodology in the profiling of evaluation activities.


Introduction: Odontogenic infection may happen due to toothalveolar infections. The infection can affect the subfascial spaces, especially when affecting the lower molars, although formation of temporal abscesses is unusual. Such abscesses occur with pain, edema, erythema, trismus, fever, and diagnostic confirmation comes from Tomography/Resonance of the Face and laboratory tests. Recommended treatment involves hospitalization, support, empirical antibiotic therapy-Secondarily directed by culture and antibiogram-and surgical drainage.
Objective: To Report an unusual case of complex odontogenic infection and its therapeutic approach.
Resumed Report: A 60-year-old female presented pain and edema on left hemi face after endodontic treatment of the
second lower molar, treated with oral antibiotics. After five days: clinical worsening, being referred to the Red Cross Hospital–Parana, presenting trismus, edema in left temporal and malar regions, without floating point. Tomography and Resonance of the Face: net collection in anterior region of left masticator and temporal spaces, edema of the masticatory musculature. We have proceeded with hospitalization and treatment with intravenous Ceftriaxone, Clindamycin and corticosteroid for 4 days, without any improvement. Surgical collection drainage conducted in left masticator and temporal spaces, keeping Penrose drain for 5 days. Favorable evolution and hospital discharge followed, with oral antibiotic and corticosteroid therapy for 10 days. Ambulatory denouement: no signs or symptoms of infection, referral to dentist for follow-up.
Conclusion: Odontogenic infections can evolve to extensive abscesses, systemic impairment and sepsis. Despite clinical efforts, early diagnosis and surgical approach are the most important measures on complex infections.


Purpose: Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare, aggressive malignancy with few therapies; however, patients with locoregional disease have variable outcomes. The Cancer Genome Atlas project on ACC (ACC-TCGA) identified that cancers of patients with homogeneously rapidly recurrent or fatal disease bear a unique CpG island hypermethylation phenotype, "CIMP-high." We sought to identify a biomarker that faithfully captures this subgroup. Experimental Design: We analyzed ACC-TCGA data to characterize differentially regulated biological processes, and identify a biomarker that is methylated and silenced exclusively in CIMP-high ACC. In an independent cohort of 114 adrenocortical tumors (80 treatment-naive primary ACC, 22 adrenocortical adenomas, and 12 non-naive/nonprimary ACC), we evaluated biomarker methylation by a restriction digest/qPCR-based approach, validated by targeted bisulfite sequencing. We evaluated expression of this biomarker and additional prognostic markers by qPCR. Results: We show that CIMP-high ACC is characterized by upregulation of cell cycle and DNA damage response programs, and identify that hypermethylation and silencing of G0S2 distinguishes this subgroup. We confirmed G0S2 hypermethylation and silencing is exclusive to 40% of ACC, and independently predicts shorter disease-free and overall survival (median 14 and 17 months, respectively). Finally, G0S2 methylation combined with validated molecular markers (BUB1B-PINK1) stratifies ACC into three groups, with uniformly favorable, intermediate, and uniformly dismal outcomes. Conclusions: G0S2 hypermethylation is a hallmark of rapidly recurrent or fatal ACC, amenable to targeted assessment using routine molecular diagnostics. Assessing G0S2 methylation is straightforward, feasible for clinical decision-making, and will enable the direction of efficacious adjuvant therapies for patients with aggressive ACC.


Government procurement practices influence large volumes of spending in communities and further procurement can be influenced through legislative efforts. Through these mechanisms government bodies carry significant influence on the way in which procurement spend occurs and they have the ability to influence the direction that the procurement may take. Carefully constructed parameters in public-private partnerships (PPP) can shift the focus of procurement activities towards engaging with the local businesses and communities. This represents an approach for government bodies to increase supplier diversity so that, in alignment with UN Millennium goals of poverty reduction, local suppliers can be provided with business opportunities and methods to reduce poverty. A two-focus approach is adopted; first, government drivers and policies are examined in the context of social engagement. Second, the roles and challenges faced by small firms in the local communities are highlighted. This demonstrates the way in which e-government procurement systems play a pivotal role in supporting local sourcing initiatives.


This research is about case study of relevant explanation from the result of research with its object, University Inn UMM, addressed in Jalan Raya Sengkaling number 1 DAU Region Malang. This Research with title "Analisis Penerapan Sistem Informasi Akuntansi pada Front Office Department (Studi Kasus pada University Inn UMM ). The objective of this research to analyze the effectivity of Accounting Information System which is conducted by Front office department. Closed area of this research is accounting information system which is conducted by front office department. Data in this research acquired by using documentation and interview method. This research using analysis comparative qualitative method, in order to compares the component accounting information system of front office department with the true component information system theoretically, in order to make an effective accounting information system. The result of research shows that accounting information system of front office department has not been progress effectively. That happens because there are still something left from elements of accounting information system that has not been conducted well. The solution that can given by researcher is every staff of Front Office Department should be had different function for every activity, Front Office should apply the accounting information system by computer based as the support facility of hotel operational, also provides form as the transaction proof enough and completed with assigned number.


In recent years, difficult relations with Russia and the instability of the Southern Mediterranean have presented the EU and NATO with new challenges. They both put a stronger emphasis on countering hybrid threats, territorial defence and counterterrorism. In the course of this development, the EU and NATO have deepened their cooperation at staff level, while failing to harmonize their basic political and strategic objectives. EU Member States do not yet share a common understanding of the role of the EU and NATO in European defence. The EU could align the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO), incorporated in the Union's Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), more closely with the objectives of NATO. This would be in line with the German idea of an inclusive EU defence policy.


The study was done to determine and compare the haematological parameters of pregnant women with non-pregnant
 women at Olorunsogo Road Area of Ido, Ondo state. Nigeria. The study is a hospital based cross-sectional study among
 pregnant women and women who are apparently healthy individuals. A total of two hundred subjects were recruited
 for the study. One hundred (100) pregnant women and one hundred (100) non-pregnant women were recruited as
 controls and enrolled in this study. The data were presented in tables and were presented as mean ± standard deviation
 and added using statistical packages for social sciences (SPSS, Version 20.0) and level of significance set at as p≤ 0.05.
 The table above shows the significant difference in the PCV (p=0.001), HGB(p=0.000),RBC(p=0.022), LYM(p=0.034),
 PLT(p=0.002) MCV(p=0.002), MCH(p=0.023), WBC(p=0.003), Neut(p=0.038), Mono(p=0.044) and Eosin(p=0.023)
 and no significant difference in MCHC (p=0.674). In conclusion we found a significant reduction in packed cell volume,
 haemoglobin, red blood cell count; lymphocyte and platelet count in pregnant women while mean values of Mean Cell
 Volume, Mean cell hemoglobin, White blood cell count, neutrophil, monocyte and eosinophil had a significant increase
 in pregnant subjects compared to the non-pregnant women.


Skillfully blending historical data with microeconomic theory, Glenn Parker argues that the incentives for congressional service have declined over the years, and that with that decline has come a change in the kind of person who seeks to enter Congress. The decline in the attractiveness of Congress is a consequence of congressional careerists and of the growth in the rent-seeking society, a term which describes the efforts of special interests to obtain preferential treatment by using the machinery of government--legislation and regulations. Parker provides a fresh and controversial perspective to the debate surrounding the relative merits of career or amateur politicians. He argues that driving career politicians from office can have pernicious effects on the political system: it places the running of Congress in the hands of amateur politicians, who stand to lose little if they are found engaging in illegal or quasi-legal practices. On the other hand, career legislators risk all they have invested in their long careers in public service if they engage in unsavory practices. As Parker develops this controversial argument, he provides a fresh perspective on the debate surrounding the value of career versus amateur politicians. Little attention has been given to the long-term impact of a rent-seeking society on the evolution of political institutions. Parker examines empirically and finds support for hypotheses that reflect potential symptoms of adverse selection in the composition of Congress: (1) rent-seeking politicians are more inclined than others to manipulate institutional arrangements for financial gain; (2) the rent-seeking milieu of legislators are more likely to engage in rent-seeking activity than earlier generations; (3) and the growth of rent-seeking activity has hastened the departure of career legislators. Glenn R. Parker is Distinguished Research Professor, Florida State University.


Digital Forecast of the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) represents 5 km gridded weather forecast over the Korean Peninsula and the surrounding oceanic regions in Korean territory. Digital Forecast provides 12 weather forecast elements such as three-hour interval temperature, sky condition, wind direction, wind speed, relative humidity, wave height, probability of precipitation, 12 hour accumulated rain and snow, as well as daily minimum and maximum temperatures. These forecast elements are updated every three-hour for the next 48 hours regularly. The objective of this study was to construct Forest Fire Danger Rating Systems on the Korean Peninsula (FFDRS_KORP) based on the daily weather index (DWI) and to improve the accuracy using the digital forecast data. We produced the thematic maps of temperature, humidity, and wind speed over the Korean Peninsula to analyze DWI. To calculate DWI of the Korean Peninsula it was applied forest fire occurrence probability model by logistic regression analysis, i.e. [1+exp{-(2.494+(0.004×Tmax) - (0.008×EF))}]-1. The result of verification test among the real-time observatory data, digital forecast and RDAPS data showed that predicting values of the digital forecast advanced more than those of RDAPS data. The results of the comparison with the average forest fire danger rating index (sampled at 233 administrative districts) and those with the digital weather showed higher relative accuracy than those with the RDAPS data. The coefficient of determination of forest fire danger rating was shown as R2=0.854. There was a difference of 0.5 between the national mean fire danger rating index (70) with the application of the real-time observatory data and that with the digital forecast (70.5).


In many cases where an algorithm is provably NP-hard, this intractability is a worst-case bound that only applies to pathological inputs. In these cases, by exploiting knowledge of the specific structure of "real-world" inputs, the algorithm can be shown to be much more efficient in the "normal" case. However, when studying a new problem, this can be hard to show if it is not obvious which structural constraints exist, and which ones would lead to increases in efficiency. In this paper, we show how one can describe the underlying problem declaratively as a CSP process and use the FDR refinement checker to explore the complexity space of the problem. By knowing which optimizations FDR uses to find solutions more efficiently, we can determine under which conditions the worst-case intractable algorithm executes efficiently, and incorporate analogous optimizations into the algorithm to exploit these conditions.


Research is currently ongoing to investigate the use of assistive technology by people with mild dementia to support independent living at home. The aim of this study was to describe professional caregivers' perceptions on the prerequisites for and consequences of people with mild dementia using a digital photo diary to facilitate their talks about daily events with their family members. A questionnaire was sent out to 582 participants (response rate 70.1%) to elucidate the professional caregivers' perceptions on the use of the digital photo diary. The questionnaire contained both quantitative and qualitative data and was analyzed with descriptive statistics, factor analysis, multivariate analysis of covariance and qualitative content analysis. This study reports the results related to prerequisites and consequences of using the photo diary. The results from the factor analysis revealed four factors: Trust, Vulnerability, Dependency/Independency and Control. The qualitative content analysis resulted in five categories: Immediate implementation after receiving a diagnose is required, Relatives' participation is a necessity, Strengthened self-esteem and meaningful everyday life, Increased alienation and a feeling of isolation and Assistive digital devices provide opportunities. The theme was interpreted as: Personalization and the preservation of dignity. The conclusion that can be drawn from this study is that the participants had an overall positive view of the usage of this specific digital photo diary for people suffering from dementia, but rigorous considerations needs before implementation of the device and regularly follow ups if dignity is to be maintained for people with dementia.


The goal of this research is to examine and explore information retrieval process of patrons who access institutional repositories. Repositories are generally hosted by public universities and run by volunteers which allow researchers to submit their draft versions of their manuscripts in pre-print forms. In this study, we analyze using search methods to sort out research papers classified according to their levels of relevance that are available from a repository, and report the pattern of search results as our findings. Our model employs search methods for searching Econpapers which utilize RePEc bibliographic data. Our analysis attempts to highlight how information seekers, scholars and researchers search relevant topics of their interest and how relevant such information is which is retrieved from an institutional repository. This could aid researchers to modify their search processes to obtain better search results from their queries. The goal is to obtain the most relevant documents from online search. We discuss about the methods employed to retrieve information which is most pertinent to the requirements of researchers. A broad implication could be better utilization of time and resources for efficient retrieval of the most relevant documents of interest that could be expected from searching institutional repositories.


The topic of musical motion has generated a considerable amount of controversy in the past few years (P. Desain, H. Honing, H. van Thienen, & L. Windsor, 1998). In this essay it is argued that motion is central to our understanding of many aspects of music, particularly to our understanding of rhythm, and that an adequate account of motion in music requires a neurobiological perspective. Two possible mechanisms are discussed that may form a neurobiological basis for the association of motion in music: a vestibulomotor mechanism and an audio-visuo-motor mechanism. These two mechanisms in turn may mediate two distinct kinds of musical motion: gesture and locomotion.


This article analyses the issue of miscegenation in Portugal, which is directly associated with the context of its colonial empire, from late nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries. The analysis considers sources from both literary and scientific fields. Subsequently, aspects such as interracial marriage, degeneration and segregation as well as the changes brought about by the end of World War II and the social revolutions of the 1960s are considered. The 1980s brought several changes in the attitude towards Portuguese identity and nationality, which had meanwhile cut loose from its colonial context. Crossbreeding was never actually praised in the Portuguese colonial context, and despite still having strong repercussions in the present day, lusotropicalism was based on a fallacious rhetoric of politically motivated propaganda.


1. A peripheral inhibitor of L-aromatic amino acid decarboxylase, carbidopa [(-)-L-alpha-hydrazino-3,4-dihydroxy-alpha-methylbenzenepropanoic acid monohydrate], at doses up to 25 mg/kg intraperitoneally or 30 mg/kg orally had no effect on directly recorded arterial pressure of spontaneously hypertensive rats derived from the Wistar/Okamoto strain. It enhanced, however, the anti-hypertensive effects of methydopa, hydrallazine, guanethidine and clonidine, and, to a lesser extent, reserpine and hydrochlorothiazide. The mechanism of this enhancement is presently unkonwn, but biochemical studies support the assumption that carbidopa is likely to reduce sympathetic nervous system activity. 2. The conversion of [3H]tyrosine (given intraperitoneally) to dopa (3,4-dihydroxypheylalanine) and catecholamines was measured in the hearts and adrenals of control rats and animals pretreated with carbidopa (100 mg/kg, intraperitoneally). Carbidopa significantly decreased the accumulation of 3H-labelled catecholamines in both organs and increased their total tyrosine content and the specific radioactivity of tyrosine.


The goals of this report are: (1) To determine the types of printed library materials
in the library of Lembaga Pendidikan Perkebunan Yogyakarta, (2) To determine
the print library materials acquisition policy at the Lembaga Pendidikan
perkebunan Yogyakarta, (3) To determine the method of acquisition of library
materials print in Lembaga Pendidikan Perkebunan Yogyakarta, (4) To determine
the constraints in the acqisition of printed library materials in the library Lembaga
Pendidikan Perkebunan Yogyakarta, (5) To provide knowledge about the
importance of print acquisition of library materials in the library Lembaga
pendidikan Perkebunan Yogyakarta.
The data collected with observation methods, interviews methods, documentation
methods, and literature methods. The results show: (1) Policy acquisition of
library materials in the library LPP Yogyakarta not be in writing, (2) Proposed
acquisition of library materials is mostly done by the Polytechnic LPP Lecturer.
The proposal can be submitted directly by saying that the librarian directly or
indirectly written form proposed acquisition of library materials, (3) Acqusition
budget print library materials in the library LPP Yogyakarta in one year is not
more than fifty million that is used to purchase books and periodical
subscriptions. The budget is not provided directly to the library, but the budget
will be given if there is a plan to purchase / subscription library materials, (4)
Purchase of library materials in the library LPP for print publications library
materials in a different country and abroad. For library materials published in the
country of purchase through the bookstore and exhibits. As for the issue of
overseas purchasing more through importers because the transaction process
easier and faster than through a publisher. This suggestions base on the report are:
(1) To formulate policies in writing acquisition of library materials in order to
facilitate the acquisition activities of library materials, (2) Students are allowed to
carry out the proposed library materials, library materials for the library to know
what is in demand and needs of students as users, (3) Conduct regular purchase of
library materials, so that library materials are always up to date with
developments in science and technology. The budget for the acquisition of library
materials used optimally in accordance with the requirements, (4) Increase the
number of copies for library materials are much in demand and user needs, (5) To
evaluate the acquisition of library materials to find out the pros and cons of
acquisition activities are conducted.

Key words: Acquisition, print library materials


Since first being synthesized in 2011, H2O@C60 has attracted much attention in the literature. Many interesting quantum phenomena are associated with this system, including ortho-para conversion, rotational ground state splitting, and long-range dipole correlations. The work presented here covers the theory required to model such a system as well as detailing two projects that were undertaken in order to develop tools to study H2O@C60. Path integral molecular dynamics simulations were utilized to gain an understanding of the thermodynamic properties such as position and orientation densities, and imaginarytime autocorrelation functions (ITACFs) were investigated and compared to those of a free water molecule. In order to gain access to energy levels directly, code was also developed in order to diagonalize the Hamiltonian for the system and obtain the exact energy levels variationally. The code that was written for this purpose is very general and can easily be applied to a wide number of similar systems, including different guest/host molecules.


In recent years, great progress has been achieved in the field of non-fullerene organic solar cells. In particular, the power conversion efficiencies for the photovoltaic devices based on A–π–A fused-ring electron acceptors, e.g. ITIC, can catch up with or even surpass the fullerene-based ones. However, the detailed molecular packing structures and charge transport properties of these acceptors are rarely studied and still unclear, which has become the major obstacle for rational molecular design to further improve the photovoltaic performance. Here, we have unravelled the intermolecular arrangements in the ITIC film via atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. The simulated results point to that three-dimensional molecular packing is formed in the ITIC film through local intermolecular π–π stacking between the terminal acceptor units. In sharp contrast, the ITIC crystal grown by the slow solvent vapor diffusion approach exhibits a one-dimensional edge-to-face stacking structure. Consequently, excellent isotropic electron mobilities along three dimensions are found for the film and unprecedentedly, the overall mobility is even higher than that of the crystal. Our work suggests that judicious modulation of the terminal acceptor unit to increase local intermolecular π–π interaction would be an effective way to improve the electron mobilities and photovoltaic performance of the A–π–A electron acceptors.


Locke and Latham (1985) hypothesised that goals are more efficiently attained when they are perceived to be difficult but realistic to achieve. Furthermore, goal orientation is believed to be a strong determinant of effort exertion and adherence in performing tasks. To verify these two concepts, in real-life situations, 28 young female runners (13–16 years) were blocked (randomly assigned) to one of three goal-difficulty conditions over a 4-week period: easy, difficult/realistic, and improbable/unattainable. Short-term goals for each condition were set (1.25%, 2.5%, and 3.75% improvement per week, respectively), as were long-term goals (5%, 10%, and 15% overall improvement, respectively). Participants completed the Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire prior to the goal intervention. Locke and Latham's (1985) goal attainability hypothesis was not supported by the results of the study, as athletes enhanced their running performance equally regardless of their specific goals. Both ego and task orientations were found to be moderately but significantly correlated with running improvement rate. However, task and ego orientation were found to be significantly correlated to each other, indicating that, in this sample of athletes, these two orientations were not independent of each other. Together, they accounted for 30% of the improvement rate variance across 4 weeks. The additive effect of goal orientation and goal setting on athletic performance should be investigated for a longer period of time and with experienced athletes of a high calibre.


We select the per capita gross domestic product and rural residents' per capita net income in Xinjiang as the indicator variables to measure economic growth and farmers' income increase in Xinjiang, respectively. We establish the cointegration equation, the vector error correction (VEC) model, and use the impulse response function to conduct empirical analysis of the evolutive law concerning relationship between economic growth and farmers' income increase in Xinjiang during the period 1978-2010. The results show that there is a cointegration relationship between economic growth in Xinjiang and farmers' income increase; the former plays an important role in promoting the latter, following the evolutive law "first intensify, then abate, intensify again, and finally become stable". We put the following policy recommendations: providing preferential policies for farmers, scientifically and rationally guiding the transfer of rural labor; improving the function of agriculture, increasing the proportion of non-farm income; gradually bridging the widening income gap between urban and rural areas, coordinating urban and rural development.


Plum pox potyvirus (PPV) causes plum pox (sharka) disease, which is considered the most serious disease of stone fruits including peach, plum, nectarine, and apricot (2). The disease may cause losses as high as 80 to 100% of some crops (2). A survey was initiated in the Niagara region of Ontario, Canada, after it was reported that PPV was detected in Pennsylvania (1). The initial survey focused on Prunus material imported into Canada from the Pennsylvania region. Where imported trees could be identified, every tree was sampled. In cases where the imported trees were growing in mixed blocks with plants from other sources, 25% of the trees were sampled and tested as composites of four trees. PPV was detected in three symptomless Fantasia nectarine (Prunus persica var. nectarina) trees by triple-antibody sandwich (TAS) ELISA using the REAL Durviz kit (Valencia, Spain), which contains the universal PPV monoclonal 5B. PPV infection was confirmed by western blot analyses (a PPV polyclonal antibody and PPV 5B monoclonal were used as primary antibodies), reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and TC/RT-PCR. In western blot analyses, the coat protein subunit sizes of the Canadian PPV isolates were estimated at 32 kDa based on electrophoretic mobility in 12% SDS-PAGE. RFLP analysis of the 243-bp fragment amplified using PPV specific primers P1 and P2 (4) indicated the presence of RsaI and AluI enzyme restriction sites, which is characteristic of PPV D strains. In RT-PCR analysis using D and M specific primers (3), only the D specific primers amplified a fragment 198 bp in size. This data provided conclusive evidence that the PPV isolates detected in Canada were PPV D, similar to the strain detected in Pennsylvania. The survey is continuing and is being expanded to determine the extent of spread and the exact distribution of the virus. References: (1) L. Levy et al. Phytopathology (Abstr.) 90:46, 2000. (2) M. Nemeth. Virus, Mycoplasma, and Rickettsia Diseases of Fruit Trees. Akademiai Kiado, Budapest. (3) A. Olmos et al. J. Virol. Methods 68:127-137, 1997. (4) T. Wetzel et al. J. Virol. Methods 33:355-365, 1991.


Popper's well-known arguments describe the need for advancing social theory through a process of falsification. Despite Popper's call, there has been little change in the academic process of theory development and testing. This paper builds on Popper's lesser-known idea of "three worlds" (physical, emotional/conceptual, and theoretical) to investigate the relationship between knowledge, theory, and action. In this paper, I explore his three worlds to identify alternative routes to support the validation of theory. I suggest there are alternative methods for validation, both between, and within, the three worlds and that a combination of validation and falsification methods may be superior to any one method. Integral thinking is also put forward to support the validation process. Rather than repeating the call for full Popperian falsification, this paper recognizes that the current level of social theorizing provides little opportunity for such falsification. Rather than sidestepping the goal of Popperian falsification, the paths suggested here may be seen as providing both validation and falsification as stepping-stones toward the goal of more effective social and organizational theory.


Zeolites are crystalline hydrated aluminosilicates of alkaline and alkaline earth metals. The basic zeolite structure is an anionic frame of Si and Al T-atoms, which are tetrahedral and coordinated with oxygen atoms. The electrical properties of zeolites are of enormous technical importance due to their manifold applications as solid catalysts. Zeolite NaY was used in this investigation. Zeolite NaY is a synthetic zeolite and it has a faujasite structure. The electrical conductivity, dielectric permittivity, and loss factor of Na ion exchanged zeolite NaY was carried out in the 104-106 Hz frequency region at room temperature and different water contents using an HP 4194A LF Impedance Analyzer. The results of this investigation are given and explained to be used for further catalysis studies. Dielectric properties of zeolites have enormous importance because of their manifold applications as solid catalysts. Conductivity and dielectric permittivity studies are utilized in the investigation of the necessary conditions for catalytic activity.


This is an environmental assessment for the Road Rehabilitation and Maintenance Project for Zambia. It reports that, generally, the anticipated environmental impacts will not be highly significant considering that the proposed works will follow existing alignments. Nevertheless, certain limitations will be posed on both the biophysical and socio-economic components of the existing environment, the most notable ones identified being impacts on local communities, impacts on human health and safety, and impacts on vegetation resources. Specifically these impacts are noise from the use of heavy machinery and equipment, dust, social ills such as an increased incidence of HIV/AIDS and other communicable diseases, traffic accidents, vegetation clearing and loss in areas used for dumping or disposing of construction material and waste-which can be minimized by using old diversion routes and dump sites, ecological disequilibrium including loss of high quality timber and the wildlife species for which forest resources are a critical habitat. To alleviate the effects from these anticipated impacts, conduct a comprehensive health awareness campaign on the dangers of contracting and spreading STDs and HIV/AIDS; screen workers and provide them free treatment and condoms; improve pedestrian walkways and cyclist paths,; provide speed limit signs and other signage, build humps to reduce speed, and enforce speed limits; divert traffic, lock school gats to prevent students from leaving school premises, and regularly monitor construction activities; and avoid extracting gravel from sites, limit the area of clearance, and rehabilitate all material extraction sites after use.


Trade in services has accounted for 20 per cent of global trade. Despite the increasing importance of services trade in global economy, there has been limited research on service trade which uses determinants driving such trade. The present paper has examined the export potential in service sector of USA with its Asian trade partners (Japan, China, India, Singapore, South Korea and Hong Kong) by taking into account geographic, economic and other features. The approach is based on gravity model, widely used to analyze trade in goods and has more recently been applied to service sector. Being a nature of study is of panel data i.e. for 9 years (2000-2008) and six cross sections, the study used panel data methodology. The study revealed that USA has export potential in services for India and Japan. Regarding the convergent and divergent economies, USA had convergence in exports with three Asian countries (Hong Kong, India and Korea) and divergence with three Asian countries (Japan, China and Singapore). There is a large scope for export expansion for Hong Kong, India and Korea.


The costs of violent crime victimisation are often left to a judge, tribunal or jury to determine; leading to the potential for considerable subjectivity and variation. Using unique panel data, this paper provides compensation estimates that can help reduce the subjectivity of awards by giving a benchmark for the compensation required to offset direct and intangible costs. First, individual-area fixed-effects models allowing for adaptation to crime are estimated to assess the effects of violent crime victimisation on diverse measures of wellbeing. These results are then subsequently used to calculate the monetary compensation required to offset the wellbeing losses. Estimates allowing for the endogeneity of income suggest that A$88,000 is required to compensate the average crime victim. We find some evidence that compensation estimates are larger if the wellbeing losses of female family members are considered, and are larger for females if the perpetrator of the crime is a stranger rather than a partner, friend or relative.


A new fiber-optic-based fluorescence lifetime instrument is described which is useful for the study of complex fluorescence decay kinetics. The new instrument consists of a multifrequency phase fluorometer coupled to a fiber-optic probe. To demonstrate the power of the new instrument, we show results for the unequivocal resolution of single, double, and triple exponential decays of fluorescence. In addition, spectral coverage in the ultraviolet and visible regions is possible, and lifetimes from approximately 200 ns to 150 ps are easily determined for samples as dilute as 0.1 μM.


This new, revised edition incorporates significant advances in neurobiological research over the past decade, and includes a new introduction by Dr. Vincent J. Felitti, a leading researcher in the field. When Ghosts from the Nursery: Tracing the Roots of Violence was published in 1997, it was lauded for providing scientific evidence that violence can originate in the womb and become entrenched in a child's brain by preschool. The authors' groundbreaking conclusions became even more relevant following the wave of school shootings across the nation including the tragedy at Columbine High School and the shocking subsequent shootings culminating most recently in the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Following each of these media coverage and public debate turned yet again to the usual suspects concerning the causes of violence: widespread availability of guns and lack of mental health services for late-stage treatment. Discussion of the impact of trauma on human life--especially early in life during chemical and structural formation of the brain--is missing from the equation. Karr-Morse and Wiley continue to shift the conversation among parents and policy makers toward more fundamental preventative measures against violence.


The proposal by Quay et al. [1992] that the time histories of 13C in atmospheric CO2 and oceanic ∑CO2 provide a constraint on the magnitude of uptake of fossil fuel CO2 by the ocean is examined. Our analysis suggests that, while the potential is there, the data base is too inaccurate to permit a distinction to be made among the carbon budgets currently on the table. Examples are given to demonstrate that the twenty or so percent uncertainties in the size of the effective exchange reservoir and in the magnitudes of the temporal changes in the 13C/12C ratio in atmospheric CO2 and ocean ∑CO2 are just too large to permit a reliable estimate of oceanic uptake of fossil fuel CO2. We conclude that tracer-verified ocean general circulation models offer much better estimates than that based on the 13C budget.


Chemotaxis is widely seen in many biological systems. Among them amoebic cells from unicellular slime molds to immune cells are believed to directly sense chemical gradients. Here, we construct a model of amoebic cell by taking account of the chemical kinetics as well as a cellular body. The model is composed of discrete grids and a set of rules which define chemical and motional events on each grid. The model can explain the observed features of the cellular locomotion. We find that the simulated cell tends to keep the direction of motion, which reminds us of "inertia" of motion in Newtonian dynamics. The averaged motion of amoebic cells approximately obeys an "underdamped" equation of motion for a short time scale. "Inertia" of chemotactic motion is an emergent property of the system where motion and the signal processing are strongly coupled to each other.


Cracking of an asphalt layer arises from repeated tensile strains, the maximum value of which typically occurs at the bottom of the layer (particularly for thinner asphalt layers). The crack, once initiated, propagates upwards causing gradual weakening of the structure. The development of a rut arises from the accumulation of permanent strains throughout the structure. A model of pavement damage accumulation, leading to a prediction of pavement life, is described. In addition to pavement damage, the model allows for the spatial repeatability of traffic loading and differences in the progression of damage at different points along the road. The procedure is divided into four main areas: dynamic vehicle simulation; pavement primary response calculation; pavement damage calculation and damage feedback mechanism. The modes of damage that are included in the model are structural rutting and fatigue damage to the asphalt layers. These primary response influence functions are combined with the dynamic tyre forces, to give primary pavement response time histories at a large number of equally spaced discrete points along the pavement. The primary responses are combined with the appropriate pavement damage models and the number of load applications, to predict damage (rutting and fatigue damage) as a function of distance along the pavement for each time increment. An updated surface profile is then generated by subtracting the calculated rutting in the wheel path from the initial profile used for that time increment. This mechanism accounts for the effects of changing surface roughness on the pattern of statistical spatial repeatability and hence the pattern of mean dynamic tyre force. The calculated fatigue damage is used to reduce the stiffness of the asphaltic material for each subsection. This mechanism reflects the effects of cumulative fatigue damage on the primary responses and hence subsequent pavement damage. The above process is then repeated for many time increments until the pavement has reached the end of its serviceable life. The model gives many insights into the nature of the deterioration process and the changing pattern of spatial repeatability as the profile deforms.


Students and instructors alike will find this organized and detailed approach to quantum mechanics ideal for a two-semester graduate course on the subject. This textbook covers, step-by-step, important topics in quantum mechanics, from traditional subjects like bound states, perturbation theory and scattering, to more current topics such as coherent states, quantum Hall effect, spontaneous symmetry breaking, superconductivity, and basic quantum electrodynamics with radiative corrections. The large number of diverse topics are covered in concise, highly focused chapters, and are explained in simple but mathematically rigorous ways. Derivations of results and formulae are carried out from beginning to end, without leaving students to complete them. With over 200 exercises to aid understanding of the subject, this textbook provides a thorough grounding for students planning to enter research in physics. Several exercises are solved in the text, and password-protected solutions for remaining exercises are available to instructors at www.cambridge.org/9780521877602.


This paper describes the system architecture of the Vertica Analytic Database (Vertica), a commercialization of the design of the C-Store research prototype. Vertica demonstrates a modern commercial RDBMS system that presents a classical relational interface while at the same time achieving the high performance expected from modern "web scale" analytic systems by making appropriate architectural choices. Vertica is also an instructive lesson in how academic systems research can be directly commercialized into a successful product.


Aim
To determine factors that impact the subjective experience of patients attending nurse-led clinics.
Background
As the number of nurse-led clinics increases in response to health system needs, evaluation has focused on clinical outcomes and cost. The experience of the patient has been less researched despite person-centred care being central to the health care political agenda for many years. Assessing patient experiences provides information of factors that impact the health care encounter that can inform policy and practice development.
Design
A systematic review of primary, qualitative literature was conducted using the methodology of meta-aggregation proposed by The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI).
Data Sources
Published work from 1990 to the present date in English was located using databases CINAHL, PubMed, Medline and PsycINFO. Reference lists of all significant papers were searched and analysed.
Review Methods
Two reviewers assessed the retrieved papers for methodological quality using the System for the Unified Management, Assessment and Review of Information (JBI-SUMARI) software package. Results were synthesised using the metaaggregation method. The Qualitative Assessment Review Instrument (JBI-QARI) was utilized to critically appraise, extract data and aggregate findings in a rigorous and unbiased method.
Results
Eleven retrieved studies met all inclusion criteria and were incorporated in the review process. The papers described varied qualitative approaches: phenomenological-hermeneutic (6), exploratory or descriptive (3), and grounded theory (2). Nine categories were drawn from 46 key findings. Further analysis produced three synthesis statements titled: (i) establishment of a therapeutic relationship, (ii) effective communication, and (iii) clinical skills and collaboration.
Conclusion
Factors that influence patient experiences of nurse-led clinics should be addressed if such clinics are to continue to play a major role in the health care system. In order to improve patient experience of nurse-led clinics, nurses need to 'go back to basics' with regard to holistic nursing care. The concepts of the person-centred care model are key factors impacting patients' subjective experience of nurse-led health care. Further qualitative research is required to evaluate the person-centred care model in relation to clinical outcomes, clinical practice and educational programs for nursing students, novice and advanced practice nurses.


Blogging has fast emerged as an unparalleled social computing phenomenon not to be ignored. This paper begins by reviewing the motivation factors for blogging identified in the extant literature. These factors can be broadly classified as either activities-based or behavioral-based. We then propose that a root motivation factor based on the theoretical underpinnings of self identity and social identity can better explain blogging motivation compared to the existing factors. Specifically, we posit that individuals could be receptive toward a migration of their real world self and social identities to the online virtual blog environment and thereby cumulates in the formation of blogger virtual identities. Blogger virtual identities is conceptualized as a second order formative construct formulated through two first-order reflective subconstructs, namely the virtual self identities and virtual social identities. Drawing on the theory of planned behavior, we propose a virtual identities model of blogging intention to investigate how the blogger virtual identities can lead to blogging intention and actual blogging behaviour. A two-stage research methodology consisting of a qualitative content analysis and followed by a survey is also proposed. We conclude with a brief discussion on the potential theoretical and practical contributions of this paper.


We study a simple model of spin network evolution motivated by the hypothesis that the emergence of classical spacetime from a discrete microscopic dynamics may be a self-organized critical process. Self-organized critical systems are statistical systems that naturally evolve without fine tuning to critical states in which correlation functions are scale invariant. We study several rules for evolution of frozen spin networks in which the spins labeling the edges evolve on a fixed graph. We find evidence for a set of rules which behaves analogously to sand pile models in which a critical state emerges without fine tuning, in which some correlation functions become scale invariant.


As part of a study into the molecular genetics of sexually dimorphic complex traits, we used next-generation sequencing to obtain data on genomic variation in an outbred laboratory-adapted fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) population. We successfully resequenced the whole genome of 2 females from the Berkeley reference line (BDGP6/dm6), and 220 hemiclonal females that were heterozygous for the same reference line genome, and a unique haplotype from the outbred base population (LHM). The use of a static and known genetic background enabled us to obtain sequences from whole-genome phased haplotypes. We used a BWA-Picard-GATK pipeline for mapping sequence reads to the dm6 reference genome assembly, at a median depth-of coverage of 31X, and have made the resulting data publicly-available in the NCBI Short Read Archive (BioProject PRJNA282591). Haplotype Caller discovered and genotyped 1,726,931 genetic variants (SNPs and indels, <200bp). Additionally, we used GenomeStrip/2.0 to discover and genotype 167 large structural variants (1-100Kb in size). Sequence data and quality-filtered genotype data are publicly-available at NCBI (Short Read Archive, dbSNP and dbVar). We have also released the unfiltered genotype data, and the code and logs for data processing, summary statistics, and graphs, via the research data repository, Zenodo, (https://zenodo.org/, 'Sussex Drosophila Sequencing' community).


This unique text uses Microsoft Excel workbooks to instruct students. In addition to explaining fundamental concepts in microeconomic theory, readers acquire a great deal of sophisticated Excel skills and gain the practical mathematics needed to succeed in advanced courses. In addition to the innovative pedagogical approach, the book features explicitly repeated use of a single central methodology, the economic approach. Students learn how economists think and how to think like an economist. With concrete, numerical examples and novel, engaging applications, interest for readers remains high as live graphs and data respond to manipulation by the user. Finally, clear writing and active learning are features sure to appeal to modern practitioners and their students. The website accompanying the text is found at www.depauw.edu/learn/microexcel.


In a study comprising about 8000 members of Swiss municipal executive boards, it was analyzed to what degree self placements on the left right scale were based on self-guided judgments (=opinions about specific issues) or on party-guided impacts (= ideological standing of respective parties). Using multivariate linear regressions, it was found both couplings were far more pronounced on the left side on the political spectrum than on the center and to the right. Party guidance correlates positively with community size with the size of the executive, the communal influence of local parties and the application of proportional (instead of majoritarian) election rules. In addition, it was higher in the case of incumbents highly supported by parties in election campaign and occupying formal intraparty positions. On the other hand, self-guided ideologization is over average in the case of incumbents with university degrees, high political interest and those give more weight to "personal conviction" than to public opinion, party positions or other board members when they make their political decisions. Finally, some indications were found that the levels of self-guided as well as party-guided ideology are lowered by the "pragmatic pressures" associated with consociations democracy and collegial decision making within the boards, but that both ideological orientations may be on the rise in younger generations.


Computers are changing the way sound and recorded music are listened to and used. The use of computers to playback music makes it possible to change and adapt music to different usage situations in ways that were not possible with analog sound equipment. In this thesis, interaction with pre-recorded music is investigated using prototypes and user studies. First, different interfaces for browsing music on consumer or mobile devices were compared. It was found that the choice of input controller, mapping and auditory feedback influences how the music was searched and how the interfaces were perceived. Search performance was not affected by the tested interfaces. Based on this study, several ideas for the future design of music browsing interfaces were proposed. Indications that search time depends linearly on distance to target were observed and examined in a related study where a movement time model for searching in a text document using scrolling was developed. Second, work practices of professional disc jockeys (DJs) were studied and a new design for digital DJing was proposed and tested. Strong indications were found that the use of beat information could reduce the DJ's cognitive workload while maintaining flexibility during the musical performance. A system for automatic beat extraction was designed based on an evaluation of a number of perceptually important parameters extracted from audio signals. Finally, auditory feedback in pen-gesture interfaces was investigated through a series of informal and formal experiments. The experiments point to several general rules of auditory feedback in pen-gesture interfaces: a few simple functions are easy to achieve, gaining further performance and learning advantage is difficult, the gesture set and its computerized recognizer can be designed to minimize visual dependence, and positive emotional or aesthetic response can be achieved using musical auditory feedback.


The questions of whether, when, and where an author has "published" her work of authorship traditionally has given rise to, and continues to give rise to, numerous consequences, including the protectability of the work under U.S. copyright law; the running of various time periods, including a grace period for registering the copyright and the termination of copyright in works made for hire; the applicability of fair use and other exceptions to copyright liability; and the imposition of the duty to deposit two copies of the work with the Library of Congress. Although the 1976 Copyright Act, unlike its predecessors, includes a definition of "publication," controversies continue to arise concerning the meaning of this term in new and different contexts - for example, whether an author's posting of material on the Internet constitutes publication giving rise to all of the various rights and duties attendant thereto. In this article, I propose a redefinition of the term "publication," consistent with the statutory definition, that reconciles some of the conflicting trends in the case law and attempts to resolve some current uncertainties.


A method is reported for performing fast optical frequency scans over a bandwidth of 36.9 GHz and at a sweep rate of 40 kHz using a single second-order sideband from an electro-optic phase modulator driven by an arbitrary waveform generator. Single sideband selection is accomplished using the resonator modes of a Fabry–Perot filter cavity having a finesse of ≈44 and a free-spectral range of 300 MHz. The finesse is sufficiently high to give <2% total transmission of the laser frequency carrier and all other nonresonant sidebands while sufficiently low to ensure on-resonance switching times as short as 100 ns. A frequency offset component of a diode laser is used for active stabilization of the laser to the filter cavity at all times eliminating frequency drift of the filter cavity transmission comb used for single sideband selection and scanning. The method is demonstrated for the detection of CO2 near 1602 nm and for CH4 lines near 1643 nm. Detection of ambient level concentrations of each of these gases is demonstrated in a 25 μs scan over a path length of 50 m at a sensitivity of ≈3×10−9  cm−1 Hz−1/2. The corresponding measurement uncertainties (k=1 or 1σ) in a (2–3) ms time period and a 1 km path length are <±2  μmol/mol (ppm) for CO2 and <±5  nmol/mol (ppb) for CH4. The arbitrary waveform control of the pulse sequence, repetition rate, and duty cycle provides for optimization of the light source for a variety of application areas that include path integrated differential absorption and differential absorption light detection and ranging.


After a child dies, the parent's world changes entirely. Years later, this new world has changed the parents. The exact nature of this change-the long-term effects of the death-illuminates the nature of the bond between parents and children. Ann Finkbeiner lost her son in a train accident when he was 18. Several years later, she noticed she was feeling better and wondered whether this feeling was what was meant by "recovery." As a science writer, she read the psychological, sociological, and psychiatric research into parental bereavement. And as a bereaved parent, she asked hard questions of thirty parents whose child had died at least five years before, of all causes and at all ages. In this book, Finkbeiner combines the research and the parents' answers into a description of the parents' new lives. The parents talk about their changed marriages and their changed relationships with their other children, with their friends and relatives. They talk about their attempts to make sense of the death and about their drastically changed priorities. And most important, they talk about how they still love their children, how the child seems to see through their eyes and live through their actions. They move on through their grief, they get on with their lives, but they never let go of their children. Their wisdom is here presented to any in need of it.


Marine protected areas were established in the Philippines as early as 1974. These early models on Sumilon and Apo Islands and others set forth a framework for coral reef management that has been shown to enhance fish yields to traditional fishers as well as protect and maintain nearshore coral reef habitats for biodiversity and multiple economic uses. The history of marine protected areas in the Philippines is described in relation to their present context. Devolution of authority for management of natural resources to local governments (municipalities and cities) in 1991 is highlighted as a major national policy shift that has supported more localized management efforts. Current policies and laws that influence marine protected areas are explained in relation to field management and results. One community and local government based marine protected area on San Salvador Island is contrasted with a National Marine Park being implemented under the National Integrated Protected Areas System. Important lessons include, among others: the importance of a well-articulated process that includes community participation and ownership in collaboration with municipal governments; the role of multiple stakeholders, government, and donor agencies in planning and management; the creative use of financial mechanisms to create long-term self-supporting marine protected areas; and the need for more integrated forms of coastal management to support marine protected area networks through broad area planning.


Computer dialogs communicate important security messages, but their excessive use has produced habituation: a strong tendency by computer users to ignore security dialogs. Unlike physical warnings, whose design and use is regulated by law and based on years of research, computer security dialogs are often designed in an arbitrary manner. We need scientific solutions to produce dialogs that users will heed and understand. Currently, we lack an understanding of the factors that drive users' attention to security dialogs, and how to counteract habituation. Studying computer security behavior is difficult because a) users are more likely to expose themselves to risk in a lab experiment than in daily life, b) the size of observed effects is usually very small, which makes it necessary to collect many observations, and c) it is complex to balance research interests and the ethical duty not to harm. My thesis makes two contributions: a novel methodology to study behavioral responses to security dialogs in a realistic, ethical way with high levels of ecological validity, and a novel technique to increase and retain attention to security dialogs, even in the presence of habituation.


The activities in this curriculum have been developed for Girl Guides and Girl Scout groups youth organizations schools and other groups to use. This curriculum provides knowledge skills and opportunities to change attitudes and to help stop the violence against women and girls. It creates safe and supportive sessions for young people to learn about their rights and to discuss and challenge violence against women and girls. It also provides referral routes and other information for young people if they choose to disclose their own experiences of violence. The curriculum is designed for participants who are at an important stage of their life cycle when they are forming their own friendships and relationships; when they are considering what it means to be themselves; when they are developing their own beliefs and attitudes and their own values about gender norms roles and expectations; and as they get older when they are exploring their own sexuality. This curriculum provides interactive child and youth-centred ways for young people to talk about relationships gender equality and abuse within a safe and supportive environment.


In Under the Cover of Kindness, Leslie Margolin looks at how this country's social welfare system developed and with what results. From his detailed examination of social work texts, primarily case histories, he argues persuasively that social work disguises its own assumptions and claims to power as a way of further legitimizing its actions. By attending to these case histories, Margolin shows how social work entails not only the intrusion into the previously private space of the home but also the constant justification of this intervention - to both clients and workers themselves - as representing charitable and disinterested help. This book critically assesses how social workers invent themselves as they simultaneously invent their field of knowledge.


Longitudinal data from a monolingual Mandarin-speaking child (1;8.22–2;2.25) is examined focusing on acquisition of nominal functional categories: Determiner Phrase (DP), Number Phrase (NumP) and Classifier Phrase (ClP). Analysis reveals that in the latter two-word stage the functional heads D and Cl – but not Num – within definite nominal expressions are instantiated. Feature compositions of these heads appear to be under-specified – the complement-feature (or its associated grammatical properties) of the head Cl was still lacking during this stage. Mandarin nominal functional categories are thus instantiated incrementally and likewise the grammatical features of the functional heads. The Weak Continuity perspective appears most appropriate to account for these results.


Objectives This study aimed to assess the relationship between serum inflammatory marker of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) with the presence and severity of angiographically evaluated coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in cardiac catheterisation unit at Al-Hussein Medical City, Al-Hussein Teaching Hospital/ Karbala from November 2014 to September 2015. It included 76 patients (49 males and 27 females) who presented with the signs and symptoms of CAD and has undergone angiography. Serum levels of hs-CRP were measured in patients with CAD before entering into the catheterisation room. After coronary angiography was done for all patients, the extent and severity of CAD was correlated with serum levels of hs-CRP. The extent of CAD was determined by angiography according to the number of coronary arteries involved and degree of narrowing in coronary artery diameter. The serum level of hs-CRP was measured by ELISA technique. Results The mean ± SD age of patients was 57.76 ± 9.69 (ranged 35–79) years, 64.4% males and 35.6% females. Regarding the angiographic finding in patient group, it was normal in 22 patients (28.9%), single vessel involvement in 18 patients (23.7%), two vessels disease in 14 patients (18.4%) and three vessels disease in 16 patients (21.1%). The left main stem disease (LMD) was found in 6 patients (7.9%). The extent of CAD as obtained from angiographic finding had significant correlation with the serum level of hs-CRP (r = 0.736), (P = 0.000000001). Conclusion There is a significant strong positive correlation between the extent of CAD and the serum level hs-CRP.


Traditionally, human resources has focused on recruiting good people, preparing them for assignments, motivating them to perform, and retaining them. These functions remain essential, but to be successful in turbulent times like ours, human capital strategy needs to be broader and much more far-reaching.

 High-Impact Human Capital Strategy examines 12 critical forces that must be considered: globalization, changes in workforce demographics, skill shortages and mismatches in labor markets, environmental matters, and more. It shows how to in corporate each into an effective overall plan, and how to translate that plan into action. You'll learn to design human capital programs that:

 Connect with business measures

 Achieve positive ROI

 Ensure critical talent is in place

 Boost engagement

 Address work/life balance and other social issues

 Reduce the need to outsource

 Case studies and step-by-step guidelines help you move beyond hiring-training-benefits functions, to develop human capital strategies that deliver measurable value in the face of ongoing challenges.


Realistic rendering animation is known to be an expensive processing task when physically-based global illumination methods are used in order to improve illumination details. This paper presents an acceleration technique to compute animations in radiosity environments. The technique is based on an interpolated approach that exploits temporal coherence in radiosity. A fast global Monte Carlo pre-processing step is introduced to the whole computation of the animated sequence to select important frames. These are fully computed and used as a base for the interpolation of all the sequence. The approach is completely view-independent. Once the illumination is computed, it can be visualized by any animated camera. Results present significant high speed-ups showing that the technique could be an interesting alternative to deterministic methods for computing non-interactive radiosity animations for moderately complex scenarios.


Instruments are taking an increasingly important role in chemistry and other sciences.
Modern instruments are designed to optimise performance. As a consequence the operation
of them is highly automated and there is little indication of how they are working.
In addition the rapid developments in modern technology mean that design of instruments are
constantly changing and new instruments are continuously evolving. This places a
considerable burden on university science departments. The cost of instruments is enormous
and this is amplified by the cost of replacing instruments in order to keep them up to date.
The increase in instrumentation has altered the skill requirements of industry. In the past
there was an emphasis on wet chemistry and the use of quantitative apparatus. Industry now
requires individuals that are competent with highly automated equipment and the production
of very large numbers of results in short time spans.
Conversely and understanding of how an instrument works is necessary in order to optimise
operation and to be aware of the quality of results that are produced.
Chemistry departments generally have large numbers of obsolete but still working
instruments. These instruments operate on the same basic principles as modern instruments.
However the technique that they use to process the results is cumbersome and slow.
Finally there is an hitherto unsatisfied demand to provide graduates with appropriate skills in
information technology. This demand has appeared against a background where there is
pressure to maximise the use of resources.


Purpose: Patients with mental health diagnoses often have co-occurring alcohol use disorders, which can exacerbate their psychiatric symptoms. A standardized assessment tool should be utilized for screening for alcohol use disorders in outpatient mental health programs so that interventions can be implemented when a co-occurring disorder is identified. The purpose of this project was to provide clinicians with education and to improve the process for screening patients with mental health disorders for problematic drinking behaviors to implement recommended interventions when appropriate to improve the overall quality of the patient's care and increase the clinician's knowledge and confidence in treating co-occurring disorders. Methods: The project design is a quality improvement model in a psychiatric intensive outpatient program that included education for clinicians, implementation of a standardized assessment tool and application of evidenced-based interventions for co-occurring disorders. The clinicians took a pre-test before the initial education session began and a post-test at the end and they participated in interviews throughout the entire project. Each education session included more evidenced-based interventions that clinicians could implement to improve the overall quality of care for their patients. The pre-tests, post-tests and interview data were collected, organized and analyzed for learning needs throughout the project and for evaluation and effectiveness of the interventions at the end of the project. Results: Out of 36 clinicians at the facility, 34 took the pre-test and 31 clinicians took the post-test. Findings revealed an increase in the mean scores of each of the Likert-scale questions on the post-tests after the education sessions were conducted except in question one because of a technical error. Qualitative data from interviews and responses to open-ended questions on the surveys were also collected, organized and analyzed. This qualitative data also indicated an improvement in the clinician's knowledge and confidence in treating co-occurring disorders after the education sessions were provided. Conclusion: The participants of this project showed improvement in their knowledge and comfort level when assessing and treating patients with co-occurring disorders after participating in the education sessions. The short-term goals of the project were met, and clinicians also felt that the interventions were improving the overall quality of patient care. Future recommendations include adding a more comprehensive assessment for patients that scored positively on the AUDIT-C and continuing to provide education for clinicians on topics such as motivational interviewing, psychotropic medications, group psychotherapy and treatment and causes of delirium. Co-occurring Disorders 5 A Quality Improvement Project for Co-occurring Disorders in Outpatient Behavioral Health


We investigated the effects of evaporative cooling (EC), kaolin particle film (KP) and 20% shade net (SN) on the control of sunburn, fruit temperature amelioration and fruit quality of 'Cripps' Pink' and 'Royal Gala' apples (Malus domestica Borkh.) under orchard conditions during the 2003-04 season in Stellenbosch, South Africa. On days with maximum air temperatures of 34 to 37 °C, SN fruit were 5.4 to 9.7 °C cooler, EC fruit were 3.1 to 5.8 °C cooler and KP fruit were 1.5 to 6.4 °C cooler compared to the control (nontreated, CO) fruit. SN was effective in reducing fruit temperature from mid-morning until midafternoon; KP was most effective during late morning and early afternoon but not at midday; EC was effective from late morning on days when EC was activated. SN, followed by KP, was the most effective technique for controlling sunburn in fruit of both cultivars, with EC being less effective. The different technologies reduced fruit blush color compared to the CO treatment, with SN showing the most reduction and EC the least. EC increased fruit mass compared to all other treatments in 'Royal Gala', and also increased fruit diameter and mass compared to CO in 'Cripps' Pink'. We conclude that under the high radiation levels experienced in South African apple production areas, technologies which reduce irradiance as well as fruit temperature (KP, SN) are more effective in reducing sunburn than those which only reduce fruit temperature (EC). However, radiation-reducing technologies are potentially detrimental to color development on blushed apples.


An activities specialist, an instructional technologist, and an occupational therapist developed a videotape program for hospitalized adolescents. The goals of the program were to provide clients with an opportunity to use the videotape medium creatively, to promote communication between staff and clients, and to facilitate each client's mastery of some aspect of the health care experience. The program was initially implemented on a 30-bed adolescent inpatient unit of a pediatric hospital. Later, with little modification, the program was implemented with an outpatient adolescent group of 6 developmentally disabled young male adults whose antisocial behavior had resulted in contact with the penal system.


The Wind Erosion Prediction System (WEPS) is a process-based, daily time-step, computer model that predicts soil erosion via simulation of the fundamental processes controlling wind erosion. WEPS can calculate soil movement, estimate plant damage, and predict PM-10 emissions when wind speeds exceed the erosion threshold. It also can provide the user with spatial information regarding soil flux, deposition, and loss from specific regions of a field over time. WEPS is intended for conservation planning, assessing wind erosion for USDA-NRCS's National Resources Inventory (NRI), and aiding the development of regional and national policy. WEPS modular design is amenable to incorporation of new features. Thus, WEPS will also be used for estimating long-term soil productivity, determining physical damage to crops, depositional loading of lakes and streams as well as estimate visibility reductions near airports and highways. WEPS will also aid in calculating both on-site and off-site economic costs of erosion and assess impacts of management strategies on public lands when used in conjunction with other models.


The main contribution of this paper is a novel approach for fast searching in huge structural databases like the PDB. The data structure is based on an adaption of the generalized suffix tree and relies on an translationand rotation-invariant representation of the protein backbone. The method was evaluated by applying structural queries to the PDB and comparing the results to the established tool SPASM. Our experiments show that the new method reduces the query time by orders of magnitude while producing comparable results.


In this paper, we introduce a novel framework of cellular automata based computing that is capable of long short-term memory. Cellular automaton is used as the reservoir of dynamical systems. Input is randomly projected onto the initial conditions of automaton cells and nonlinear computation is performed on the input via application of a rule in the automaton for a period of time. The evolution of the automaton creates a space-time volume of the automaton state space, and it is used as the feature vector. The proposed framework requires orders of magnitude less computation compared to Echo State Networks. We prove that cellular automaton reservoir holds a distributed representation of attribute statistics, which provides a more effective computation than local representation. It is possible to estimate the kernel for linear cellular automata via metric learning, that enables a much more efficient distance computation in support vector machines framework.


The past two decades have seen international agencies pay closer attention to the relationship between conflict and development. An example of this is the UNDP and its conflict-related development analysis (CDA), which aims to identify the causes of conflict and design measures that will enhance development while reducing conflict. Through the case study of the CDA's application in the occupied Palestinian territory, the article reveals its main limitations including an emphasis on conflict management (as opposed to conflict reduction), the choice of (neo-liberal) development model, prioritisation of particular partners over others (i.e. 'state' over non-state) and an erroneous assumption of neutrality. These have become manifested into the UNDP's current programme for action which undermines its own stated objectives, to work 'on' the causes of conflict rather than 'in' or 'around' conflict. The UNDP's experience therefore has important lessons for the use of conflict analysis and policy design elsewhere.