Simultaneous reuse of spectral resources by uplink and downlink, denoted as in-band full duplex (FD) communication, is promoted to double the spectral efficiency when compared to its half-duplex (HD) counterpart. Interference management, however, remains challenging in FD cellular networks, especially when high disparity between uplink and downlink transmission powers exists. The uplink performance can be particularly deteriorated when operating on channels that are simultaneously occupied with downlink transmission. This paper considers a cellular wireless system with partial spectrum overlap between the downlink and uplink. The performance of the system becomes, therefore, a function of the overlap fraction, as well as the power levels of both the uplink and downlink transmissions. The paper considers the problem of maximizing an overall network utility to find the uplink/downlink transmission powers and the spectrum overlap fraction between the uplink and downlink spectrum in each cell, and proposes solving the problem using interior point method. Simulations results confirm the vulnerability of the uplink performance to the FD operation, and show the superiority of the proposed scheme over the FD and HD schemes. The results further show that explicit uplink and downlink performance should be considered for efficient design of cellular networks with overlapping uplink/downlink resources.


Past studies have suggested that progesterone-derived ovarian hormones contribute to the discriminative stimulus effects of ethanol, particularly via progesterone metabolites that act at &ggr;-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptors. It is unknown whether loss of ovarian hormones in women, for example, after menopause, may be associated with altered receptor mediation of the effects of ethanol. The current study measured the substitution of allopregnanolone, pregnanolone, pentobarbital, midazolam, dizocilpine, TFMPP, and RU 24969 in female sham and ovariectomized rats trained to discriminate 1.0 g/kg ethanol from water. The groups did not differ in the substitution of GABAA-positive modulators (barbiturates, benzodiazepines, neuroactive steroids) or the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist dizocilpine. Similarly, blood-ethanol concentration did not differ between the groups, and plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone, progesterone, pregnenolone, and deoxycorticosterone were unchanged 30 min after administration of 1.0 g/kg ethanol or water. However, substitution of neuroactive steroids and RU 24969, a 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)1A/1B receptor agonist, was lower than observed in previous studies of male rats, and TFMPP substitution was decreased in ovariectomized rats. Ovarian hormones appear to contribute to 5-HT receptor mediation of the discriminative stimulus effects of ethanol in rats.


This short film was created as a part of the Songs of the Caves research project. This aimed to explore the sounds of 5 caves that are part of the Cave of Altamira and Palaeolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain World Heritage Site. In the caves of La Garma, El Castillo, Las Chimineas, El Pasiega and Tito Bustillo the team explored the acoustics of the caves and their relationships with the cave art present. The art in the caves is up to 40,000 years old, and the team tested whether there was any evidence that sound played a part in where these visual motifs were placed. In addition various instruments were played and recorded in the caves, to demonstrate their acoustics and see what the caves might sound like with different sound sources. Many of the instruments were reconstructions of archaeological finds, including bone flutes which were made up to 30 or 40,000 years ago.


The amount and variety of information available today in digital form continue to increase at a rapid rate. To keep pace with these trends, knowledge workers must be empowered with enhanced information management capabilities in order to continue to work effectively. Enabling knowledge workers to personalize the information items with which they work is an important capability, one that can facilitate the ability to perform complex tasks. This paper examines a metadata based approach to supporting the personalization process for knowledge workers, especially those that must interact with diverse and distributed information objects. An architecture for supporting the personalization process is described along with a prototype personalization environment that is based upon it. Two of the primary characteristics of the approach are that it is metadata based and decentralized. The advantages of the approach are discussed, along with an examination of the challenges that it presents for ongoing and future research.


The magnificent complex of throne halls, museums and religious architecture, including the exquisite Emerald Buddha Temple, are often referred to as the jewel in the crown of Bangkok. Begun by King Rama I in 1782, they were constructed to emulate the glories of the former capital Ayutthaya, sacked by the Burmese some 15 years earlier. Until the beginning of the twentieth century, the Thai monarchs lived within the Grand Palace and all important events took place within its walls. Thus in each of the nine reigns of the Chakri dynasty, the king has embellished or built new structures within the compound, thereby creating a storehouse of Thai architectural and decorative style over the last two hundred years. King Rama IX is no exception and his new throne hall is included in this volume. As well as describing the exquisite buildings within the Grand Palace, the book also illustrates many of the key sites which were built in its vicinity: Wat Phra Chetuphon, more commonly known as Wat Pho, the elegant colonial style Ministry of Defence, the City Pillar Shrine, Sanam Luang which has been a focal point for Thai life for over two centuries, the National Museum and the National Gallery and the newly-opened National Discovery Museum. Also included are photographs, old and new, of key Thai royal ceremonies. This beautifully photographed guide is the first to deal exclusively and in depth with the wealth of buildings to be explored at the Grand Palace and the surrounding Rattanakosin Island.


Customer relationship management (CRM) is critical to the success of a business. Recent work in CRM has focused on the mining of customer-related data and the construction of customer behavior models. In this paper, we present a framework for an effective detection of business events that trigger the execution of customer-related activities based on a set of predefined business rules. An event is the occurrence of something interesting to the system itself or to user applications. Event driven execution of rules in event-condition-action (ECA) form can ensure efficiency and timeliness. This is an important aspect of CRM that few researchers have reported. In the e-brokerage industry, business events concern mainly with clients, brokerage firms and the stock market environment. Business events due to the clients include order placement, complaints filing, service exceptions, and change of personal profiles. Business events due to the brokerage firms include staff turnovers and amendment of e-brokerage services. Business events due to the environment include market news and fluctuation of stock prices. An event-driven CRM prototype implementing the proposed framework has been successfully applied to support an e-brokerage system. The prototype integrates a client portal, a call center, a managerial application, external event detectors and an analysis engine. There is little room in Hong Kong's stock brokerage industry for a brokerage firm to increase its revenue through cross- or up-sale trading. The key success factor of a brokerage is therefore its ability to retain existing clients and to increase their satisfaction through effective coordination and enactment of CRM activities.


BACKGROUND
Psychological and educational interventions have been used as an adjunct to conventional therapy for children with atopic eczema to enhance the effectiveness of topical therapy. There have been no relevant systematic reviews applicable to children.

OBJECTIVES
To assess the effectiveness of psychological and educational interventions in changing outcomes for children with atopic eczema.

SEARCH STRATEGY
We searched the Cochrane Skin Group Specialised Register (to September 2004), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (The Cochrane Library Issue 2, 2005), MEDLINE (from 1966-2005), EMBASE (from 1980 to week 3, 2005 ), PsycINFO (from 1872 to week 1, 2005). On-line: National Research Register, Meta-register of Controlled Trials, ZETOC alerts, SIGLE (August 2005).

SELECTION CRITERIA
RCTs of psychological or educational interventions, or both, used to manage children with atopic eczema.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two authors independently applied eligibility criteria, assessed trial quality and extracted data. A lack of comparable data prevented data synthesis.

MAIN RESULTS
Five RCTs met the inclusion criteria. Some included studies required clearer reporting of trial procedures. Rigorous established outcome measures were not always used. Interventions described in all 5 RCTs were adjuncts to conventional therapy. Four focused on intervention directed towards the parents; data synthesis was not possible. Psychological interventions remain virtually unevaluated by studies of robust design; the only included study examined the effect of relaxation techniques (hypnotherapy and biofeedback) on severity. Three educational studies identified significant improvements in disease severity between intervention groups. A recent German trial evaluated long term outcomes and found significant improvements in both disease severity (3 months to 7 years, p=0.0002, 8 to 12 years, p=0.003, 13 to 18 years, p=0.0001) and parental quality of life (3 months to 7 years, p=0.0001, 8 to 12 years p=0.002), for children with atopic eczema. One study found video-based education more effective in improving severity than direct education and the control (discussion) (p<0.001). The single psychological study found relaxation techniques improved clinical severity as compared to the control at 20 weeks (t=2.13) but this was of borderline significance (p=0.042).

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
A lack of rigorously designed trials (excluding one recent German study) provides only limited evidence of the effectiveness of educational and psychological interventions in helping to manage the condition of children with atopic eczema. Evidence from included studies and also adult studies indicates that different service delivery models (multi-professional eczema school and nurse-led clinics) require further and comparative evaluation to examine their cost-effectiveness and suitability for different health systems.


In the article the author argues that Foucault's insights on the archaeological historiography, genealogy and discourse analysis can be used as a lens to write history as well as to deconstruct the existing historical sources. Foucault's main thesis is that history is largely an illusion. Foucault contrasts effective historiography with traditional historiography. He is against the traditional scheme of historical research. Foucault's archaeological historiography is a method of historical analysis that is free from the anthropological theme. In the article the following themes will be discussed: Foucault and post-structuralism, Foucault and the archaeological historiography, Foucault and the genealogical historiography, Foucault and discourse analysis, Foucault and the formation of objects of discourse, Foucault and the reading process and Foucault knowledge and truth, Foucault and power and discipline. Attention will also be given in this paper to Ricoeur's notions on historiography. Article text in Afrikaans


Two techniques are demonstrated to produce ultrashort pulse trains capable of quasi-phase-matching high-harmonic generation. The first technique makes use of an array of birefringent crystals and is shown to generate high-contrast pulse trains with constant pulse spacing. The second technique employs a grating-pair stretcher, a multiple-order wave plate, and a linear polarizer. Trains of up to 100 pulses are demonstrated with this technique, with almost constant inter-pulse separation. It is shown that arbitrary pulse separation can be achieved by introducing the appropriate dispersion. This principle is demonstrated by using an acousto-optic programmable dispersive filter to introduce third- and fourth-order dispersions leading to a linear and quadratic variation of the separation of pulses through the train. Chirped-pulse trains of this type may be used to quasi-phase-match high-harmonic generation in situations where the coherence length varies through the medium.


Strong light-matter coupling within electromagnetic environments provides a promising path to modify and control chemical and physical processes. The origin of the enhancement of nonlinear optical processes such as second-harmonic and third-harmonic generation (SHG and THG) due to strong light-matter coupling is attributed to distinct physical effects which questions the relevance of strong coupling in these processes. In this work, we leverage a first-principles approach to investigate the origins of the experimentally observed enhancement of resonant SHG and THG under strong light-matter coupling. We find that the enhancement of the nonlinear conversion efficiency has its origins in a modification of the associated nonlinear optical susceptibilities as polaritonic resonances emerge in the nonlinear spectrum. Further, we find that the nonlinear conversion efficiency can be tuned by increasing the light-matter coupling strength. Finally, we provide a general framework to compute the harmonic generation spectra from the displacement field as opposed to the standard approach which computes the harmonic spectrum from the matter-only induced polarization. Our results address a key debate in the field, and pave the way for predicting and understanding quantum nonlinear optical phenomena in strongly coupled light-matter systems.


Educational pursuits run like a rich thread through the fabric of China's turbulent twentieth century. From the founding of China's first modern school system in the late Qing dynasty through the republican era to the latest educational developments in the People's Republic of China, this book seeks to understand how developments in education contributed to, and were in turn influenced by, cultural patterns and the ongoing search for identity by individuals, collectivities, and states. Its sixteen contributors explore three themes that have enlivened China studies in recent years: sino-foreign interactions, state-society relations, and gender representation and identification.Unlike most studies of modern Chinese education that focus exclusively on the post-1949 era, "Education, Culture, and Identity in Twentieth-Century China" represents a deliberate attempt to break through the 1949 barrier and embrace the entire century. Culture emerges in this study as a deeper level factor that underlay the development of education in each period and shaped certain recurrent patterns, while identity involves a search for individual and collective meaning that went on under different regimes.The product of a genuinely multidisciplinary effort to promote cross-fertilization among an international team of scholars in a wide range of disciplines, "Education, Culture, and Identity in Twentieth-Century China" will interest students and scholars of modern China, comparative and international education, educational policy, and international relations. It will also appeal to policy makers and professionals associated with international organizations.Glen Peterson is Associate Professor of History, University of British Columbia. Ruth Hayhoe is Director, Hong Kong Institute of Education. Yongling Lu is a graduate student in the History Department, Stanford University.


We study the risk of minimum-norm interpolants of data in Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Spaces. Our upper bounds on the risk are of a multiple-descent shape for the various scalings of $d = n^{\alpha}$, $\alpha\in(0,1)$, for the input dimension $d$ and sample size $n$. Empirical evidence supports our finding that minimum-norm interpolants in RKHS can exhibit this unusual non-monotonicity in sample size; furthermore, locations of the peaks in our experiments match our theoretical predictions. Since gradient flow on appropriately initialized wide neural networks converges to a minimum-norm interpolant with respect to a certain kernel, our analysis also yields novel estimation and generalization guarantees for these over-parametrized models.
At the heart of our analysis is a study of spectral properties of the random kernel matrix restricted to a filtration of eigen-spaces of the population covariance operator, and may be of independent interest.


Abstract Understanding the reasons for conflict between elephants and people who live adjacent to conservation areas remains key to recruiting them as allies in preserving elephant populations. The Tsavo region of Kenya has become a notable battleground for elephant conservation in East Africa, characterized by ivory poachers, crop damages by elephants in communities adjacent to parks, and electric fencing to control human and wildlife mobility. Oral histories of six ethnic groups reveal how such human‐elephant conflict emerged during colonial times through a landscape transformation process involving elephants, livestock, people, and vegetation. The general trend over the past two centuries involves a transition from a precolonial modality characterized by human and elephant mobility to their increasing immobility, spatial separation, and conflict. Understanding of the historical emergence of that conflict forces recommendation of a change in policy direction, from further reducing mobility to restoration of mobility and spatial reintegration of people in parks. Keywords: colonialism and landscape, East Africa, elephant conservation, historical political ecology.


This study presents a literary analysis of the content and context of mchongoanoasan urban youth genre. It analysedMchongoanowithin its context of performanceand it is impact on Kenyan urban youth. The study engaged two theoretical modelsnamely: Sociological and Stylistics theories. The study considered the performance ofMchongoanoas relating to behaviour and experiences thus reflecting social realities.Sociological theory was used to analyse these social realities in the society as captured inthe verbal duels. Stylistics theory was used to.unravel the linguistic and stylistic patterns inMchongoano. Mchongoanoinvolves the manipulation and codification oflanguage to passthe intended message. The study espoused fieldwork as a primary means of data collectionfor analysis and interpretation and it engaged participant observation, interviews and focusgroup discussions. Secondary data was obtained through reading secondary materials inlibraries, online, published and unpublished works relating to our study. Data collectedwas categorized, divided into chapters and analysed using thematic content analysismethod. Findings from this study reveal that the performance of Mchongoanois based onvarious social issues like material opulence, religion, crime, fear, insecurity and individualtraits among others. The study also revealed that Mchongoano duels engage various stylessuch as irony, satire, symbolism, sarcasm and semantic variations. Therefore, the studyconcludes that Mchongoano, as an emergent urban folklore, deserves literary and criticalattention since the urban youth do not engage in Mchongoanofor mere entertainment butfor social, intellectual and emotional satisfaction


Overview A new deal among governments and school systems can end Australia's toxic school funding debate and transform teaching and learning in schools, without costing the Commonwealth more money. Historically low inflation rates create an unprecedented opportunity to reduce excessive school indexation payments that are locked into legislation, saving the nation billions of dollars. The Commonwealth and state governments should use part of the savings to create the needs-based funding system all main parties say they want, as well as new roles for expert teachers to lift student performance. As education ministers prepare to meet next month to discuss a new funding model, this report offers the circuit breaker Australia's 50-year old argument over school funding desperately needs. The Grattan Institute compact on school funding shows how funds can be reallocated to get all schools to their needs-based funding target by 2023, without spending any more money over the next four years than the Turnbull Government proposed in its 2016 Budget. Under the compact's proposals, under-funded schools are much better off compared to the model legislated by the Gillard government in 2013 and the 2016 Budget. Chronically disadvantaged schools gain the most. About half of schools close to or at their targets would have slower funding growth than under the legislation. But they maintain their purchasing power and most of them will be better funded than today. A very small number of over-funded schools (only 3 per cent) would get less money. These changes are essential to create a school system that gives every Australian child a fair chance in life. But money alone cannot create that system. It must be spent well. All the evidence shows that in order to lift student outcomes, investment in the most effective teaching is essential. The compact recommends a structural change to create two new roles: Master Teachers and Instructional Leaders who will work in schools and across clusters of schools to improve teaching effectiveness in maths, science, English and other fields. It is time to end the exhausted funding debate and to start the debate that counts in this century – how to improve teaching for all students in all schools.


This article investigates to what extent computer-supported argument visualization can be designed to encourage debate and deliberation by citizens on public issues. Such argument maps use icons and arrows to represent the structure of a series of related viewpoints, reducing the amount of text necessary to convey the ideas, thereby clarifying the issue under consideration. Argument maps have the potential to provide a readily accessible medium by which citizens can follow and join in public debates on policy issues. In this article we describe our approach and the type of maps we have chosen to use and then demonstrate the potential of a collection of maps to form a "policy memory" to support policy development. Our case study is the development of the "smoking in public places" policy in the Scottish Parliament. Our overall aim is to engage citizens in democratic decision making, leading to better policymaking and a more engaged citizenry.


Rooted cuttings of Kerner ( Vitis vinifera ), Michurinetz ( V. amurensis X), and Okanagan Riesling ( V. labrus- cana X), either virus-free or infected with Rupestris stem pitting virus (RSPV), were planted in 1987 in a randomized block experiment at Summerland, British Columbia (arid continental climate). Also, virus-free and RSPV-infected plants Madeleine Sylvaner, and Ortega (both V. vinifera ) were planted in a completely randomized experiment at Saanichton Plant Quarantine Station, Sidney, BC (cool maritime climate). Yield components were not affected at the Summerland site, but weight of cane prunings were reduced in RSPV- infected Michurinetz vines in 1995-96. RSPV also lowered yield and clusters per vine of both cultivars in 1994 at Sidney, along with Ortega weight of cane prunings (1993 and 1994) and berry weight (1994). Berry titratable acidity (TA) at harvest was reduced at both sites in RSPV-infected vines, and pH was concomitantly increased. TA was consistently lower and the pH was always higher in the RSPV berries during veraison to harvest at Summerland. No apparent negative impact of RSPV was observed except delayed soluble solids (°Brix) accumulation in RSPV-infected Kerner and Okanagan Riesling vines at Summerland in 1991, and lower °Brix in Ortega RSPV berries at Sidney in 1993. In some seasons, fruit composition differences between virus-free and RSPV vines disappeared close to commercial maturity, but lower TA and higher pH persisted until harvest at the Summerland site in 1993. RSPV-infected vines at Sidney exhibited slightly delayed budburst in 1988-91 and 1994, but not 1993. These results suggest that RSPV has no major impact on grapevine growth and yield, and may advance fruit maturity in terms of TA and pH.


Research developments in environmental electrochemistry and their potential to contribute to a cleaner environment are reviewed here for wastewater treatment applications. Most environmental pollutants can be successfully eliminated or converted to non-toxic materials by one or more processes, including electrochemical oxidation, electrochemical reduction, electrocoagulation and electrocoagulation/flotation, electrodialysis, and electrochemical advanced oxidation processes. Specific examples of applications for pollutant removal and reclamation of wastewater are given for the different processes, along with research needs and improvements for commercial application of these electrochemical processes.


Background Paraquat (PQ) is a potent, highly toxic and widely used herbicide. The major medical problems associated with PQ are accidental or suicidal ingestion. There are several prognostic markers of PQ poisoning, with the serum PQ concentration considered to be the best indicator of outcome. However, the measurement of such markers is limited in many hospitals. Objective The present study was conducted to investigate the association of absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) and the 30-day mortality rate in patients with PQ poisoning. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of patients admitted to the emergency department after paraquat poisoning between January 2010 and April 2013. Independent risk factors including ALC for 30-day mortality were determined. The ALC was categorized in quartiles as ≤1700, 1700 to 3200, 3200 to 5000, and >5000. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis were performed to determine the independent risk factors for mortality. Results A total of 136 patients were included in the study, and the 30-day mortality was 73.5%. ALC was significantly higher in nonsurvivors than in survivors. The highest ALC quartile (ALC>5000; hazard ratio, 2.58; 95% CI, 1.08–6.21) was associated with increased mortality in multivariate analysis. In addition, old age, lower arterial PaCO2, increased peripheral neutrophil count, and high serum levels of creatinine were associated with mortality. Conclusion The absolute lymphocyte count is associated with the 30-day mortality rate in patients with paraquat poisoning.


The inverse scheme is not optimized under the formalized condition in solving an inverse problem of ocean acoustic tomography. But if how the travel time bias can affect the reconstructed profiles is examined, it is useful to determine the optimal bias for each inversion. There are two methods to determine this bias. One is to minimize the variance of the sound‐speed anomaly as a function of travel time bias. The other is to use the formula derived by the minimization of the variance of the difference of true and estimated sound‐speed anomalies. Even though both results must agree with each other in principle, they are not always the same. In examining the discrepancy, the assumption can be made that the inverse scheme is optimal which minimizes the difference of both biases. Moreover, the travel time bias makes it possible to treat with barotropic mode of current and temperature separated from baroclinic modes.


As April 2017 marked the 100th anniversary of America's entry into World War I, this edition of NJS has several related offerings. These include this special feature, an adapted version of the first half of Dr. Richard J. Connors' new book, New Jersey and the Great War (Dorrance, 2017). We will publish the second half in our Winter 2018 issue. Those who can't wait, or who want to see the unedited text (to include endnotes, illustrations, and tables) can always purchase the book online! We are most grateful to Dr. Connors for allowing us to share his insightful and comprehensive work in this way, and hope you will help us ensure the widest possible dissemination by sharing the very timely piece with your colleagues, students, family, and friends.


Cryopreservation of unfertilized oocytes at very low temperature (-196°C) is carried out to ensure their continuous availability during different assisted reproductive techniques. However, various problems associated with the freezing of oocytes influence their developmental competence, resulting in suboptimal embryo production. The present study was planned to assess the developmental competence of buffalo oocytes vitrified at different meiotic stages of maturation. Expression profile of developmentally important genes, viz, heat shock protein 70 (HSP 70) and glucose transporter 1 (Glut1), was verified in these vitrified warmed oocytes. Buffalo cumulus-oocyte complexes were collected from slaughterhouse ovaries and divided into six groups: control (no vitrification); 0 h group (vitrified before maturation), and 6-, 12-, 18-, and 24-h groups [vitrified respectively at 6, 12, 18, and 24 h post-in vitro maturation (IVM)]. Vitrification solution consisted of propylene glycol (40% w/v), and trehalose (0.25 mol/L) in PBS + BSA (4% w/v) and vitrification was carried out by directly plunging 0.25-mL French mini-straws into liquid nitrogen. After a minimum storage period of 7 days, the straws were thawed at 37°C for 30 sec. In all groups, the oocytes completed 24-h of maturation. After 24 h maturation, a few oocytes from each of the six groups were stained with ethidium bromide to reveal their nuclear status. The remaining oocytes were co-incubated with frozen thawed buffalo semen in fertilization TALP with 6 mg/mL fatty acid free BSA and 10 ¼g/mL heparin sodium salt for 18 h. Presumptive zygotes were cultured in mSOF for 8 days. Vitrified warmed oocytes were subjected to total RNA isolation and RT-PCR for detection of mRNA transcripts of HSP 70 and Glut1 genes. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and F-test analysis. Differences of P < 0.05 were considered significant. The percentage of oocytes recovered from all five vitrification groups varied from 89 to 92 out of which 84-91% of oocytes were morphologically normal. A higher proportion of nonvitrified control oocytes (72.8%; 40/55) reached the metaphase II stage than for the oocytes vitrified at 24 (60%; 36/60), 18 (54.4%; 31/57), 12 (42.3%; 22/52), 6 (33.3%; 20/60), and 0 (31.7%; 19/60) h of IVM. The cleavage rate of nonvitrified control oocytes was higher (36.8%) than that of oocytes vitrified at 0 (1.6%), 6 (2.0%), 12 (3.2%), 18 (5.3%), and 24 (5.2%) h of IVM. With regard to subsequent development, 0- and 6-h oocytes were blocked at 8 cells, whereas in other groups development reached the late morula (4.8%) and blastocyst (3.5%) stages, confirming that the stage of maturation at which oocytes are vitrified influenced the nuclear maturation and developmental competence. Total RNA content was 2.24 ± 0.40 ng/oocyte in the control group and 2.11 ± 0.22 ng/oocyte in the group vitrified after 24 h of IVM. The expression pattern of HSP 70 and Glut1 was identical in control and vitrified groups, indicating that the vitrification protocol did not alter the expression pattern of these genes.


A clear distinction generally exists between processes of design generation and processes of design production. The profusion of digital fabrication tools and technologies make evident such distinctions in the context of design production but at the same time carry potential for material and fabrication-based processes promoting generative design methods. Such strategic application and customization of digital fabrication tools, inherent in and inclusive to the process of design generation, require the knowledge and skill-set of production associating material to its fabrication and assembly methods. The paper addresses the area of material fabrication based design and the term rapid craft is proposed to suggest that certain skills acquired through fabrication-customization processes may contribute to fabrication-guided design protocols. Through the demonstration of some design experiments for responsive structural skin systems the paper classifies three forms of fabrication-informed production processes in which the notion of Rapid Craft is manifested through material selection, fabrication-method and assembly logic corresponding to sewing, lathing and weaving techniques respectively. The conception, development and application of such classification express a shift in contemporary design discourse promoting the notion of fab-finding in the context of generative processes of design.


Abstract Undergraduate programs in agribusiness education have attracted much interest in recent years. Many university facilities have developed agribusiness educational programs and others are considering the development of such programs. As these programs evolve throughout the country, there are many questions which relate to the structure and future directions of these educational efforts. A review of the issues related to agribusiness program development is presented. A planning process that can be used to focus on the many agribusiness educational issues and provide insight into agribusiness program development is outlined.


Inertial measurement unit (IMU) is a promising tool in the quantification of energy expenditure for human on-land activities, though has never been deployed before to calculate the aquatic activities energy expenditure. Investigating the factors that influence the required energy in aquatic locomotion can help the biomecanicians to better understand the biophysics of swimming. We used a set of three waterproofed IMUs worn on the forearms and sacrum of twelve swimmers to estimate the front-crawl energy expenditure. The swimmers performed three 300-m trials at 70%, 80% and 90% of their 400-m personal best time. At the end of each 300-m the reference value of energy expenditure was measured based on indirect calorimetry and blood lactate concentration. The three IMUs were used to extract the main spatio-temporal determinants of the front-crawl energy expenditure. Extraction of these parameters using IMU was previously validated. We used a combination of a linear estimator and kernel smoother on the residuals of the linear part to derive the mapping between the spatio-temporal inputs and reference energy expenditure. The algorithm validation on test data shows a strong association between the estimated and reference energy expenditure (Spearman's rho = 0.97, p-value <0.001) and a high relative precision of 9.7%.


Increased Mortality in Elderly Patients with Dementia-Related Psychos is — Elderly patients with dementia-related psychos is treated with antipsychotic drugs are at an increased risk of death. Analyses of seventeen placebo-controlled trials (modal duration of 10 weeks), largely in patients taking atypical antipsychotic drugs , revealed a risk of death in drug-treated patients of between 1.6 to 1.7 times the risk of death in placebo-treated patients . Over the course of a typical 10 week controlled trial, the rate of death in drugtreated patients was about 4.5%, compared to a rate of about 2.6% in the placebo group. Although the causes of death were varied, most of the deaths appeared to be either cardiovascular (e.g., heart failure, sudden death) or infectious (e.g., pneumonia) in nature. Observational s tudies sugges t that, s imilar to atypical antipsychotic drugs , treatment with conventional antipsychotic drugs may increase mortality. The extent to which the findings of increased mortality in observational s tudies may be attributed to the antipsychotic drug as opposed to some characteris tic(s ) of the patients is not clear. Haloperidol Injection is not approved for the treatment of patients with dementia-related psychos is (see WARNINGS).


On the twentieth anniversary of its inception, the euro has yet to expand its role as an international currency. We document this fact with a wide range of indicators including its role as an anchor or reference in exchange rate arrangements – which we argue is a portmanteau measure – and as a currency for the denomination of trade and assets. On all these dimensions, the euro comprises a far smaller share than that of the US dollar. Furthermore, that share has been roughly constant since 1999. By some measures, the euro plays no larger role than the Deutschemark and French franc that it replaced. We explore the reasons for this underperformance. While the leading anchor currency may have a natural monopoly, a number of additional factors have limited the euro's reach, including lack of financial centre, limited geopolitical reach and US and Chinese dominance in technology research. Most important, in our view, is the comparatively scarce supply of (safe) euro-denominated assets, which we document. The European Central Bank's (ECB's) lack of policy clarity may have also played a role. We show that the euro era can be divided into a 'Bundesbank-plus' period and a 'Whatever it Takes' period. The first shows a smooth transition from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism and continued to stabilize German inflation. The second period is characterized by an expanding ECB arsenal of credit facilities to European banks and sovereigns.


A symbolic interaction (BLUMER, 1969; MEAD, 1934; PRUS, 1996; PRUS & GRILLS, 2003) approach was taken to study the collective event (PRUS, 1997) of creating a research-based dance on pathways to care in first episode psychosis. Viewing the co-creation of a research-based dance as collective activity attends to the processual aspects of an individual's experiences. It allowed us to study the process of the creation of the dance and its capacity to convert abstract research into concrete form and to produce generalizable abstract knowledge from the empirical research findings. Thus, through the techniques of movement, metaphor, voice-over, and music, the characterization of experience through dance was personal and generic, individual and collective, particular and trans-situational. The dance performance allowed us to address the visceral, emotional, and visual aspects of our research which are frequently invisible in traditional academia. URN: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs110155


Efficient mode-locking in a Tm:KY(WO(4))(2) laser is demonstrated by using InGaAsSb quantum-well SESAMs. Self-starting ultrashort pulse generation was realized in the 1979-2074 nm spectral region. Maximum average output power up to 411 mW was produced around 1986 nm with the corresponding pulse duration and repetition rate of 549 fs and 105 MHz respectively. Optimised pulse durations of 386 fs were produced with an average power of 235 mW at 2029 nm.


Spinal cord injury (SCI) induces a series of anatomic and physiological disorders which have severe repercussions on neural function. SCI is classified chronologically into an acute (primary and secondary phase) and a chronic phase. The primary phase results directly from the initial trauma and is comprised of disturbances in neural tissue (mainly axons), blood vessels, and spinal shock. Secondary injury results from a series of time- dependent pathophysiological changes, beginning in the first minutes after SCI and last-ing days and weeks. This phase is characterized by biochemical and immunological alterations in the injury site and periphery, leading to neuronal over-excitation, apoptosis, and axonal demyelination. In chronic stages, the pathophysiology consists of disturbances in fiber organization, oligodendrocyte apoptosis, fibroglial scar formation, and cyst formation, leading to parenchymal alterations such as syringomyelia and hydromyelia hin- dering the possibility for functional basal axonal regeneration. This chapter will review a wide range of pharmacological and nonpharmacological therapeutic strategies in preclin- ical and clinical phases, each targeting different pathological mechanisms of SCI in acute and chronic stages of SCI; taking into account limitations, advances, scope, and new trends. The chapter focuses on the general aspects of SCI pathophysiology, pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatments acute and chronic stages of SCI.


The body has various mechanisms to prevent the progression from preneoplastic lesion to full neoplasia. One of these is oncogene-induced senescence or withdrawal from the cell cycle. Two groups (Bartkova et al. and Di Micco et al.) now provide evidence that certain oncogenes trigger DNA replication stress and activation of the DNA damage checkpoint response and that activation of the checkpoint response is essential for the observed senescence. Bartkova et al. investigated senescence induced by Mos (an activator of the mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway), Cdc6 (a DNA replication licensing factor), and cyclin E (a protein involved in the cell cycle) in various human diploid cells. In each case, the cells exhibited activation of the DNA damage checkpoint and senescence. If the activity of ATM--a kinase critical to the DNA damage checkpoint response--was blocked by siRNA or pharmacological agents, then senescence was prevented. DNA labeling experiments indicated that the oncogenes triggered the formation of prematurely terminated DNA replication forks, which was the likely mechanism by which double-stranded breaks formed that triggered the DNA damage response. Di Micco et al. provide evidence linking the DNA damage checkpoint response to Ras-induced senescence. Cells undergoing oncogene-induced senescence exhibited activation of the DNA damage checkpoint response. Cells in which checkpoint kinase 2 (CHK2) activity was diminished (by knockout or RNA interference) were more susceptible to Ras-induced transformation and continued to proliferate. Ras triggered a proliferative burst and the cells that subsequently underwent senescence exhibited partly replicated DNA. Bartkova et al. found that there is a correlation in colon adenoma samples between the appearance of markers for senescence and activation of the DNA damage checkpoint, and that progression to carcinoma correlated with a decrease in these two processes. Both groups looked at mouse models of tumorigenesis. Bartkova et al. found that injection of a ras-transformed tumor line into mice in which the activity of ATM was decreased led to the formation of larger and more invasive tumors. Di Micco et al. showed that chemicals that are associated with the induction of Ras mutations in mouse skin cause cellular proliferation and activation of the DNA damage response. It appears that the proliferation triggered by oncogenes can lead to DNA stress, which triggers the DNA damage response, allowing the body to prevent tumor progression. J. Bartkova, N. Rezaei, M. Liontos, P. Karakaidos, D. Kletsas, N. Issaeva, L.-V. F. Vassiliou, E. Kolettas, K. Niforou, V. C. Zoumpourlis, M. Takaoka, H. Nakagawa, F. Tort, K. Fugger, F. Johansson, M. Sehested, C. L. Andersen, L. Dyrskjot, T. Ørntoft, J. Lukas, C. Kittas, T. Helleday, T. D. Halazonetis, J. Bartek, V. G. Gorgoulis, Oncogene-induced senescence is part of the tumorigenesis barrier imposed by DNA damage checkpoints. Nature 444, 633-637 (2006). [PubMed] R. Di Micco, M. Fumagalli, A. Cicalese, S. Piccinin, P. Gasparini, C. Luise, C. Schurra, M. Garré, P. G. Nuciforo, A. Bensimon, R. Maestro, P. G. Pelicci, F. d'Adda di Fagagna, Oncogene-induced senescence is a DNA damage response triggered by DNA hyper-replication. Nature 444, 638-642 (2006). [PubMed]


McDonald, Philip M.; Fiddler, Gary O. 1996. Development of a mixed shrub–tanoak– Douglas-fir community in a treated and untreated condition. On a medium site in northern California, a tanoak-mixed shrub community was given several treatments (manual release two and three times, a combination chainsaw and cut surface herbicide treatment, two foliar herbicides, and a tank mix of the two herbicides) to study its development in both a natural (control) and treated condition. The herbicides were 2,4-D, Garlon 3A, and Garlon 4, each applied two times. Survival of planted Douglas-fir seedlings was recorded for 11 years and growth was quantified for 9 years after the last treatment application. In addition to Douglas-fir, data are presented individually for the two most abundant species (tanoak and snowbrush), for greenleaf manzanita, and for the hardwood tree and shrubs combined. At the study's end in 1992, combined vegetation in the control had a mean density of 1,800 plants per acre, foliar cover of 23,700 ft 2 per acre, and height of 11.2 feet. In contrast, combined tree and shrubs in the most effective treatment for controlling them—cut and spray Garlon 3A—had a mean density of 150 plants per acre, foliar cover of 150 ft 2 per acre and height of 5.9 feet at study end. And because competition for site resources was low, Douglas-fir seedlings developed best in this treatment. Mean Douglas-fir diameter was 4.6 inches at 12 inches above mean ground line, height averaged more than 21 feet, and mean foliar cover was 39,850 ft 2 at the end of the study. The cost was $227 per acre. The treatment response data, cost information, and plant community relationships provide the forest land manager with knowledge on how to attain some specific plant communities in the future, and their developmental potentials.


Abstract Eglin Air Force Base (AFB) in Florida, in the United States, conserves a large reservoir of native longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) stands that land managers maintain by using frequent fires. We predicted tree density, basal area, and dominant tree species from 195 forest inventory plots, low-density airborne LiDAR, and Landsat data available across the entirety of Eglin AFB. We used the Random Forests (RF) machine learning algorithm to predict the 3 overstory responses via univariate regression or classification, or multivariate k-NN imputation. Ten predictor variables explained ∼ 50% of variation and were used in all models. Model accuracy and precision statistics were similar among the various RF approaches, so we chose the imputation approach for its advantage of allowing prediction of the ancillary plot attributes of surface fuels and ground cover plant species richness. Maps of the 3 overstory response variables and ancillary attributes were imputed at 30-m resolution and then aggregated to the management block level, where they were significantly correlated with each other and with fire history variables summarized from independent data. We conclude that functional relationships among overstory structure, surface fuels, species richness, and fire history emerge and become more apparent at the block level where management decisions are made.


"Shady Practices" is a revealing analysis of the gendered political ecology brought about by conflicting local interests and changing developmental initiatives in a West African village. Between 1975 and 1985, while much of Africa suffered devastating drought conditions, Gambian women farmers succeeded in establishing hundreds of lucrative communal market gardens. In less than a decade, the women's incomes began outstripping their husbands' in many areas, until a shift in development policy away from gender equity and toward environmental concerns threatened to do away with the social and economic gains of the garden boom.Male landholders joined forestry personnel in attempts to displace the gardens and capture women's labor for the irrigation of male-controlled tree crops. This carefully documented microhistory draws on field experience spanning more than two decades and the insights of disciplines ranging from critical human geography to development studies. Schroeder combines the "success story" of the market gardens with a cautionary tale about the aggressive pursuit of natural resource management objectives, however well intentioned. He shows that questions of power and social justice at the community level need to enter the debates of policymakers and specialists in environment and development planning.


Present-day South Africa is characterised by many societal and developmental issues, such as HIV awareness and prevention, child-headed households, environmental protection, poverty alleviation, violence and victim aid. However, it is widely acknowledged that government alone cannot address these issues effectively. The role of non-profit organisations (NPOs) in addressing social and development issues is increasingly emphasised. NPOs work at grass-roots level and they can therefore, on the whole, identify societal vulnerabilities and risks earlier than the government sector. However, due to the economic recession, NPOs operate in a competitive environment where an increasing number of NPOs rely on a small number of donors and other resources. NPOs should therefore differentiate themselves from the competition in order to obtain public legitimacy and funding. Corporate identity management is important for NPOs to fulfil their role in social welfare and thus contribute to disaster risk reduction. The exploratory nature of this study dictates a qualitative research approach. Semi-structured interviews with management of five NPOs in the social welfare sector were conducted in order to provide an answer to the study's research question: 'To what extent do NPOs in the social welfare sector practise corporate identity management, in order to prevent and address social welfare risks?' The research found that NPOs do not realise the full potential of managing their corporate identities. NPOs therefore do not take advantage of a strong and distinct corporate identity which would allow them to ensure their ability to assess, address, reduce and/or alleviate vulnerabilities and disaster risks.


Kami mengimbau kepada teman-teman sekalian untuk berpartisipasi dalam menandatangani surat pernyataan Keprihatinan atas pemindahan lokasi diadakannya Preparatory Committee dari Jakarta ke Bali. Kirimkan dukungan anda melalui email ke: email@example.com, atau email@example.com pernyataan ini sudah harus dikirim sebelum diadakannya sidang kabinet pada hari Kamis, 28 Februari 2002.Berikut adalah surat pernyataan tersebut:--------------------------------------------------------------------------------Mr. Nabil Makarim, State Minister of EnvironmentMr. Dorojatun Kuntjorojakti, State Minister of Economy, Finance and IndustryMr. N Hassan Wirajuda, State Minister of Foreign AffairsJakartaIndonesiaFebruary 28 2002Subject: Statement of Concern, Location of the Fourth SummitPreparatory CommitteeDear Sir/Madam:In the interests of advancing public participation in the World Summit for sustainable Development process we, the undersigned Indonesian and international non-government organisations, would like to reaffirm our support for the nominated venue of Jakarta for the Fourth Summit Preparatory Committee, or Prepcomm IV, to take place from 27 May - 07 June 2002.It has come to our attention that the location of Prepcomm IV might be moved to Bali. This suggestion raises a number of concerns for non-government organisations and civil society members that wish to observe and contribute to these important meetings and which have thus dedicated their resources to facilitating peaceful and constructive public participation in the dialogue leading up to the World Summit for Sustainable Development problems.Indonesian stakeholders in particular would be greatly put at a disadvantage by the decision to move the meetings away from Jakarta for a number of reasons:A venue in Bali would be less equipped in matters of facilities such as large meeting places to accommodate large crowds, lacking accommodations to cater to so many international participants, which will lead to further inconvenience to the host country such as security problems, not to mention the increase in budgeting to facilitate the possible relocation.Facilities in Bali is relatively much more expensive than Jakarta, limiting access for the general public to participate in the whole process of PrepComm IV.Should the meeting be moved to Bali the meeting facilities/ accomodation for civil society will be far away from the official events/PrepComm IV venue.Language barrier will be a major constrain for most national participants; in Jakarta this can be easily solved with simultaneous interpreting equipments available; whereas anywhere else such as in Bali, they won?t be available at such a large number that will be needed.Non-government groups the world over are hopeful that the Prepcomm IV will be conducted in as transparent and participatory way as is practicable and would be disappointed to see the involvement of Indonesian NGOs limited by a decision to move the meetings away from their nominated location. Furthermore, it is difficult to envisage a location outside Jakarta that could affordably accommodate the numbers of people expected to participate in the meetings.In our view, any unintended imposition of exclusivity of attendance would constitute an unfortunate mar on proceedings and we urge the Government of Indonesia, in its capacity as host of the Prepcomm IV, to uphold the agreed, most accessible location.The following individuals and organizations endorse this letter:Indonesian Peoples ForumWith the following member organizations:Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara (AMAN) - The Indonesian Indigenous People AllianceBioforum - An NGO Forum for Biodiversity Convention Implementation watchForest Watch Indonesia (FWI)Federasi Serikat Petani Indonesia (FSPI) - The Indonesian Farmers FederationIndonesian Climate Change Action Network (ICAN)International Marine life Alliance - Indonesia (IMA)International NGOs forum for Indonesia and Development (INFID)Jaring PELA - Coastal and Marine NetworkJaringan Advokasi Tambang (JATAM) - Mining Advocacy NetworkKeanekaragaman Hayati (KEHATI) - The Indonesian Biodiversity ForumKlub Indonesia Hijau (KIH) - The Indonesian Green ClubKonsorsium Pendukung Sistem Hutan Kerakyatan (KPSHK) - Consortium of Community-Based Forest ManagementKomite Pembaruan Agraria (KPA) - Agrarian Reform CommitteLembaga Studi dan Advokasi Masyarakat (ELSAM) - Institute of Community Study and AdvocacyPesticide Action Network - Indonesia (PAN)Rimbawan Muda Indonesia (RMI) - The Indonesian Institute for Environment and Forest ManagementSawit Watch - Oil Palm WatchSolidaritas Perempuan (PSP) - Women SolidaritySerikat Buruh Seluruh Indonesia (SBSI) - the Indonesian Labor UnionsTelapak IndonesiaThe Nature Conservancy (TNC)Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia (WALHI) - the Indonesian Environment ForumYayasan Bina Usaha Lingkungan (YBUL)Yayasan Kesejahteraan Anak Indonesia (YKAI) -The Indonesian Children Welfare FoundationYayasan Lembaga Hukum Indonesia (YLBHI) - the Indonesian Legal Aid FoundationYayasan Lembaga Konsuman Indonesia (YLKI) - the Indonesian Consumers FoundationYayasan PelangiYayasan WWF IndonesiaNADIUPC (Urban Poor Consortium)


December 7, 1941, opened up a new theater of war in the Pacific and a new threat for what was then the Netherlands East Indies. The Dutch, with their Naval Air Force or Marine Luchtvaart Dienst (MLD), made a significant - and often overlooked - contribution to the Allied effort. With their 175 aircraft, the MLD in Southeast Asia outnumbered American and British naval air reconnaissance forces combined. Three months of intense fighting left the Dutch bereft of thousands of naval personnel and over 80 percent of their aircraft. This work details the actions of MLD during the Japanese invasion of the Netherlands East Indies. Beginning with a look at the origins of the MLD, it provides an overview of the force, including an analysis of its aircraft, equipment, personnel and training. Operations of the United States Navy and Royal Air Force seaplane units are included in order to provide a thorough history of the campaign. Final chapters cover the MLD's ill-fated attempts at evacuation of the island battleground and offer an overall review of the MLD's performance. Appendices contain such information as Allied and Japanese aircraft specifications, squadron tables of organization, and MLD bases and operational areas. The result is by far the most comprehensive English-language account of the Allied naval air war in the Netherlands East Indies.


The term 'décroissance' (degrowth) signifies a process of political and social transformation that reduces a society's material and energy use while improving the quality of life. Degrowth calls for decolonizing imaginaries and institutions from – in Ursula Le Guin's words – 'a one-way future consisting only of growth'. Recent scholarship has focused on the ecological and social costs of growth, on policies that may secure prosperity without growth, and the study of grassroots alternatives pre-figuring a post-growth future. There has been limited engagement, however, with the geographical aspects of degrowth. This special issue addresses this gap, looking at the rooted experiences of peoples and collectives rebelling against, and experimenting with alternatives to, growth-based development. Our contributors approach such resurgent or 'nowtopian' efforts from a decolonial perspective, focusing on how they defend and produce new places, new subjectivities and new state relations. The stories told span from the Indigenous territories of the Chiapas in Mexico and Adivasi communities in southern India, to the streets of Athens, the centres of power in Turkey and the riverbanks of West Sussex.


The results of detailed morphological studies on Rissoa sobieskii from the badenian of the eastern central Paratethys are presented. its paucispiral protoconch with a bulbous embryonic shell indicates it to have had a lecithotrophic (non-planktotrophic) larval development, apparently lacking even a short free-swimming larval stage. this contrasts with all other known Miocene Rissoa species, which have shell features indicating a planktotrophic larval stage. the peculiarity of R. sobieskii is also supported by its characteristic narrowing of the aperture and almost complete lack of teleoconch sculpture. the time coincidence of the appearance of the non-planktotrophic species with distinct changes in salinity of the badenian basin suggests that the alteration ("switching") of the type of early ontogeny from planktotrophic to non-planktotrophic development could have been an environmentally induced phenomenon.


Background and Aim: In several KT plans the researcher self evaluation is basis of researchers KT activities measurement so the aim of this study was the validity of researchers self assessment about their own activities in KT. Materials and Methods: The valid and reliable questionnaire was filled by 40 Golestan University of Medical Sciences researchers. In this questionnaire researchers were asked to give a score from 0 to 10 for their own activities in KT in a finished special project. Statistical analysis was performed using pair T test and Pearson correlation coefficient. The linear regression was used for assessing the effect of influential factors on KT self evaluation and activity scores. Results: The mean score of researchers KT activity and self evaluation was 3.52 and 5.47 respectively which this difference was statistically significant (P<0.01). The correlation coefficient between researchers' activity and self evaluation score was 0.73 which is an indicator of good correlation. The influential factors on researchers' KT self evaluation score in regression model was male gender, having administrative responsibility and percent of total time allocated to research and the influential factors on researchers' KT activities score in regression model was male gender, type of research (clinical sciences research compared to basic sciences) and percent of total time allocated to research. Conclusion: The results of this study shows that researchers overestimate their own activities in KT so adopting strategies like education about KT concepts and activities for increasing researchers knowledge and perception can fill research and action gap.


In this chapter, we introduce some R and Bioconductor software to process, analyse and interpret mass spectrometry and proteomics data. We describe how to programmatically access data, how to read various data formats into R, we review the existing infrastructure to reliably identify peptide-spectrum matches, describe how to analyse and process quantitative data, review MALDI and imaging mass spectrometry using Bioconductor packages and conclude with an overview of statistical and machine learning software applicable to proteomics data. All the use cases are accompanied by executable example code and further reproducible examples are provided in the companion RforProteomics package.


Underwater acoustic communication is an extremely complex field that faces many challenges due to the time-varying nature of the ocean environment. Vector sensors are a proven technology that when utilizing their directional sensing capabilities allows us to minimize the effect of interfering noise sources. A traditional pressure sensor array has been the standard for years but suffers at degraded signal to noise ratios (SNR) and requires maneuvers or a lengthly array aperture to direction find. This thesis explores the effect of utilizing a vector sensor array to steer to the direction of signal arrival and the effect it has on equalization of the signal at degraded SNRs. It was demonstrated that utilizing a single vector sensor we were able steer to the direction of arrival and improve the ability of an equalizer to determine the transmitted signal. This improvement was most prominent when the SNR was degraded to levels of 0 and 10 dB where the performance of the vector sensor outperformed that of the pressure sensor in nearly 100% of cases. Finally, this performance improvement occured with a savings in computational expense. Thesis Supervisor: Dr. James C. Preisig Title: Associate Scientist with Tenure Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution


The EU is well advanced in (re-)shaping the regulatory structure for securities markets. As part of this exercise, the EU is rapidly finalising a more harmonised framework for disclosure in the prospectus, market abuse and transparency directives, and has created the structure for harmonised financial reporting principles with the International Accounting Standards regulation. Disclosure is fundamental to investors' decision-making, the functioning of capital markets, stock performance and market integrity. However, policy-makers should be aware that regulating disclosure is a moving target and that there never is an optimal level of disclosure that can be mandated. Adequate room and flexibility must be built-in for market-driven improvements. This report critically evaluates the new disclosure framework and makes some recommendations for policy. It expresses reluctance regarding the move to quarterly reporting in the draft transparency directive and stresses the need for maintaining some competition between jurisdictions in setting the appropriate disclosure framework.


Increasing attention to quality and innovation in higher education (HE) is enhancing the pedagogic knowledge of faculty members and thereby encouraging the academic success of their students. This aim requires, from the institution and teachers, a greater degree of involvement than was previously the case. This is certainly borne out by experience in Portuguese universities. The growing concern of engineers with issues of pedagogy and academic success marks a sea change in the traditional conceptions of teaching and learning in higher education. There are, of course, indications that many academics are resistant to change. Our research indicates a tradition among Portuguese and Scottish academics to incline their effort toward research with a resultant decline in interest and effort on teaching. The present paper presents a meta-analysis of research conducted at the University of Aveiro (Portugal) and the University of Strathclyde (United Kingdom) between 2000 and 2004 involving academics who taught first-year introductory programming courses. The purpose of our study was to promote reflection and research on teaching-based issues as a strategy toward improved student learning. The findings of the study raised a number of salient issues for discussion and consideration. In this paper, we present some of these issues, aiming to explore the impact that the findings may have on teachers' attitudes towards teaching and students' learning in introductory programming courses


I have heard tuberculosis and HIV called the "devil's alliance." You would have thought that having said to myself that HIV would not happen to me I would not have been so shortsighted as to assume that tuberculosis would not happen to me either—it did. Only it was not tuberculosis in its regular outfit but in a multidrug resistant form.

In April 1995 I was a patient on a six bedded bay in an HIV unit at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London. I was there with gastrointestinal problems of unknown origin. I was only there for a week but that was long enough. While I was in the hospital a patient who was obviously ill with a persistent cough was given a sputum test. This was done in the presence of other patients, which is contrary to guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organisation. In a nutshell we breathed in what he coughed up.

I did not know that I might have been infected until about three months later when I received a telephone call at the offices of an HIV organisation where I worked as a volunteer. I was told that the hospital had grown an acid fast bacilli and that as a precautionI needed to be isolated …


Nano-TiCl 4 .SiO 2 was found to be an extremely efficient catalyst for the preparation of 5-substituted 1H-tetrazole derivatives. Nano-TiCl 4 .SiO 2 is a solid Lewis-acid was synthesized by the reaction of nano-SiO 2 and TiCl 4 . The structure characterization of this acid was achieved with X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis and electron microscopy. The synthesis of the catalyst is simple and environmentally benign with a good yield. Furthermore, the catalyst is conveniently recoverable and was reused for at least three times. The antimicrobial activities of the synthetic compounds were also determined by both micro dilution methods as recommended by the Clinical Laboratory Standard Institute, but unfortunately did not exhibit antibacterial activities at the highest concentration (256 μL mL –1 ). Further studies are still needed to investigate the potential biological activities of these compounds against other diseases. KEYWORDS  Nano-TiCl 4 .SiO 2 , heterogeneous catalyst, 5-substituted 1H-tetrazoles, antibacterial. PDF and Supp files attached


D-501036 [2,5-bis(5-hydroxymethyl-2-selenienyl)-3-hydroxymethyl-N-methylpyrrole] is herein identified as a novel antineoplastic agent with a broad spectrum of antitumoral activity against several human cancer cells and an IC50 value in the nanomolar range. The IC50 values for D-501036 in the renal proximal tubule, normal bronchial epithelial, and fibroblast cells were >10 μmol/L. D-501036 exhibited no cross-resistance with vincristine- and paclitaxel-resistant cell lines, whereas a low level of resistance toward the etoposide-resistant KB variant was observed. Cell cycle analysis established that D-501036 treatment resulted in a dose-dependent accumulation in S phase with concomitant loss of both the G0-G1 and G2-M phase in both Hep 3B and A-498 cells. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis showed D-501036–induced, concentration-dependent DNA breaks in both Hep 3B and A-498 cells. These breaks did not involve interference with either topoisomerase-I and topoisomerase-II function or DNA binding. Rapid reactive oxygen species production and formation of Se-DNA adducts were evident following exposure of cells to D-501036, indicating that D-501036–mediated DNA breaks were attributable to the induction of reactive oxygen species and DNA adduct formation. Moreover, D-501036–induced DNA damage activated ataxia telangiectasia–mutated nuclear protein kinase, leading to hyperphosphorylation of Chk1, Chk2, and p53, decreased expression of CDC25A, and up-regulation of p21WAF1 in both p53-proficient and p53-deficient cells. Collectively, the results indicate that D-501036–induced cell death was associated with DNA damage–mediated induction of ataxia telangiectasia–mutated activation, and p53-dependent and -independent apoptosis pathways. Notably, D-501036 shows potent activity against the growth of xenograft tumors of human renal carcinoma A-498 cells. Thus, D-501036 is a promising anticancer compound that has strong potential for the management of human cancers. [Mol Cancer Ther 2007;6(1):193–202]


How do people understand each other? Mainstream approaches to social cognition (like Theory of Mind theory and simulation theory) have not been able to answer this question satisfactorily. This is because they are methodologically individualistic and have not been able to connect the individuals involved in a social interaction. In the present work, existing alternatives to ToM that focus either on embodiment and situatedness, or on aspects of social interaction, are evaluated. On the basis of a framework of social interaction and coordination developed here, it is proposed that a specific combination and elaboration of these two alternatives promises a more fruitful approach to social understanding. It is suggested that interactional and functional coordination are central to interpersonal connection, and that temporal aspects of interaction processes play a crucial role in this. A specific usage of the notion of interaction rhythm is put forward to delineate and explain aspects of this temporality of social interactions. Combined with this, the concept of a rhythmic capacity is set out, which refers to degree of temporal flexibility in interactions (and is an interactional rather than a strictly individual capacity). These new concepts allow an explanation of how individuals in interaction connect and how timing, experience and meaning are essential and intertwined elements of social understanding. Together, they underlie a new conceptualisation of social cognition as participatory sense-making. Finally, the theoretical framework put forward is applied to the case of autism. This allows a sketch of aspects of its future potential. Our current understanding of autism is critically assessed and the possible advantages of the proposed framework for comprehending this disorder are drawn out. It is suggested that an investigation of the interaction and coordination processes in the social encounters of people with autism – encompassing both the experience of the person with autism and of those interacting with him – will be fruitful, and that this can be done using the embodied, interactional, temporal account of social understanding proposed.


It is anticipated that the number of people older than 65 years with psychiatric disorders in the United States will increase from about 4 million in 1970 to15 million in 2030. The current health care system serves mentally ill older adults poorly and is unprepared to meet the upcoming crisis in geriatric mental health. We recommend the formulation of a 15- to 25-year plan for research on mental disorders in elderly persons. It should include studies of prevention, translation of findings from bench to bedside, large-scale intervention trials with meaningful outcome measures, and health services research. Innovative strategies are needed to formulate new conceptualizations of psychiatric disorders, especially those given scant attention in the past. New methods of clinical and research training involving specialists, primary care clinicians, and the lay public are warranted.


A growing wave of co-location programmes promises to boost growth for entrepreneurs and young firms. Despite great public and policy interest we have little idea whether such programmes are effective. This paper categorises accelerators and incubators within a larger family of co-location interventions. We then develop a single framework to theorise workspace-level impacts. We summarise available evaluation evidence and sketch implications for regional economic policy. We find clear evidence programmes are effective overall. But we know little about how effects operate – or who benefits. Providers and policymakers should experiment further to establish optimal designs.


In spite of women huge labour investment, rural women often get low agricultural production, less accruing returns, limited roles in decision making on the farms and lack of access to productive resources as a result of their multiple roles in the home. Nevertheless, to enhance the level of production of these women, their reproductive health needs to be taken seriously and one way to do that is through promotion of birth control practices that help to minimize manday losses during pregnancy period and burden of raising many children. Hence this study was carried out to look at Awareness and Utilization of Birth Control Measures (BCM) as a Means of increasing production output among Rural Women in Fishing Communities of Lagos State, Nigeria. Simple random sampling technique was used to select three hundred and thirty-one respondents in the coastal areas.  Data were collected with interview guide and analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) and linear regression analysis. Results of the study showed that the mean age of respondents was 40.1 years; 88.8% were married; 79.5% had formal education; 78.5% realized more than ₦31,000/month; 59.8% practiced nuclear family; and 63.4% had less than 4 children in their households. Also, 83.4% and 91.5% of the respondents were aware of traditional and modern methods of birth control measures respectively. But, 49.8% always used Combined Oral Contraceptives and 44.4% always used injectable contraceptives of modern birth control measures. Health Care Providers (85.5%), radio (66.5%) and television (81.3%) were the predominant sources of information on BCM in the coastal areas. Most of respondents strongly agreed that the use of BCM allows women' notable participation in more fish processing activities thereby contributing significantly to women' earning power (82.2%), and it reduces poverty by contributing to economy of the family, community and national level (75.5%). Similarly, production output was high after use of BCM (more than 10kg/day) than before use of BCM (less than 4kg/day). However, sexual displeasure from contraceptive use (92.4%), fear of side effect (83.7%), and fear of infidelity among women (25.1%) have been identified as most serious constraints to the use of BCM. Results of correlation revealed a significant relationship between socio-economic characteristics of the respondents and use of BCM in the study area at p < 0.05 level of significance. Linear regression indicated that utilization of BCM has significant influence on the production output of the respondents (t = 2.05, p = 0.04) at p < 0.05 level of significance. The study concluded that use of BCM increase production output in the coastal areas. It is hereby recommended that Health Care Providers should keep on emphasizing the advantages of birth control measures to the fish processors to encourage them to adopt and use it. Keywords: Awareness, Utilization, Birth Control Measures (BCM), production output, Rural Women


Inflation has been the major global economic problem for most economies throughout the world over the last three decades. It affects individuals, businesses and governments. Many competing hypotheses have been advanced in the literature to explain its causes and give the appropriate remedial policies. One of these hypotheses is central to the quantity theory of money. According to this hypothesis, inflation results solely from a maintained expansion of the money stock at rates in excess of increases in the amount of money demanded in the economy. The paper examines the money-price relationship in the Three Maghreb countries (namely Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia) using Granger causality test. The results do not tend to support the quantity theorist's view that money and prices have a long-run relationship, i.e., they do not tend to drift apart in the long run. However, as suggested by Granger (1986) money and prices could still cointegrate if other variables, which may have influenced prices, were included in the cointegration regressions. Second, the finding of a unidirectional causation from money to prices in the case of Morocco and Tunisia is in line with the monetarist's view that money precedes and causes inflation. In fact, this finding supports Darrat's (1986) finding that money causes inflation in Morocco and Tunisia. Thus the monetary authorities in these two countries can consider control of the money supply (M1) or (M2) to influence and control inflation. As suggested by monetarists, this can be best achieved by maintaining a steady rate of growth of the money supply, roughly corresponding to the long-run growth of the real output. Our results also show the apparent absence of causality between money and prices in the case of Algeria which is not easy to explain. A possible explanation may be that the data for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) are not reliable. This may be true given that the prices, which are reported by the authorities, are always lower than those actually paid in the market place.


The Math Description Engine Software Development Kit (MDE SDK) can be used by software developers to make computer-rendered graphs more accessible to blind and visually-impaired users. The MDE SDK generates alternative graph descriptions in two forms: textual descriptions and non-verbal sound renderings, or sonification. It also enables display of an animated trace of a graph sonification on a visual graph component, with color and line-thickness options for users having low vision or color-related impairments. A set of accessible graphical user interface widgets is provided for operation by end users and for control of accessible graph displays. Version 1.0 of the MDE SDK generates text descriptions for 2D graphs commonly seen in math and science curriculum (and practice). The mathematically rich text descriptions can also serve as a virtual math and science assistant for blind and sighted users, making graphs more accessible for everyone. The MDE SDK has a simple application programming interface (API) that makes it easy for programmers and Web-site developers to make graphs accessible with just a few lines of code. The source code is written in Java for cross-platform compatibility and to take advantage of Java s built-in support for building accessible software application interfaces. Compiled-library and NASA Open Source versions are available with API documentation and Programmer s Guide at http:/ / prim e.jsc.n asa. gov.


Experiments in the last decade or so have demonstrated persistent failures on the part of ordinary individuals rationally to pursue self-interest. The experiments pose serious challenges to economics, rational choice theory, and the law and economics school. Some experiments, for example, suggest an "endowment effect", that contradicts the Coase Theorem; the notion that, in the absence of transaction costs, goods will find their most efficient distribution regardless of their initial assignment. Cass Sunstein has collected a set of essays by economists and legal scholars exploring these challenges, in a volume entitled Behavioral Law and Economics. This review essay argues that the contributors to the volume have not worked out the full implications of these experiments, and that to do so gives one good reasons not to do economics or the economic analysis of law at all. The experiments indicate that value is context dependent. If value is context dependent, then it is also intransitive. But the transitivity of value is an essential assumption of economic analysis. Economists recognize, of course, that their method is reductive, and that it does not reflect human valuation and choice in all its actual richness. But economists and legal economists do suppose that they have captured at least the essentials of sound practical reasoning, so that their policy prescriptions are reliable. This assumption is unsustainable. I refer to this defect as the skeleton of value fallacy, and describe how it infects several of the essays collected in this volume.


A research contribution focusing on the Quantum Key Distribution (QKD)-enabled solutions assisting in the security framework of an optical 5G fronthaul segment is presented. We thoroughly investigate the integration of a BB84-QKD link, operating at telecom band, delivering quantum keys for the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)-256 encryption engines of a packetized fronthaul layer interconnecting multiple 5G terminal nodes. Secure Key Rate calculations are studied for both dedicated and shared fiber configurations to identify the attack surface of AES-encrypted data links in each deployment scenario. We also propose a converged fiber-wireless scenario, exploiting a mesh networking extension operated by mmWave wireless links. In addition to the quantum layer performance, emphasis is placed on the strict requirements of 5G-oriented optical edge segments, such as the latency and the availability of quantum keys. We find that for the dark fiber case, secret keys can be distilled at fiber lengths much longer than the maximum fiber fronthaul distance corresponding to the round-trip latency barrier, for both P2P and P2MP topologies. On the contrary, the inelastic Raman scattering makes the simultaneous transmission of quantum and classical signals much more challenging. To counteract the contamination of noise photons, a resilient classical/QKD coexistence scheme is adopted. Motivated by the recent advancements in quantum technology roadmap, our analysis aims to introduce the QKD blocks as a pillar of the quantum-safe security framework of the 5G/B5G-oriented fronthaul infrastructure.


Cellular Pathology in recent years has become more closely involved in thedirect management of patients with the introduction of molecular technologiesand targeted therapies. Through this, we have seen the introductionof specialist pathology. It is the aim of this book to introduce theseconcepts and the key technologies that are influencing clinical practicetoday. Throughout this book we show how clinical practice has beenaffected by these respective technologies and how further development willinfluence the practice and delivery of Cellular Pathology, which will impacton the patient through targeted therapeutics and diagnostics.In Virtual Microscopy, we deal with the changing face of the mosttraditional aspect of Cellular Pathology: that of microscopy itself. Forcenturies, the glass microscope slide has been the sole method of visualisingcells and tissues, but with the addition of computing, imaging andcommunications technologies, it is now possible to digitise the glass slideand deliver it via the World Wide Web, transforming the ability of thepractitioner to deliver a diagnosis, consultation or high-throughput imageanalysis for biomarker research.Cytopathology and the introduction of Liquid-based Cytology havegreatly improved the quality and thus the sensitivity of the traditionalPapnicolaou smear and non-gynaecological cytology specimens. An addedbonus of this technology is the surplus of well-preserved material that canbe used for additional diagnostic procedures and for research. The introductionof the Human Papilloma Virus vaccination programme may wellchange the future of the cervical screening programme; only time will tellhow effective it will be.Flow Cytometry has expanded over recent years with the introduction ofmulticolour cell and protein labelling. Yet it is through understanding thecomponents of the flow cytometer and the properties of the labels that theprecise identification of elements important to the practitioner will beenabled.Immunocytochemistry has seen the continued expansion of the antibodyrepertoire with diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic demands. Theexperience of peer groups and external quality assurance is a vital part indelivering on the promise of identifying patients suitable for targetedtherapies.The search for new biomarkers and therapeutic targets continues and wehighlight a strategic means of identifying these key genes and proteinsthrough array Comparative Genomic Hybridisation, and outline how thisis used in association with companion diagnostic technologies.In Situ Hybridisation has shown promise of being used in the routinelaboratory for more than a decade but it is the introduction of thetechnology for Her2/Neu gene amplification that has realised this potential.Its extension to other biomarkers has followed rapidly.The content of this book is particularly suitable for students with a basicworking knowledge of Cellular Pathology, although each author has givenspace to providing some basic principles and key references for students lessfamiliar with these new technologies. The book is a suitable text for studentsto Masters Level in Cellular Pathology but it is hoped that it will supportboth students and practising scientists who wish to understand more fullythe principles and clinical value of the technologies described within.Mary Hannon-Fletcher, ColerainePerry Maxwell, BelfastOctober 2008


The research is a case study of the relationship between three tribes; Te Arawa, Tuwharetoa ki Kawerau and Ngāti Awa and the Tarawera River during the second half of the 20th century when the river was polluted with effluent from pulp and paper mills. It involves the cultural story of the Tarawera River as told by the iwi (tribes) of the river informed by Maori epistemologies and what has come to be known as a ‗kaupapa Maori research' approach. Reference is made to the history, legends, customs and lifestyle that have arisen from the relationship between iwi and the river. It includes comments on the pollution of the river from members of each iwi. The world views, experiences, and perceptions reported on here have forced a fundamental change on the iwi, a change that has affected their cultural and social relationship to the river. The price of economic development on the river has been cultural and ecological genocide. The cultural voice echoes a familiar story in indigenous communities. In the Maori context the research provides opportunities for further inquiry into determining the socio-cultural, economic and political future of the iwi of the river.


This paper proposes software-defined floating-point number formats for graph processing workloads, which can improve performance in irregular workloads by reducing cache misses. Efficient arithmetic on software-defined number formats is challenging, even when based on conversion to wider, hardware-supported formats. We derive efficient conversion schemes that are tuned to the IA64 and AVX512 instruction sets. We demonstrate that: (i) reduced-precision number formats can be applied to graph processing without loss of accuracy; (ii) conversion of floating-point values is possible with minimal instructions; (iii) conversions are most efficient when utilizing vectorized instruction sets, specifically on IA64 processors. Experiments on twelve real-world graph data sets demonstrate that our techniques result in speedups up to 89% for PageRank and Accelerated PageRank, and up to 35% for Single-Source Shortest Paths. The same techniques help to accelerate the integer-based maximal independent set problem by up to 262%.


This paper assesses the factors underpinning trends in mathematics learning for Grade 4 pupils in Ethiopia based on data collected in 2012-13 (the Young Lives surveys, YL) and 2018-19 (the RISE surveys). It combines comparable data on attainments on tests of students' mathematics knowledge with information on their family background, their teachers, and the schools they attend. The period covered by the study encompasses an education reform, the General Education Quality Improvement Program – Phase II (GEQIP-II). GEQIP-II's goals included increasing access to primary education and the quality of education that was provided. We find that mathematics teachers' educational qualifications and teacher content knowledge in mathematics improved between 2012 and 2018. Despite this, students in 2018 have learning levels lower than students in 2012. This reflects, in part, changes in the composition of the samples, with the 2018 sample coming from poorer and rural households. However, students in 2018 show greater learning progress over the course of a school year compared to students in 2012. Using a value-added model, we show that learning outcomes in mathematics at the end of the school year are associated with teacher content knowledge, that this association has increased in magnitude over time, and that this content knowledge is especially important for weaker students. The key to reconciling these paradoxical findings is, thus, to recognize that the reforms that underpin these improvements in school quality may well be working in multiple ways, changing the composition of the student body who attend school as well as increasing the amount of learning that takes place in the classroom, particularly for weaker students. This, juxtaposed with the fact that the education reforms implemented over the last decade have sought to both include students from disadvantaged backgrounds and to improve teacher quality, is suggestive of the possibility that the GEQIP initiatives were producing positive learning results.


In holographic experiments many photorefractive crystals show refractive-index changes much smaller than one would expect from the known electro-optic coefficients and space-charge fields. We show that degradation of the interference pattern is the origin of this effect. The degree of modulation of a light grating in photorefractive crystals is measured by three methods and compared with the modulation of the grating of the incident light. All methods, measurement of the amplitudes of fundamental and second-order gratings, of the grating amplitudes in a crystal with and without another crystal in front of it, and of the drift currents through an inhomogeneously illuminated sample, yield consistent results: In lithium niobate there is almost no degradation of the light pattern. However, in our barium titanate and potassium tantalate–niobate samples the degree of modulation is smaller, and the reduction factor is 0.55 and 0.60, respectively. Inhomogeneities of refractive-index changes are shown to be the origin of the effect.


Abstract. Recent studies have shown that wild birds breeding in acidified areas have difficulties with obtaining sufficient calcium for their eggshells, and that the cause of it is the shortage of land snails. Many birds have to search for Ca-rich snail shells on a daily basis during egg production. Molluscs depend on litter calcium, which has decreased due to acidification of the environment. Calcium limitation may be a widespread phenomenon also in non-acidified, naturally Ca-poor areas. The problem is that while in the latter areas the time for development of specific adaptations may have been sufficient, then in acidified areas, on the contrary, calcium shortage is a recent phenomenon. Therefore, since the extent of calcium limitation in non-acidified areas is hard to derive from observational data, experimental approach is needed. We provide experimental evidence that specific calcium deficit does affect reproductive traits also in the birds breeding in naturally base-poor habitats. Our study was conducted in a heterogeneous woodland area in Estonia containing deciduous forest patches as well as base-poor pine forest with low snail abundance. Ca supplementation, using snail shell and chicken eggshell fragments, was carried out for pied flycatchers and great tits. Extra calcium affected positively several reproductive traits like egg volume and eggshell thickness, start of breeding, and fledglings' parameters. The negative relationship between calcium availability and lay-date suggests that birds adjust their breeding tactics to conditions of Ca deficiency, for example, by postponing laying.


I argue that the popular neural coding metaphor is often misleading. First, the "neural code" often spans both the experimental apparatus and the brain. Second, a neural code is information only by reference to something with a known meaning, which is not the kind of information relevant for a perceptual system. Third, the causal structure of neural codes (linear, atemporal) is incongruent with the causal structure of the brain (circular, dynamic). I conclude that a causal description of the brain cannot be based on neural codes, because spikes are more like actions than hieroglyphs. Long abstract "Neural coding" is a popular metaphor in neuroscience, where objective properties of the world are communicated to the brain in the form of spikes. Here I argue that this metaphor is often inappropriate and misleading. First, when neurons are said to encode experimental parameters, the neural code depends on experimental details that are not carried by the coding variable. Thus, the representational power of neural codes is much more limited than generally implied. Second, neural codes carry information only by reference to things with known meaning. In contrast, perceptual systems must build information from relations between sensory signals and actions, forming a structured internal model. Neural codes are inadequate for this purpose because they are unstructured. Third, coding variables are observables tied to the temporality of experiments, while spikes are timed actions that mediate coupling in a distributed dynamical system. The coding metaphor tries to fit the dynamic, circular and distributed causal structure of the brain into a linear chain of transformations between observables, but the two causal structures are incongruent. I conclude that the neural coding metaphor cannot provide a basis for theories of brain function, because it is incompatible with both the causal structure of the brain and the informational requirements of cognition.


AbstractBackground: information systems as a technology in managing hospital data are growing rapidly as demands for quality health services.  This is in accordance with regulations that require every hospital to do recording and reporting all hospital activities in the form of SIMRS. The implications of the system development not only have the effect of supporting the improvement of organizational performance, but also a variety of problems that are not as expected of the benefit of SIMRS. One of the problems is that the user needs are not accommodated on the system created. However, in developing an information system, one of the most important elements related to user needs is the design of the interface as a channel for information between the system and its users. RSU 'Aisyiyah Ponorogo has applied SIMRS for several years, but its implementation has not been comprehensive yet. In the daily inpatient census section and hospital reporting activities are still using a manual system that tends to have a high risk of data errors. This becomes a reason to design the interface of the system and its requires in the form of user requirements for the system that is designed. The main stage of building a system is analyzing user needs, specifically identifying the wishes of users who will always interact with the system at all times in supporting their works.Objective: to identify the needs of SIMRS RSU 'Aisyiyah Ponorogo users to design interface, specifically to identify problems in inpatient daily census and hospital reporting activities, users' expectations of the system being built and the data needs of users.Methods: descriptive research with a case study approach. The object of the study was inpatient daily census and hospital reporting activities. The research subjects were 11 people consisting of 1 reporting officer, 8 ward nurses, 1 patient registration officer and 1 hospital technical officer. Techniques of data collection were interview, observation and documented study.Results: the problem of inpatient census section and hospital reporting section is only social patient data obtained during registration can be accessed by census officers or reporting officers. There is still a data filing error on the census sheet in the ward, therefore there is inconsistent data in patient record. System users, especially census officers and reporting officers, need an interactive and familiar interface such as a display on the daily census manual form. While the information that must be displayed is info on patient identity, inpatient info, discharged patient info, ward and index recapitulation. In reporting presentation activities, system must also accommodate the output data in the form of Barber Johnson Graph as healthcare efficient informations.Conclusion: in order to build a useful information system, it is very important to emphasize the participation of users in the developing process. In this stage, the main problems experienced by users in carrying out their work must be identified; as well as solutions that can be given systemically to improve staff performance and improve organizational services. Keywords : analysis of system requirements, user needs, daily census interface design.


Abstract Tropical dry deciduous Shorea dominated forests in Jharkhand (India) harbour diverse groups of ectomycorrhizal macrofungi, including boletes. Repeated macrofungal explorations in different parts of this state followed by thorough investigation of collected samples uncovered a novel genus in the family Boletaceae subfamily Boletoideae. This genus is proposed here as Indoporus to include I. shoreae, a novel species. Detailed morphological description, a comparison table with closely allied genera, a distributional map, supporting illustrations and phylogenetic estimations based on nrITS sequence data and a combined analysis of nrLSU (28S) and rpb2 sequence data are provided.