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The central aim of this PhD thesis, From Interior to Brand: The British Overseas

Airways Corporation, 1939–1974. A Case Study of Post-Second World War British

Commercial Design, is to investigate the evolution of branding and identity in the

context of British commercial design in the post-Second World War period. However,

rather than document the various changes and moments in this history of design in a

general overview, as existing texts have already successfully managed, the study

uses the aircraft interior of the former national airline of Britain, the British Overseas

Airways Corporation's (BOAC), as a focused lens through which to analyse this

period's unique form of design in more depth.

Two key interconnected questions shape this investigation: how can the evolution of

BOAC's interiors be used to understand design's role in building a British brand in

post-war Britain? And can this evolution shed light on the influence of America on

British design during this period? These themes act as continual threads throughout

the thesis's 10 chapters and helped to shape a new narrative within the history of

British commercial design.

While the BOAC aircraft interior is an important starting point, this research viewed it

in the broader context of the design strategy of the Corporation. As this thesis will

demonstrate, the interior played a central role in the expression of the airline, and in

turn British identity, the focus being on how the design physically represented the

brand and identity of BOAC. However, as the research moves through the airline's

35-year history, the interior plays a more strategic role in the company's brand image

development, becoming an integral part of a unified brand strategy. In understanding

the interior within this new narrative, it is the intention of this thesis to present a better

understanding of commercial design in Britain after the end of the Second World

War.

It is the proposal of this thesis that, while several major themes have been covered in

British design history, the theme of commercial design appears to have been

overlooked, and it certainly seems undervalued in design history. But it isn't just the

final outputs of BOAC's design history that allow this analysis. Rather, it is the

processes and influences behind the designs that allow for a true understanding of

commercial design and, therefore, a unique and original contribution to knowledge.


Here's a book with something new - you read to me! I'll read to you! We'll read each page to one another - you'll read one side, I the other. A unique book 'in two voices' that uses traditional reading teaching techniques (alliteration, rhyme, repetition, short sentences) to invite young children to read along with an adult. Each of the twelve short stories fit on one spread and features childlike themes - family, friendship, pets and seasons.With clear, color-coded typography and amusing illustrations, this collection is sure to entertain.


The theories of psychological identification proposed by Sigmund Freud and Kaja Silverman are explored in relation to Jean Genet's Funeral Rites and his later essay on Rembrandt. Genet can be seen to separate mourning (which for Freud lies at the basis of identification) from a process of generalized identification in which his difference from other people dissolves. A narcissistic formation of personality, evident in the symbolism of mirrors in Funeral Rites, gives to this process an added impetus. But the fundamental condition of possibility for such generalized identification is the void it reveals at the center of all personality. This void not only makes possible the different kinds of identification (heteropathic and idiopathic) described by Silverman, it also disturbs any clear distinction between them. It is for these reasons that the glamorization of Nazism in Funeral Rites is coextensive with a demystification of its power, and the often brutal eroticism of the book is suffused with an ineradicable dimension of tenderness. Taken further in the essay on Rembrandt, these themes lead to an ambiguous mysticism in which the source of creativity is revealed as inseparable from its ultimate obliteration.


This paper discusses key themes from a large-scale, long-term multi-perspective evaluation of caseload midwifery practice in the United Kingdom (UK). Caseload practice was introduced in several UK settings, on a pilot scale, following the publication of Changing Childbirth intended to put into practice its core principles of continuity, choice 1 and control for women. A range of new midwifery practices were piloted and evaluated across the UK. Relatively little attention was given to defining and exploring the nature and meanings of the new models of practice, or to midwives in this new practice context. This has led to difficulty in comparing the impact of different models of practice. We draw on two aspects of our work – an ethnographic study of the experiences of midwives (with and without caseloads) and a study of the women's experiences and responses to care – to explore in greater depth the concepts involved in the caseload model and their meaning for women and for midwives in practice. Interviews were conducted with 40 women and 36 caseload midwives. Other forms of data collection, including questionnaires and observation were used and were analysed thematically using grounded theory principles. Themes emerging included autonomy, confidence, reciprocity and relationship: the idea of knowing and being known. On this basis we have argued that continuity is not an end in itself but an important means towards the end of women-centred care and 2 should be considered in relation to other key themes such as autonomy and environment.


We examine a model of the size distribution and growth of firms whereby firms learn about idiosyncratic productivity parameters. Aggregate shocks, by adding noise to learning at the firm level, can produce differentiated response across firms with their reactions depending on the position of the firms in their individual life cycle. In particular, young firms, which are smaller on average than older firms, can 'overreact' to aggregate shocks. Such differences across firm sizes and ages, which arise here in a model with perfect financial markets, are often attributed to financial frictions that to financial frictions that hit small and large firms differently.


High resolution satellite imagery and modern machine learning methods hold the potential to fill existing data gaps in where crops are grown around the world at a sub-field level. However, high resolution crop type maps have remained challenging to create in developing regions due to a lack of ground truth labels for model development. In this work, we explore the use of crowdsourced data, Sentinel-2 and DigitalGlobe imagery, and convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for crop type mapping in India. Plantix, a free app that uses image recognition to help farmers diagnose crop diseases, logged 9 million geolocated photos from 2017–2019 in India, 2 million of which are in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in India. Crop type labels based on farmer-submitted images were added by domain experts and deep CNNs. The resulting dataset of crop type at coordinates is high in volume, but also high in noise due to location inaccuracies, submissions from out-of-field, and labeling errors. We employed a number of steps to clean the dataset, which included training a CNN on very high resolution DigitalGlobe imagery to filter for points that are within a crop field. With this cleaned dataset, we extracted Sentinel time series at each point and trained another CNN to predict the crop type at each pixel. When evaluated on the highest quality subset of crowdsourced data, the CNN distinguishes rice, cotton, and "other" crops with 74% accuracy in a 3-way classification and outperforms a random forest trained on harmonic regression features. Furthermore, model performance remains stable when low quality points are introduced into the training set. Our results illustrate the potential of non-traditional, high-volume/high-noise datasets for crop type mapping, some improvements that neural networks can achieve over random forests, and the robustness of such methods against moderate levels of training set noise. Lastly, we caution that obstacles like the lack of good Sentinel-2 cloud mask, imperfect mobile device location accuracy, and preservation of privacy while improving data access will need to be addressed before crowdsourcing can widely and reliably be used to map crops in smallholder systems.


There is no more important issue facing education, or humanity at large, than the fast approaching revolution in Artificial Intelligence or AI. This book is a call to educators everywhere to open their eyes to what is coming. If we do so, then the future will be shaped by us in the interests of humanity as a whole - but if we dont then it will be imposed by others. Britain and the US have an excellent education system in their schools and universities - excellent, but tailored to the twentieth century. The factory mass teaching methods of the third revolution era have failed to conquer enduring problems of inequity and unfairness. Students have to make progress at a set rate which demotivates some and bores others. And for all the new technologies, teachers remain weighed down by routine administration and only a narrow range of our aptitudes are encouraged. Will the fourth AI revolution be able to remedy these problems? We have allowed ourselves to believe that teaching can uniquely be done only by the teacher, but might it in fact be better carried out by AI machines? Or at least in concert with teachers? The evolution of AI, still in its infancy, raises a range of issues of enormous importance as we grapple how we as humans will interact with it. AI will be an altogether new way spreading quality education across the world especially to those hundreds of millions who do not have it. And coming it is - the final part of the book stresses that we have to embrace AI and ensure that we shape it to the best advantage of humanity. If we get it wrong, there may be no second opportunity. The conclusion.... nothing matters more than education if we are to see AI liberate not infantilise humanity.


One of the basic requirements for attaining a good epitaxy is a close structural matching between a substrate and a growing crystal epilayer. This restrictive requirement causes a major obstacle for its wide application to a range of functional crystal films in electronic, magnetic or optical devices. One approach for overcoming this problem is the so-called van der Waals epitaxy (VDWE) method, which can effectively implement the epitaxy of various crystals on cleaved faces of layered materials having no dangling bonds. The weak adatom–substrate interaction without directional covalent bonding plays a crucial role in the initial stage of VDWE, which drastically relaxes the lattice matching limitation. However, the method requires special materials for use as a substrate, thereby meaning that its applicability is limited. In this study, the concept is extended to the two-dimensional (2D) lattice of inorganic nanosheets, which are molecularly thin 2D crystals produced via artificial exfoliation of layered metal oxides. The nanosheets can neatly cover the surface of conventional substrates such as glass via a facile solution-based process. Similar to the above-mentioned cleaved faces of layered materials, such substrates can promote VDWE-like crystal growth because of their dangling bond-free nature. Based on this principle, we have demonstrated a selective deposition of highly textured (100), (110) and (111) SrTiO3 films, a fundamentally important archetype of functional crystals, on glass substrates covered with single-layer nanosheets with suitable 2D periodicities as a trigger for VDWE-like film growth. The rich varieties of nanosheet structures and their facile deposition onto almost any kinds of substrates provide a significant advantage, expanding potential applications for a range of devices based on functional crystal films.


In this book, Elissa Zellinger analyzes both political philosophy and poetic theory in order to chronicle the consolidation of the modern lyric and the liberal subject across the long nineteenth century. In the nineteenth-century United States, both liberalism and lyric sought self-definition by practicing techniques of exclusion. Liberalism was a political philosophy whose supposed universals were limited to white men and created by omitting women, the enslaved, and Native peoples. The conventions of poetic reception only redoubled the sense that liberal selfhood defined its boundaries by refusing raced and gendered others. Yet Zellinger argues that it is precisely the poetics of the excluded that offer insights into the dynamic processes that came to form the modern liberal and lyric subjects. She examines poets—Frances Sargent Osgood, Elizabeth Oakes Smith, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and E. Pauline Johnson—whose work uses lyric practices to contest the very assumptions about selfhood responsible for denying them the political and social freedoms enjoyed by full liberal subjects. In its consideration of politics and poetics, this project offers a new approach to genre and gender that will help shape the field of nineteenth-century American literary studies.


Radionuclide activities (U and Th) in the normal person kidney gallstone and another one with cancer disease have been determined experimentally by ɣ-ray spectroscopy and EDS measurements. U and Th concentrations were found to be very high in the kidney gallstone belonging to cancer patient indicating a strong radionuclide-cancer correlation. The IR and SEM were also investigated in order to study the effect of kidney gallstone water washing in reducing the organic and inorganic contaminates.


Total Quality Management (TQM) is widely adopted in industry and well studied in academe. It includes a philosophy and set of practices for supply management. However, these elements evolved before widespread adoption of the Internet, which transforms the supply management landscape by presenting various tools for organizations to select and manage suppliers. Therefore an important research undertaking today is to understand how the Internet has affected manufacturers that embrace TQM. As part of this undertaking, we examine the relationship between TQM orientation and the adoption of eight supplier-facing e-commerce applications. We propose that certain supplier-facing e-commerce applications enhance competition among suppliers, while others enhance supplier relationships. Drawing upon strategic contingency theory, we hypothesize that TQM orientation is negatively associated with the adoption of the first category of application and is positively associated with the adoption of the second category. Logistic regression was used to test hypotheses using survey data collected from manufacturers located in six countries and three industries. The results show that organizations which have heavily embraced TQM do use e-commerce somewhat differently from other organizations. However, the results also point out potentially troubling inconsistencies between e-commerce adoption and other elements of strategy.


Researchers have proposed various metrics based on measurable aspects of the source code entities (e.g., methods, classes, files, or modules) and the social structure of a software project in an effort to explain the relationships between software development and software defects. However, these metrics largely ignore the actual functionality, i.e., the conceptual concerns, of a software system, which are the main technical concepts that reflect the business logic or domain of the system. For instance, while lines of code may be a good general measure for defects, a large entity responsible for simple I/O tasks is likely to have fewer defects than a small entity responsible for complicated compiler implementation details. In this paper, we study the effect of conceptual concerns on code quality. We use a statistical topic modeling technique to approximate software concerns as topics; we then propose various metrics on these topics to help explain the defect-proneness (i.e., quality) of the entities. Paramount to our proposed metrics is that they take into account the defect history of each topic. Case studies on multiple versions of Mozilla Firefox, Eclipse, and Mylyn show that (i) some topics are much more defect-prone than others, (ii) defect-prone topics tend to remain so over time, and (iii) defect-prone topics provide additional explanatory power for code quality over existing structural and historical metrics.


ABSTRACT:Social and mobile media, from Facebook to smartphones, bring together social relations in new configurations that transform experiences of space and place. For an emerging urban middle class in late 2000s Berlin, reading national news online comprised a key daily practice linked to feeling German among mobile young people who otherwise sought transnational connections and identified in non- or post-nationalist terms. Feeling German—an affective, unspoken sense of national selfhood—could take place in contexts construed as cosmopolitan and transnational, whether hip districts of Berlin or networked, online media. National selfhood took shape as a form of acceptable subjectivity linked to the nation, owing to scalemaking processes that conjoined selfhood and place, not only expanding the scope of place-based identities. Reading national media online and practices like eating traditional foods linked acceptable selfhood to the scale, that is, contingent territorial ordering, of the nation. In this article, accounts of normative national affect, in the sense of commonality rooted in shared feeling and non-representational modes of being, illuminate an emergent networked cosmopolitan nationalism as a scalemaking project that reconfigures media, selfhood, and place.


This dissertation provides a fundamental understanding of water-wave transformations over seabed corrugations in the homogeneous as well as in the stratified ocean. Contrary to a flat or mildly sloped seabed, over which water waves can travel long distances undisturbed, a seabed with small periodic variations can strongly affect the propagation of water waves due to resonant wave-seabed interactions--a phenomenon with many potential applications. Here, we investigate theoretically and with direct simulations several new types of wave transformations within the context of inviscid fluid theory, which are different than the classical wave Bragg reflection. Specifically, we show that surface waves traveling over seabed corrugations can become trapped and amplified, or deflected at a large angle ($\sim 90\degree$) relative to the incident direction of propagation. Wave trapping is obtained between two sets of parallel corrugations, and we demonstrate that the amplification mechanism is akin to the Fabry-Perot resonance of light waves in optics. Wave deflection requires three-dimensional and bi-chromatic corrugations and is obtained when the surface and corrugation wavenumber vectors satisfy a newly found class I$_2$ Bragg resonance condition. Internal waves propagating over seabed topography in a stratified fluid can exhibit similar wave trapping and deflection behaviors, but more surprising and intricate internal wave dynamics can also be obtained. Unlike surface waves, internal waves interacting with monochromatic seabed corrugations can simultaneously generate many new waves with different wavenumbers and directions of propagation--a phenomenon which we call chain resonance. Here, we demonstrate that the chain resonance leads to significant energy transfer from long internal waves to short internal waves for almost all angles of the incident waves relative to the orientation of the oblique seabed corrugations. Since short internal waves are prone to breaking, the resonance mechanism, therefore, may have important consequences on the spatial variability of ocean mixing and energy dissipation. Potential applications of the theory of resonant wave-seabed interactions for wave energy extraction and coastal protection are also discussed.


Knowledge compilation is one of the more traditional approaches to model-based diagnosis, where a compiled system model is obtained in an off-line phase, and then used to efficiently answer diagnostic queries on-line. The choice of a suitable representation for the compiled model is critical to the success of this approach, and two of the main proposals have been Decomposable Negation Normal Form (DNNF) and Ordered Binary Decision Diagram (OBDD). The contribution of this paper is twofold. First, we show that in the current state of the art, DNNF dominates OBDD in efficiency and scalability for some typical diagnostic tasks. This result is based on a step-by-step comparison of the complexities of diagnostic algorithms for DNNF and OBDD, together with a known succinctness relation between the two representations. Second, we present a tool for model-based diagnosis, which is based on a state-of-the-art DNNF compiler and our implementations of DNNF diagnostic algorithms. We demonstrate the efficiency of this tool against recent results reported on diagnosis using OBDD.


Abstract Managing lake eutrophication requires a clear understanding of resource limitation of primary productivity, yet historically research on this subject has focused on temperate lakes. In 2010, we quantified several metrics of resource limitation in Lake Atitlán, Guatemala, Central America's deepest tropical mountain lake that has recently experienced extensive phytoplankton blooms. In contrast to many temperate lakes, Lake Atitlán did not show a relationship between total phosphorus (TP) and chlorophyll a (Chl-a) concentrations. Average molar ratios of total nitrogen (TN) to TP decreased from 16.4 to 4.5 between stratified and mixing conditions. During our monitoring period, Tropical Storm Agatha landed on Guatemala, washing in sediment from the watershed, and concentrations of P temporarily increased in the lake by >60%. Initial experimental bioassays indicated phytoplankton growth was colimited by N and P prior to the storm, whereas post-storm assays suggested limitation by P and trace elements. Compared to previous years, Limnoraphis robusta, an N-fixing cyanobacterium, increased in abundance earlier in the year; however, there was no bloom event during our sampling period. Experimental studies indicated that nitrogenase activity was limited by P and iron availability while light was secondarily limiting of overall phytoplankton growth. This study illustrates the potential for baseline nutrient and phytoplankton growth dynamics to substantially differ for tropical lake systems from conventionally studied temperate lakes and the potential for "pulse" events (e.g., tropical storms) to alter those dynamics.


Creole languages are characteristically associated with a negative image. How has this prestige been formed? And is it as static as the diglossic situation in many anglo-creolophone societies seems to suggest? This volume examines socio-historical and epistemological factors in the prestige formation of Caribbean English-Lexicon Creoles and subjects their classification as a (socio)linguistic type to scrutiny and critical debate. In its analysis of rich empirical data this study also demonstrates that the uses, functions and negotiations of Creole within particular social and linguistic practices have shifted considerably. Rather than limiting its scope to one "national" speech community, the discussion focusses on changes of the social meaning of Creole in various discursive fields, such as inter generational changes of Creole use in the London Diaspora, diachronic changes of Creole representation in written texts, and diachronic changes of Creole representation in translation. The study employs a discourse analytical approach drawing on linguistic models as well as Foucauldian theory.


Liquid crystals are unique optical materials due to their large effective electrooptic and opto-optic coefficients. Currently, liquid crystals are primarily used in flat-panel dis-plays, but there is also an increasing number of nondisplay applications requiring new types of devices employing materials with unique optical properties. Waveguides are important as photonic components, such as integrated-optic switches. Liquid crystals should be useful as active materials in this context. Moreover, the unique optical proper-ties of liquid crystals can be investigated using optical guided-wave techniques. The main aim of this work was to demonstrate the use of liquid crystals as active elements in optical waveguides. To this end, a nonlinear waveguide, having as active core a dye-doped nematic liquid crystal , was realized and nonlinear beam splitting was ob-tained above an input power threshold. However, most of the interest was focused on the use of the electro-optic effect in ferroelectric liquid crystals (FLCs). Two configurations were tested: FLC as guiding medium (active core); and, FLC as overlayer (active clad-ding). Various combinations of passive, thin-film planar waveguides and electrooptically active FLC-elements were constructed and tested, thus identifying the technical issues connected with FLC-integration, including the development and characterization of a new, passive polymer material for optical waveguides. Electrooptic modulation of the guided light was obtained with contrast ratios greater than 10:1 and switching times of the order of 10 1 -10 2 microseconds. The second aim of this work was to use highly sensitive guided-wave techniques, in particular the fully leaky guided-mode technique, for the characterization of a novel, or-thoconic antiferroelectric liquid crystal (AFLC) in its field-free state, slightly deviating from ideal orthoconic conditions. Since it is this state that would provide the dark state in a display, it is of fundamental importance to the achievable contrast of the device. The characterization of this state is thus of great importance for materials development and de-vice manufacturing. The guided-mode study revealed the dielectric tensor orientation, in the investigated cell, of this complicated material in its field-free state, otherwise inacces-sible using standard optical techniques, and allowed determination of the tolerance against deviations from ideal conditions while keeping satisfactory high-contrast elec-trooptic characteristics.


Immunization programmes have been globally recognized as one of the most successful medical interventions against infectious diseases. Despite the proven efficacy and safety profiles of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines, there are still a substantial number of people who express vaccine hesitancy. Factors that influence vaccine decision-making are heterogenous, complex, and context specific and may be caused or amplified by uncontrolled online information or misinformation. With respect to COVID-19, the recent emergence of novel variants of concern that give rise to milder disease also drives vaccine hesitancy. Healthcare professionals remain one of the most trusted groups to advise and provide information to those ambivalent about COVID-19 vaccination and should be equipped with adequate resources and information as well as practical guidance to empower them to effectively discuss concerns. This article seeks to summarize the currently available information to address the most common concerns regarding COVID-19 vaccination.


This paper presents a comparative user study that investigates the relevance judgments made by assessors with a law background and assessors without. Four law students and four library and information studies (LIS) students were recruited to judge independently the relevance of 100 documents for each of four requests for production of responsive documents for litigation purposes, two requests for the tobacco Master Settlement Agreement collection and two for the Enron corporate emails collection. Both quantitative and qualitative methods are used to analyze data collected through the relevance judgment task, an entry questionnaire, and an exit interview. Being given the same task guidelines, the LIS student assessors judged relevant documents just as accurately as the law student assessors, while they judged nonrelevant documents slightly less accurately than the law student assessors. In addition, participants achieved moderate to substantial agreement on their relevance judgments. Relevance judgment speed varied significantly among participants, although on average it was about the same for the two groups. Factors influencing the accuracy and the speed of participants' relevance judgments are discussed based on preliminary analysis of qualitative data collected through the exit interviews.


Fundamentals of Reservoir Rock Properties  discusses several essential rock properties needed for petroleum engineers and geoscientists. The topics covered are porosity, rock compressibility, permeability, fluid saturation, electrical properties of reservoir rocks, wettability, capillary pressure, and relative permeability. The final chapter integrates all the properties with a discussion on the application. The book covers the topics in a step-by-step fashion with tons of illustrative figures. Each topic is presented clearly with a wide range of illustrations and simplified explanations.Book DOI: https://doi.org/10.5339/Fundamentals_of_Reservoir_Rock_Properties_2ndEdition Key Features  • A step-by-step approach. • Provides numerous examples and problems on each covered topic. • Written in clear English language to appeal to global students. • Numerous illustrative figures to solidify the understanding of the concepts. • Summary highlighting the main points of each chapter. • End of chapters questions.This title has a complementary booklet "Reservoir Rock Properties Essentials" that summarizes the different topics covered in the text Fundamentals of Reservoir Rock Properties. It is simple and easy-to-follow format covers each concept explored in the text in a one-page article. The booklet highlights each property with a basic knowledge that intends to convey a general understanding of the covered topics. It's the perfect companion for students and researchers everywhere. Please click on the "Supplements" tab to view the booklet.Booklet DOI: https://doi.org/10.5339/Reservoir_Rock_Properties_Essentials Author Information: Dr. Nayef Alyafei, Assistant Professor in the Petroleum Engineering Department at Texas A&M University at Qatar.Dr. Nayef Alyafei received his Ph.D. in Petroleum Engineering from Imperial College London in 2015 and joined Texas A&M University as a faculty member in 2015. Dr. Alyafei is known for his passion in teaching with a unique teaching style. He received several teaching awards such as Teaching Excellence Award 2019, Faculty of the year 2019, and the Distinguished Achievement College-level Award for Teaching. In addition, he developed an undergraduate technical elective course and made significant curriculum changes to several courses in the department. Dr. Alyafei's research focuses on multi-phase flow in porous media. Reviews: "This excellent text book provides much-needed reference on reservoir rock properties. Dr. Nayef Alyafei has based this work on his own popular lecture courses and his extensive research in multiphase flow in porous media. A wide range of topics is presented clearly with excellent illustrations and explanations throughout. The approach follows an easy-to-follow coherent progression of ideas and is pedagogical in its presentation, making this work ideal as a textbook for undergraduate or post-graduate studies in petroleum engineering, hydrology or related disciplines. The book provides a much needed reference on petrophysics which is also valuable for researchers and professionals working in the oil industry. It is also of interest to the growing body of students, researchers, scientists and engineers working on flow in porous media with a variety of applications from hydrocarbon recovery to carbon dioxide storage. I will certainly recommend this work to my own students and colleagues, and use it in my teaching." - Professor Martin Blunt, Imperial College London


This document builds upon recommendations from peer organizations and outlines a process for identifying maternal cases that should be reviewed. Severe maternal morbidity is associated with a high rate of preventability, similar to that of maternal mortality. It also can be considered a near miss for maternal mortality because without identification and treatment, in some cases, these conditions would lead to maternal death. Identifying severe morbidity is, therefore, important for preventing such injuries that lead to mortality and for highlighting opportunities to avoid repeat injuries. The two-step screen and review process described in this document is intended to efficiently detect severe maternal morbidity in women and to ensure that each case undergoes a review to determine whether there were opportunities for improvement in care. Like cases of maternal mortality, cases of severe maternal morbidity merit quality review. In the absence of consensus on a comprehensive list of conditions that represent severe maternal morbidity, institutions and systems should either adopt an existing screening criteria or create their own list of outcomes that merit review.


Summary
Western encephalitis virus strains obtained from naturally infected birds by inoculation into chick embryos, young chicks and hamster kidney tissue culture were subcultured by various methods in an effort to develop variants of low pathogenicity. Prolonged passage of the virus in chick embryos and chicks did not reduce the neuro-pathogenicity of the virus for mice and hamsters. A variant of low pathogenicity was obtained by cloning on chick embryo cells. Clones were at first selected on the basis of pathogenicity of the progeny of the cloned virus for young adult mice inoculated intracerebrally. Later clonal selections were done on the basis of the relative average survival time (in days) (AST) in infant mice inoculated intracerebrally and intraperitoneally, looking for variants having a long AST or the same AST for both routes of inoculation. The clone 15 variant was selected for study as a live virus vaccine because the neurotropic character of the virus was either markedly reduced or eliminated and animals vaccinated with the virus were immune to subsequent intracerebral challenge with the natural virus as obtained from wild birds.


The relationship between the body and electronic technology, extensively theorized through the 1980s and 1990s, has reached a new technosensual comfort zone in the early twenty-first century. In Sensorium, contemporary artists and writers explore the implications of the techno-human interface. Ten artists, chosen by an international team of curators, offer their own edgy investigations of embodied technology and the technologized body. These range from Matthieu Briand's experiment in "controlled schizophrenia" and Janet Cardiff and Georges Bures Miller's uneasy psychological soundscapes to Bruce Nauman's uncanny night visions and Franois Roche's destabilized architecture. The art in Sensorium--which accompanies an exhibition at the MIT List Visual Arts Center--captures the aesthetic attitude of this hybrid moment, when modernist segmentation of the senses is giving way to dramatic multisensory mixes or transpositions. Artwork by each artist appears with an analytical essay by a curator, all of it prefaced by an anchoring essay on "The Mediated Sensorium" by Caroline Jones. In the second half of Sensorium, scholars, scientists, and writers contribute entries to an "Abecedarius of the New Sensorium." These short, playful pieces include Bruno Latour on "Air," Barbara Maria Stafford on "Hedonics," Michel Foucault (from a little-known 1966 radio lecture) on the "Utopian Body," Donna Haraway on "Compoundings," and Neal Stephenson on the "Viral." Sensorium is both forensic and diagnostic, viewing the culture of the technologized body from the inside, by means of contemporary artists' provocations, and from a distance, in essays that situate it historically and intellectually.Copublished with The MIT List Visual Arts Center.


Student teaching can be an endeavor fraught with anxiety. Those entering the classroom for the first time face the daunting challenge of translating coursework on the theory of teaching into real-world experience. Common questions for anxious student teachers include: Will I be a good teacher? Will I ever get control of my classroom? How can I do all of this grading and plan for next week at the same time? This helpful guide by teacher educator Rosalyn McKeown offers practical suggestions for student teachers, interns, and teacher candidates just starting out in a secondary school classroom. This easy-to-read text enables new educators to rapidly advance their teaching skills early in their pre-service experiences. After exploring the pitfalls of inexperience and providing helpful guidance on maintaining order in the classroom, McKeown focuses on teaching skills. She advises readers on writing objectives and lesson plans, creating interesting ways to start and end class, introducing variety into the classroom, lecturing, asking meaningful questions, and using visual aids. Among the other topics discussed are setting up a classroom, recognizing differences in learning styles, and developing an individual teaching style. Sidebars scattered throughout the text offer useful advice on everything from how to deal with stage fright and distracting noises from outside, to planning for block scheduling and avoiding the attributes of a boring teacher. With McKeown s own list of expectations for her classes, templates for hall passes and lesson plans, and scores of tips garnered from years of experience, "Into the Classroom" provides information a first-time teacher needs to enter the secondary classroom with confidence."


Abstract A new Al-bearing hydrous Mg-silicate that we named as 23 Å phase was synthesized at 10 GPa and 1000 °C, while also coexisting with diaspore and pyrope in the following system: phase A [Mg7Si2O8(OH)6] + Al2O3 + H2O. The chemical composition of this new 23 Å phase is Mg11Al2Si4O16(OH)12, and it contains about 12.1 wt% water. Powder X‑ray diffraction and electron diffraction patterns show that this new 23 Å phase has a hexagonal structure, with a = 5.1972(2), c = 22.991(4) Å, and V = 537.8(2) Å3, and the possible space group is P6̅c2, P63cm, or P63/mcm. The calculated density is 2.761 g/cm3 accordingly, which was determined by assuming that the formula unit per cell (Z) is 1. This crystal structure is quite unique among mantle minerals in having an extraordinarily long c axis. Several experiments revealed that its stability region is very similar to that of phase A. We further confirmed that this new 23 Å phase was stable in the chlorite composition at 10 GPa and 1000 °C. The present results indicate that this new 23 Å hydrous phase will form in an Al-bearing subducting slab, and transport water together with Al into the deep upper mantle or even into the upper part of the transition zone.


Tumor antigen heterogeneity limits CAR T-cell therapies. Although embryonal carcinomas express CD30, some tumor cells remain CD30−/dim. CD30-specific CAR T cells could be leveraged to also target and kill CD30− tumor cells, through Fas/FasL interactions. Tumor antigen heterogeneity limits success of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies. Embryonal carcinomas (EC) and mixed testicular germ cell tumors (TGCT) containing EC, which are the most aggressive TGCT subtypes, are useful for dissecting this issue as ECs express the CD30 antigen but also contain CD30−/dim cells. We found that CD30-redirected CAR T cells (CD30.CAR T cells) exhibit antitumor activity in vitro against the human EC cell lines Tera-1, Tera-2, and NCCIT and putative EC stem cells identified by Hoechst dye staining. Cytolytic activity of CD30.CAR T cells was complemented by their sustained proliferation and proinflammatory cytokine production. CD30.CAR T cells also demonstrated antitumor activity in an in vivo xenograft NOD/SCID/γcnull (NSG) mouse model of metastatic EC. We observed that CD30.CAR T cells, while targeting CD30+ EC tumor cells through the CAR (i.e., antigen-dependent targeting), also eliminated surrounding CD30− EC cells in an antigen-independent manner, via a cell–cell contact-dependent Fas/FasL interaction. In addition, ectopic Fas (CD95) expression in CD30+ Fas− EC was sufficient to improve CD30.CAR T-cell antitumor activity. Overall, these data suggest that CD30.CAR T cells might be useful as an immunotherapy for ECs. Additionally, Fas/FasL interaction between tumor cells and CAR T cells can be exploited to reduce tumor escape due to heterogeneous antigen expression or to improve CAR T-cell antitumor activity. Cancer Immunol Res; 6(10); 1274–87. ©2018 AACR.


The work in this thesis is based on the design and analysis of suitable
compartmental deterministic models for the transmission dynamics of dengue
fever in a population. A basic dengue model which allows transmission by
exposed humans and mosquitoes is developed and rigorously analysed. The
model, consisting of seven mutually-exclusive compartments representing the
human and vector dynamics, has a locally-asymptotically stable (LAS) diseasefree
equilibrium (DFE) whenever a certain epidemiological threshold, known as
the basic reproduction number (Ro) is less than unity. Further, the model exhibits
the phenomenon of backward bifurcation, where the stable DFE co-exists with a
stable endemic equilibrium. The epidemiological consequence of this phenomenon is that the classical epidemiological requirement of making Ro less
than unity is no longer sufficient, although necessary, for effectively controlling
the spread of dengue in a community. The model is extended to incorporate an
imperfect vaccine against the strain of dengue. In both the original and the
extended models, it is shown, using Lyapunov function theory and LaSalle
Invariance Principle, that the backward bifurcation phenomenon can be removed
by substituting the associated standard incidence function with a mass action
incidence. In other words, in addition to establishing the presence of backward
bifurcation in models of dengue transmission, this study shows that the use of
standard incidence in modelling dengue disease causes the backward bifurcation
phenomenon of dengue disease.
The model is extended to include the dynamics of two strains of dengue disease.
The extended model has a locally-asymptotically stable, disease-free equilibrium
(DFE) whenever the maximum of the associated reproduction numbers of the two
strains (denoted by Ro) is less than unity. It is also shown, using a Lyapunov
function and LaSalle Invariance Principle, that the DFE of the model, in the
absence of dengue-induced mortality, is globally-asymptotically stable whenever
Ro<1. The two strains co-exist if the reproduction number of each strain exceeds
unity (and are different). For the case when the two reproduction numbers
exceed unity but are equal, a continuum of co-existence equilibria exists. The
impact of cross-immunity is explored for the case when Ro >1. It is shown that the model can have infinitely many co-existence equilibria if infection with one
strain confers complete immunity against the other strain. However, if infection
with one strain has no effect on susceptibility to the other strain, the model can
have a unique co-existence equilibrium. It is shown that cross-immunity could
lead to disease elimination, competitive exclusion or co-existence of the strains.
Further, the effect of seasonality on dengue transmission dynamics is explored
using numerical simulations. It is shown that the oscillation pattern differs
between the strains, both in their subharmonic periods and the relative phase of
cycles, depending on the degree of the cross-immunity between the strains.
Finally, a deterministic model for monitoring the impact of treatment and vector
control strategy on the transmission dynamics of dengue in the human and
vector populations is formulated. In addition to having a locally-asymptotically
stable disease-free equilibrium (DFE) whenever Ro is less than unity, it is shown,
using a Lyapunov function and LaSalle Invariance Principle, and using
comparison theorem that the DFE of both treatment-free and treatment model, in
the absence of dengue-induced mortality, is globally-asymptotically stable
whenever Ro <1; each of the models has a unique endemic equilibrium whenever
its reproduction number exceed unity. Numerical simulations shows that, the
use of vector control strategies can result in the effective control of dengue in a
community by reducing the population of susceptible and exposed mosquitoes.


In parallel to current important developments in electronics and communication technologies, needs on wireless systems have become more popular yet stringent. In order to meet that demand, development of novel technologies and materials has become crucial. Patch antennas are widely used in the radio frequency (RF) industry. This is due to their simple shape, easy and low cost manufacturing capability and their suitability for conformal applications. However, most of current patch antenna designs rely on efforts puts towards their geometrical parameters with limited available dielectric materials in the market. This thesis mainly focuses on the topology optimization of polymer- ceramic composite substrates. These substrates allow for spatial dielectric permittivity variation via their functionally graded multilayer configuration with the objective to achieve minimization of reflected power at desired frequency values. Towards this goal in the proposed optimization study, Comsol Multiphysics 5.2 software was integrated with Matlab 2014b software and genetic algorithm was used as the optimization solver. In addition to the design study, in the second part of the thesis, a cooling system which allows for the adjustment of temperature values between 0℃ and -100℃ was designed to control the substrate properties of functionally graded materials (FGM) of ceramicpolymer antenna substrates, similar to those designed in the first part of the thesis. These substrates were produced via a novel manufacturing method based on freeze casting process. A new test platform was developed in order to investigate the effect of cooling rate and temperature on microporosity and permittivity of these substrate materials.


Over 70% of diffuse intrinsic pediatric gliomas, an aggressive brainstem tumor, harbor heterozygous mutations that create a K27M amino acid substitution (methionine replaces lysine 27) in the tail of histone H3.3. The role of the H3.3K27M mutation in tumorigenesis is not fully understood. Here, we use a human embryonic stem cell system to model this tumor. We show that H3.3K27M expression synergizes with p53 loss and PDGFRA activation in neural progenitor cells derived from human embryonic stem cells, resulting in neoplastic transformation. Genome-wide analyses indicate a resetting of the transformed precursors to a developmentally more primitive stem cell state, with evidence of major modifications of histone marks at several master regulator genes. Drug screening assays identified a compound targeting the protein menin as an inhibitor of tumor cell growth in vitro and in mice. A stem cell model of a lethal brain tumor in children shows how a recurrent histone mutation leads to cancer. [Also see Perspective by Becher and Wechsler-Reya] Modeling brain cancer from stem to stern Diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (DIPGs) are aggressive brain tumors primarily affecting children. Because the tumors arise in the brainstem, which controls many vital functions, they cannot be surgically excised and are often fatal. To study the pathogenesis of DIPGs—in particular, the role of a histone H3.3 mutation that occurs in 70% of cases—Funato et al. developed a new tumor model (see the Perspective by Becher and Wechsler-Reya). They first directed the differentiation of embryonic stem cells into neural progenitor cells. They then introduced a specific combination of genes, including the mutant histone gene, and found that this caused the progenitor cells to acquire features characteristic of cancer cells. During this oncogenic transformation, the cells reverted to a more primitive differentiation state and displayed altered histone marks at several key regulatory genes. Science, this issue p. 1529; see also p. 1458


Atlantic multidecadal variability (AMV) of sea surface temperature exhibits an important influence on the climate of surrounding continents. It remains unclear, however, the extent to which AMV is due to internal climate variability (e.g., ocean circulation variability) or changes in external forcing (e.g., volcanic/anthropogenic aerosols or greenhouse gases). Here, the sources of AMV are examined over a 340-yr period using proxy indices, instrumental data, and output from the Last Millennium Ensemble (LME) simulation. The proxy AMV closely follows the accumulated atmospheric forcing from the instrumental North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) reconstruction (r = 0.65)—an "internal" source of AMV. This result provides strong observational evidence that much of the AMV is generated through the oceanic response to atmospheric circulation forcing, as previously demonstrated in targeted modeling studies. In the LME there is a substantial externally forced AMV component, which exhibits a modest but significant correlation with the proxy AMV (i.e., r = 0.37), implying that at least 13% of the AMV is externally forced. In the LME simulations, however, the AMV response to accumulated NAO forcing is weaker than in the proxy/observational datasets. This weak response is possibly related to the decadal NAO variability, which is substantially weaker in the LME than in observations. The externally forced component in the proxy AMV is also related to the accumulated NAO forcing, unlike in the LME. This indicates that the external forcing is likely influencing the AMV through different mechanistic pathways: via changes in radiative forcing in the LME and via changes in atmospheric circulation in the observational/proxy record.


Hypertension (HTN) is a major public health problem in African American women. The disproportionate rate of HTN in African American women makes it a high-priority national health objective. Lack of access to a regular continuous source of care may be particularly significant among African American women because such a source of care is a prerequisite to early diagnosis and successful treatment. Understanding the factors that influence access to care for HTN in African American women will provide the information needed to improve the use of healthcare services and enhance adherence to treatment. Despite the known importance of adherence to successful HTN treatment, few attempts have been made to incorporate the indicators of adherence to HTN treatment into a theoretical model that can be used to guide research and practice with African American women. The adapted Hill-Levine model offers an appropriate framework for studying these phenomena in African American women because factors frequently associated with seeking and using healthcare services are organized in three dimensions, including predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing factors. This article discusses the magnitude of the problem presented by HTN and lack of HTN control in African American women, identifies from the literature the factors related to adherence to treatment in HTN management, in general, and in African American women, specifically, and uses the adapted Hill-Levine model to organize the identified predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing factors associated with adherence to HTN treatment recommendations among African American women.


The relationship between job characteristics (e.g., job demands, social support) and work-related outcomes (e.g., turnover intentions, job performance) is assumed to be mediated by strains (e.g., work-related well-being, psychological strain). However, evidence suggests this association will be stronger for work-related strains than broader measures of overall psychological well-being. The primary aim of this study was to identify whether work and non-work related strains differ significantly in their ability to mediate between job characteristics and work-related outcomes.

Perceptions of job characteristics, strain, turnover intentions and job performance were collected via a self-report survey from 2,588 Australian police officers.

All job characteristics (job demands, job control, supervisor support and colleague support) were significant predictors of both job performance and turnover intentions, with the exception of job demands, which was not a significant predictor of turnover intentions. Both work and non-work related strains were significant predictors of turnover intentions and job performance. Strains were collectively significant in mediating between job
characteristics and work-related outcomes, except in the case of job demands and job performance. The indirect effects of job characteristics on work-related outcomes were
primarily through officers' work-related enthusiasm.

The relative importance of work-related enthusiasm in mediating between job characteristics and work-related outcomes offers some support for previous research
suggesting stronger associations between work-related constructs. Future research should examine whether there are substantial differences in the explanatory power of work-related enthusiasm and a popular related
construct, work engagement.


The research of joint optimization operation of complex flood control systems is still in the process of development. This paper introduces a decomposition–coordination model for solving the multi-objective optimization problem for real-time flood control operation in reservoir group and flood storage basin. The multi-objective programming is established for maximum safety of the reservoir group and minimum losses of flood storage basin, according to the real-time flood control requirements. Then, a third-order hierarchical optimization decomposition–coordination model is proposed for solving the multi-objective programming problem, based on the decomposition–coordination principle of large scale system theory. It takes advantage of an objective coordination method and model coordination method to accomplish global optimization and combines progressive optimality algorithm to solve the subsystem local optimization. Finally, the model is applied for simulating the storm flood in July 2007 in the middle reaches of the Huaihe River Basin in China. Results show that the proposed decomposition–coordination model can efficiently calculate the reservoir group optima release strategy and flood storage basin diversion process, and meet the safety discharge at the downstream control section.


The
main accomplishments of this research are

(1) developed
a high fidelity computational methodology based on large eddy simulation to
capture lean blowout (LBO) behaviors of different fuels;

(2)
developed fundamental insights into the combustion processes leading to the
flame blowout and fuel composition effects on the lean blowout limits;

(3) developed
artificial intelligence-based models for early detection of the onset of the lean
blowout in a realistic complex combustor.

The
methodologies are demonstrated by performing the lean blowout (LBO)
calculations and statistical analysis for a conventional (A-2) and an alternative
bio-jet fuel (C-1).

High-performance computing methodology is developed based on
the large eddy simulation (LES) turbulence models, detailed chemistry and
flamelet based combustion models. This methodology is employed for predicting
the combustion characteristics of the conventional fuels and bio-derived
alternative jet fuels in a realistic gas turbine engine. The uniqueness of this
methodology is the inclusion of as-it-is combustor hardware details such as
complex hybrid-airblast fuel injector, thousands of tiny effusion holes,
primary and secondary dilution holes on the liners, and the use of highly
automated on the fly meshing with adaptive mesh refinement. The flow split and
mesh sensitivity study are performed under non-reacting conditions. The
reacting LES simulations are performed with two combustion models (finite rate
chemistry and flamelet generated manifold models) and four different chemical
kinetic mechanisms. The reacting spray characteristics and flame shape are
compared with the experiment at the near lean blowout stable condition for both
the combustion models. The LES simulations are performed by a gradual reduction
in the fuel flow rate in a stepwise manner until a lean blowout is reached. The
computational methodology has predicted the fuel sensitivity to lean blowout
accurately with correct trends between the conventional and alternative bio-jet
fuels. The flamelet generated manifold (FGM) model showed 60% reduction in the
computational time compared to the finite rate chemistry model.

The statistical analyses of the results from the high
fidelity LES simulations are performed to gain fundamental insights into the
LBO process and identify the key markers to predict the incipient LBO condition
in swirl-stabilized spray combustion. The bio-jet fuel (C-1) exhibits
significantly larger CH2O concentrations in the fuel-rich regions
compared to the conventional petroleum fuel (A-2) at the same equivalence ratio.
It is observed from the analysis that the concentration of formaldehyde increases
significantly in the primary zone indicating partial oxidation as we approach
the LBO limit. The analysis also showed that the temperature of the
recirculating hot gases is also an important parameter for maintaining a stable
flame. If this temperature falls below a certain threshold value for a given
fuel, the evaporation rates and heat release rated decreases significantly and
consequently leading to the global extinction phenomena called lean blowout.
The present study established the minimum recirculating gas temperature needed to
maintain a stable flame for the A-2 and C-1 fuels. The artificial intelligence
(AI) models are developed based on high fidelity LES data for early
identification of the incipient LBO condition in a realistic gas turbine
combustor under engine relevant conditions. The first approach is based on the
sensor-based monitoring at the optimal probe locations within a realistic gas
turbine engine combustor for quantities of interest using the Support Vector
Machine (SVM). Optimal sensor locations are found to be in the flame root
region and were effective in detecting the onset of LBO ~20ms ahead of the
event. The second approach is based on
the spatiotemporal features in the primary zone of the combustor. A
convolutional autoencoder is trained for feature extraction from the mass
fraction of the OH (
 data for all time-steps resulting
in significant dimensionality reduction. The extracted features along with the
ground truth labels are used to train the support vector machine (SVM) model
for binary classification. The LBO indicator is defined as the output of the
SVM model, 1 for unstable and 0 for stable. The LBO indicator stabilized to the
value of 1 approximately 30 ms before complete blowout.


This research examines framing in local election coverage, testing whether the same horse-race and strategy frames that dominate national political news are present in small community newspapers' coverage of local elections for city councils and town boards. The study involves a content analysis of 292 newspaper stories and 220 photographs across 23 small community newspaper websites in Missouri. The findings show that literacy frames, those that convey basic information about elections, and substantive issue frames, which report candidates' positions on issues, are prevalent. Issue stories, however, most often are shallow in their reporting. News briefs, one-shot candidate profiles and question-and-answer stories represent more than 50 percent of the sample. Although the framing analysis is encouraging, this research found that community newspapers have a different set of problems that might contribute to low voter participation. The study represents a first step in a potential thread of rich research on local election coverage and its influence on voter behavior and attitudes.


As of March 2016, Humberto Reyes, MD, FACP, steps down as Editor-in-Chief of Revista Médica de Chile. He joined its editorial team in 1971, as a part-time Assistant Editor. A few years later he became Associate Editor and since 1996, Editor-in-Chief. During his tenure the journal improved the peer review system and implemented a web platform to handle the editorial process, while following the recommendations established by acknowledged organizations such as the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), the World Association of Medical Journal Editors (WAME) and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Since 2010 he represented Revista Médica de Chile as an ICMJE Member. After an open contest, the Sociedad Médica de Santiago, founder and owner of Revista Médica de Chile since 1872, elected Fernando Florenzano MD as the new Editor-in-Chief. Dr. Reyes leaves this long lasting job with the satisfaction of having conducted an institution considered among mainstream medical journals in spite of being mostly published in Spanish. Revista Médica de Chile receives a high proportion of the research articles that have been generated in the country, subsequently handled by an enthusiastic and solid editorial team whose responsibilities go far beyond selecting the material to be published since they are medical educators striving to help authors to improve their papers before having them published. Conducting this journal has been a fascinating task for this Editor as well as an unforgettable experience.


Throughout the 1980s the British Civil Service devoted much time and energy developing indicators to measure the performance of government. Never before had so much stress been placed on accountability and performance; a trend which will be reinforced as government continues to devolve activities to agencies and looks for methods to assess their performance. How Organisations Measure Success analyses existing methods from their origins in the 1960s to their revival in the 1980s as part of the Financial Management Initiative and its apotheosis in the 1990s Next Steps Initiative. How Organisations Measure Success reports on two years of field research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and will be of great interest to students of social policy and public administration as well as professionals working in government and public sector management.


Proton therapy is increasing in utilization worldwide at a rapid rate. With process improvements in costs, footprints, and continued advances in the delivery of care, including intensity modulation and image guidance, proton therapy may evolve into standard treatment with photon radiation therapy. This chapter reviews process improvements in proton therapy and the application in modern care.


The contributions of Gustave Malécot to theoretical population genetics are described, discussed, and put into perspective relative to earlier and later work. In this context, certain aspects of the theory of inbreeding, the correlation between relatives, the evolution of finite panmictic populations, and (in more depth) spatial variation are reviewed. A brief biographical sketch of Malécot is also presented.


This research represent a research that having the character of descriptive at PT Bank Jatim Malang with title "SYSTEMS ANALYSIS INTERNAL CONTROL TO GIVING PROCEDURE OF PUNDI KENCANA'S CREDIT AT PT BANK JATIM MALANG". Target of this research is to know the execution of internal control system in giving of credit at PT Bank Jatim Malang. This Research use documentation technique to collect needed datas and analysis technique, analysis that is used is qualitative analysis with analysing element step of system control that include of intern covering organization chart in its relation with giving of credit, authority system and procedure of giving the credit, healthy practice and also employees which is competence. Result of this research is that PT Bank Jatim in giving of credit have as according to good internal control. This matter can be seen from procedure current giving of Pundi Kencana credit which run by company. Besides, PT Bank Jatim have applied practice which is healthy to be proved with usage of prenumber, implementation of sudden inspection which done 4 times in one year and giving of leave to each employees to eliminate saturation in working. But in its execution there are problems that is existence of geminating of occupation at part of commisioned Account officer to analyse the application of credit and doing survey to debitor candidate business activity has double duty as officer which must plunge to field to look for client. Besides, credit administration side handling client candidate register and examiner of equipment of document has double duty to make of letter offering. Pursuant to conclusion above, hence writer recommend to PT Bank Jatim better have marketing officer to field to look for client candidate and place special officer as make of letter offering. PT Bank of Jatim also have to improve training and development of employees quality. To the interested parties in giving of loan of credit have to be always selective in giving credit at client


Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a small RNA encoded virus that causes acute and chronic infections of the liver and is associated with fibrosis, cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma and end-stage liver disease. The infection is linked with elevated serum ferritin levels and iron deposits within the liver which are associated with an increased risk of progression of HCV disease. It is hypothesised firstly that the presence of excess iron affects HCV replication and secondly that iron homeostasis is altered by HCV replication. The main aim of this study was to investigate the influence of iron on HCV replication by analysing the spread of infection and the titre of infectious HCV produced in the presence of excess iron. The second aim was to determine if HCV infection itself alters the level of iron stored as ferritin in liver cells.

HCV Japanese fulminant hepatitis (JFH-1) infection of the human hepatoma cell line, (Huh7), was used as the model for this study. The culture conditions were first optimised to allow detection of ferritin by western blot. Huh7 cells were then treated with iron provided by 5, 10 or 20 μg/ml ferric ammonium citrate (FAC) prior to HCV infection (0.001 MOI). No evidence of inhibition of HCV replication was found on day 7 post infection (PI) by analysis of the level of viral protein detected by western blot, the proportion of infected cells determined by immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry or the titre of infectious HCV produced. A comparison of iron donors was then undertaken and conditions were changed to add iron donors 1 day after HCV. Viral RNA levels were not significantly reduced on treatment with 20 μg/ml FAC and 25 μM holo-transferrin and assays for viral protein and production of infectious virus again showed no evidence of inhibition. Fe-PIH, a lipophilic iron donor, had the greatest effect, reducing both the proportion of infected cells and the titre of infectious virus produced. When the reduction in the number of cells present in cultures treated with Fe-PIH was taken into account, the decrease in virus titre was explained.

HCV infection was found to alter iron storage in Huh7 cells. A significantly lower level of ferritin was detected (p < 0.05) by western blot in HCV infected compared to uninfected Huh7 cells whereas in other situations highly infected cells were found to have increased iron storage. While it had been intended to analyse iron metabolism by examining gene expression during iron deficiency and iron storage, the conditions which give rise to these outcomes will need to be elucidated first.

This study has shown that iron has the potential to inhibit HCV replication although in vitro it depends on the type and concentration of iron donor used and the time during infection that excess iron is present in the cell. This study has confirmed that HCV infection alters the iron status of the liver cell. The outcome of these interactions between iron and HCV is expected to influence the course of HCV infection and the development of liver disease.


See Article on Page 685-693

South Korea has a very high prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). According to data from the Fourth Korean National Health and Nutrition Survey [1], the prevalence of COPD among subjects aged ≥ 40 years is 13.4% (19.4% of males, 7.9% of females). This is considerably higher than in other countries. COPD is a heterogeneous disease [2], the prevalence of which is influenced by diverse factors. Therefore, the high rate in Korea may have several explanations; these are outlined below.

First, Korea has a rate of cigarette smoking considerably higher than that of other countries. In 1995, the rate among Korean adult males was 66.7%. Although it has since decreased, it was 36.2% in 2013, which is the highest of all OECD (The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries [3]. Second, a large number of Korean females have been exposed to biomass fuel in previous decades. Third, many in South Korea have tuberculosis (Tb), which might be related to the high rate of COPD. According to data from The Latin American Project for the Investigation of Obstructive Lung Disease (PLATINO study) [4], a history of Tb is associated with airflow obstruction. Moreover, a study in Korea [5] reported that 76.8% of patients with Tb-destroyed lungs showed airflow obstruction. Tb is also a risk factor for lung function impairment among Korean non-smokers [6].

The prevalence of COPD in North Korea is unclear due to a dearth of data. Furthermore, collection of such data is hampered by the restrictions placed on society in North Korea. However, its rate there is expected to be very high, because the three abovementioned risk factors for COPD are likely markedly more common there than in South Korea. Indeed, Kim et al. [7] reported that among 272 male North Korean defectors, 84.2% were current smokers and 12.5% were ex-smokers. Such a high rate of smoking will inevitably lead to a high prevalence of COPD. In addition, North Korea is one of the poorest countries in the world and thus smoke inhalation from the burning of wood, charcoal, and other biomass is likely frequent. Furthermore, the country has an extremely high rate of Tb: at 345 cases out of every 100,000 people, it is higher than that in some countries with an epidemic of generalized human immunodeficiency virus [8]. Moreover, the lack of advanced medical facilities and/or anti-Tb medication and the high prevalence of multidrug-resistant Tb in North Korea suggest a high rate of Tb-destroyed lungs.

The high rate of COPD in South Korea and probably considerably higher rate in North Korea represent a huge socioeconomic burden. Screening for early COPD should be performed and adequate treatment should be provided in South Korea. Regarding North Korea, considerable effort will be required post-unification to identify and manage individuals with COPD.


The drilling campaign of ODP Leg 130 on Ontong Java Plateau resulted in the recovery of complete Neogene sections at several depths, providing materials for detailed biostratigraphic and paleoceanographic studies in the western equatorial Pacific. The acquisition of extensive logging records and high-resolution physical-property data allow detailed correlation from hole to hole and from site to site and provide the basis for a paleoceanographic interpretation of acoustic reflectors.

We drilled 16 holes at 5 sites on the north-eastern flank of the plateau (Sites 803 through 807). All sites are close to the equator, at water depths ranging from 2,500 m to 3,900 m. Sites 803 and 807 penetrated into basement (26 m and 149 m, respectively). The K/T boundary was recovered at both of these sites.

Neogene sedimentation rates decrease with depth, as expected, but this decrease is much greater than calculated from carbonate content, under the assumption that carbonate dissolution is the sole cause of the decrease. At any one site, sedimentation rates vary by a factor of more than two, with a striking maximum in the latest Miocene to early Pliocene, and strong minima in late early to early middle Miocene and in the Pleistocene.

Many acoustic reflectors correlate between sites, within the limits of stratigraphic resolution. This suggests paleoceanographic events as a cause, generating changes in physical properties of sediments at the time of deposition. Many of the reflectors occur at carbonate reduction events (CRE's). Some apparently are the product of diagenetic enhancement of property changes, as, for example, within the ooze/chalk transition (which is diachronous).

The interval corresponding to the Cretaceous/Tertiary (K/T) transition in the area is characterized by the presence of a deep CCD. The sequence at one site is calcareous; that at the other, is not. The fact that the two K/T sections recovered occur in sequences with major hiatuses suggests special conditions for preservation during the transition. We propose early cementation caused by high silicate concentrations in an ocean with greatly reduced productivity.

The basalt cored at Sites 803 and 807 is predominantly aphyric to sparsely olivine or plagioclase phyric; the last flows are Albian to Aptian in age. At Site 807, pillow lavas buried sediments. One very thick flow (∼28 m) was penetrated here, possibly a flood basalt, indicative of massive outpourings on Ontong Java Plateau during the middle Cretaceous.


The rapid process of change in the global economy in recent years and the organization of labor have influenced gender relations in the teaching profession. These transformations have been disadvantageous for women, leaving them in a situation of occupational overload. The scope of this study was to analyze the working conditions of female teachers in higher education in the health education area in the city of Vitoria, State Espirito Santo, and their implications on health and quality of life. This is qualitative research into data gathered from interviews upon which Bardin content analysis was also employed. This technique revealed three categories: leisure, rest and health; sense of loss of social and family interaction; and perceived quality of life. The results show that insufficient leisure time may lead to sleep disturbances predisposing the individual to psychic illness; overwork; significant alterations in labor organization compromising social and family interaction with repercussions on health and quality of life. The work performed by female professors in the health area contributes to the onset of illness, with pejorative effects on their family, love, social, environmental and professional lives, with consequent loss of quality of life.


Intracellular protein aggregation is a common pathologic feature in neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington' disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinson' disease. Although progress towards understanding protein aggregation in vitro has been made, little of this knowledge has translated to patient therapy. Moreover, mechanisms controlling aggregate formation and catabolism in cellulo remain poorly understood. One limitation is the lack of tools to quantitatively monitor protein aggregation and disaggregation. Here, we developed a protein-aggregation reporter that uses huntingtin exon 1 containing 72 glutamines fused to the N-terminal end of firefly luciferase (httQ72-Luc). httQ72-Luc fails to aggregate unless seeded by a non-luciferase-containing polyglutamine (polyQ) protein such as Q80-cfp. Upon co-aggregation, httQ72-luc becomes insoluble and loses its enzymatic activity. Using httQ72-Luc with Q80(CFP/YFP) as seeds, we screened the Johns Hopkins Clinical Compound Library and identified leflunomide, a dihydroorotate dehydrogenase inhibitor with immunosuppressive and anti-psoriatic activities, as a novel drug that prevents polyQ aggregation. Leflunomide and its active metabolite teriflunomide inhibited protein aggregation independently of their known role in pyrimidine biosynthesis, since neither uridine treatment nor other pyrimidine biosynthesis inhibitors affected polyQ aggregation. Inducible cell line and cycloheximide-chase experiments indicate that these drugs prevent incorporation of expanded polyQ into an aggregate. This study demonstrates the usefulness of luciferase-based protein aggregate reporters for high-throughput screening applications. As current trials are under-way for teriflunomide in the treatment of multiple sclerosis, we propose that this drug be considered a possible therapeutic agent for polyQ diseases.


Chester Dunning, professor of History and Murray and Celeste Fasken Chair in Liberal Arts, Department of History, Texas A&M University, College Station has authored a paper answering the aforementioned questions. His freethinking, professionalism and talent of a narrator draw the reader's attention. His attitude towards Russia which is both critical and constructive, based on the scholar's knowledge of Russian research schools and respect to the achievements of Russian academic thought testify to the substantial potential of Russian-American interaction in the sphere of historical study.


Objective To describe the prevalence, natural history, and risk factors for impulse control behaviors (ICBs) among people with Parkinson disease (PD), those with REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), and controls. Methods Participants with early PD (within 3.5 years of diagnosis), those with RBD, and controls were clinically phenotyped and screened for ICBs longitudinally (with the Questionnaire for Impulsivity in Parkinson's Disease). ICB-positive individuals were invited for a semistructured interview, repeated 1 year later. The severity of the ICB was assessed with the Parkinson's Impulse Control Scale. Multiple imputation and regression models were used to estimate ICB prevalence and associations. Results Data from 921 cases of PD at baseline, 768 cases at 18 months, and 531 cases at 36 months were included, with 21% to 25% screening positive for ICBs at each visit. Interviews of ICB screen–positive individuals revealed that 10% met formal criteria for impulse control disorders (ICD), while 33% had subsyndromal ICD (ICB symptoms without reaching the formal diagnostic criteria for ICD). When these data were combined through the use of multiple imputation, the prevalence of PD-ICB was estimated at 19.1% (95% confidence interval 10.1–28.2). On follow-up, 24% of cases of subsyndromal ICD had developed full symptoms of an ICD. PD-ICD was associated with dopamine agonist use, motor complications, and apathy but not PD-RBD. ICD prevalence in the RBD group (1%) was similar to that in controls (0.7%). Conclusions ICBs occur in 19.1% of patients with early PD, many persisting or worsening over time. RBD is not associated with increased ICD risk. Psychosocial drivers, including mood and support networks, affect severity.


Acoustics is an important aspect for large rooms especially in schools, kindergartens and offices. Foam tiles made from melamine resins are often used for acoustic insulation because they show good fire resistance and good thermal insulation properties. But they can emit formaldehyde. In Germany there are cases with a resulting indoor air concentration of higher than 100 µg/m³. In this study samples from two schools and one office were investigated. Additionally, new tiles were purchased and tested to evaluate the general potential as formaldehyde source.


Over the past 20 years, macroeconomists have incorporated more and more results from behavioral economics into their models. We argue that doing so has helped fixed deficiencies with standard approaches to modeling the economy—for example, the counterfactual absence of inertia in the standard New Keynesian model of economic fluctuations. We survey efforts to use behavioral economics to improve some of the underpinnings of the New Keynesian model—specifically, consumption, the formation of expectations and determination of wages and employment that underlie aggregate supply, and the possibility of multiple equilibria and asset price bubbles. We also discuss more broadly the advantages and disadvantages of using behavioral economics features in macroeconomic models.


In the twenty years preceding the First World War, cinema rapidly developed from a fairground curiosity into a major industry and social institution, a source of information and entertainment for millions of people. Only recently have film scholars and historians begun to study these early years of cinema in their own right and not simply as first steps towards the classical narrative cinema we now associate with Hollywood.The essays in this collection trace the fascinating history of how the cinema developed its forms of storytelling and representation and how it evolved into a complex industry with Hollywood rapidly acquiring a dominant role. These issues can be seen to arise from new readings of the so-called pioneers--Melies, Lumiere, Porter, and Griffith--while also suggesting new perspectives on major European filmmakers of the 1910s and 20s.Editor Thomas Elsaesser complements the contributions from leading British, American, and European scholars with introductory essays of his own that provide a comprehensive overview of the field. The volume is the most authoritative survey to date of a key area of contemporary film research, invaluable to historians as well as to students of cinema.


We study the problem of fitting an ultrametric distance to a dissimilarity graph in the context of hierarchical cluster analysis. Standard hierarchical clustering methods are specified procedurally, rather than in terms of the cost function to be optimized. We aim to overcome this limitation by presenting a general optimization framework for ultrametric fitting. Our approach consists of modeling the latter as a constrained optimization problem over the continuous space of ultrametrics. So doing, we can leverage the simple, yet effective, idea of replacing the ultrametric constraint with a min–max operation injected directly into the cost function. The proposed reformulation leads to an unconstrained optimization problem that can be efficiently solved by gradient descent methods. The flexibility of our framework allows us to investigate several cost functions, following the classic paradigm of combining a data fidelity term with a regularization. While we provide no theoretical guarantee to find the global optimum, the numerical results obtained over a number of synthetic and real datasets demonstrate the good performance of our approach with respect to state-of-the-art agglomerative algorithms. This makes us believe that the proposed framework sheds new light on the way to design a new generation of hierarchical clustering methods. Our code is made publicly available at https://github.com/PerretB/ultrametric-fitting.


ABSTRACT For decades, continuous rises in health care spending have been considered standard, but the most recent data from the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) demonstrate that the cost curve starts to bend in many countries. In this era of budgetary restrictions imposed by the governments, reflection on the economical consequences of our actions becomes unavoidable. One of the consequences of this scarcity in health care resources is that evidence on the value for money of new interventions has become an integral part of reimbursement setting in many countries. Whereas economic evaluations are typically required for the introduction of new drugs, in recent years this evolution has also been observed for the adoption of other health care interventions such as new surgical procedures and radiotherapy techniques. A full economic evaluation calculates the extra cost ensuing from a new treatment strategy compared to a standard alternative and divides this by the gain in outcome obtained with the new treatment. This results in a so-called incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER), which allows to a rank the new treatments by value for money, thus supporting the decision on which interventions to introduce in the context of a given – extra – budget. This also entails, unfortunately, that a novel treatment judged acceptable by society on the basis of its cost-effectiveness may turn out unaffordable within the constraints of a restricted budget. Hence the importance to formally analyze the potential budgetary impact of introducing new treatments into the health care basket in parallel with the evaluation of their cost-effectiveness. In a so-called budget impact analysis, the planned resource use and related expenditures of a treatment are estimated over a certain period of time, with the aim to predict the impact of a policy decision on the healthcare budget. In the presentation this intricate balance between cost-effectiveness and budget will be explored through examples on new systemic agents as well as looking at the specificities of non-drug interventions such as radiotherapy. Disclosure: The author has declared no conflicts of interest.


PACKAGE is a three-year project funded by the European Commission's Information Society Technologies (IST) Programme, currently at its mid-stage. It is concerned with improving the manner in which disabled and elderly people open packages used for consumer products and access the information on their labels to promote the concepts of an inclusive society. The application area is consumer packaging, typically used by supermarkets for the sale of food, drink and detergents. Modern packaging methods have provided enormous benefit for the purchase, transport and storage of foodstuffs. However, there is an increasing body of empirical evidence that suggests elderly and even mildly disabled people encounter problems with packaging in a number of areas. For instance, people with vision impairments are disadvantaged because the font size used on food labels is usually small. This disadvantage is compounded because increased age is also associated with diseases for which diet is thought to be important. People with impaired hand function experience difficulties opening packages. People with food intolerances have difficulty understanding food labels.


The Routledge Handbook of the Politics of Migration in Europe provides a rigorous and critical examination of what is exceptional about the European politics of migration and the study of it. Crucially, this book goes beyond the study of the politics of migration in the handful of Western European countries to showcase a European approach to the study of migration politics, inclusive of tendencies in all geographical parts of Europe (including Eastern Europe, the Western Balkans, Turkey) and of influences of the European Union (EU) on countries in Europe and beyond. Each expert chapter reviews the state of the art field of studies on a given topic or question in Europe as a continent while highlighting any dimensions in scholarly debates that are uniquely European. Thematically organised, it permits analytically fruitful comparisons across various geographical entities within Europe and broadens the focus on European immigration politics and policies beyond the traditional limitations of Western European, immigrant-receiving societies. The Routledge Handbook of the Politics of Migration in Europe will be essential reading and an authoritative reference for scholars, students, researchers and practitioners involved in, and actively concerned about, research on migration, and European and EU Politics.


This paper investigates banks' corporate social responsibility. Two different competitive credit markets do exist: one for standard projects and one for ethical ones. Ethical projects have also a social profitability, but a lower (positive) expected revenue with respect to standard ones. Ethical projects are financed by ethical banks and undertaken by motivated borrowers. These borrowers obtain additional benefit (a social responsibility premium) from accomplishing ethical projects when trading with ethical banks. If the expected profitability of ethical project is sufficiently close to that of standard ones and/or the social responsibility premium of motivated borrowers is sufficiently high, the market for ethical projects is active and the credit market is fully segmented. This result holds true irrespective of the information structure: only moral hazard on the borrower side, moral hazard and screening on the borrower side, moral hazard on the borrower side and screening on the lender side. The optimal contract in our set-up is always a debt contract. However, its precise form and welfare properties depend on the information structure.


OBJECTIVE
To examine data on Medicaid and self-pay/charity maternity cases to address four questions: (1) Did safety-net hospitals' share of Medicaid patients decline while their shares of self-pay/charity-care patients increased from 1991 to 1994? (2) Did Medicaid patients' propensity to use safety-net hospitals decline during 1991-94? (3) Did self-pay/charity patients' propensity to use safety-net hospitals increase during 1991-94? (4) Did the change in Medicaid patients' use of safety-net hospitals differ for low- and high-risk patients?

STUDY DESIGN
We use hospital discharge data to estimate logistic regression models of hospital choice for low-risk and high-risk Medicaid and self-pay/charity maternity patients for 25 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) in five states for the years 1991 and 1994. We define low-risk patients as discharges without comorbidities and high-risk patients as discharges with comorbidities that may substantially increase hospital costs, length of stay, or morbidity. The five states are California, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York. The MSAs in the analysis are those with at least one safety-net hospital and a population of 500,000 or more. This study also uses data from the 1990 Census and AHA Annual Survey of Hospitals. The regression analysis estimates the change between 1991 and 1994 in the relative odds of a Medicaid or self-pay/charity patient using a safety-net hospital. We explore whether this change in the relative odds is related to the risk status of the patient.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS
The findings suggest that competition for Medicaid patients increased from 1991 to 1994. Over time, safety-net hospitals lost low-risk maternity Medicaid patients while services to high-risk maternity Medicaid patients and self-pay/charity maternity patients remained concentrated in safety-net hospitals.

IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY
Safety-net hospitals use Medicaid patient revenues and public subsidies that are based on Medicaid patient volumes to subsidize care for uninsured and underinsured patients. If safety-net hospitals continue to lose their low-risk Medicaid patients, their ability to finance care for the medically indigent will be impaired. Increased hospital competition may improve access to hospital care for low-risk Medicaid patients, but policymakers should be cognizant of the potential reduction in access to hospital care for uninsured and underinsured patients. Public policymakers should ensure that safety-net hospitals have sufficient financial resources to care for these patients by subsidizing their care directly.


Recent experiments at Princeton University have revealed aspects of smooth pipe flow behaviour that suggest a more complex scaling than previously noted. In particular, the pressure gradient results yield a new friction factor relationship for smooth pipes, and the velocity profiles indicate the presence of a power-law region near the wall and, for Reynolds numbers greater than about 400×103 (R+>9×103), a logarithmic region further out. New experiments on a rough pipe with a honed surface finish with krms/D=19.4×10−6, over a Reynolds number range of 57×103–21×106, show that in the transitionally rough regime this surface follows an inflectional friction factor relationship rather than the monotonic relationship given in the Moody diagram. Outer-layer scaling of the mean velocity data and streamwise turbulence intensities for the rough pipe show excellent collapse and provide strong support for Townsend's outer-layer similarity hypothesis for rough-walled flows. The streamwise rough-wall spectra also agree well with the corresponding smooth-wall data. The pipe exhibited smooth behaviour for , which supports the suggestion that the original smooth pipe was indeed hydraulically smooth for ReD≤24×106. The relationship between the velocity shift, ΔU/uτ, and the roughness Reynolds number, , has been used to generalize the form of the transition from smooth to fully rough flow for an arbitrary relative roughness krms/D. These predictions apply for honed pipes when the separation of pipe diameter to roughness height is large, and they differ significantly from the traditional Moody curves.


The use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in ODL allows for the generation of huge amounts of data, sometimes known as "Big data," when applicants and enrolled learners interact with the online platforms. It is argued that; this vast data is captured and stored, but it is often insufficiently analysed to assist learners and the institution in the service delivery or data-driven decision-making processes.This article investigates how this data may be analysed and used to develop strategies to enhance learner services and service delivery in an ODL, specifically at BOU. The report describes the outcomes of a quantitative research study for Botswana Open University, which was done through the analysis of raw data from the BOU Student Management System. This paper offers insights generated from BOU data analytics that might be used to improve the University's teaching and learning. According to BOU's case study, ODL institutions might benefit from data analytics adoption by identifying trends and reorganizing the ODL value chain.


Neurodegenerative disorders in humans may be triggered or exacerbated by exposure to occupational or environmental agents. Here, we show that a brief exposure to methylisothiazolinone, a widely used industrial and household biocide, is highly toxic to cultured neurons but not to glia. We also show that the toxic actions of this biocide are zinc dependent and require the activation of p44/42 extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) via a 12-lipoxygenase-mediated pathway. The cell death process also involves activation of NADPH oxidase, generation of reactive oxygen species, DNA damage, and overactivation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, all occurring downstream from ERK phosphorylation. The toxic effects of methylisothiazolinone and related biocides on neurons have not been reported previously. Because of their widespread use, the neurotoxic consequences of both acute and chronic human exposure to these toxins need to be evaluated.


Competitive and cooperative threading are widely used abstractions in computing. In competitive threading, threads are scheduled preemptively with the goal of minimizing response time, usually of interactive applications. In cooperative threading, threads are scheduled non-preemptively with the goal of maximizing throughput or minimizing the completion time, usually in compute-intensive applications, e.g. scientific computing, machine learning and AI. Although both of these forms of threading rely on the same abstraction of a thread, they have, to date, remained largely separate forms of computing. Motivated by the recent increase in the mainstream use of multicore computers, we propose a threading model that aims to unify competitive and cooperative threading. To this end, we extend the classic graph-based cost model for cooperative threading to allow for competitive threading, and describe how such a cost model may be used in a programming language by presenting a language and a corresponding cost semantics. Finally, we show that the cost model and the semantics are realizable by presenting an operational semantics for the language that specifies the behavior of an implementation, as well as an implementation and a small empirical evaluation.


We study the spectrum access problem in cognitive networks consisting of several frequency channels, each characterized by a channel availability probability due to the activity of the licensed primary users. The key challenge for the unlicensed secondary users to opportunistically access the unused spectrum of the primary users is to learn the channel availabilities and coordinate with others in order to choose the best channels for transmissions without collision in a distributed way. Moreover, due to the drastic cost of changing frequencies in current wireless devices (in terms of delay, packet loss and protocol overhead), an efficient channel access policy should avoid frequently channel switching, unless necessary. We address the spectrum access problem with channel switching cost by developing a block-based distributed channel access policy. Through mathematical analysis, we show that the proposed policy achieves logarithmic regret in spite of the channel switching cost. Extensive simulation studies show that the proposed policy outperforms the solutions in the literature.