Introduction: Visual acuity is one of the visual function assessments performed in a routine eye examination to generally examine how well a patient see. From visual acuity finding (and other assessments), an examiner can diagnose and/or observe the progression of any visual abnormalities in monitoring the treatment plan e.g. for vision therapy in amblyopia cases.Objectives/Research Problem: In clinical setting, Snellen and LogMAR charts are frequently used to assess visual acuity. However, previous studies reported that Snellen and LogMAR charts bear some weaknesses to be used in children and special needs population. Snellen chart showed poor reliability and repeatability in visual acuity measurement due to inconsistency in the letter size progression, number of letters per line and letter separations between the lines. This study aims to establish a new modified LogMAR chart to overcome the some weaknesses posed in Snellen and LogMAR charts, so as to potentially produce better results in clinical setting and screening purposes, yet easy to be used in children and special needs population.Materials and Method: The modified LogMAR chart was designed and created in Power Point slides and being presented on a laptop. The letter sizes were calculated precisely at 3m viewing distance with acuity ranged of 0 logMAR (6/6) to 1.0 logMAR (6/60). Each slide presentation consisted of 3 letters, each of which was separated by half letter width (Snellen chart: inconsistent separations between the letter; LogMAR chart: one letter width separation between the letter). A total of 20 subjects participated in this study and their visual acuities were measured with modified LogMAR chart, Snellen chart and standard LogMAR chart, and the results were compared.Results and Discussion: It would be expected that the visual acuity measurement using modified LogMAR chart could produce reliable results and sensitive enough to detect visual abnormalities e.g amblyopia during eye screening. Detail findings of the study would be presented during the KAHS research week.


Introduction. Opinion mining has been receiving increasing attention from a broad range of scientific communities since early 2000s. The present study aims to systematically investigate the intellectual structure of opinion mining research. Method. Using topic search, citation expansion, and patent search, we collected 5,596 bibliographic records of opinion mining research. Then, intellectual landscapes, emerging trends, and recent developments were identified. We also captured domain-level citation trends, subject category assignment, keyword co-occurrence, document co-citation network, and landmark articles. Analysis. Our study was guided by scientometric approaches implemented in CiteSpace, a visual analytic system based on networks of co-cited documents. We also employed a dual-map overlay technique to investigate epistemological characteristics of the domain. Results. We found that the investigation of algorithmic and linguistic aspects of opinion mining has been of the community's greatest interest to understand, quantify, and apply the sentiment orientation of texts. Recent thematic trends reveal that practical applications of opinion mining such as the prediction of market value and investigation of social aspects of product feedback have received increasing attention from the community. Conclusion. Opinion mining is fast-growing and still developing, exploring the refinements of related techniques and applications in a variety of domains. We plan to apply the proposed analytics to more diverse domains and comprehensive publication materials to gain more generalized understanding of the true structure of a science.


In the history of American consumer society, the case of King Camp Gillette, the "Razor King," is at once strange and typical. Gillette — named King after a friend of his father — is recognized as the inventor of the modern safety razor and the namesake of the corporation launched to produce and sell it. As a tale of individual entrepreneurial triumph, Gillette's life follows a familiar pattern: hard work, visionary zeal, ridicule and adversity, persistence, trial and error, and conspicuous success. His story also functions well as a case study in the evolution of modern corporate business practice. The commercial genius of Gillette's invention was its disposable blade, and given a product (the razor) which created its own perpetual market (for the blades), the corporation used the modern tools of patent enforcement, stock offerings, public relations, market research, distribution, technology, diversification, and especially advertising to build and maintain its market share for the last 100 years. In these respects and others, Gillette's story finds an indigenous place in business textbooks, company testimonials, and cultural mythology.


Antigen exposure and differentiation phenotype influence long-term persistence of memory T cells after hematopoietic stem cell transplant. Committing T cells to memory Adoptive cell transfer is an increasingly successful therapy for a variety of diseases; however, little is known about what regulates the survival of these cells in humans. Now, Oliveira et al. leverage patients who have received genetically modified hematopoietic stem cells to track T cells over time. They found labeled effector memory, central memory, and stem memory T cells 2 to 14 years after infusion in all patients. Antigen recognition was critical in driving persistence and expansion. The clones that survived long-term appeared to initiate preferentially from central and stem cell memory T cell populations. These data suggest that the original phenotype of infused cells may influence long-term persistence of adoptively transferred cells. Long-lasting immune protection from pathogens and cancer requires the generation of memory T cells able to survive long-term. To unravel the immunological requirements for long-term persistence of human memory T cells, we characterized and traced, over several years, T lymphocytes genetically modified to express the thymidine kinase (TK) suicide gene that were infused in 10 patients after haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). At 2 to 14 years after infusion and in the presence of a broad and resting immune system, we could still detect effectors/effector memory (TEM/EFF), central memory (TCM), and stem memory (TSCM) TK+ cells, circulating at low but stable levels in all patients. Longitudinal analysis of cytomegalovirus (CMV)– and Flu-specific TK+ cells indicated that antigen recognition was dominant in driving in vivo expansion and persistence at detectable levels. The amount of infused TSCM cells positively correlated with early expansion and with the absolute counts of long-term persisting gene-marked cells. By combining T cell sorting with sequencing of integration (IS), TCRα and TCRβ clonal markers, we showed that T cells retrieved long-term were enriched in clones originally shared in different memory T cell subsets, whereas dominant long-term clonotypes appeared to preferentially originate from infused TSCM and TCM clones. Together, these results indicate that long-term persistence of gene-modified memory T cells after haploidentical HSCT is influenced by antigen exposure and by the original phenotype of infused cells. Cancer adoptive immunotherapy might thus benefit from cellular products enriched in lymphocytes with an early-differentiated phenotype.


Objective: The aim of this study was to assess urine fluoride concentration, nutritional status, and dental fluorosis in adolescent students living in the rural areas of Guanajuato, Mexico. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted including participants aged 11–20 years. The presence and severity of dental fluorosis was registered according to the Thylstrup and Fejerskov index (TFI) criteria. Anthropometric measures were also recorded. Urine sample of the first morning spot was recollected to assess urine fluoride concentration by using the potentiometric method with an ion-selective electrode. Water samples were also recollected and analyzed. Bivariate tests were performed to compare urine fluoride concentration according to different variables such as sex, body mass index, and TFI. Nonparametric tests were used. A logistic regression model was performed (SPSS® 21.0). Results: This study included 307 participants with a mean age of 15.6 ± 1.6; 62.5% of the participants showed normal weight. A total of 91.9% of the participants had dental fluorosis, and 61.6% had TFI > 4. Mean fluoride content in urine ranged between 0.5 and 6.65 mg/L, with a mean of 1.27 ± 1.2 mg/L. Underweight children showed greater urine fluoride concentration. The increment of urine fluoride was a related (OR = 1.40) to having severe dental fluorosis. Conclusions: Most of the studied population had moderate or severe dental fluorosis. Urine fluoride concentration was related to fluorosis severity and nutritional status. Underweight children showed greater urine fluoride concentration as well as severe dental fluorosis.


The recent low and prolonged minimum of the solar cycle, along with the slow growth in activity of the new cycle, has led to suggestions that the Sun is entering a Grand Solar Minimum (GSMi), potentially as deep as the Maunder Minimum (MM). This raises questions about the persistence and predictability of solar activity. We study the autocorrelation functions and predictability R2L(t) of solar indices, particularly group sunspot number RG and heliospheric modulation potential Φ for which we have data during the descent into the MM. For RG and Φ, R2L(t) > 0.5 for times into the future of t ≈ 4 and ≈ 3 solar cycles, respectively: sufficient to allow prediction of a GSMi onset. The lower predictability of sunspot number RZ is discussed. The current declines in peak and mean RG are the largest since the onset of the MM and exceed those around 1800 which failed to initiate a GSMi.


Abstract In this paper, traffic flow is controlled using dynamic speed limits, obtained by Model Predictive Control (MPC). MPC is a model-based approach, where the states of the system, influenced by control actions, are predicted over a certain time span. The states of the system are the mean speeds and densities on the motorway. Traffic flow models typically use space mean speeds, while measurements on motorways are often time mean speeds. Several methods for obtaining estimates of the space mean speed based on the time mean speeds are discussed, and the possible performance loss of using another mean speed than the space mean speed for model-based traffic control is investigated. The resulting controllers, using the different estimates, are evaluated for a scenario where speed limits are used to eliminate a shock wave from a motorway by comparing the achieved reduction in the total time that the vehicles spend on the motorway (TTS). The result show that the performance for the different estimation methods is comparable, and lead to an improvement of the TTS of around 14%


The past decade has seen dramatic changes in the amount and type of attention given to youthful activities such as bullying and harassment, which were once referred to primarily as child's play. The concern is international in scope (Smith et al., 1999), with published research on amounts and types of bullying coming from numerous countries (Carney, Hazler, & Higgins, 2002). This increased interest has encouraged a plethora of major programs and publications on the topic, whereas these were virtually nonexistent prior to 1990 (Hoover & Hazler, 1990). Current conceptualizations of peer abuse issues are based on psychological and sociological theory as well as on a decade of research with youth, whereas prior to 1990 they were primarily based on what might be termed "general adult consensus." This growth is a sign of major advancements, but full answers to most questions about the development of these problems, their impact, interventions, and prevention tactics continue to elude researchers and practitioners. Seeking the most complete answers to these questions will require researchers to begin expanding their efforts beyond exclusively psychological, behavioral, and social models. The search must be for approaches that are more holistic and that integrate information from the biological processes that are known to both influence and be influenced by these problems (Granger & Kivlighan, 2003). We build the case for the development and use of these new models by first briefly summarizing the types of current research-based findings about bullying, the primary models used in those studies, and the tentative steps by researchers on bullying to explore the more physiological aspects of the problem. The much more aggressive steps into sociobiological connections taken by developmental researchers are next presented to demonstrate researchers' use of recent advances in minimally intrusive ways to collect biological data and to highlight the potential value of these techniques for research and practice on bullying. The concluding sections of this article are designed to stir the creative thinking of researchers and practitioners. These sections offer sample ideas about how the integration of biological measures into both research questions and intervention/prevention techniques could move the study of bullying forward in significant ways. * Knowledge Base From Current Research Models Overall research done on peer abuse has emphasized the behaviors of bullies, victims, and bystanders (e.g., Craig, Pepler, & Atlas, 2000; Espelage, Bosworth, & Simon, 2000); characteristics of individual dispositions such as anxiousness, shyness, or aggression (e.g., Bierman, 2004; Coie & Dodge, 1998; Cowie & Berdondini, 2002; Hazler & Carney, 2000); situational context of the environment at home, school, or community (e.g., Espelage, Holt, & Henkel, 2003; Rodkin & Hodges, 2003); maturational differences primarily related to age (e.g., Smith, Madsen, & Moody, 1999); and social or interpersonal skills (e.g., Bierman, 2004; Hazler & Denham, 2002; Sutton, Smith, & Swettenham, 1999). A few of these characteristics have been the focus of considerable research (Espelage & Swearer, 2003; Furlong, Morrison, & Greif, 2003) that has demonstrated some level of effectiveness. One area in which worldwide experts have reached considerable agreement is on specific traits that are related to being a victim and bully (Hazier, Carney, Green, Powell, & Jolly, 1997). Bullies, for example, are viewed as inappropriately perceiving hostile intent in the actions of others, reacting quicker to anger than do others, using force sooner than others, being obsessive about holding to rigid beliefs, viewing image as the way to power, and using aggressive actions to protect their image. They are seen as controlling others through verbal threats and physical actions, tend to have little empathy for the problems of the victim, are poor role models for problem solving with others, and have more problems at home when discipline is inconsistent. …


In this study, we extended the potential of a Content- Based Image Retrieval (CBIR) system based on Self-Organizing Maps (SOMs), for the analysis of remote sensing data. A database was artificially created by splitting each image to be analyzed into small images (or imagelets). Content-based image retrieval was applied to fully polarimetric airborne SAR data, using a selection of polarimetric features. After training the system on this imagelet database, automatic queries could detect changes. Results were encouraging on airborne SAR data and may be more useful for spaceborne polarimetric data.


Cooperation agreements and plea agreements are separate and independent promises by criminal defendants to: (1) assist the Government in the prosecution of another person and (2) plead guilty. A defendant's breach of one should not affect the Government's obligation to perform under the other. All too often, however, these agreements are inappropriately intertwined so that a minor breach of the plea agreement relieves the Government of its obligation to move for a downward sentencing departure in recognition of the defendant's substantial assistance. This intertwining undermines sentencing policy as set forth in the federal sentencing statute. Thus, a district court should continue to consider a defendant's substantial assistance when imposing a criminal sentence even if a breach of the plea agreement alleviates the Government of its duty to move for a sentence reduction under an intertwined cooperation agreement.


The study was conducted to investigate the physicochemical parameters and anionic constituents in water of the haor area of Karimganj during the period from October to December 2016. The water samples were collected from 3 different sampling stations as St-1 (Baila beel), St-2 (Umma beel) and St-3 (Alkhara beel) for analyzing the temperature, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solid (TDS), pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), alkalinity, hardness,fluoride (F-), chloride (Cl-), bromide (Br-), nitrite (NO2-) , nitrate (NO3-), and sulphate (SO42-) in water. The study also assessed the fish diversity status of the Karimganj haor area. The result of the study showed that the mean temperature (26.2℃) of water was within the standard limit. The mean EC and TDS contents were 555 µS/cm and 526 mg/l, respectively which was satisfactory level for aquatic organisms. The mean DO (6.7 mg/l) content was favorable but BOD (2.7 mg/l) content indicated some extent of organic waste pollution.The mean pH and alkalinity were 7.30 and 338 mg/l, respectively indicated alkaline condition in haor water, and whereas hardness was 122 mg/l revealed that the water was suitable for fish production. The mean concentration of F -, Cl- , Br-, NO2- , NO3-, and SO42- were 0.35, 130.3, 0.16, 3.38, 34.84 and 85.60 mg/l, respectively depicted that the water were poorly improvised with these anionic constituents. Keywords


This study uses a high-frequency discharge and nitrate concentration dataset from the Weida catchment in Germany for the catchment scale hydrologic response analysis. Nitrate transport in the catchment is mostly conservative as indicated by the nitrate stable isotope (δ 15 N and δ 18 O) analysis. Discharge–nitrate concentration data from the catchment show distinctive patterns, suggesting flushing and dilution response. A self-organizing feature map-based methodology was employed to identify such patterns or cluster in the datasets. Based on knowledge of the catchment conditions and prevailing understanding of discharge–nitrate concentration relationship, the clusters were characterized into five qualitative flow responses: (1) baseflow; (2) subsurface flow increase; (3) surface runoff increase; (4) surface runoff recession; and (5) subsurface flow decrease. Such qualitative flowpaths were used as soft data for a multi-objective calibration of a hydrological model (WaSiM-ETH). The calibration led to a reasonable simulation of overall discharge (Nash–Sutcliffe coefficient: 0.84) and qualitative flowpaths (76% agreement). A prerequisite for using such methodology is limited biogeochemical transformation of nitrate (such as denitrification).


DVD features two hours of personal instruction on buildiing your own PC from scratch! Watch, listen, and learn as world-renowned PC hardware expert Scott Mueller walks you through the guts of your PC. Scott shows you how to choose the right hardware and put it all together! Perfect for beginners, Build a PC with Scott Mueller is the video you will want to have by your side when building your first rig. Scott takes you under the hood to show you exactly how your PC works and how to build a PC right, the first time! PC building has never been this visual-or this easy! Includes a 60-page companion booklet. In this DVD you will learn: * Hardware 101! Scott shows you how to choose the right hardware for your new rig! * Learn to decipher the technobabble used to describe PC hardware * Watch as Scott shows you how to build a new PC. See how every part is installed! * See how to properly power and cool your new PC * Once your new PC is built, learn how to choose the right BIOS settings * Tame those vexing front panel connectors! System Requirements: Operating System: Windows XP or Vista Multimedia: Windows Media Player Computer: DVD drive or set-top DVD player


The problem of specific object detection in digital grayscale images is considered under the following conditions: relatively small image fragments can be analysed (a priori information about the size of objects is available); images contain a varying undefined background (clutter) of larger objects; processing time should be minimised and must be independent from the image contents; proposed methods should provide for efficient implementation in application-specific electronic circuits. The last two conditions reflect the aim to propose approaches suitable for application in real time systems where known sophisticated methods would be inapplicable. The research is motivated by potential applications in the food industry (detection of contaminants in products from their X-ray images), medicine (detection of anomalies in fragments of computer tomography images etc.). Possible objects to be detected may include compact small objects, curved lines in different directions, and small regions of pixels with brightness different from the background. The paper describes proposed image processing approaches to detection of such objects and the results obtained from processing of sample food images.


The growth rates of postlarval krill (Euphausia superba) were measured across a wide range of environments in the Scotia Sea and around South Georgia using the Instantaneous Growth Rate (IGR) method. Each IGR experiment determined the intermolt period (IMP) and growth increment at molt (GI) of an average of 120 individuals incubated for 5 d in through‐flowing ambient, filtered seawater. We examined the results from 51 IGR experiments involving 5,927 animals ranging between 25 mm and 62 mm. Animals were collected from an area that covered a latitudinal range of 108 and surface temperatures of between −0.85°C and 4.75°C. The measurement of IMP has rarely been achieved in IGR experiments because synchronous molting biases estimates. We overcame this by applying a binary logistic regression model to our data. This related IMP to temperature, body length, and maturity stage. Food did not influence IMP. Our model estimated that krill within our experiments had IMPs ranging from 9 d to 57 d. Temperature affected the IMP of females more than that of males. The IMPs of females were shortest around 2°C and increased at lower and higher temperatures. IMP increased with body size and altered according to gender, with male IMPs being 50% longer than those of equivalently sized females. One of the main assumptions of the IGR method is that the GI measured in the first few days reflects the in situ conditions experienced by krill in the previous intermolt period. However, we found that the GIs declined immediately and rapidly after capture, particularly when growth was initially high. Thus, conditions at time of molt also influence GI. We developed a method of correcting measured GIs to natural growth in field conditions. These refinements to IGR methodology (IMP and GI estimation) enable more accurate and precise predictions of krill growth rates in summer to be made.


We show that the learning of (uncertain) conditional and/or causal information may be modelled by (Jeffrey) imaging on Stalnaker conditionals. We adapt the method of learning uncertain conditional information proposed in Gunther (2017) to a method of learning uncertain causal information. The idea behind the adaptation parallels Lewis (1973c)'s analysis of causal dependence. The combination of the methods provides a unified account of learning conditional and causal information that manages to clearly distinguish between conditional, causal and conjunctive information. Moreover, our framework seems to be the first general solution that generates the correct predictions for Douven (2012)'s benchmark examples and the Judy Benjamin Problem.


Perceived control of events is one motivational variable that appears to affect children's academic achievement. In this review the conceptualization and measurement of the control dimension is discussed from three theoretical perspectives: social learning theory, attribution theory, and intrinsic motivation theories. For each of these three perspectives evidence on the relationship between achievement and perceptions of control is summarized, and possible explanations for the relationship are discussed. Throughout this review similarities and differences among these orientations are pointed out. Specific recommendations are made for research which will advance our understanding of this relationship and which will provide the most useful information to educators.


This study aims to determine the effect and dose of the best TKKS Trichocompost on agarwood ( Aquilaria malaccensis ) seedling growth. The research was conducted at the Laboratory of Ecophysiology and in Faculty of Agriculture experimental field University of Riau in July to October 2014 using a completely randomized design (CRD), which consists of 5 treatments and 4 replications. The treatments used are: K1= TKKS Trichocompos 25 ton/ha, K2= TKKS Trichocompost 50 ton/ha, K3= TKKS Trichocompost 75 ton/ha, K4= TKKS Trichocompost 100 ton/ha and K5= TKKS Trichocompost TKKS 125 ton/ha. Data were analyzed statistically using analysis of variance (ANOVA). Parameters those measured plant height, stem diameter, leaves numbers, root volume, plant dry weight and shoot to root ratio. The results suggest that, there were no significant effect of TKKS Trichocompost toward all parameters, except shoot to root ratio. Keyword : Seedling agarwood and Trichokompost TKKS


The idea of this paper arose in a reading group of several colleagues at the Faculty of Philology of Vilnius University after a discussion of a review article published by the editors of Language Teaching. Titled 'Replication studies in language learning and teaching' (2008), the paper focuses on replication studies and argues that they should be promoted and valued no less than original research. The participants of the reading group agreed that replication studies, understood here primarily as replications of quantitative research, are indeed an important issue that could be of interest to the broader community of applied linguists in Lithuania. The present paper argues that attempts to replicate earlier studies, which are very scarce or non-existent in Lithuania, deserve more attention both from novice and mature researchers. Replications are particularly valuable in developmental studies where replicating a study over a period of time allows the researcher to obtain data for continued analysis. Furthermore, a replication of a published study that deals with data collected in one country offers an opportunity to verify its findings in a different context and this way consolidates our understanding of phenomena under study. Finally, replication is an invaluable learning method to a novice linguist, be it a senior undergraduate or postgraduate student. Thus the authors of this paper would like to promote the idea of replication research in our community as well as encourage everyone interested make use of the increasingly growing amount of open access data available on the internet.


Impervious cover in watersheds without controls result in increased stormwater runoff and decreased groundwater recharge in response to rainfall events. This increased runoff can be the cause of negative impacts to municipal drainage systems, natural resource areas, and private properties. Impacts from impervious cover runoff can include increased stormwater flow volumes and velocities that can cause flooding and/or erosion; the transport of stormwater-related pollutants/debris from impervious surfaces to resource areas and drainage system components; the reduction of rainwater recharge to support groundwater systems and stream baseflow; and overall physical and chemical changes to the natural hydrologic system in a watershed. A key goal for improving and/or protecting the nation's water resources is the reduction of impervious cover in watersheds. For more than 25 years in the United States, there has been a continual increase in the development and implementation of stormwater management regulations with new requirements and design guidelines. These efforts are focused on preventing negative impacts as described above. Permeable pavement is a stormwater management practice that can reduce impervious surfaces in watersheds and related impacts.


The rise of girly culture has brought new dimensions and challenges to art education. As art educators, we are concerned about what we can do to meaningfully understand and educate children—girls and boys—growing up with girly culture. To this end, this paper presents our exploratory study, utilizing the methods of literature review, focus group discussion, and classroom observation, and findings on the following: (1) discourses of girly (visual) culture specifically related to age metaphor, visual representations of sexuality, and girly aesthetics; (2) postfeminist conceptualizations, critiques, and justifications of gender divides manifested through girly visual culture; (3) preadolescent children's perceptions of gendered visual culture and gender divides; and (4) gendered visual culture projects and pedagogical strategies for fostering gender-inclusive, playful, and empowering learning.


We develop a theory to explain how individual compassion in response to human pain in organizations becomes socially coordinated through a process we call compassion organizing. The theory specifies five mechanisms, including contextual enabling of attention, emotion, and trust, agents improvising structures, and symbolic enrichment, that show how the social architecture of an organization interacts with agency and emergent features to affect the extraction, generation, coordination, and calibration of resources. In doing so, our theory of compassion organizing suggests that the same structures designed for the normal work of organizations can be redirected to a new purpose to respond to members' pain. We discuss the implications of the theory for compassion organizing and for collective organizing more generally.


Basic Income: An Anthology of Contemporary Research presents a compilation of six decades of Basic Income literature. It includes the most influential empirical research and theoretical arguments on all aspects of the Basic Income proposal. - Includes six decades of the most influential literature on Basic Income - Includes unpublished and hard-to-find articles - The first major compendium on one of the most innovative political reform proposals of our age - Explores multidisciplinary views of Basic Income, with philosophical, economic, political, and sociological views - Features contributions from key and well-known philosophers and economists, including Atkinson, Simon, Friedman, Fromm, Gorz, Offe, Rawls, Pettit, Van Parijs, and more - Presents the best theoretical and empirical arguments for and against Basic Income


Background Combined therapy with alendronate and calcitriol may have additive effects on bone density. An observational study was performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Maxmarvil, a combinative agent of alendronate (5 mg) and calcitriol (0.5 µg), and to identify factors associated with efficacy. Methods A total of 568 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis were enrolled by family physicians in 12 hospitals. The study subjects took Maxmarvil daily for 12 months. Questionnaires about baseline characteristics, socioeconomic status, and daily calcium intake were completed at the first visit. Adverse events were recorded every 3 months and bone mineral density (BMD) in the lumbar spine was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry at baseline and after 12 months. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of Maxmarvil, and the factors related to BMD improvement. Results A total of 370 patients were included in final analysis. The median BMD was 0.81 ± 0.12 g/cm2 at pre-treatment and 0.84 ± 0.13 g/cm2 after one year. The average BMD improvement was 3.4% ± 6.4% (P < 0.05), and 167 (45.1%) patients showed improvement. Factors associated with improved BMD were continuation of treatment (odds ratio [OR], 2.41; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.15 to 5.07) and good compliance (OR, 2.54; 95% CI, 1.29 to 5.00). Adverse events were reported by 35 of the 568 patients, with the most common being abdominal pain and dyspepsia. Conclusion Maxmarvil was found to be safe, well tolerated and effective in osteoporosis treatment. Continuation of treatment and good compliance were the factors associated with efficacy.


Production around the world is now increasingly characterized by shorter product cycles and just-in-time processes. Consequently, the reliability of the supplier is an important distinguishing characteristic. This paper presents a situation where suppliers in more distorted economies would be more prone, in equilibrium, to divert their production away from exports to the domestic market. As a result, importers allocate a lower share of import demand to such suppliers. It is shown that liberalization of such economies results in the importer allocating a relatively greater share of import demand to the supplier, which in turn, appears as an increase in the conomy's exports. This 'demand side' channel through which domestic liberalization affects a country's export has not yet been explored in the literature.


Excerpt] The metalworker can be exposed to cutting oils during application by two basic routes of entry: skin contact and inhalation. The higher risk jobs tend to be those with high cutting speeds, heavy oil flow, and continuous contact, which may result in the worker being splashed with oil on the skin or clothing. The oil may remain on the skin for some time and oil-soaked clothing may be worn all shift. Cutting oils may be applied manually, by an air-carried mist, or by a continuous flood. When flooding is used, the oil is delivered by a pump, piping, and nozzle to the cutting zone. With this method the tool, work, and chip are flooded. (Used fluid is then collected in the chip pan and returned by gravity to the pump sump.) Inhalation of cutting oil mists may occur because of the nature of coolant delivery or because of the high temperatures and speeds generated at the cutting tool's working edge. When the mist stream method of coolant delivery is used, much of it evaporates on contact with the hot tool, workpiece or chip. In addition to the intentional production of oil mists, vaporized oil can also be generated by the forces of the rapidly spinning workpiece or tool, or by the vaporization of the fluid from the heat of the cutting process.


Here I address the debate concerning the (in)existence of controlling fictional narrators in film. In the first part I turn to general arguments and criticize George Wilson's latest defense of the existence of controlling fictional narrators. Wilson claims that the existence of controlling fictional narrators hinges on the validity of the Fictional Showing Hypothesis, which in turn rests on the Imagined Seeing Thesis. I argue that Wilson's Imagined Seeing Thesis and Fictional Showing Hypothesis are about game-worlds, whereas existence of fictional narrators is about work-worlds. As such, they cannot tell us anything about the (in)existence of narrators. In the second part of the paper I turn to the possibility of character narrators acting as controlling fictional ones. I argue against the standard example of this – the case of Addison DeWitt in Joseph L. Mankiewicz's All about Eve – but do not dismiss the possibility  in general. I conclude with a claim that fiction films are characterized by the near-absence of controlling fictional narrators though some examples to the contrary may be found. I sketch out a typology of these cases.


In this paper, we will try to offer a blueprint for a more general discussion
 of the relation of how the question of religious tolerance appears in two
 documents that the Christian and Islamic traditions recognize and celebrate:
 namely, the Edict of Milan and the Constitution of Medina. These documents
 were revolutionary for their time. However, these documents alone, as well as
 religious teachings, on which they are based, cannot be the measure of
 relations in our time. They are presented in the conceptual framework and
 value system that prevailed at the time when these teachings and documents
 were created. Many relations the documents refer to no longer exist. For
 example, while the Edict of Milan affirms the general right to religion, and
 the Constitution of Medina affirms the mutual tolerance for Abrahamic,
 monotheistic religions - people who now declare themselves as atheists or
 agnostics are not even mentioned.


This article draws on findings from an auto/biographical study about relationships with food to demonstrate how everyday foodways continue to be influenced by the intersectionalities of gender and class. Following Bourdieu [1984. Distinction, a social critique of the judgement of taste. London: Routledge] how 'foodies' use food and foodways (the production, preparation, serving and eating of food) as a material and cultural display of capital (Johnston, J., & Baumann, S. 2010. Foodies, democracy and distinction in the gourmet kitchen. London: Routledge) or even 'culinary capital' (Naccarato, P., & LeBesco, K. 2012. Culinary capital. London: Berg) has been demonstrated. There has been less work exploring how mothers use 'feeding the family' (DeVault, M. I. 1991. Feeding the family. London: University of Chicago Press) as a source of cultural capital for themselves. Three-quarters of the 75 respondents in my UK study were parents and all mothers with dependant children fed their family 'healthy' food as a means of performing a particular middle-class habitus. I therefore examine how mothers engaged in 'healthy' foodwork as a means of positioning themselves as 'good' mothers or 'yummy mummies' (Allen, K., & Osgood, J. 2009. Studies in the Maternal, 1). Indeed, despite decades of gender equality in the public sphere and neo-liberal assertions regarding individualism, 'feeding the family' (DeVault, 1991) continues to be a highly gendered activity, with the added pressure of now having to provide 'healthy' food cooked from scratch. In these accounts, convenience foods and/or 'unhealthy' family foodways were vilified and viewed with disgust, with an adherence to 'healthy' family foodways used as a means of drawing boundaries within fields of 'organised striving' (Martin, J. 2011. On the explanation of social action, Chicago: University of Chicago Press; Savage, M., & Silva, E. B. 2013. Cultural Sociology, 7, 111–126). This article considers 'healthy' foodwork as a significant aspect of 'good' middle-class mothering, whereby 'healthy' family foodways become significant in the performance and display of 'proper' middle-class femininity that pathologises alternative family foodways and 'other' femininities. This serves to illuminate continuities within the intersectionalities of gender and class, with a commitment to 'healthy' family foodways central to 'future oriented' (middle classed) maternal identity.


Climate change involving lower rainfall and extended drought periods poses significant threats to vulnerable mammal species, particularly in fragmented ecosystems. Opportunistic Australian desert rodents have been found to increase in numbers following significant rainfall events and undergo declines and population crashes during dry and drought years. These fluctuations in abundance are related to increased food supply and resource depletion respectively (Letnic 2003). In general, population abundance was positively correlated with an index of rainfall with a time lag of between 3-10 months. Timing and intensity of rainfall events in the wet-dry tropics of northern Australia have also been shown to influence the length of the breeding season, and therefore, population abundance in some Rattus species. There is also recent evidence that low rainfall is significantly influencing the abundance of small mammals in south-western Australia including Brush-tailed Phascogales (Rhind and Bradley 2002). However, there is uncertainty about how individual small mammal species in southeastern Australia respond to changed rainfall patterns. The aim of this study was to assess any relationship between the abundance of small native mammals and rainfall levels. We investigated the effects of rainfall on the population dynamics of species including the near threatened dasyurid marsupial the Swamp Antechinus (Antechinus minimus) and Pseudomys novaehollandiae (New Holland Mouse), a native rodent which is critically endangered in the state of Victoria, in southern Australia.


Graphics processors were originally developed for rendering graphics but have recently evolved towards being an architecture for general-purpose computations. They are also expected to become important parts of embedded systems hardware -- not just for graphics. However, this necessitates the development of appropriate timing analysis techniques which would be required because techniques developed for CPU scheduling are not applicable. The reason is that we are not interested in how long it takes for any given GPU thread to complete, but rather how long it takes for all of them to complete. We therefore develop a simple method for finding an upper bound on the make span of a group of GPU threads executing the same program and competing for the resources of a single streaming multiprocessor (whose architecture is based on NVIDIA Fermi, with some simplifying assumptions). We then build upon this method to formulate the derivation of the exact worst-case make span (and corresponding schedule) as an optimization problem. Addressing the issue of tractability, we also present a technique for efficiently computing a safe estimate of the worst-case make span with minimal pessimism, for use when finding an exact value would take too long.


This article contributes to a developing field of scholarship that has been concerned with exploring the impacts of conflict and its transformation on sexual and gender minorities. Drawing on extant analysis, the article explores the marginalization of issues pertaining to sexuality and gender in international law and peace agreements. It then moves on to an assessment of the effects of the integration of sexual orientation and gender identity equality provisions into a limited number of peace agreements. The article contends that attempts to implement and extend sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) equality provisions in peace agreements in meaningful ways typically become cast as justifiable, residual or reprehensible by agonistic groups at local levels during transition. It claims that this fracturing of standpoints on SOGI equality can strengthen counterhegemonic articulations of sexual and gender minorities' identities that provoke radical versions of peacebuilding.


The paper presents a new steganographic method called RSTEG (Retransmission Steganography), which is intended for a broad class of protocols that utilises retransmission mechanisms. The main innovation of RSTEG is to not acknowledge a successfully received packet in order to intentionally invoke retransmission. The retransmitted packet carries a steganogram instead of user data in the payload field. RSTEG is presented in the broad context of network steganography, and the utilisation of RSTEG for TCP (Transport Control Protocol) retransmission mechanisms is described in detail. Simulation results are also presented with the main aim to measure and compare the steganographic bandwidth of the proposed method for different TCP retransmission mechanisms as well as to determine the influence of RSTEG on the network retransmissions level.


Nitrogen sorption and small- and wide-angle X-ray and neutron scattering techniques were used to study the porous structure of geopolymers, inorganic polymers synthesized by reaction of a strongly alkaline solution and an aluminosilicate source (metakaolin). The effects of aging and the use of alkali activators (Na+, K+) of different sizes were investigated at room temperature. The influence of aging time on the microstructure of both geopolymer matrixes was verified in terms of pore volume and specific surface area. The results suggested a refinement of the porosity and therefore a reduction in the pore volume over time. Regardless of the age considered, some characteristics of the porous network such as pore size, shape and distribution depend on the alkali activator used. Whatever the technique considered, the potassium geopolymer has a greater specific surface area than the sodium geopolymer. According to the scattering results, the refinement of the porosity can be associated with, first, a densification of the solid network and, secondly, a partial closure of the porosity at the nanometre scale. The kinetics are much slower for the sodium geopolymer than for the potassium geopolymer in the six months of observation.


Aim: The aim of the study was to compare the level of awareness on Hepatitis-B infection among medical and dental interns in Pondicherry, India. Materials and Methods: Questionnaire containing a set of 20 different questions on Hepatitis B infection was distributed among 64 Medical and 49 Dental Interns of Arupadai Veedu Medical College and Mahatma Gandhi Dental College, Pondicherry, India, respectively. Results: The majority of interns (94.7%) were aware that Hepatitis B virus is the major cause of Hepatitis. About 33.6 and 59.3% of interns had very good and moderate knowledge respectively. The study shows that dental interns (34.7%) had better awareness than medical interns (32.8%). About 52.2% believed that Hepatitis B virus can be transmitted by semen and vaginal secretions. Only 39.9% of the interns believed that doctors, dentists infected with HBV should not have direct contact with patients. Conclusion: One- third of the interns had very good knowledge about Hepatitis B. The majority had good knowledge regarding the mode of transmission and attitude towards HBV patients. However, there is a misconception about prophylaxis, vaccination and treatment of HBV. Hence there is an imperative need for health education to improve the knowledge and attitude of the interns towards Hepatitis B.


Drug discovery aims to find novel compounds with specified chemical property profiles. In terms of generative modeling, the goal is to learn to sample molecules in the intersection of multiple property constraints. This task becomes increasingly challenging when there are many property constraints. We propose to offset this complexity by composing molecules from a vocabulary of substructures that we call molecular rationales. These rationales are identified from molecules as substructures that are likely responsible for each property of interest. We then learn to expand rationales into a full molecule using graph generative models. Our final generative model composes molecules as mixtures of multiple rationale completions, and this mixture is fine-tuned to preserve the properties of interest. We evaluate our model on various drug design tasks and demonstrate significant improvements over state-of-the-art baselines in terms of accuracy, diversity, and novelty of generated compounds.


ABSTRACT Background: There is no standard of care for advanced cholangiocarcinoma (CCK) after failure of gemcitabine and platinum-based chemotherapy. Regorafenib is potent oral multi-kinase inhibitor binding to and inhibiting kinases involved in tumor angiogenesis (VEGFR-1, -2,-3, TIE2), oncogenesis (KIT, RET, RAF-1, BRAF, BRAFV600E) and tumor microenvironment (PGDFR, FGFR). Regorafenib has recently shown to be effective in several GI tumors. Despite that CCK are usually not hypervascular tumors, regorafenib is of interest in this type of disease because of its triplepathway of kinase inhibition: -molecular alterations (disruption of MAPK pathway, activation of RAS, BRAF mutations) have been described in CCK: interest of antiproliferative profile -CCK is characterized by a dense desmoplastic stroma in which macrophages and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) : interest of antistromagenesis profile -inhibition of angiogenesis in CCK is of interest as in preclinical models, sorafenib inhibits the growth of human CCK cell lines; several phase II trials treating CCK and biliary tract tumors with sorafenib have demonstrated low response rate but a trend to improve PFS and OS. Trial design: This is a multicenter (12 Belgian centers) double-blinded placebo-controlled randomized phase II study, aiming to include 66 patients (33 patients per arm, randomization 1:1) with locally advanced (non resectable) and metastatic histologically proven intra-hepatic or hilum (mass forming) cholangiocarcinoma, progressing after gemcitabine-CDDP (or gemcitabine-oxaliplatin) or after gemcitabine alone followed or preceded by platinum-based chemotherapy. Patients will receive regorafenib / placebo (+ BSC) 160 mg od, 3 weeks on/ one week off (one cycle= 4 weeks) until progression of the disease. Primary endpoint is PFS and hypothesis made is to improve median PFS by at least 50 % (6 weeks to 12 weeks in Regorafenib group). Secondary endpoints are overall survival at one year, response rate, translational analysis. The sample size calculation is based on the logrank test, assuming a one-sided significance level of 10%, a power of 80%, a 1:1 randomization, and an improvement in median PFS of 50%. Disclosure: All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.


Most static analyzers are monolithic applications that define their own ways to analyze source code and present the results. Therefore aggregating multiple static analyzers into a single tool or integrating a new analyzer into existing tools requires a significant amount of effort. Over the last few years, we cultivated Renraku --- a static analysis model that acts as a mediator between the static analyzers and the tools that present the reports. When used by both analysis and tool developers, this single quality model can reduce the cost to both introduce a new type of analysis to existing tools and create a tool that relies on existing analyzers.


The 1.85 Ga Sudbury impact structure is considered a remnant of a multi-ring basin with an estimated original diameter of 150-200 km. The so-called "Basal Onaping Intrusion" form discontinuous sheets between the Granophyre of the Sudbury Igneous Complex (SIC) and the Sandcherry Member of the Onaping Formation and had been considered part of the complex breccia series of the Onaping Formation. Based on the investigation of core and field samples from the North Range we conclude that the Basal Onaping Intrusion, in fact, are the roof rocks of the SIC and, thus, may represent the initial bulk composition of the SIC. It should no longer be considered part of the Onaping Formation, but rather the uppermost member of the SIC, and we recommend "Upper Contact Unit" as a new name. The Offset Dykes are radial and concentric dykes around the SIC and are composed of the so-called Inclusion-rich Quartz Diorite (IQD) and Inclusion-poor Quartz Diorite (QD). Metabreccia (MTBX), an enigmatic and overlooked lithology observed within some dykes in the North Range had been sparsely studied in detail. This investigation of MTBX from the Parkin, Trill and Foy Offset Dykes indicates that MTBX originates from Footwall Breccia (FWBX) that was ripped off during the outward emplacement of the Offset Dykes, which is in contrast to previous studies. The fragments, clasts and blocks were included into the dyke melt and subsequently thermally metamorphosed resulting in an intensive recrystallized fabric within MTBX. A genetic relationship between MTBX and FWBX is supported by whole rock geochemical analyses and similarities in Ni-Cu-PGE mineralization. Oscillatory, compositionally zoned pyrites containing traces of PlatinumGroup-Elements (PGEs) are observed within MTBX but not in QD or IQD. Additional PGEs are hosted within Pt-Pd-bismuthotellurides, with MTBX containing a higher amount of Te and Pt than QD/IQD. This study provides new insights into the field relationships, petrology, geochemistry and Ni-Cu-PGE sulfide mineralization of MTBX from the Parkin, Trill and Foy Offset Dykes in the North Range of the Sudbury impact structure compared to QD, IQD and FWBX.


A haptic display provides the mechanical analog of a physical environment for
our sense of touch in a virtual reality (VR) simulation system. In this
dissertation, we explore the design and implementation of a planar fingertip
haptic display (FHD) mechanism. We first present a new technique for analysing
the reachable workspace of mechanisms that have stochastic kinematic parameters.
This technique is used to develop a stochastic representation of the reachable
workspace of the human finger. Using this finger workspace, we present a method
for selecting the kinematic parameters of a five-bar linkage mechanism to match
the finger workspace while providing high-quality force output capability over
the entire mechanism workspace. We then use this haptic display in
psychophysical experiments which explore the human perception of geometric
surface discontinuities on a haptically rendered virtual surface. Specifically,
the experiments examine how the ability to perceive and locate both first-order
and second-order surface discontinuities is affected by both the magnitude of
the discontinuity and by the particular set of control gains used in haptically
rendering the discontinuity. The results of these experiments are relevant to
haptic simulation systems which approximate complex curved surfaces with planar
facets: the intersection between facets is a form of surface discontinuity and
the perceived smoothness of the surface is likely related to the magnitude of
the change in surface gradient at these intersections.


In Canada, a health care system has developed that is both responsive to the health needs of the Canadian people and has shown financial stability over the past decade. The Canadians attribute their success in maintaining stable health care costs to regulation of physician fee levels and hospital services. Yet even though there exists regulation in the Canadian health care system, the effect of this government intervention has not resulted in rationing of health care. This suggests Americans should examine closely this alternative model of a health care system.


We know active and passive methods of a location. This article deals only with a passive location of dynamic targets. The passive optics location is suitable just for tracking of targets with mean velocity which is limited by the hardware basis. The aim of this work is to recognize plasma, particles etc. It is possible to propose such kind of evaluation methods which improve the capture probability markedly. Suggested method is dealing with the short-distance evaluation of targets. We suppose the application of three independent principles how to recognize an object in a scanned picture. These principles use similar stochastic functions in order to evaluate an object location by means of simple mathematical operations. Methods are based on direct evaluation of picture sequence by the help of the histogram and frequency spectrum. We find out the probability of unidentified moving object in pictures. If the probability reaches a setting value we will get a signal.


This paper introduces a Framework for classifying different learning scenarios. Furthermore, these scenarios have to be supported by a layered stack of models representing different views for respective users. In particular, this paper focuses on the role of instructors. With the help of the mentioned approach, instructors have the ability to plan, manage and structure a course independent of a platform or technology. In order to retrieve and use learning objects two different learning paradigms can be used: first, contemporary solutions with client-server architectures based on XML represent the scenario where instructors know most of the details about their courses; secondly, the service-oriented architecture and Semantic Web technologies reflect the scenario where instructors themselves take the student-role because they are at the time of the course creation not fully aware of all specifics about their course. Both scenarios are presented on a conceptual level and blend E-Learning with the discipline of Knowledge Management.


In this paper, we present a real-time algorithm for automatic recognition of not only physical activities, but also, in some cases, their intensities, using five triaxial wireless accelerometers and a wireless heart rate monitor. The algorithm has been evaluated using datasets consisting of 30 physical gymnasium activities collected from a total of 21 people at two different labs. On these activities, we have obtained a recognition accuracy performance of 94.6% using subject-dependent training and 56.3% using subject-independent training. The addition of heart rate data improves subject-dependent recognition accuracy only by 1.2% and subject-independent recognition only by 2.1%. When recognizing activity type without differentiating intensity levels, we obtain a subject-independent performance of 80.6%. We discuss why heart rate data has such little discriminatory power.


During the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, acts of extreme violence were committed against women. This thesis aims to explore how Rwandan women genocide survivors respond to and communicate such a traumatic experience. From a perspective of trauma theory, it engages with the published testimonies of Rwandan women survivors, seeking to understand how the genocide is remembered in both individual and collective memory and the challenges Rwandan women face in the ongoing process of surviving trauma. Exploring the ways in which Rwandan women position themselves as witnesses, the first chapter addresses the crucial questions of who is a witness and who has the right to speak about a traumatic historical event. It distinguishes between different categories of witness and looks at the levels of witnessing in Rwandan women's testimonies, as well as considering the role of the reader-witness in the act of testimony. Responding to an imperative of memory, the women are speaking on behalf of other survivors and honouring the memory of the victims. At the same time, the experience of genocide is shown to be deeply individual, and the second chapter provides a detailed analysis of the narrative strategies Rwandan women adopt to communicate the particularity of their experiences. Through a range of 'translation' techniques, the women reconstruct their individual chronologies and challenge the notion of the unsayability of trauma. However, the extremity of what the women have lived through can be incomprehensible to the reader, who is often unwilling to hear the story. One of the ways in which cross-cultural communication can be achieved is through collaboration, a process which is examined in the third chapter. The collaborator plays a complex role in the production of the testimonies, functioning not only as empathic listener, but also as writer, editor, and mediator of the story. This chapter draws out the problems associated with collaboration and also highlights its potential value for the Rwandan women as it is ultimately through the collaborator that they are able to convey their story to a Western audience. Gaining access to the Western publishing industry is just one of the many obstacles the women must face in communicating their stories, and the majority of survivors continue to be silenced. The role of silence both within and surrounding Rwandan women's testimonies is the focus of the fourth chapter, which looks at the physical manifestations of silence within the narratives as well as the silencing of survivors in Rwanda and across the diaspora. The silencing of survivors' stories has strong implications for the recovery of the individual, often preventing her from moving from surviving to living, a notion that is examined in the final chapter. Testimony is shown to play a central role in this transition. Yet, in the face of the politically motivated processes of national reconciliation, justice and commemoration, Rwandan women struggle to regain control over their narratives. This final chapter emphasises the importance of the community in helping women to reclaim their voice and tell their stories on their own terms. Overall, women remain marginalised figures in the writing of history, and this thesis seeks to underline the necessity of developing new ways of listening to the diversity of Rwandan women's voices, in order not only to gain greater insight into how traumatised individuals remember but also to hear the challenge they pose to conventional Western modes of responding to trauma.


Porosity and permeability may be preserved in deep sandstone reservoirs by clay coating (mainly chlorite) which limits quartz overgrowths. Chloritization around quartz grains results mainly from mineralogical transformations of pre‐existing clays. It is fundamental to study those clay precursors to better understand and predict the location and distribution of clay coatings in subsurface sandstones for petroleum or geothermal prospecting. This paper reports a high‐resolution analysis of the composition, distribution and fabric of clays along a modern estuary, the Gironde (south‐west France). The scale of the study ranges from thin sections, through sand bar bodies, up to the entire estuary. Results show that clays are detrital and deposited at the same time as sand grains despite strong hydrodynamic conditions. Clays bind to medium‐grained sands forming detrital clay grain coats. On average, 26% of detrital sand grains are coated along the entire length of the estuary. Coat thickness varies from 1 μm to more than 200 μm, and coat coverage exceeds 30% in some samples. The turbidity maximum zone position (surface water turbidity from 1 to 10 g l−1) in the estuary, which is controlled by seasonal variations in hydrodynamic processes, significantly impacts the location of the maximum clay content and the abundance of coated grains in sandy facies along the estuary. Flocculation in the water column results in the accumulation of suspended matter and contributes to the high turbidity in the estuary. Exopolymeric substances produced by diatoms are observed both in the field and by cryo‐scanning electron microscopy, suggesting that they may play a major role in binding detrital clay around sand grains. Finally, tidal bars and heterolithic point bars in the estuary funnel and estuarine channels are prime sedimentological targets for finding clay coatings and potentially good reservoir quality in deeply buried sandstones.


Part of the Administrative Law Commons, Energy Policy Commons, Environmental Policy Commons, Forest Management Commons, Land Use Law Commons, Natural Resource Economics Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Natural Resources Law Commons, Natural Resources Management and Policy Commons, Oil, Gas, and Mineral Law Commons, Public Policy Commons, Recreation, Parks and Tourism Administration Commons, and the Water Resource Management Commons


EXAFS measurements of vanadium shocked to ~0.4 Mbar yield the compression and temperature in good agreement with hydrodynamic simulations and shock-speed measurements. In laser-shocked titanium at the same pressure, the EXAFS spectrum indicates the ?-Ti to ?-Ti crystal-phase transformation, known to occur below ~0.1 Mbar for slower shock waves.


In bond-order potentials (BOPs) for transition metals only the bonding mediated by the d electrons is included explicitly and the covalent part of the cohesive energy is evaluated using Slater–Koster dd bond integrals. However, the effect of s electrons with orbitals centered on atoms neighboring the corresponding dd bond is not necessarily negligible. As shown in Nguyen-Manh et al (2000 Phys. Rev. Lett. 85 4136) this can be taken into account via screening of the dd bond integrals. In a recent paper (Lin et al 2014 Model. Simul. Mater. Sci. Eng. 22 034002) the dd bond integrals were determined using a projection scheme utilizing atomic orbitals that give the best representation of the electronic wave functions in the calculations based on the density functional theory (DFT) (Madsen et al 2011 Phys. Rev. B 83 4119) and it was inferred that in this case the effect of s electrons was already included. In this paper we analyze this hypothesis by comparing studies employing BOPs with both unscreened and screened dd bond integrals. In all cases results are compared with calculations based on DFT and/or experiments. Studies of structures alternate to the bcc lattice, transformation paths that connect the bcc structure with fcc, simple cubic (sc), body centered tetragonal (bct) and hcp structures via continuously distorted configurations and calculations of γ-surfaces were all found to be insensitive to the screening of bond integrals. On the other hand, when the bond integrals are screened, formation energies of vacancies are improved and calculated phonon dispersion spectra reproduce the experimentally observed ones much better. Most importantly, dislocation core structure and dislocation glide are significantly different without and with screening of dd bond integrals. The latter lead to a much better agreement with available experiments. These findings suggest that the effect of s electrons on dd bonds, emulated by the screening of corresponding bond integrals, is the least significant when the lattice is distorted away from the ideal bcc structure homogeneously even if such distortion is large. On the other hand, when the distortion is local and inhomogeneous the impact of screening of the dd bond integrals is significant. In the studies presented in this paper such local inhomogeneities occur when phonons propagate through the lattice, at point defects and in the cores of dislocations.


We study the spectral property of a composite field superposed by a polychromatic Gaussian beam and a polychromatic Gaussian beam with an embedded mth-order vortex. It is shown that, in the overall spectral shift distribution, there exist m small areas where sharp spectral anomaly takes place, similarly and respectively, which are related with the ratio of the respective amplitudes of the two composite beams and the relative phase between them. Detailed investigation reveals that, for each small area, there exists a "main line", along which spectral switch can be observed.


We produce 1.5 cycle (10.5 fs), 1.2 mJ, 3 kHz carrier-envelope-phase-stable pulses at 2.1 μm carrier wavelength, from a three-stage optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifier system, pumped by an optically synchronized 1.6 ps Yb:YAG thin disk laser. A chirped periodically poled lithium niobate crystal is used to generate the ultrabroad spectrum needed for a 1.5 cycle pulse through difference frequency mixing of spectrally broadened pulse from a Ti:sapphire amplifier. It will be an ideal tool for producing isolated attosecond pulses with high photon energies.


Efficiently executing large-scale, data-intensive workflows such as Montage must take into account the volume and pattern of communication. When orchestrating data-centric workflows, centralised servers common to standard workflow systems can become a bottleneck to performance. However, standards-based workflow systems that rely on centralisation, e.g., Web service based frameworks, have many other benefits such as a wide user base and sustained support.
 This paper presents and evaluates a light-weight hybrid architecture which maintains the robustness and simplicity of centralised orchestration, but facilitates choreography by allowing services to exchange data directly with one another. Furthermore our architecture is standards compliment, flexible and is a non-disruptive solution; service definitions do not have to be altered prior to enactment. Our architecture could be realised within any existing workflow framework, in this paper, we focus on a Web service based framework.
 Taking inspiration from Montage, a number of common workflow patterns (sequence, fan-in and fan-out), input-output data size relationships and network configurations are identified and evaluated. The performance analysis concludes that a substantial reduction in communication overhead results in a 2-4 fold performance benefit across all patterns. An end-to-end pattern through the Montage workflow results in an 8 fold performance benefit and demonstrates how the advantage of using our hybrid architecture increases as the complexity of a workflow grows.


Scientific drilling continues to advance knowledge of Antarctica's role in the climate system and the evolution of its ice sheets. Since 1972, seven DSDP, ODP, and IODP expeditions to Antarctic waters have documented cooling of Antarctic climate since the early Eocene; inception of large-scale glaciation at the start of the Oligocene; ice-sheet expansion and relative stabilization in the middle Miocene; fluctuations of the ice margins in the Pliocene; and high-resolution details of Holocene climate. Geological drilling by land- and ice-based projects such as ANDRILL has provided shoreward evidence of ice and climate behaviour complimentary to the ship-based drilling. The scientific significance of the sediment cores collected on these expeditions has grown as the problem of global warming has become more apparent, and the cores continue to be analysed with the development of new techniques, such as biomarker temperature estimates and geochemical sediment provenance. However, these existing sedimentary records do not cover all of the Cenozoic and the core locations are geographically restricted.

Antarctic marine sediments hold further records of ice sheet dynamics and warm climates of the past that form analogues for high-CO2 greenhouse scenarios of the next centuries. Several proposals to collect these records are in the IODP review system, for regions where the ice sheets are sensitive to warming and for time periods when the ice response to warm climates is not well known. A workshop is being held at IODP in College Station, Texas, in May 2016 to: (1) Produce an integrated overview of how IODP drilling can advance understanding of Antarctic ice sheet retreat (and hence sea level rise) under warm climates; (2) Examine existing sediment cores that revealed Antarctica's past marine glaciological history; and (3) Establish best practices for assessing ice and weather to conduct safe drilling operations in Antarctic waters.

Here we review the highlights and outcomes of this workshop, and look to the future of scientific drilling around Antarctica.


The zero‐price effect implies that people forgo a favourable option for a free one, not only because the free one brings no cost but also because it creates a higher positive feeling which people use in making decisions. We extend previous studies by testing this effect for three‐component online mobile services in a business‐to‐business context. Two survey experiments are conducted using a sample (N=113) of Swedish hauler managers. In none of the experiments we find any zero‐price effect. Free promotions may therefore be less effective in the business‐to‐business context than in the business‐to‐consumer context.


Falsification of the origin of livestock meat and its processed with rat meat is a problem that must be overcome to ensure food safety. One way that is often used to detect forgeries by using cytochrome b gene as a marker. The purpose of this study was to create a specific primer derived from cytochrome b sequences in rat ( Rattus norvegicus ) as the DNA marker to detect any contamination of rat meat on fresh livestock meat and its processed meat products. Meatballs were made from beef meat with the addition of rat 1%-25%, and the meatballs were obtained from traditional markets. DNA extraction was conducted from seven species (goat, chicken, cattle, sheep, pig, horse, and rat) by using phenol-chloroform. The highest success rate in detecting the presence of rat meat in a mixture of beef meatballs at concentration of 15% was 100%. The specific fragment of cytochrome b gene in R. norvegicus has no similarity with the cytochrome b gene from six other species, so it can be used as molecular markers to detect the presence of rat meat contamination in the processed of meat products. Amplified fragment length for goats, chickens, cattle, sheep, pigs, horses, and rats 157, 227, 274, 331, 398, 439 and 603 bp respectively. The amplification of cytochrome b gene in seven species of animals with different fragment length indicated the specificity of cytochrome b gene sequences among species.


Sensitive materials in gas sensors are often polycrystalline semiconducting oxides such as WO3, SnO2, CuO or ZnO. They are most often composed of nanometric grains. They can be deposited either as thin or thick films. The film thickness plays an important role in the response stability and sensitivity of sensors. It is now well accepted that the relationship between the surface and volume of the sensitive layer plays a major role in the efficiency of detection. Many experimental and theoretical works were reported in explaining the experimental sensitivity vs. thickness relationships reported for the gas sensors prepared by different fabrication techniques. In addition, significant changes can be expected by adding catalytic nanograins in small quantities on the surface of the sensitive layers. For example, cobalt nanograins deposited on the surface of WO3 sensors produce an important change in the WO3 conductance. Indeed, cobalt changes the conduction type of the sensors from n– to p–type. This paper describes the effect of reducing the size of the sensors and nanostructured sensitive materials on the sensor response.


Destinations and resorts are key building blocks in the development and operation of the global tourism system. Their viability, sustainability and long term management are critical to a healthy global tourism system. While much
has been written on aspects of destinations and resorts, including their development, management, sustainability, marketing, history and so forth major gaps remain. The aim of this book is to examine some of these gaps with a
specific emphasis on future sustainability in its broadest sense in a rapidly changing world where the future will be redefined in ways that are not yet obvious but which must be speculated on and planned for. Climate change and the enormous cost of providing food and shelter for a future global population that according to the UN is likely to be 50% higher in 2050 than today will present enormous challenges to the global political system and strain global
markets to provide the basics of life. The most recent news on the climate front is that the IPCC's (2007) forecast of sea level changes are significantly underestimated and that a rise of 1 meter of more is now more likely than not. This
has significant implications for coastal tourism and the 50% of the global population who live in coastal zones. The reordering of global markets in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis may see a fundamental shift from
neo-liberal free market economics to a more regulated global economy. All of these forces and many more discussed in this book will create a new world in which tourism will continue to thrive but within constraints that take into
account the impact of climate change and the need to achieve a new level of sustainability that recognizes there are limits to growth. Destinations will need to adapt to these new realities. It is my hope that tins book goes at least some way to contributing to the debate we need to have on how the gathering storm of climate change and declining global sustainability will be confronted
at the destination level.


How can we learn from a multicultural society if we don't know how to recognise it? The contemporary city is more than ever a space for the intense convergence of diverse individuals who shift in and out of its urban terrains. The city street is perhaps the most prosaic of the city's public parts, allowing us a view of the very ordinary practices of life and livelihoods. By attending to the expressions of conviviality and contestation, 'City, Street and Citizen' offers an alternative notion of 'multiculturalism' away from the ideological frame of nation, and away from the moral imperative of community. This book offers to the reader an account of the lived realities of allegiance, participation and belonging from the base of a multi-ethnic street in south London.

'City, Street and Citizen' focuses on the question of whether local life is significant for how individuals develop skills to live with urban change and cultural and ethnic diversity. To animate this question, Hall has turned to a city street and its dimensions of regularity and propinquity to explore interactions in the small shop spaces along the Walworth Road. The city street constitutes exchange, and as such it provides us with a useful space to consider the broader social and political significance of contact in the day-to-day life of multicultural cities.

Grounded in an ethnographic approach, this book will be of interest to academics and students in the fields of sociology, global urbanisation, migration and ethnicity as well as being relevant to politicians, policy makers, urban designers and architects involved in cultural diversity, public space and street based economies.


This paper presents and discusses evidence from two corpus studies on Brazilian Portuguese (BrP) bare nominals (BNs) in the light of the overwhelmingly formal syntactic and semantic literature on this topic. It is shown that these approaches have failed to identify a subclass of BrP BNs, namely specific and definite uses. The need for different data types is pointed out and it is argued that only an approach combining different methods can succeed. In order to account for the specific and definite uses within a formal framework, it will be claimed contra Muller (2002) that BrP BNs should not be treated as "external" topics in general. Building on the work of Pires de Oliveira and Rothstein (2011, this volume) it will be suggested that an interaction between semantics and information structure could account for the specific and definite cases.


This thesis charts the evolution of the Universal Star Formation Rate Density (SFRD) across the redshift range 0.2 < z < 0.6, using the 2nd Canadian Network for Observational Cosmology Survey (CN0C2). The redshift range covered by the Survey marks an important transitional period in the history of the Universe, over which the SFRD is thought to undergo rapid evolution. The various Star Formation Rate (SFR) indicators from the literature are reviewed and it is shown that the [OII] forbidden emission line can provide a very similar SFR to that reported by the Ha recombination line, if reddening is accounted for. We explain the CN0C2 Survey in detail, including the observation strategy and the instrumentation used. The Survey weighting scheme is also discussed. The purpose written code, used to measure the strengths of the [OII] emission line in each of the Survey spectra, is explained and tested, against both another automated code and by-eye measurements from IRAF. The procedure of re-normalising the on equivalent width errors that are reported by the code is also detailed. This leaves the line measurement errors very well quantified. We investigate the accuracy of the photometric redshift codes ImpZ and Hyperz in returning dust estimates, A(_v) from photometry alone. The benchmark for this comparison is set by Balmer Decrement measurements of a sub-set of the CN0C2 dataset. Combining the [OII] line strength measurements with the dust correction from the photometric redshift code ImpZ, we compute SFRs for individual galaxies in the CN0C2 Survey. These are combined with a weighting scheme to chart the evolution of SFRD with redshift and luminosity. It is found that giant galaxies undergo a strong evolution in terms of the fraction of those galaxies that are rapidly star forming, but that the absolute SFRD from giants does not change as quickly as that from lower luminosity galaxies. At all redshifts and luminosities covered by the Survey, galaxies with [OII] emission <30A contribute roughly half the total SFRD. This means narrow band imaging surveys may miss a large fraction of star formation activity at those epochs. At z ~ 0.25 it is found that dwarf galaxies dominate the overall SFRD, in-keeping with results from the local Universe. We produce a best estimate Lilly-Madau plot based on our findings and compare it to several studies from the literature. It is shown that although the overall rise found by previous studies is confirmed, the shape of the rise is not consistent with other works, showing a sharper increase at low (0.2 < z < 0.4) redshift followed by a slowing at z ~0.6. The significance of this result remains unquantified however.


The first complete account of America's most dangerous foreign policy miscalculation: sixty years of support for Islamic fundamentalism Devil's Game is the gripping story of America's misguided efforts, stretching across decades, to dominate the strategically vital Middle East by courting and cultivating Islamic fundamentalism. Among all the books about Islam, this is the first comprehensive inquiry into the touchiest issue: How and why did the United States encourage and finance the spread of radical political Islam? Backed by extensive archival research and interviews with dozens of policy makers and CIA, Pentagon, and foreign service officials, Robert Dreyfuss argues that this largely hidden relationship is greatly to blame for the global explosion of terrorism. He follows the trail of American collusion from support for the Muslim Brotherhood in 1950s Egypt to links with Khomeini and Afghani jihadists to cooperation with Hamas and Saudi Wahhabism. Dreyfuss also uncovers long-standing ties between radical Islamists and the leading banks of the West. The result is as tragic as it is paradoxical: originally deployed as pawns to foil nationalism and communism, extremist mullahs and ayatollahs now dominate the region, thundering against freedom of thought, science, women's rights, secularism—and their former patron. Wide-ranging and deeply informed, Devil's Game reveals a history of double-dealing, cynical exploitation, and humiliating embarrassment. What emerges is a pattern that, far from furthering democracy or security, ensures a future of blunders and blowback.


Consumer auctions were very popular in the early days of internet commerce, but today online sellers mostly use posted prices. Data from eBay shows that compositional shifts in the items being sold, or the sellers offering these items, cannot account for this evolution. Instead, the returns to sellers using auctions have diminished. We develop a model to distinguish two hypotheses: a shift in buyer demand away from auctions, and general narrowing of seller margins that favors posted prices. Our estimates suggest that the former is more important. We also provide evidence on where auctions still are used, and on why some sellers may continue to use both auctions and posted prices.


We investigate the content, timing and relevance of firms' narrative disclosure about the effects of IFRS adoption in annual statutory financial statements and firm announcements to the stock exchange for 150 large listed Australian firms in the three-year period surrounding adoption (which occurred from 1 January 2005). We observe communication about changes in financial reports, even when the change relates to accounting rather than economic events. We record more disclosure by firms experiencing an adverse change in earnings, consistent with them being sensitive to signals about future earnings. When economic performance is stronger, firms provide less discussion of the accounting effects of IFRS. We also find the discussion of IFRS impact in both disclosure channels is value–relevant for firms with relatively higher levels of disclosure, providing evidence of the usefulness of transition disclosures.


In eukaryotes, DNA replication appears to occur in stationary factories that can be visualized as foci in the nucleus via either immunofluorescence microscopy of replication proteins or fluorescence microscopy of live cells carrying green fluorescent protein-tagged replication proteins. In bacteria, the division plane at midcell is a crucial locus where most of the events leading to cytokinesis take place. Using green fluorescent proteintagged subunits of the Pol III HE, researches have shown that the DNA polymerases assemble and replicate DNA at midcell in Bacillus subtilis. Studies on the effect of moving dif on chromosomal dimer resolution and on the tolerance of deletions and inversions in the terminus region have led to the suggestion that the chromosome is polarized, meaning that the directionality of the path taken along the chromosome away from oriC has some physical manifestation. The proteins required for restart primosome assembly—PriA, PriB, PriC, DnaT, DnaB, DnaC, and DnaG—were discovered originally because they acted to assemble a primosome on φX174 viral DNA during its conversion to the replicative form. In Escherichia coli, estimates of the probability that a replication fork formed at oriC will be arrested before completing replication of one arm of the chromosome vary from 0.15 to almost certainty.


Dispositions are the values, commitments, and professional ethics that influence behaviors toward students, families, colleagues, and communities and affect student learning, motivation, and development as well as the educator's own professional growth. Dispositions are guided by beliefs and attitudes related to values such as caring, fairness, honesty, responsibility, and social justice. For example, they might include a belief that all students can learn, a vision of high and challenging standards, or a commitment to a safe and supportive learning environment.


As homeowner equity continues to disappear, there is a growing consensus that losses on all mortgages will exceed $1 trillion, with financial losses spreading far beyond real estate. Mortgage rates are spiking and, more generally, interest rate spreads remain wide, as financial players shun private debt in the rush to safe Treasury securities. Labor markets continue to weaken as firms shed jobs, and state tax revenues have plummeted. In March, the dollar fell to new record lows against the euro and other currencies. Commodities prices have boomed, fueling inflation and adding to consumer distress. What's a central bank to do? So far, the Federal Reserve has met or exceeded the market's anticipations for rate cuts. It has allowed banks to offer securitized mortgages as collateral against borrowed reserves, and opened its discount window to a broad range of financial institutions to guard against future liquidity problems (remember Bear Stearns?). It helped to formulate a rescue plan for Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and Chairman Ben Bernanke even supported the fiscal stimulus package that will increase the federal budget deficit—something that is normally anathema to central bankers. Most importantly, Fed officials have consistently argued that, while they are carefully monitoring inflation pressures, they will not reverse monetary easing until the fallout from the subprime crisis is past. Unfortunately, the policy isn't working--the economy continues to weaken, the financial crisis is spreading, and inflation is accelerating. The problem is that policymakers do not recognize the underlying forces driving the crisis, in part because they operate with an incorrect model of how our economy works. This Policy Note summarizes that model, offers an alternative view based on Hyman Minsky's approach, and outlines an alternative framework for policy formation.


While the natural splendor of Nepal has been celebrated in many books, very little of the substantial body of Nepali literature has appeared in English translation. Himalayan Voices provides admirers of Nepal and lovers of literature with their first glimpse of the vibrant literary scene in Nepal today.
An introduction to the two most developed genres of modern Nepali literature--poetry and the short story--this work profiles eleven of Nepal's most distinguished poets and offers translations of more than eighty poems written from 1916 to 1986. Twenty of the most interesting and best-known examples of the Nepali short story are translated into English for the first time by Michael Hutt. All provide vivid descriptions of life in twentieth-century Nepal.

Although the days when Nepali poets were regularly jailed for their writings have passed, until 1990 the strictures of various laws governing public security and partisan political activity still required writers and publishers to exercise a certain caution. In spite of these conditions, poetry in Nepal remained the most vital and innovative genre, in which sentiments and opinions on contemporary social and political issues were frequently expressed.

While the Nepali short story adapted its present form only during the early 1930s, it has rapidly developed a surprisingly high degree of sophistication. These stories offer insights into the workings of Nepali society: into caste, agrarian relations, social change, the status of women, and so on. Such insights are more immediate than those offered by scholarly works and are conveyed by implication and assumption rather than analysis and exposition.

This book should appeal not only to admirers of Nepal, but to all readers with an interest in non-Western literatures. Himalayan Voices establishes for the first time the existence of a sophisticated literary tradition in Nepal and the eastern Himalaya.


Most intracranial aneurysms can be managed with either microsurgical clipping or endovascular coiling. A subset of complex aneurysms with aberrant anatomy or fusiform/dolichoectatic morphology may require revascularization as part of a strategy that occludes the aneurysm or parent artery or both. Bypass techniques have been invented to revascularize nearly every intracranial artery. An aneurysm that will require a saphenous vein bypass is one that cannot be treated with conventional microsurgical clipping or endovascular coiling and also requires deliberate sacrifice of a major intracranial artery as part of the alternative treatment strategy. In the past 7 years the senior author (MTL) has performed a total of 110 bypasses, of which 46 were for aneurysms. Twenty-two of these patients received high-flow extracranial-to-intracranial bypasses using saphenous vein grafts, of which 16 had aneurysms that were giant in size. We review the indications for saphenous vein bypasses for complex intracranial aneurysms, surgical techniques, and clinical management strategies.


Active experimentation during intertranslations between digital and physical modelling allow designers to explore new geometrical possibilities. Particularly, while changing the strength of the material, cut operations augment bending performance of the planar surfaces. Keeping in mind the potentiality of bending behavior as a generative tool for computational process, this paper presents the findings of three phased experimentation: implication of cut patterns to 2D planar material, mapping 2D patterns onto 3D surfaces and exploring new 3D free-form surfaces.


The marvelous in Italian literature assumes many forms. I intend to present here three typologies, chosen because they are archetypal and explain the future development of Italian literary taste. First Dante. In his work the epistemic level of the supernatural overlaps the level of the natural. Beatrice, the woman-angel, belongs to the real world, but through her qualities connects this world to the heavenly one. She is said to be a manifestation of the divine, a miracle. Second: episodes of magic in the chivalric poems underline the unforeseeable and the surprising, which always divert the lives of the characters, sometimes offering solutions, other times turning the hero aside from the right path. In Orlando Furioso magic also reveals the hidden wishes of characters and human beings, it is a kind of science of the imagination. Third: in travel literature the marvelous is a recurrent theme, because travel is a way of encountering the unknown, the unbelievable, the prodigious, since Marco Polo's Milione. At the beginning of the modern age new epistemology and disenchantment replace analogies and magic, but the marvelous does not disappear, on the contrary it acquires even more importance with the new science. I will end with few considerations on the marvelous in music in Seventeenth century literature.


State education rankings published by U.S. News and World Report, Education Week, and others, play a prominent role in legislative debate and public discourse concerning education. These rankings are based partly on achievement tests, which measure student learning, and partly on other factors that do not measure student learning. When achievement tests are used as measures of learning in these conventional rankings, they are aggregated in a way that provides misleading results. To overcome these deficiencies, we create a new ranking of state education systems using disaggregated achievement data and excluding less informative factors that are not directly related to learning. Using our methodology changes the order of state rankings considerably. Many states with right-to-work laws in the South and Southwest score much higher. Furthermore, we create another ranking of states based on the efficiency of education spending. In this efficiency ranking, achieving successful outcomes while economizing on education expenditures is considered better than doing so through lavish spending. Again, Southern states that are ranked low in conventional rankings experience a reversal of fortune. Finally, our regression results indicate that unionization has a powerful negative influence on educational outcomes.


Objectives Anticipation and prompt relief of symptoms among patients with a life-limiting illness is a core element of palliative care. Indigenous Australians commonly encounter cultural barriers in healthcare that may impair outcomes. The Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration collects patient care data for the purposes of continuous quality improvement and benchmarking, with each recorded care episode divided into phases that reflect a patient's condition. We aimed to investigate differences between Indigenous and non-Indigenous patients in the occurrence and duration of 'unstable' phases (which indicate unanticipated deterioration in a patient's condition or circumstances), and determine attainment of the relevant benchmark (resolution of unstable phases in ≤3 days in 90% of cases) for both groups. Design Cohort study. Setting Australia-wide hospital-based and community-based specialist palliative care (1 January 2010 to 30 June 2015). Participants 139 556 (1502 Indigenous and 138 054 non-Indigenous) adult patients. Outcome measures Indigenous and non-Indigenous patients were compared on (1) the risk of a phase being categorised as unstable, (2) the duration of unstable phases, and (3) the risk of unstable phases being prolonged (>3 days). Crude and adjusted estimates were produced from three-level robust Poisson regression and complementary log-log discrete time survival models. Results Unstable phases occurred with similar frequency overall among Indigenous and non-Indigenous patients (adjusted relative risks 1.06; 95% CI 1.00 to 1.11; not significant after correction for multiple comparisons). The duration and risk of prolongation of unstable phases were similar in both patient groups, with no significant differences evident among subgroups. The benchmark was not met for either Indigenous or non-Indigenous patients (unstable phase duration >3 days in 24.3% vs 25.5%; p=0.398). Conclusions Despite well-documented shortcomings of healthcare for Indigenous Australians, there is no clear evidence of greater occurrence or prolongation of unanticipated problems among Indigenous patients accessing specialist palliative care services in hospital or the community.