Mainly, this paper focuses on the roles of artificial intelligence based systems and especially on risk-covering operations. In this context, the paper comes with theoretical explanations on real-life based examples and applications. From a general perspective, the paper enriches its value with a wide discussion on the related subject. The paper aims to revise the volatilities' estimation models and the correlations between the various time series and also by presenting the Risk Metrics methodology, as explained is a case study. The advantages that the VaR estimation offers, consist of its ability to quantitatively and numerically express the risk level of a portfolio, at a certain moment in time and also the risk of on open position (in titles, in FX, commodities or granted loans), belonging to an economic agent or even individual; hence, its role in a more efficient capital allocation, in the assumed risk delimitation, and also as a performance measurement instrument. In this paper and the study case that completes our work, we aim to prove how we can prevent considerable losses and even bankruptcies if VaR is known and applied accordingly. For this reason, the universities inRomaniashould include or increase their curricula with the study of the VaR model as an artificial intelligence tool. The simplicity of the presented case study, most probably, is the strongest argument of the current work because it can be understood also by the readers that are not necessarily very experienced in the risk management field.


Loading an appropriate cocatalyst significantly enhances the activity of semiconductor photocatalysts in both conventional one-step water splitting and Z-scheme-type water splitting with a redox couple. In the present study, we examined the catalytic activity of Ru-based cocatalysts for IO3− reduction to improve the efficiency of O2 evolution on a TaON photocatalyst under visible light with an IO3− acceptor, which is an important half component in Z-scheme water splitting systems. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses and electrochemical measurements revealed that the calcination temperature in the loading of Ru species from aqueous RuCl3 significantly affected the catalytic activity for the reduction of IO3−. Calcination at or below 200 °C produced Ru(OH)xCly species that drastically enhanced the reduction of IO3−, whereas that at 300 °C generated conventional RuO2 that showed lower activity for IO3− reduction than Ru(OH)xCly but considerably enhanced the water oxidation. Co-loading the Ru(OH)xCly and Co cation species as water oxidation cocatalysts significantly improved O2 evolution on the TaON photocatalyst by more than a factor of two compared to that loaded with only the conventional RuO2 cocatalyst. This suggests the effectiveness of co-loading two different cocatalysts that are independently optimized for reduction and oxidation.


Media/arts programming is often experimental and exploratory in nature and requires a flexible development environment to enable continually changing requirements and to facilitate iterative design in which the development of software impacts the design of a work of art which in turn produces new requirements for the software. We discuss agile development as it relates to media/arts programming and present aspect-oriented programming and its implementation in Max/MSP using Open Sound Control and the odot library as tool for mobilizing the benefits of agile development.


The paper introduces a new framework for learning probability density functions. A theoretical analysis suggests that we can tailor a distribution for a class of tasks by training it to fit a small subsample. Experimental evidence is given to support the theoretical analysis.


Information professionals have a vested interest in leveraging data to advocate for, justify, and support libraries' political and financial activities. This research explores New York State public library data by analyzing the economic and employment disparities among New York State public libraries, affording steps toward a greater balance in terms of data accessibility and transparency.

Acquiring and warehousing data is neither meaningful nor useful unless a workflow around data mining and analysis is established to ground assessment, recruiting, budgeting, decision-making, benchmarking, and community empowerment. The potential impacts of a dearth in best practices for quickly summarizing and interpreting public and enterprise data culminate not only in lost opportunities but also neglected resources.

This report documents the workflow and insights from an analysis of the Institute of Museum and Library Services' (IMLS) voluntary annual survey of public libraries in the United States from 2008-2011 using the statistical analysis tools R and MS Excel. The authors explored trends in New York State public libraries and found statistical correlations between library location, resources, and employee education with analysis steps that could be reproducible for libraries globally and nation-wide.

Libraries may ostensibly seem behind the curve in understanding how to quickly assess the community. Yet librarians can leverage local data and international trends to better serve their respective communities, taking business insights and transforming them into public library ethos.


ABSTRACT The Kivu rift is located in the bordering region of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, in the western branch of the East African rift. Here, the active volcanoes Nyamulagira (the most active in Africa) and Nyiragongo (host to the largest persistent lava lake on Earth) threaten the city of Goma and neighboring agglomerations, and destructive earthquakes can also affect the region. Despite this high level of hazard, modern seismic monitoring infrastructure was lacking in the area until very recently, leaving many aspects about the volcanic activity and seismicity up to speculation. In order to remedy this unsatisfactory situation, the first dense real‐time telemetered broadband seismic network, KivuSNet, was deployed in the region, with the first two stations in 2012/2013 followed by six additional ones in 2014. Since October 2015, a network of 13 stations is running in the Kivu rift, and with currently seven additional stations in the process of installation, this network is under continuous development. KivuSNet opens a new window for the seismological knowledge in this highly active rifting region. It allows for unprecedented insights into tectonic and volcanic seismicity, tremor patterns, and Earth structure as well as for sustainable real‐time monitoring of the volcanoes. Together with the often collocated KivuGNet geodetic stations, KivuSNet closes a dramatic observational gap in this region. This article presents the key features of the network, discusses technical aspects, and provides an overview of first results obtained using the thus far acquired data, showing KivuSNet's wide potential.


We face an increasing reliance on software-based services, applications, platforms, and infrastructures to accomplish daily activities. It is possible to introduce vulnerabilities during any software life cycle and these vulnerabilities could lead to security attacks. It is known that as the software complexity increases, discovering a new security vulnerability introduced by subsequent updates and code changes becomes difficult. This can be seen from the rate of new vulnerabilities discovered after a software release. IT Products' vulnerabilities sometimes remain undiscovered for many years. In this paper, we report our study of IT products' source codes using software maturity models and the history of vulnerabilities discovered. We use this data to develop a model to predict the number of security vulnerabilities contained in a product, including undiscovered vulnerabilities. Our proposed approach can be used to explore proactive strategies for mitigating the risks due to zero-day vulnerabilities. Keywords–Vulnerabilities; Metrics; Models.


Abstract. Secondary Organic Aerosols (SOA) studied in previous laboratory experiments generally showed only slight hygroscopic growth, but a much better activity as a CCN (Cloud Condensation Nucleus) than indicated by the hygroscopic growth. This discrepancy was examined at LACIS (Leipzig Aerosol Cloud Interaction Simulator), using a portable generator that produced SOA particles from the ozonolysis of α-pinene, and adding butanol or butanol and water vapor during some of the experiments. The light scattering signal of dry SOA-particles was measured by the LACIS optical particle spectrometer and was used to derive a refractive index for SOA of 1.45. LACIS also measured the hygroscopic growth of SOA particles up to 99.6% relative humidity (RH), and a CCN counter was used to measure the particle activation. SOA-particles were CCN active with critical diameters of e.g. 100 nm and 55 nm at super-saturations of 0.4% and 1.1%, respectively. But only slight hygroscopic growth with hygroscopic growth factors ≤1.05 was observed at RH 98%, the hygroscopic growth increased stronger than would be expected if a constant hygroscopicity parameter for the particle/droplet solution was assumed. An increase of the hygroscopicity parameter by a factor of 4–6 was observed in the RH-range from below 90% to 99.6%, and this increase continued for increasingly diluted particle solutions for activating particles. This explains an observation already made in the past: that the relation between critical super-saturation and dry diameter for activation is steeper than what would be expected for a constant value of the hygroscopicity. Combining measurements of hygroscopic growth and activation, it was found that the surface tension that has to be assumed to interpret the measurements consistently is greater than 55 mN/m, possibly close to that of pure water, depending on the different SOA-types produced, and therefore only in part accounts for the discrepancy between hygroscopic growth and CCN activity observed for SOA particles in the past.


Although adversarial samples of deep neural networks (DNNs) have been intensively studied on static images, their extensions in videos are never explored. Compared with images, attacking a video needs to consider not only spatial cues but also temporal cues. Moreover, to improve the imperceptibility as well as reduce the computation cost, perturbations should be added on as few frames as possible, i.e., adversarial perturbations are temporally sparse. This further motivates the propagation of perturbations, which denotes that perturbations added on the current frame can transfer to the next frames via their temporal interactions. Thus, no (or few) extra perturbations are needed for these frames to misclassify them. To this end, we propose the first white-box video attack method, which utilizes an l2,1-norm based optimization algorithm to compute the sparse adversarial perturbations for videos. We choose the action recognition as the targeted task, and networks with a CNN+RNN architecture as threat models to verify our method. Thanks to the propagation, we can compute perturbations on a shortened version video, and then adapt them to the long version video to fool DNNs. Experimental results on the UCF101 dataset demonstrate that even only one frame in a video is perturbed, the fooling rate can still reach 59.7%.


This study examines the role played by violence in poor academic achievement. Violence perpetrated by the stakeholders, i.e. teachers, pupils, the community, is the main focus of this study. The matric results of the school, over the last six years, are looked into. The observation reveals a constant decline in matric passes. Observations, questionnaires and interviews were the research tools used in this study. Pupils experience a lot of violence at school, perpetrated by teachers and fellow students. Outside the school premises most of the violence is perpetrated by gangs. Boys are more frequently the victims of violence. Girls experience most violence in the home. Pupils believe that violence does not affect their academic work. This unexpected finding can be explained by referring to widespread violence in the area and to violence being common in the recent past. Respondents have experienced violence so much that, to them, it has become a norm. This is why they do not attribute their poor academic performance to violence. Some of the respondents have been exposed to gruesome violence in most cases culminating in maiming and loss of life. Acts of violence, like slapping, sexual harassment and threatening, are not considered to be violence at all. Levels of school violence are escalating, and academic results are declining. This research project suggests that there may be a relationship between these two trends. CHAPTER


Superoxide dismutases (SODs) are metalloproteins which bring about dismutation of super-oxides and prevent biological damage of cellular components during oxidative stress. The malarial parasite plasmodium falciparum has a well developed defense system which in-cludes superoxide dismutase, to scavenge free radicals and combat oxidative stress during the erythrocytic stage of its life cycle. Alignment studies of the primary structure of plasmo-dium falciparum SOD (PfFe-SOD) have shown it to be structurally distinct from human cy-tosolic copper-zinc SOD1 (Cu-ZnSOD1). This feature makes it a potential target for ther-apy. A search for new targets as well as drugs is essential due to the phenomenon of drug re-sistance to chloroquine which is the drug of choice for treatment of malaria. A few potential inhibitors from the library of synthetic molecules have already been studied using recombi-nant PfFe-SOD by Soulere et al. Three of the fifteen effective lead molecules SP72, SP13 and SP59 show significant inhibition of recombinant PfFe-SOD. However, no attempt was made to investigate whether these lead molecules interact with the host Cu-ZnSOD1. In this study, the lead molecules showing significant inhibition were prepared using Marvin sketch. Cu-ZnSOD1 and PfFe-SOD was docked to these lead molecules and the energy values obtained. The results indicate almost equal affinity of the lead molecules to both, host and parasite, SOD. In conclusion, this study shows that compounds which are found to be quite effective inhibitors of recombinant enzyme in vitro need to be validated by alternate methods since, in the living system, compounds tend to deviate from their in vitro behavior in an unpredicted way. Computational tools such as insilico docking provide the scientist with an alternate base for validation of lead molecules.


This doctoral thesis deals with the current problem of osteoarticular system and trochanteric fracture treatment of people who are 60 or more years old. The fracture is treated by extramedular implants, DHS-YU, selfdynamizing fixator-Mitkovic and DHS-Richards. The thesis contains both experimental and clinical part of study. In the experimental part of the thesis, you can find a research carried out on biomechanic characteristics of the implants and dinamization at the axis neck under cyclic loading. Wooden femur models with virtual trochanteric fracture are used (under fracture corner of 45o) and they are fixed with a corresponding implant. At the Faculty of Engineering in Nis, a research was carried out with a specific instrument used for cyclic examination. It has been used for the implant testing since 2007. Wooden femur models are used for testing the implant resistence on the axial force. As an equipment part, we used a "twitcher" (Veb Thuringer Raunsteim). During the procedure we used power of 1000N. One hundred and fifty patients who were 60 or more years old, took part in the clinical prospective study.They all had a trochanteric fracture and were all treated with the dynamic extramedular implant, DHS-YU, self-dynamizing fixator-Mitkovic and DHS-Richards, at the orthopedic ward in Cuprija and at the orthopedic clinical ward in the Health Center in Nis. The research period lasted from January 1st 1995 to June 1st 2010. The following parameters were recorded: the patients' sex and age, fracture type and operation duration, blood compensation, application of antibiotics, pain, range of movement, muscle power, verticalization time, curtailment of the limb operated on, patients' walk and activity after operation. Mechanic complications, superficial and deep infections, duration of hospitalization, mortality and final functional results were also recorded. The final treatment results were estimeted with Salvati-Wilson scale modified by Todorovic and Jevtic. The author has come to conclusions which are reliable and applicable.
Momcilo Todorovic – Doktorska disertacija
Komparativna analiza rezultata lecenja trohanternih preloma
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During the test of dynamization of the neck axis with cyclic loading applied on the femur model, the dynamization happens in an early phase in the case of all the three implants. During the testing process of the continual axial force at 1000N, none of the implants' plastic is deformed. Apart from dynamization in the neck axis, existing in all the three extramedular implants, dynamization along the axis of the femur, existing in the selfdynamizing inner fixator-Mitkovic, has an advantage when we compare it with the other extramedular implants. According to the clinical research results, in the treatment of femur trochanteric fracture with dynamic extramedular implants (DHS-YU, selfdynamizing inner fixator Mitkovic, DHS-Richards) we can say that all the implants are anatomically and functionally very efficient. The treatment of trochanteric fractures treated with DHS-YU implants compared with the treatment of trochanteric fractures treated with DHS-Richards implants, shows that better results are achieved with DHS-implants if we consider patients' supporter,walk and activity after operation. It has been confirmed that there is no great statistic difference in the analyzed parameters between patients who are treated with DHS YU extramedular implant and patients treated with selfdynamizing inner fixator – Mitkovic. The study results are very important for trochanteric fracture treatment applied on older patients.


In the past, patients put their lives in the care of doctors in blind trust that the doctors would care for them. This kind of trust is no longer common particularly in the western industrialized nations but the same cannot be said about patients in Ghana and Sub-Sahara Africa. The first concern was whether paternalism was essential in medical practice in Ghana. The second was whether paternalism as an ethical standard should be considered from the ethical lens of the western industrialized nations, rather than from the African cultural context. This entailed a review and examination of the literature on paternalism. We searched databases such as PubMed, Medline and others for reports, editorials and published papers in the English Language. A search on Goggle Scholar on "paternalism in medical practice in Africa" yielded over 380,000 entries and "paternalism in medical practice in Ghana" yielded 2.1 million but more than 99% were not relevant in each instant. Hand searching of selected printed journals and grey literature such as technical reports, conference proceedings and workshops were also assessed. The studies that met the inclusion criteria were given additional review but those with poor methodology were excluded but discussed in this review. I assigned an overall score and identified the position taken in the publication or report in relation to the objectives and rated them objectively. The papers that received scores above 2.5 out of 4 in the evaluation were further analyzed. I summarized the findings into their respective units, and interpreted them based upon my skills, knowledge and specialization in medico-legal ethics, public health and law. The result shows that not enough research has been done on whether or not paternalism should be encouraged as a regular feature of medical practice in Ghana due to the lack of education. It also shows that paternalism enhances the health seeking behavior of patients despite developments on patient autonomy and capacity. Where the average patient is illiterate in general and in medical matters, the paternalism of the physician may be inevitable. Ethical standards such as Informed Consent, Autonomy, Due Process, Benevolence and No malfeasance should be defined and operationalized in clinical practice within the cultural context of Sub-Sahara Africa. A systematic indigenization of medico-legal ethical concerns in medical practice is needed in Ghana.


In transfer learning we aim to solve new problems using fewer examples using information gained from solving related problems. Transfer learning has been successful in practice, and extensive PAC analysis of these methods has been developed. However it is not yet clear how to define relatedness between tasks. This is considered as a major problem as it is conceptually troubling and it makes it unclear how much information to transfer and when and how to transfer it. In this paper we propose to measure the amount of information one task contains about another using conditional Kolmogorov complexity between the tasks. We show how existing theory neatly solves the problem of measuring relatedness and transferring the 'right' amount of information in sequential transfer learning in a Bayesian setting. The theory also suggests that, in a very formal and precise sense, no other reasonable transfer method can do much better than our Kolmogorov Complexity theoretic transfer method, and that sequential transfer is always justified. We also develop a practical approximation to the method and use it to transfer information between 8 arbitrarily chosen databases from the UCI ML repository.


Due to the different views in economics the prohibition of excessive prices is among the most controversial subjects within EU competition law. This article aims to shed some light on this concept. In the following, it first identifies the exceptional circumstances that may justify antitrust actions against excessive pricing. Subsequently, an empirical research is undertaken on the two-step analytical framework established by United Brands: first, analysing whether the profit margin is excessive; if affirmative, then assessing whether the price is unfair in itself or compared with others. In particular, it focuses on the three uncertainties within that framework: (i) determining an excessive profit margin, (ii) examining whether a price is abusive in itself, and (iii) demonstrating an abusive price based on benchmarks.


Old and new terminologies in communication studies spin mercantile metaphors of transportation and distribution that cover like a veil the field's rootedness in a capitalist lexicon and a capitalist history. Its threads bewilder enough to have spurred harmonising and differentiating accounts in communication theory and conceptions of the public—veils of capitalist justifications firmly tethered in the evolution of capitalist society. Thus an industrialising past of commercial interests also knits accounts today of "communication" and "the public." Woven as a well-conventionalised lexicon, a few threads tether the rest, obdurately, in plain sight. "Message," "network," "audience," "content," among others, support a capitalist past and a fast-capitalist present. Communication theory thus becomes a useful tool of fast capitalism.


This preliminary clinical trial evaluated 12 month clinical performance of novel filling composite resin system which combines short fiber-reinforced composite resin and conventional particulate filler composite resin in high stress bearing applications. A total of 37 class I and II restorations (compound and complex type) were placed in 6 premolars and 31 molars. The restorations were reviewed clinically at 6 months (baseline) and 12 months using modified USPHS codes change criteria for marginal adaptation, post-operative sensitivity, pulpal pain and secondary caries criteria. Photographs and x-rays were obtained for restorative analysis. Results of 12 months evaluation showed 5 restorations having little marginal leakage (B score) and 1 patient had minor pulpal symptom and post-operative sensitivity (B score). No secondary caries or bulk fracture was detected. The majority of restorations exhibited A scores of the evaluated criteria. After 12 months, restorations combining base of short fiber reinforced composite resin as substructure and surface layer of hybrid composite resin displayed promising performance in high load bearing areas.


Burrowing Owls (Athene eunieularia) nest in burrow systems, and their nests harbor at least 39 different species of arthropods (21 families; Philips and Dindal 1977), some of which potentially parasitize adult owls and their young. In southern Idaho, adult and young Burrowing Owls can have >100 ectoparasites (pers. obs.). Similar high levels of ectoparasitism have had negative effects on other bird species (e.g., Moller 1990, Clayton 1991, Moller 1993, Richner et al. 1993, Moller et al. 1994, McFadzen and Marzluff 1996). Information on the incidence of ectoparasitism is particularly important because Burrowing Owl populations are declining throughout many portions of the range (James and Espie 1997, Sheffield 1997, Wellicome et al. 1997, Kirk and Hyslop 1998, Clayton and Schmutz 1999). The objective of our study was to collect and identify ectoparasites on Burrowing Owls that were nesting in the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area (SRBPNCA) in southwestern Idaho. Herein, we identify the relative abundance of the four species of ectoparasites that we collected from adults and broods of young. We also report two new species of flea from Burrowing Owl nests in Idaho, one of which has never been reported throughout the owl's range.


Background and purpose: Body composition evaluation during health screenings and physical examination is important for health professionals (including physical therapists) to categorize health risk and prescribe appropriate exercise interventions. In addition to measuring bone mineral density, dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) can provide precise measurement of body fat percentage with minimal radiation exposure. However, having access to DXA is very costly and other common body fat measurements are no very accurate. The purpose of this study was to develop body fat prediction equations for bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and skinfold measurement, using DXA data as the criterion. Methods: This was a within-group study with repeated measures. Sixty three college age students participated in the study. Subject's body fat percentage was examined with DXA, BIA, and the 3-site skinfold measurements. Results: Body fat percentage measured with DXA (26.27% is significantly higher than those measured with skinfold (17.64% and BIA (20.70%). The DXA criterion regression equations were created for skinfold and BIA: DXA% BF=4.65+0.43 × S3SF (sum of 3 site skinfold in mm); DXA% BF=3.79+1.09 × BIA% BF. The new regression equations were further validated using 75% -25% subject crossvalidation. Discussion: Body fat percentage varies greatly among different measurements. Adjustments are necessary to accurately predict body fat percentage when using skinfold or BIA techniques at a clinical setting. The limitation of the study is that it is unclear if the results can be generalized to subjects of a different age group and ethnicities. Implication for physiotherapy practice: Obtaining an accurate body fat percentage measurement is important for health promotion and cardiovascular risk screening. Although skin-fold and BIA equipment are more readily available, their results underestimate the body fat percentage and may mislead clinicians on the wellbeing of the patient.


While dopamine input to the dorsal striatum is well-known to be critical for action selection, including alcohol-motivated behaviors, it is unknown whether changes in phasic dopamine accompany these behaviors. Long-term alcohol abuse is believed to promote alterations in the neurocircuitry of reward learning in both ventral and dorsal striatum, potentially through increasing dopamine release. Using fast-scan cyclic voltammetry, we measured phasic dopamine release in the dorsal and ventral striatum during alcoholic and nonalcoholic reward-seeking behavior and reward-related cues in rats trained on a variable-interval schedule of reinforcement. We observed robust phasic dopamine release in the dorsolateral striatum after reinforced lever presses and inconsistent dopamine release in the dorsomedial striatum. Contrary to our expectations, alcohol did not enhance dopamine release in rats drinking alcoholic rewards. Cue-induced dopamine release was also observed in the nucleus accumbens core of rats drinking the reward solutions. These data demonstrate that alcoholic and nonalcoholic reward self-administration on a variable-interval schedule of reinforcement in rats is accompanied by phasic dopamine release time-locked to reinforcement in the dorsolateral striatum and the nucleus accumbens, but not the dorsomedial striatum.


Past research found that messages in popular television promote fame as a top value, while social media allows anyone to reach broad audience. Adolescents ages 11-17 are more likely to value fame, wealth, and image over community, affiliation, and self-acceptance. Teens may become addicted to the peer connection and affirmation they are able to get via social media. As a result, young audiences may be highly influenced at this stage of development and their value system may be influenced negatively by their use of social media? Despite this research, some researchers see adolescent social media use well within normal socialization, as "kids will be kids" noting that many elements of the American teen culture remain unchanged in the digital age. This research explores these expectations through indepth interviews of teens and an exhaustive literature review of scholarly articles on this topic. I used a survey questionnaire from "My Pop Studio," an interactive educational media literacy resource developed by the Media Education Lab. A convenience sample of teenagers (between the ages of 11-17) took the "celebrity quiz" from the My Pop Studio website using a think out loud protocol where I observed them taking the quiz and had them explain to me their choices for their response. Findings reveal how teens value television, music, magazines, and online media and were the way they connect to these media forms. This research found that teenagers valued being "liked" and in some instances, being famous. Moreover, they demonstrated values such as confidence and community, revealing that teens' identity and social development may be affected by participation in a media saturated culture. Through this lens, I explore current emerging themes in the current value system of teens. Because ego is a representation of self, it is important for this study to investigate the development of egos in young audiences who use social media. Based on the findings, it is evident that the rise of social media is connected to the development of self-esteem in teens. The implications of social media use, in particular, YouTube, can build character and confidence through self-identity and creativity. It can also help promote social identity in groups.


Work motivation prevails when there is alignment between individual and organisational goals. Work motivation also comes into being when achievement of organisational goals is associated with personally desired outcomes, such as a sense of achievement or personal gain. While work performance is dependent on, or limited by, resource availability and worker competencies, the presence of these factors is not sufficient as such, to ensure desired worker performance. This is the reason why companies all over the world consciously include motivating employees as part of their strategies. When a company embarks on strategies to motivate employees without specific goals, those strategies will not be as beneficial to the company, and outcomes may not be as positive as the strategy makers may have hoped for. Specific goals in terms of strategy and performance must be stipulated beforehand and ways to measure the required performance standards should be in place. Employees should be made aware of such efforts and how their performance will be measured. A company that makes an effort to motivate its employees will remain competitive and more productive in the long run. This dissertation seeks to establish whether motivational strategies implemented at Metsimaholo District Hospital have achieved the required results of improving employees' performance. For any company to survive and stay competitive, it is very important that its employees are motivated, because motivated employees in a motivating environment will easily be driven to believe that if they put more effort in performance, their needs will be met. When employees feel their personal needs are met at their workplace, they find fulfilment throug~l performance of their duties. They become productive and the company can achieve its production needs and reach its desired level of service delivery.


Focal adhesion kinase pulls paxillin from nudel to allow maturation of focal contacts. The sites at which integrins mediate the interaction of a cell with the substrate are focal contacts (FCs); these begin as nascent adhesion sites that transmit stronger tension forces and may mature into focal complexes (FXs) and eventually into the largest molecular complex, called the focal adhesion (FA), which transmits weaker forces. FCs are dynamic structures, and cells must regulate their formation and disassembly in order to migrate or withstand forces. Nudel is a protein that functions in microtubule-based processes and participates in cell migration by promoting the activity of the guanosine triphosphatase Cdc42. Shan et al. provide evidence that nudel also contributes to cell migration by interacting with paxillin, a FC-associated protein that interacts directly with integrins. In nudel-depleted cells, forced expression of active Cdc42 or Rac1 failed to completely restore cell motility and cell spreading, which appeared to be due to decreased formation of nascent adhesion sites. Nudel-depleted cells exhibited a collapse of the cell periphery associated with large FAs and stress fibers at the periphery. Nudel interacted with paxillin, based on coimmunoprecipitation experiments of tagged proteins and in vitro assays with purified proteins. In cells, cross-correlation microscopy revealed that nudel and paxillin colocalized at the leading edge of the cell, but not right behind the leading edge. Expression of a fusion protein of nudel to paxillin reduced FA motility (FAs typically exhibit centripetal movement) and enhanced the adhesion of cells exposed to shear force, suggesting that nudel promotes the strength of adhesion. Nudel was not detected in FXs or FAs, which exhibit weaker adhesion strength. Overexpression of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) abolished the coimmunoprecipitation of tagged nudel and paxillin. This required the FAT domain, through which FAK binds paxillin, but did not require kinase activity. Depletion of FAK with RNAi promoted the interaction between paxillin and nudel. Overexpression of FAK mutants in the "open" or active conformation that also contained a functional FAT domain promoted the formation of polygonal cells, instead of the typical round cells, and was associated with loss of FXs. The authors propose that the association of nudel with paxillin strengthens nascent adhesions to promote stable membrane protrusions at the leading edge and that the interaction of paxillin with FAK at FAs facilitates retraction of the trailing edge. Y. Shan, L. Yu, Y. Li, Y. Pan, Q. Zhang, F. Wang, J. Chen, X. Zhu, Nudel and FAK as antagonizing strength modulators of nascent adhesions through paxillin. PLoS Biol. 7, e1000116 (2009). [Online Journal]


We have measured the radial light profiles and global shapes of bars using two-dimensional 3.6 μm image decompositions for 144 face-on barred galaxies from the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies. The bar surface brightness profile is correlated with the stellar mass and bulge-to-total (B/T) ratio of their host galaxies. Bars in massive and bulge-dominated galaxies (B/T > 0.2) show a flat profile, while bars in less massive, disk-dominated galaxies (B/T ∼ 0) show an exponential, disk-like profile with a wider spread in the radial profile than in the bulge-dominated galaxies. The global two-dimensional shapes of bars, however, are rectangular/boxy, independent of the bulge or disk properties. We speculate that because bars are formed out of disks, bars initially have an exponential (disk-like) profile that evolves over time, trapping more disk stars to boxy bar orbits. This leads bars to become stronger and have flatter profiles. The narrow spread of bar radial profiles in more massive disks suggests that these bars formed earlier (z > 1), while the disk-like profiles and a larger spread in the radial profile in less massive systems imply a later and more gradual evolution, consistent with the cosmological evolution of bars inferred from observational studies. Therefore, we expect that the flatness of the bar profile can be used as a dynamical age indicator of the bar to measure the time elapsed since the bar formation. We argue that cosmic gas accretion is required to explain our results on bar profile and the presence of gas within the bar region.


Huge amounts of climate and remote sensing data have been stored by several institutions in the past few years. Properly analyzed, these databases can reveal useful information, which can help researchers to monitor and esti mate the production of agricultural crops. Recently, the information and knowl edge discovered from these data have also been used for research on climate changes as well as to increase the sustainable use of the soil, making farms more productive. Data mining techniques are the main tool to analyze and ex tract useful information, relationships and meaningful patterns. Accordingly, this paper presents a new unsupervised algorithm, called CLIPSMiner (Climate Patterns Miner) that aims at discovering relevant patterns with specific con straints in climate and remote sensing time series. This new algorithm works on multiple time series of continuous data, identifying all patterns or the most relevant ones according to a relevance factor, which can be tuned by the user. Experiments with synthetic and real data were performed. The results show that the algorithm detects some patterns that are known in climatology, as expected, indicating the correctness and feasibility of the proposed algorithm. Moreover, patterns detected using the highest relevance factor are coincident with extreme phenomena as many days without rain or heavy rain. This new algorithm can be used by climatology specialists to mine and discover knowledge from their long series of past and forecasting data.


Diet can affect cognitive ability and behaviour in children and adolescents. Nutrient composition and meal pattern can exert immediate or long-term, beneficial or adverse effects. Beneficial effects mainly result from the correction of poor nutritional status. For example, thiamin treatment reverses aggressiveness in thiamin-deficient adolescents. Deleterious behavioural effects have been suggested; for example, sucrose and additives were once suspected to induce hyperactivity, but these effects have not been confirmed by rigorous investigations. In spite of potent biological mechanisms that protect brain activity from disruption, some cognitive functions appear sensitive to short-term variations of fuel (glucose) availability in certain brain areas. A glucose load, for example, acutely facilitates mental performance, particularly on demanding, long-duration tasks. The mechanism of this often described effect is not entirely clear. One aspect of diet that has elicited much research in young people is the intake/omission of breakfast. This has obvious relevance to school performance. While effects are inconsistent in well-nourished children, breakfast omission deteriorates mental performance in malnourished children. Even intelligence scores can be improved by micronutrient supplementation in children and adolescents with very poor dietary status. Overall, the literature suggests that good regular dietary habits are the best way to ensure optimal mental and behavioural performance at all times. Then, it remains controversial whether additional benefit can be gained from acute dietary manipulations. In contrast, children and adolescents with poor nutritional status are exposed to alterations of mental and/or behavioural functions that can be corrected, to a certain extent, by dietary measures.


A 6 cm thick K-bentonite, herein defined as the Russell Bed, occurs in an Upper Ordovician deep-basin shale succession in eastern Ontario, Canada, forming part of the distal Taconic foreland in eastern North America. The bed lies within the pygmaeus graptolite Biozone, which is about 451 to 452 Ma in age. Although some bentonites are reported from this interval in eastern North America, we are reporting the first set of compositional data for a bentonite of this age. Gamma-log correlation identifies a potential minimum distribution area of <2×105 km2 for the K-bentonite, covering part of southern Quebec, New York State and eastern Ontario. The deposit coincides with the first influx of distal turbdites into this shale basin, associated with Taconic flysch, and simultaneous abrupt ventilation of the once anoxic deep-water basin, which had formed initially after foundering of the Upper Ordovician carbonate platform. Concurrent intrabasinal extinction of several graptolite species suggests that change in sedimentation, palaeoceanography and volcanism were linked to a regional external process. Compositionally, the bentonite is distinct from the older Ordovician platform deposits in eastern North America. The deposit contains abundant titaniferous phlogopite with 1.6% BaO, fluoroapatite with 2.5% F, and dynamically shaped glass spherules now altered to clay. The spherules and clay matrix constitute 45% of the bed and, compositionally, define an illite (>90%)–smectite (I/S) structure with about 7.5% K2O%. Age-dating by Ar–Ar analysis of the phlogopite crystals yielded a younger than expected (440–445 Ma) age. This difference, along with evidence of localized chloritization of phlogopite, likely reflects known post-Ordovician hydrothermal activity within the basin. On the basis of several geochemical proxies, the magmatic source of the Russell K-bentonite falls within the trachyandesite field and was Ba-enriched. Comparison of geochemistry and mineralogy with older, Middle to Late Ordovician and younger Early Silurian K-bentonites within the Taconic orogen along eastern Laurentia and Baltica reveals that the potential source magma for the Russell Bed was more mafic, more alkaline, and less fractionated than sources typical of older (platform) bentonites. Instead, it is more similar to the younger Llandovery bentonites of Scandinavia and Scotland. It remains uncertain if it signals local or regional compositional change in volcanic source in the northern Appalachians.


In this paper we present LazyBrush, a novel interactive tool for painting hand-made cartoon drawings and animations. Its key advantage is simplicity and flexibility. As opposed to previous custom tailored approaches [SBv05, QWH06] LazyBrush does not rely on style specific features such as homogenous regions or pattern continuity yet still offers comparable or even less manual effort for a broad class of drawing styles. In addition to this, it is not sensitive to imprecise placement of color strokes which makes painting less tedious and brings significant time savings in the context cartoon animation. LazyBrush originally stems from requirements analysis carried out with professional ink-and-paint illustrators who established a list of useful features for an ideal painting tool. We incorporate this list into an optimization framework leading to a variant of Potts energy with several interesting theoretical properties. We show how to minimize it efficiently and demonstrate its usefulness in various practical scenarios including the ink-and-paint production pipeline.


Potential structural changes among eight North America natural gas spot markets are investigated. Evidence from parameter instability tests of the long-run pricing relationship infers possible structural changes occurred around 2000 and again around 2009. Possible contributing factors to the structural changes around 2000 are U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Order, California's electricity crisis, 9/11 terrorist attacks, changes in imports, and increased price volatility. The likely major contributing factor to the break occurring around 2009 is the shale gas revolution. Extreme weather events appear to cause transient instability, which should not be considered structural shifts. Results shade some light on why previous studies have conflicting results; the failure to consider structural changes. Further studies regarding potential structural changes and their effects on the natural gas market are necessary.


The recent global financial and economic crisis which started in the United States and expanded to other developed countries has, to some extent, affected developing countries as well. Given the vulnerability of most developing countries, it is important to monitor the impact of this global crisis on poverty. This study, therefore, aims to assess the impact of the crisis on poverty in the Philippines. The result of this study would serve as inputs to policymakers in prioritizing mitigating measures that would address the impact of the crisis. In this study, monitoring is done primarily through the conduct of CBMS surveys in selected sentinel sites. Household- and community-level data were collected to capture the different dimensions of poverty. In addition to the CBMS core indicators, specific indicators (including the outcome and impact indicators) were monitored to determine the impact of the global crisis. These indicators were identified based on the relevant key transmission channels for the Philippines including overseas employment and remittances, and local employment. The study also looked at the different coping mechanisms adopted by the households in response to the crisis. The study also attempted to identify who are able to access the programs which were being implemented in the community. Ten (10) barangays all over the Philippines were selected to serve as poverty observatories or sentinel sites for monitoring the impact of the global crisis. Selection of these sites was also based on the relevant transmission channels for the Philippines. Results reveal that although the impact of the crisis is generally minimal, the crisis has affected some specific sectors in the economy. The degree of impact also varies among different groups of households. Hence, policies should be designed to mitigate the impact of the crisis on these affected sectors and groups of households.


AIM
Foramina transversaria (FT) are located on the transverse processes of cervical vertebrae. These foramina are known to exhibit variations with regard to size, shape and may even be absent or duplicated. The aims of this study are to investigate the shape, size and variations of FT in an ancient population and to point out the importance of double FT in the human anatomy. MATERIAL and

METHODS
262 ancient skeletons, dated 6th c AD, were unearthed from the Iasos Archaeological site between 1979 and 1987. Of these skeletons, 22 cervical vertebrae belonging to 21 individual skeletons were examined for the variations of FT.

RESULTS
Fifteen (68.2%) of the skeletons were male and 6 were female. All of the FT were round in shape. Among the 22 cervical vertebrae, double FT was found in 5 (22.7%) vertebrae, while unilateral in 3 and bilateral in 2. Asymmetrical FT was observed only in one (4.5%) vertebra. The mean diameter of FT was 6.2 mm in the right side and 6.4 mm in the left.

CONCLUSION
Double FT exists since the antiquity. The recognition of this variation provides safety and effectiveness for the posterior approaches of the cervical spine.


Comprehensive information for the American aluminium industry Collective effort of 53 recognized experts on aluminium and aluminium alloys Joint venture by world renowned authorities-the Aluminium Association Inc. and American Society for Metals. The completely updated source of information on aluminium industry as a whole rather than its individual contributors. this book is an opportunity to gain from The knowledge of the experts working for prestigious companies such as Alcoa, Reynolds Metals Co., Alcan International Ltd., Kaiser Aluminium & Chemical Corp., Martin Marietta Laboratories and Anaconda Aluminium Co. It took four years of diligent work to complete this comprehensive successor to the classic volume, Aluminium, published by ASM in 1967. Contents: Properties of Pure Aluminum Constitution of Alloys Microstructure of Alloys Work Hardening Recovery, Recrystalization and Growth Metallurgy of Heat Treatment and General Principles of Precipitation Hardening Effects of Alloying Elements and Impurities on Properties Corrosion Behaviour Properties of Commercial Casting Alloys Properties of Commercial Wrought Alloys Aluminum Powder and Powder Metallurgy Products.


Going to psychotherapy represents an atypical, usually unanticipated, and often emotionally significant experience in the life course. As with many such events, people construct stories about therapy experiences in order to make sense out of them and to provide their lives with a sense of unity and purpose. Yet beyond these purposes, the storying of psychotherapy is also central to the maintenance of the therapeutic gains achieved during the course of treatment (e.g., Frank, 1961; Spence, 1982). In the present study, the psychotherapy stories of 76 community adults are assessed using grounded theory methodology to determine narrative patterns that distinguish between individuals who currently show different constellations of psychological health. Two dimensions of current psychological health — ego development, or complex meaning making processes, and psychological well-being — serve as the basis for comparisons between participants. Four ways of storying psychotherapy are described, and preliminary interpretations for these types are suggested. In summary: participants high in ego development and high in well-being emphasized their personal agency throughout their stories; participants high in ego development and low in well-being prominently featured their therapists and pointed to the therapeutic alliance as the mechanism of treatment; participants low in ego development and high in well-being adopted components of dominant cultural narratives of therapy; and the stories of participants low in ego development and low in well-being presented an interpretive challenge, lacking a certain standard of narrative coherence. The themes we identified lay the groundwork for future research on the narrative construction of psychotherapy and may prove useful to clinicians as they strive to help their clients to co-construct successful stories about their therapeutic work together.


Despite the sustained media attention surrounding internet trolling, academic studies investigating its occurrence are rare. This study aimed to provide a case study analysis of the behaviours and strategies of a group of alleged Twitter trolls referred to as the anti-McCanns due to their continual abuse of Kate and Gerry McCann as well as those who support them and thus identify as pro-McCann. The way in which language was used to construct the anti-McCanns group identity, enhance in-group cohesion and facilitate out-group disassociation from the pro-Mccann group was additionally explored, given that previous research has implicated group processes in the propagation of aggressive online conduct. A multi-method approach involving a combination of ethnographic observations and the collection of online commentary was employed. The data was then analysed using quantitative content analysis and discourse analysis, which indicated that language was utilised in a variety of ways by the anti-McCanns to construct a salient group identity and negatively stereotype and disassociate from the pro-McCann group. Findings additionally revealed that several strategies were employed by the anti-McCann trolls to provoke and derogate members of the pro-McCann group, supporting previous findings which have linked trolling to both western media culture and the characteristics of anti-social personality disorder. The implications of these findings both theoretical and practical are discussed, alongside recommendations for future research.


The South Sudanese parties to the conflict signed the Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (ARCISS) in August 2015 and essentially agreed to establish a federal system of government. This raises three critical questions. First, do the people of South Sudan support the establishment of federalism as envisioned by the warring parties? Second, does the public actually understand what it means to establish and run a federal system of government? Finally, how could self-governing objectives and national unity objectives be reconciled? This study, therefore, is an attempt to answer these questions. This is necessary because there is an apparent lack of broader understanding of the current system of government, much less the proposed federal system in South Sudan. The results of the study are summarized as follows:


This study explored how co-planning, shared workspace, and grade equivalent content knowledge impacted a co-teaching team ( one special education teacher and one regular education teacher in the same room) working in the consultant teacher model (a special education teacher working in a classroom containing both regular and special education students). Participants for the study consisted of seven regular education teachers and three consultant (special education) teachers from a suburban, middle class, elementary school consisting of approximately four hundred students K-5. Data for the research study was collected over a period. of seven weeks through pre-study questionnaires, journal entries, field notes gathered through peer menJoring sessions, and a post-study questionnaire. According to this study, participants cited opportunities to exchange ideas, organize materials, and define instructional roles as the key impacts of co-planning. Another conclusion of this study was that shared workspace provided increased opportunities for small group and differentiated instruction within consultant teacher model classrooms. In addition, this study identified grade specific content knowledge significantly iiilpacted individual instructional roles. While this study focused on the impact of co-planning, shared workspace, and grade specific content knowledge on a co-teaching relationship, it also identified flexibility, communication, and defined roles as additional elements to consider for future research.


We present new empirical evidence on the contextual nature of the predictive power of five statistically-based quarterly earnings expectation models evaluated on a holdout period spanning the twelve quarters from 2000-2002. In marked contrast to extant time-series work, the random walk with drift (RWD) model provides significantly more accurate pooled, one-step-ahead quarterly earnings predictions for a sample of high-technology firms (n=202). In similar predictive comparisons, the Griffin-Watts (GW) ARIMA model provides significantly more accurate quarterly earnings predictions for a sample of regulated firms (n=218). Finally, the RWD and GW ARIMA models jointly dominate the other expectation models (i.e., seasonal random walk with drift, the Brown-Rozeff (BR) and Foster ARIMA models) for a default sample of firms (n=796). We provide supplementary analyses that document the: 1) increased frequency of the number of loss quarters experienced by our sample firms in the holdout period (2000-2002) vis-a-vis the identification period (1990-1999); 2) reduced levels of earnings persistence for our sample firms relative to earnings persistence factors computed by Baginski et al. (2003) during earlier time periods (1970s - 1980s); 3) relative impact on the predictive ability of the five expectation models conditioned upon the extent of analyst coverage of sample firms (i.e., no coverage, moderate coverage, and extensive coverage); and 4) sensitivity of predictive performance across subsets of regulated firms with the BR ARIMA model providing the most accurate predictions for utilities (n=87) while the RWD model is superior for financial institutions (n=131).


The Middle and Upper Devonian (Givetian-Frasnian) shallow-water carbonate facies of western Europe were deposited as a large-scale transgressive succession over continental facies of the Old Red Continent. The transgression was in a northerly direction, reaching the southern Ardennes by the lower Eifelian and the Aachen area of Germany by the middle Givetian. Carbonate sedimentation continued through to the middle Frasnian, when a major pulse m relative sea-level rise drowned the platform. The carbonate platform had a complex internal structure, with three major palaeosettings. During the Eifelian, a storm-influenced homoclinal ramp existed over much of the Ardennes. Sedimentation was mostly open-marine in nature, with a protected back-ramp and tidal-Oats. The Givetian saw a transition from a ramp to shelf setting, with stromatoporoid reefs at the shelf edge providing protection for abroad shelf lagoon. The shelf had an ESE-WNW trend and extended from Boulogne (northern France) in the west to Aachen (western Germany) in the east. East of the river Rhine in the Rheinisches Schiefergebirge area of Germany, and in Southwest England, isolated carbonate complexes developed. These were positioned either on the shelf-edge, within the shelf or upon topographic highs within the basin. Synsedimentary tectonism and volcanism strongly influenced their development. As a result of their areal extent, lagoonal environments were studied extensively in shelf and isolated complexes. Palaeontology and sedimentology were used to identify 14 major microfacies within the lagoonal successions, which could be broadly categorised into four major groups. The semi-restricted subtidal microfacies group has a rich faunal assemblage which, although diverse, did not represent fully open-marine deposition. Sedimentation was entirely subtidal in nature. The restricted subtidal microfacies group is either characterised by monospecific fossil assemblages (chiefly molluscs or amphiporoids), or by macrofossil-poor facies. These facies represent poorly-circulated, subtidal environments which may have been subjected to flucmating salinities The intertidal microfacies group is characterised by fenestral limestones, which are commonly poorly-fossiliferous. Finally the supratidal microfacies group is typified by dolomudstones, microbial laminites and calcretes. A metre-scale cyclicity is prevelant in these lagoonal facies and two major types of cycle have been identified. Subtidal cycles show a decrease in circulation, decrease in diversity of organisms and increase in fluctuation of salinity upwards through the cycle. Peritidal cycles shallow upwards from a subtidal base through to an intertidal or supratidal cap. Subtidal cycles seem particularly common within the isolated carbonate complexes, yet both peritidal and subtidal cycles are identified in the shelf lagoon. The distribution of facies and cycles was controlled by a complex interaction of eustasy and differential subsidence. The setting (i.e., whether it was the shelf lagoon, or isolated carbonate complex) also influenced this distribution. Fischer plots were used successfully to correlate successions across the carbonate platform, and to identify areas of condensed or expanded sedimentation. Cycles were calculated to have a duration of approximately 42,000 years for the Upper Givetian. The magnitude of relative sea- level change was in the order of l-3m. The development of the metre-scale cyclicity is best explained by orbital forcing, yet this signature has been overprinted by autocyclic and tectonic noise. Third-order eustatic sea-level fluctuations were delineated by major marine transgressions, and a eustatic sea-level curve was established for the study area.


Measures of parasitemia by intraerythrocytic hematozoan parasites are normally expressed as the number of infected erythrocytes per n erythrocytes and are notoriously tedious and time consuming to measure. We describe a protocol for generating rapid counts of nucleated erythrocytes from digital micrographs of thin blood smears that can be used to estimate intensity of hematozoan infections in nonmammalian vertebrate hosts. This method takes advantage of the bold contrast and relatively uniform size and morphology of erythrocyte nuclei on Giemsa-stained blood smears and uses ImageJ, a java-based image analysis program developed at the U.S. National Institutes of Health and available on the internet, to recognize and count these nuclei. This technique makes feasible rapid and accurate counts of total erythrocytes in large numbers of microscope fields, which can be used in the calculation of peripheral parasitemias in low-intensity infections.


This article demonstrates that science cannot be a "neutral arbiter" for triggering precautionary measures, because both making and warranting findings of risk require non-scientific decisions. Making a risk finding requires decisions about the meaning of "risk of harm," about the meaning of any modifiers for that predicate, and about the degree of confidence asserted for the finding as a whole. Determining that the available scientific evidence warrants a finding of risk requires decisions about acceptable degrees of various types of uncertaintynamely, conceptual uncertainty, measurement uncertainty, sampling uncertainty, modeling uncertainty, and causal uncertainty. This article illustrates these decisions using examples from the food safety law of the United States, recent animal feed cases in the European Community, and Appellate Body decisions in INTO trade disputes. Finding a risk that triggers precautions cannot be a purely scientific act, notwithstanding the myth that a "value-neutral" science cati do so.


OBJECTIVES
Context processing is the adaptive control of current behavior through the use of prior context information. It has been found to be impaired in schizophrenia. Some studies have indicated that, compared with patients with schizophrenia, those with bipolar disorder (BPD) display a similar but less severe neuropsychological pattern of impairment. However, this cognitive dimension has not yet been examined in BPD patients in the existing literature.

METHODS
An expectancy version of the AX continuous performance test (AX-CPT) was administered to 15 bipolar outpatients and 26 healthy controls. Patients with schizophrenia, in which context processing deficits are known to occur, were used as a reference group.

RESULTS
Bipolar patients showed a context processing deficit relative to healthy controls, although this was less severe and generalized than in schizophrenia patients.

CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest there are milder impairments in context processing in BPD compared with schizophrenia. However, the severity of possible context processing deficits in BPD may have been underestimated in our sample of mostly euthymic outpatients.


Dealing quickly and conveniently with civil claims which are relatively small in amount, the Small Claims Tribunal of Hong Kong (the 'Tribunal') is a well-patronized forum which should have attracted academic attention because of its focus on the money claims of consumers. In this light, this paper argues that the Tribunal is ignored not because of a valid perception that its work is unimportant or lacking in sophistication, but rather due to the fact that its acumen in dealing successfully with a high volume of matters is seriously underrated and that elements of its practice could be adopted with good effect elsewhere in the court system of Hong Kong. This paper makes an evaluation of the Tribunal by measuring its actual praxis with reference to its professed objectives, namely to provide an accessible, quick and informal means of resolving small money claims. We survey the jurisdiction's problems and make a range of reform proposals designed to improve yet still further the operation of the Tribunal.


Neisseria meningitidis is a commensal of human nasopharynx. In some circumstances, this bacteria can invade the bloodstream and, after crossing the blood brain barrier, the meninges. A filamentous phage, designated MDAΦ for Meningococcal Disease Associated, has been associated with invasive disease. In this work we show that the prophage is not associated with a higher virulence during the bloodstream phase of the disease. However, looking at the interaction of N. meningitidis with epithelial cells, a step essential for colonization of the nasopharynx, we demonstrate that the presence of the prophage, via the production of viruses, increases colonization of encapsulated meningococci onto monolayers of epithelial cells. The analysis of the biomass covering the epithelial cells revealed that meningococci are bound to the apical surface of host cells by few layers of heavily piliated bacteria, whereas, in the upper layers, bacteria are non-piliated but surrounded by phage particles which (i) form bundles of filaments, and/or (ii) are in some places associated with bacteria. The latter are likely to correspond to growing bacteriophages during their extrusion through the outer membrane. These data suggest that, as the biomass increases, the loss of piliation in the upper layers of the biomass does not allow type IV pilus bacterial aggregation, but is compensated by a large production of phage particles that promote bacterial aggregation via the formation of bundles of phage filaments linked to the bacterial cell walls. We propose that MDAΦ by increasing bacterial colonization in the mucosa at the site-of-entry, increase the occurrence of diseases.


A study of information technology and economic growth since 1995 that tracks the American growth resurgence to its sources within individual industries. The American economy has experienced renewed growth since 1995, with this surge rooted in the development and deployment of information technology (IT). This book traces the American growth resurgence to its sources within individual industries, documents the critical role of IT, and shows how U.S. nvestment in IT has important parallels in other developed countries.In analyzing the experience in the United States, the authors identify four IT-producing industries, 17 IT-using industries, and 23 non-IT industries and show that the IT-producing and IT-using industries play a disproportionate role in the American growth resurgence. These industries account for only about 30 percent of US GDP but contributed half of the acceleration in economic growth. The study finds that differences in the relative importance of IT-producing industries in other G7 countries have contributed to wide disparities in the impact of IT on economic growth. Productivity, Volume 3 will be of special interest to analysts of the "new economy" and its remarkable persistence through periods of boom and recession.


Chromatographic techniques were used for measuring the adsorption of toluene and naphthalene on silica gel packed beds under the supercritical and subcritical conditions at 301-318 K, 54-150 atm, and 0.3<N Re <7. The moment method was used to determine the equilibrium constants and rate parameters. The results showed a significant reduction of the adsorption equilibrium constant as the pressure changed from subcritical to supercritical; the axial dispersion coefficients at supercritical conditions were intermediate to those of what would be obtained in gases and liquids; in the pressure range where density fluctuations with concentration were large, axial dispersion was influenced by both natural convection and molecular diffusion; diffusion within the pores of the adsorbent was found to be the major resistance to adsorption. In addition to these parameters, partial molar volumes were determined from the chromatographic experiment and were found to agree well with the values reported in earlier work.


Investments in industrial-scale planted forests have grown exponentially in recent years and are included into investment portfolios for various reasons (e.g. diversification, risk mitigation, attractive returns). The rapid growth of planted forests may incur negative social and environmental impacts. Thus, investment companies and fund managers are increasingly interested in using sustainable and responsible investment (SRI) tools (e.g. standards, guidelines, and codes of conduct). However, a classification system for SRI tools in the field of planted forests still lacks consensus.The present study therefore identifies, describes and analyzes SRI tools for planted forests and suggests a framework for the evaluation of their capacity to address environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues.Four key findings emerged:More than 50 SRI tools are used to categorize investments in planted forest. The most common SRI tools used are management standards, bank investment policies and investment rating systems.An ESG Reference Document allows a quality assessment of the SRI tools to be undertaken. The most important issues highlighted in SRI tools are: legality, environmental impact and third-party certification. Conversely, issues such as poverty alleviation, minimum percentage of protected areas and prevention of encroachment are not properly addressed.SRI tools with the highest overall performance originate from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Gold Standard, RepRisk, Certified B Corporation and FairForest and also include the WWF Responsible Investment Guide and the FTSE4Good Index Series.It is important that planted forests are evaluated either through specific SRI tools, or at least with appropriate consideration in order to properly address risk factors such as improvement of livelihoods and the prevention of encroachment and conflicts.


Objective To examine how sub-concussive head trauma throughout a contact-sport season affects quiet stance centre of pressure (COP) sway Design Prospective cohort Setting Laboratory Participants: Twenty-four elite male football players (age range 18–22) were recruited for the study Intervention Quiet stance data was collected at the start and at the end of the competitive season. One-minute trials were performed with eyes-open and eyes-closed on a force plate (NDI True Impulse) with feet hip-width apart and hands-on-hips. Biomechanical head-impact exposure was indexed using the xPatch (X2 Biosystems) Outcome measures COP measures: Anterior/posterior (AP) and medial/lateral (ML) root-mean-square displacement (RMSd) and mean velocity. Biomechanical head-impact data: For hits above 20g, peak linear acceleration (PLA), and peak rotational acceleration (PRAwere estimated across the competitive season. Independent variables included time (2) and condition (2) Results RM-ANOVA reveal an effect of condition (eyes-open vs eyes-closed) in AP-RMSd (p=0.035, 95% CI: 0.006, 0.159), ML-RMSd (p<0.0001, CI: 0.083, 0.250), and ML mean velocity (p<0.0001, 95% CI: 0.111, 0.308). However, despite exposure to a cumulative 8147.2±6215.5 g in linear acceleration and 34.5 x 106 ± 59.0x106 rad/s2 in rotational acceleration, there were no significant differences between conditions for COP measures at post-season Conclusions In contrast to the prolonged COP alterations observed following acute concussions, there were no discernable effects of sub-concussive trauma on COP sway during quiet stance in the same population. This is an important finding as it reveals that participation in contract-sport does not impair quiet stance balance Competing interests None.


This succinct textbook gives students the perfect introduction to the world of biomaterials, linking the fundamental properties of metals, polymers, ceramics and natural biomaterials to the unique advantages and limitations surrounding their biomedical applications. Clinical concerns such as sterilization, surface modification, cell-biomaterial interactions, drug delivery systems and tissue engineering are discussed in detail, giving students practical insight into the real-world challenges associated with biomaterials engineering; key definitions, equations and concepts are concisely summarised alongside the text, allowing students to quickly and easily identify the most important information; and bringing together elements from across the book, the final chapter discusses modern commercial implants, challenging students to consider future industrial possibilities. Concise enough to be taught in a single semester, and requiring only a basic understanding of biology, this balanced and accessible textbook is the ideal introduction to biomaterials for students of engineering and materials science.


Morphological and anatomical treats of Campanula trachelium L. leaves from 8 samples of different sites of seed origin have been studied. There were described labile and stable leaf treats of plants growing in the steppe zone of Ukraine. The labile treats, i.e. petiole length and its ratio to width of leaf blade, number of trichomes and stomata on adaxial leaf side, are not strongly relate with climatic conditions in seed origin sites. The stable treats, i.e. leaf blade size, thickness of epidermis and palisade mesophyll, relate with climatic parameters in sites of origin.


Models of the mechanisms of saccadic eye movements are typically described in terms of the block diagrams used in control theory. Recently, a nonlinear dynamics model of the saccadic system was developed. The model comprises a symmetric piecewise-smooth system of six first-order autonomous ordinary differential equations, which were obtained by combining parts of the existing control models with data from experimental observations of saccadic dynamics. A preliminary numerical investigation of the model revealed that in addition to generating normal saccades, it could also simulate inaccurate saccades, and an oscillatory instability known as congenital nystagmus (CN). By varying the parameters of the model, several types of CN oscillations could be produced, including jerk, bilateral jerk and pendular nystagmus.

The aim of this study was to investigate the bifurcations and attractors of the nonlinear dynamics model, in order to obtain a classification of the simulated oculomotor behaviours. The application of standard local and global stability analysis techniques, together with numerical work, revealed that the equations have a rich bifurcation structure. In addi- tion to Hopf, homoclinic and saddlenode bifurcations organised by a Takens-Bogdanov point, the equations can undergo nonsmooth pitchfork bifurcations and nonsmooth glu- ing bifurcations. These nonsmooth bifurcations were observed to result from simultaneous transcritical and homoclinic bifurcations in a pair of related smooth systems. Evidence was also found for the existence of Hopf-initiated canards, and for a global bifurcation involving the catastrophic destruction of a symmetry-invariant limit cycle. Unlike the pitchfork and gluing bifurcations, this bifurcation could not be explained in terms of the related smooth systems.

The simulated jerk CN waveforms were found to correspond to a pair of post-canard symmetry-related limit cycles, which exist in regions of parameter space where the equa- tions are a slow-fast system. The slow and fast phases of the simulated oscillations were attributed to the geometry of an underlying slow manifold. This provides an alternative explanation for the shape of the jerk oscillation, which contrasts with the prevalent control model view that CN is caused by structural abnormalities. The simulated bilateral jerk and pendular waveforms were attributed to a symmetry invariant limit cycle produced by the gluing of the asymmetric cycles.

The bifurcation structure of the model suggests the possibility of moving between the differ- ent simulated behaviours by varying the parameters of the model. This was in agreement with experimental evidence showing that sub jects can exhibit several different types of behaviour in a single recording period. In addition, the bifurcation analysis places restric- tions on which kinds of behaviour are likely to be associated with each other in parameter space. On the basis of these restrictions, several experiments were suggested to assess the validity of the model as a predictor of saccadic behaviour. In particular, it was proposed that reducing the level of attention of a sub ject in a controlled way could induce a change from a jerk to a pendular oscillation.


This study examines the perspectives of college personnel engaged in the consideration, launch, and use of predictive analytics tools for targeted advising. Based on interview data from college staff members at nine public twoand four-year institutions at different stages of implementation of predictive analytics software, we provide a broad look at the positive and negative reactions to this potentially influential educational innovation. Our findings indicate that, overall, advisors and other end users of predictive analytics tools were more critical of them than either administrators or college personnel who helped develop their use as part of a campus-wide advising reform. Our findings also show that, compared with personnel at colleges in the early stages of planning and implementing predictive analytics tools, personnel at colleges that had been actively using the tools for some time reported more concerns. While the use of predictive analytics holds substantial promise in helping to target student services, results of the study suggest that a greater examination of concerns about validity, interpretation, and ethics is warranted.


Abstract Military personnel with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can experience high levels of mental and physical health comorbidity, potentially indicating a high level of functional impairment that can impact on both military readiness and later ill-health. There is strong evidence to implicate PTSD as a contributory factor to Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) among serving personnel and veterans. This systematic review focusses on the association between PTSD and cardiovascular disease/risk factors in male, military serving and ex-serving personnel who served in the Iraq/Afghanistan conflicts. PUBMED, MEDLINE, PILOTS, EMBASE, PSYCINFO, and PSYCARTICLES were searched using PRISMA guidelines. Three hundred and forty-three records were identified, of which 20 articles were selected. PTSD was positively associated with the development of CVD, specifically circulatory diseases, including hypertension. PTSD was also positively associated with the following risk factors: elevated heart rate, tobacco use, dyslipidaemia, and obesity. Conflicting data is presented regarding heart rate variability and inflammatory markers. Future studies would benefit from a standardized methodological approach to investigating PTSD and physical health manifestations. It is suggested that clinicians offer health advice for CVD at an earlier age for ex-/serving personnel with PTSD.


We propose a model for the self-propulsion of a small motor particle that generates a nonuniform concentration distribution of solute in the surrounding fluid via a constant solute flux asymmetrically from the motor surface. The net osmotic driving force and motor speed are investigated in the limits of slow and fast product particle flux (relative to the diffusive flux of the product species). When the only solute species in solution is that produced by the motor, the motor's speed is shown to be proportional to the solute flux for slow flux rates and to the square root of the solute flux for large flux rates. When solute species are already present in solution at concentration high compared to that generated by the motor, the motor speed at high flux rates saturates and scales as the diffusivity of the solute divided by the motor size. The analytical results compare well with Brownian dynamics simulations. Full hydrodynamic interactions are taken into account in the theoretical analysis.


Abstract The occurrence of a Lower Cretaceous flysch group, cropping out from the Gibraltar Arc to the Balkans with a very similar structural setting and sedimentary provenance always linked to the dismantling of internal areas, suggests the existence of only one sedimentary basin (Alpine Tethys s.s.), subdivided into many other minor oceanic areas. The Maghrebian Basin, mainly developed on thinned continental crust, was probably located in the westernmost sector of the Alpine Tethys. Cretaceous re-organization of the plates triggered one (or more) tectonic phases, well recorded in almost all the sectors of the Alpine Tethys. However, the Maghrebian Basin seems to have been deformed by Late- or post-Cretaceous tectonics, connected with a "meso-Alpine" phase (pre-Oligocene), already hypothesized since the beginning of the nineties. Field geological evidence and recent biostratigraphic data also support this important meso- Alpine tectonic phase in the Sicilian segment of the Maghrebian Chain, indicated by the deformations of a Lower Cretaceous flysch sealed by Lower Oligocene turbidite deposits. This tectonic development is emphasized here because it was probably connected with the onset of rifting in the southern paleomargin of the European plate, the detaching of the so-called AlKaPeCa block (Auct.; i.e. Alboran + Kabylian + Calabria and Peloritani terranes) and its fragmentation into several microplates. The subsequent early Oligocene drifting of these microplates led to the progressive closure of the Maghrebian Basin and the opening of new back-arc oceanic basins, strongly controlled by extensional processes, in the western Mediterranean (i.e. Gulf of Lion, Valencia Trough, Provençal Basin and Alboran Sea).


Indirect jumps are used to implement increasingly-common programming language constructs such as virtual function calls, switch-case statements, jump tables, and interface calls. Unfortunately, the prediction accuracy of indirect jumps has remained low because many indirect jumps have multiple targets that are difficult to predict even with specialized hardware. This paper proposes a new way of handling hard-to-predict indirect jumps: dynamically predicating them. The compiler identifies indirect jumps that are suitable for predication along with their control-flow merge (CFM) points. The microarchitecture predicates the instructions between different targets of the jump and its CFM point if the jump turns out to be hard-to-predict at run time. We describe the new indirect jump predication architecture, provide code examples showing why it could reduce the performance impact of jumps, derive an analytical cost-benefit model for deciding which jumps and targets to predicate, and present preliminary evaluation results.


Some time ago, a multiple comparison procedure for comparing several treatments simultaneously with a control or standard treatment was introduced by the present author (Dunnett [1955]). The procedure was designed to be used either to test the significance of the differences between each of the treatments and the control with a stated value 1 - P for the joint significance level, or to set confidence limits on the true values of the treatment differences from the control with a stated value P for the joint confidence coefficient. Thus the procedure has the property of controlling the experimentwise, rather than the per-comparison, error rate associated with the comparisons, in common with the multiple comparison procedures of Tukey [unpublished] and Scheffe [1953]. In the earlier paper, tables were provided enabling up to nine treatments to be compared with a control with joint confidence coefficient either .95 or .99. Tables for both one-sided and two-sided comparisons were given but, as explained in the paper, the two-sided values were inexact for the case of more than two comparisons as a result of an approximation which had to be made in the computations. The main purpose of the present paper is to give the exact tables for making two-sided comparisons. The necessary computations were done on a General Precision LGP-30 electronic computer, by a method described in section 3 below. The tables are given here as Tables II and III; these replace Tables 2a and 2b, respectively, of the previous paper. In addition to providing the exact values, a method is given for adjusting the tabulated values to cover the situation where the variance of the control mean is smaller than the variance of the treatment means, as occurs for example when a greater number of observations is allocated to the control than to any of the test treatments. Furthermore, the number of treatments which may be simultaneously compared with a control has been extended to twenty. 482


There is currently an urgent need for a viable, cheap, and readily available treatment for the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa. Here, it is proposed that melatonin may have significant utility in helping the management of this outbreak. Optimizing natural killer (NK) cell responses seems crucial to surviving Ebola virus infection. Melatonin increases NK cell cytotoxicity significantly, suggesting efficacy in managing the Ebola virus. Under conditions of challenge, melatonin increases heme oxygenase‐1 (HO‐1), which inhibits Ebola virus replication. Melatonin also has protective effects in cases of septic shock, which, although bacterial, has similar end‐point presentations involving blood vessel leakage. Melatonin's effects on haemorrhage are mediated primarily by a decrease in pro‐inflammatory cytokines. By optimizing the appropriate immune response, melatonin is likely to afford protection to those at high risk of Ebola viral infection, as well as having direct impacts on the course of infection per se. Although no direct data pertain to the utility of melatonin in the management of the Ebola virus, convergent bodies of data suggest its utility, which is reviewed in this article. J. Med. Virol. 87:537–543, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


The discharge of industrial effluents into nearby water bodies affects the inhabitants including living organisms. The presence of foreign materials such as heavy metals can be a threat to the ecosystem as they are enormously carcinogenic even though in minute concentration. Hence, an economical and time-efficient preliminary screening test is crucial to be developed for the detection of heavy metals, prior to employment of high technology instruments. In this study, cholinesterase (ChE) from Sabah porcupine fish, Diodon hystrix was purified to test for its potential as an alternative biosensor in detecting metal ions. Few enzymatic parameters including specificity of substrate, temperature and pH were applied to determine its optimal enzymatic activity. ChE enzyme was found to be more sensitive towards the presence of substrate, butyrylthiocholine iodide (BTC), in contrast to acetylthiocholine iodide (ATC) and propionylthiocholine iodide (PTC) with the effective coefficient at 7193, 3680.15 and 2965.26 Vmax/Km, respectively. Moreover, the extracted ChE enzyme showed the optimum activity at pH 9 of 0.1 M Tris-HCl and at 25°C to 30°C range of temperature. When subjected to heavy metals, ChE enzyme was significantly inhibited as the enzyme activity was reduced in the sequence of Hg > Ag > Cr > Cu > Cd > Pb ≥ Zn > As. As a conclusion, the partially purified ChE enzyme proved its sensitivity towards metal ion exposure and can be used as an alternative method in screening the level of contamination in the environment.


Why do some people remain so calm and collected in the face of looming deadlines, combative meetings, impending layoffs, and turbulent changes? And why are these seemingly unflappable people the ones who consistently get ahead in their lives and their careers? The key to success is their resilience, according to the founders of the innovative Hardiness Institute in Newport Beach, California. More than experience or training, resilience in the face of stressful situations and rapid changes determines whether you ultimately succeed or fail in the workplace. It allows you to thrive even in tumultuous conditions, to turn potential disasters into growth opportunities. And the good news for the legions of other workers who become overwhelmed, and even sickened, by stress is that resilience in the face of life's problems is not an inborn personality trait, but a set of skills and attitudes that you can actually learn and develop. Resilience at Work gives you the knowledge, tools, and encouragement you need to embark on your journey to becoming a hardier, more successful person. Based on a twelve-year study of Illinois Bell Telephone employees as they experienced immense organizational change, as well as hundreds of subsequent studies and firsthand consulting and training experience, the book shows how to enhance your capacity to succeed in even the harshest economic climates. Packed with insightful examples, case studies, and self-assessment tools, Resilience at Work explains how to: * Approach change as a meaningful challenge no matter how stressful the circumstances, and stay committed to your work, rather than detaching and giving up. * Gain control by understanding the upside and the downside of change, and take actions to influence beneficial outcomes. * Turn stressful changes to your advantage and map out sound problem-solving strategies. * Resolve ongoing conflicts and build an environment of assistance and encouragement between you and your coworkers. * Decrease feelings of isolation and powerlessness by understanding the 3Cs that give you the ability to thrive amid disruptive changes: commitment, control, and challenge. Reorganization, downsizing, mergers, budget pressures, transfers, job insecurity, and more are producing today's unpredictable, pressure-cooker conditions, and making it harder for less resilient people to achieve the success they deserve. Resilience at Work supplies insights and strategies you can use to combat your fear of change and uncover the opportunities that can be found in even the most stressful situations.


Being a member of a minority group makes it harder to succeed in academic philosophy. Research suggests that students from underrepresented groups have a hard time in academic philosophy and often drop out instead of pursuing a career in philosophy, despite having the potential to become excellent philosophers. In this paper, I will argue that there is a specific way of thinking about traditional conceptual analysis within analytic philosophy that marginalizes underrepresented groups. This has to do with what kinds of analyses we philosophers think are worthy of conducting and with who we think are worthy of pursuing such analyses. I will then show why this is particularly worrisome for the profession of philosophy as an institution geared towards the love of knowledge and argue that it should be in our interest as philosophers to find ways to prevent this marginalization of underrepresented groups. Finally, I will provide an example of how to do philosophy differently that does not exclude members of underrepresented groups and suggest ways in which the teaching of analytic philosophy can directly counter the discriminatory practices of academic philosophy.


Introduction. Part I: "Ve-gan" at the Beginning. Chapter 1: The Lowdown on Vegan Eating and Living. Chapter 2: Understanding the Impact of Vegan Living. Chapter 3: Transforming to Veganism. Part II: Building a Healthy Vegan Diet. Chapter 4: Essential Nutrients for Healthy Success. Chapter 5: Protein Protocols. Chapter 6: Transforming Food into Health-Supportive Meals. Part III: Sticking to Your Guns: Staying Vegan. Chapter 7: Cooking and Shopping Like a Vegan. Chapter 8: Coexisting with the Meat Eaters in Your Home. Chapter 9: Planning Your Meals to Stay on Track. Chapter 10: Comfort Foods: Veganizing Meat, Dairy, and Other Old Favorites. Chapter 11: Beyond Food: Embracing the Whole Vegan Lifestyle. Part IV: Tasting Is Believing: Vegan Recipes. Chapter 12: Breakfasts of Vegan Champions. Chapter 13: Sides and Lighter Meals. Chapter 14: Main Course Recipes. Chapter 15: Just Desserts. Part V: Living Vegan in the Real World. Chapter 16: Walking the Vegan Walk (without Being Preachy!). Chapter 17: Vegans on the Move: Travel and Hotel Issues. Chapter 18: Dining Out. Chapter 19: Navigating Tricky Social Situations. Part VI: Veganism for All Walks of Life. Chapter 20: Pea in a Pod: The Healthy Vegan Pregnancy and Postpartum Period. Chapter 21: Bouncing Baby Vegans. Chapter 22: Vegan Diets for Kids, Tweens, and Teens. Chapter 23: The Vegan Athlete. Chapter 24: Aging Gracefully and Veganly. Part VII: The Part of Tens. Chapter 25: Ten Reasons for Eating a Vegan Diet. Chapter 26: Top Ten Questions (and Answers) about Going Vegan. Chapter 27: Ten Ways to Make Vegan Living Extraordinary. Index.


Microcomputers in Education: The Second Decade Ten years have passed since the first microcomputer was placed into use in an American classroom, and the application of larger computers as instructional delivery systems is now in its third decade. Time and the acquisition of an additional 1 million microcomputers for education have not served, however, to settle debates raised among both researchers and practitioners regarding the effectiveness of this technological innovation. Indeed, time has served to fuel these debates. The question posed in such discussions is usually some variation on the same theme: "What difference has computing made in our educational process?" or "Has instruction been enhanced through the use of computers in our schools?" this article will not resolve this issue. It will, however, offer a brief summary of what has been learned, thoughts regarding mistakes that have been made, and recommendations for addressing future questions. The positions we take is based upon two beliefs: first, that educators erred in the implementation process; and, second, that the evaluation processes and paradigms used to assess effectiveness have not always been appropriate. National spending for microcomputers for instruction continues unabated. State departments of education reported expenditures in 1985/86 of an estimated $550 million for computer hardware, with an additional $130 million for software, and higher levels of spending are expected to be reported for 1986/87 when those figures become available. Despite the current trend of increasing expenditures, debates regarding the efftiveness of computer-based instruction (CBI) are likely to become more than academic as educators consider competing demands for allocation of scarce fiscal resources. While state-level computing directors appear confident that "no backlash [is] in sight," others have warned of the "start of a great backlash of reaction against computers in education." As competition for funds increases, decision-makers at all levels of education can be expected to subject the case for continued acquisition of technology to closer scrutiny. Effectiveness of Computer-Based Instruction Roblyer captures the essence of the debate regarding the effectiveness of computer-based instruction when she asks, "How much do computers actually improve instructional methods, and, consequently, student achievement?" The question assumes even greater significance when visits to so many schools using computers for instruction reveal dissatisfaction or disagreement amng the faculty and administration concerning their real benefits. There is an increasing likelihood that convincing answers to questions of effectiveness are going to be demanded by decision-makers before they approve additional expenditures. For purposes of discussion, CBI refers to a curricular program in which there is interaction between the student and the computer. Delivery of instruction is provided in the form of drill-and-practice, tutorials, simulations, games or problem-solving. The instructional sequence and format may be supplemented by some form of management system. In addition to effectiveness (i.e., learning outcomes), issues related to student attitudes, time savings, instructional efficiency, system costs and learning retention are subjects of debate. To a great extent, the current controversy is fueled by earlier forecasts of a technological revolution and by unfulfilled prmises of a great change in the way our nation's schools provide instruction and in the way children learn. As a memorable example, Suppes opined that "in a few years, millions of schoolchildren will have access to what Phillip of Macedonia's son Alexander enjoyed as a royal prerogative: the personal services of a tutor as well-informed and responsive as Aristotle." The Research Base Absence of information is not the major problem; the literature is replete with research concerning CBI effectiveness. …