Companies spend millions of dollars researching consumers, consumer attitudes to brands, and consumer uses of products. Yet the irony is that consumers are now doing this research themselves and posting their material to video-sharing sites such as YouTube. In this paper we argue that the BASIC IDS framework (Cohen, 1999) for dimensional qualitative research can be used to deconstruct consumer-generated videos to yield valuable insights into the paradoxes of consumer–service interactions. One category of service that has gained huge media attention of late, and yet is poorly understood, is the phenomenon of online social networks. Using three consumer-generated ads about the social networking site Facebook, we explore the paradoxes of consumer–service interaction, namely consumers' ambivalent attitudes to the service, how the consumer uses and is used by the service, how the service both facilitates behavior and changes behavior, and how the service mediates social interactions yet drives social actors. Finally, we locate the findings in terms of the wider context of Gen Y and the digital revolution, specify limitations, and cite implications and avenues for future research. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


We present a Concurrent Error Detection (CED) scheme for the Scheduler of a modern microprocessor. The proposed CED scheme is based on monitoring a set of invariances imposed through added hardware, violation of which signifies the occurrence of an error. The novelty of our solution stems from the workload-cognizant way in which these invariances are selected so that they leverage the application-level error masking inherent in program execution. Specifically, in order to ensure cost-effectiveness of the hardware employed to construct these invariances, we make use of information regarding the type and frequency of errors affecting the typical workload of the microprocessor. Thereby, we identify the most susceptible aspects of instruction execution and we accordingly distribute CED resources to protect them. Our approach is demonstrated on the Scheduler of an Alpha-like superscalar microprocessor with dynamic scheduling, hybrid branch prediction and out-of-order execution capabilities. Using an extensive fault-simulation infrastructure that we developed around this microprocessor, we profile the impact of Scheduler faults across a variety of different SPEC2000 benchmarks. Based on the results, we construct a CED scheme which monitors the time and location of instruction execution, the executed operation, the utilized resources, as well as the executed and retired sequence of instructions. At a hardware cost of only 32 percent of the Scheduler, the corresponding CED scheme detects over 85 percent of its faults that affect the architectural state of the microprocessor. Furthermore, over 99.5 percent of these faults are detected before they corrupt the architectural state, while the average detection latency for the remaining faults is in the order of a few clock cycles, implying that efficient recovery methods can be developed.


This article offers the first comprehensive history of the marriage-equality litigation process leading from Windsor to Obergefell. It explores how four aspects of federal procedure and jurisdiction doctrine both enabled and frustrated marriage equality's advance to the Supreme Court. First, we examine common misconceptions about how judgments, injunctions, and judicial precedent control real-world conduct and how litigation brings about legal reform. These misconceptions reached their nadir in Alabama in spring 2015. Guided by Chief Justice Roy Moore, Alabama officials properly declined to follow persuasive precedent, prompting unfortunate and inaccurate comparisons to George Wallace and Massive Resistance to Brown and desegregation. Second, we examine the pivotal, but underappreciated, role of stays pending appeal in constitutional litigation. In particular, we consider how denials of stays triggered concurrent races to the courts of appeals and to the altars. The Court's transmission of signals through unexplained stays and denials of certiorari exacerbated the confusion in the lower courts and the states, highlighting a penumbra of what one scholar calls the Court's "shadow docket." Finally, we examine unsuccessful efforts by state attorneys to move marriage cases out of federal court by initiating state-court litigation and urging federal abstention. This article makes a first contribution to the scholarly discussion of marriage equality by focusing on the critical, but underdeveloped, procedural nuances of high-stakes civil rights litigation. By considering the process of marriage equality, we better understand this societal evolution and future constitutional revolutions.


Budd–Chiari syndrome (BCS), a rare and life-threatening disorder due to hepatic venous outflow obstruction, is occasionally associated with hypoproteinemia. We herein report the first case of BCS with segmental obstruction of the intrahepatic portion of inferior vena cava (IVC) and hepatic veins (HVs) successfully treated by endovascular stenting in Vietnam. A 32-year-old female patient presented with a 2-month history of massive ascites and leg swelling. She refused history of oral contraceptives use. Hepatosplenomegaly without tenderness was noted. Laboratory data showed polycythemia, mild hypoalbuminemia and hypoproteinemia, slightly high total bilirubin and normal transaminase level. The serum ascites albumin gradient was 1.9 g/dL and ascitic protein level was 1.1 g/dL. The other data were normal. BCS was suspected because of the discrepancy between mild liver failure and massive ascites; and the presence of hepatosplenomegaly and polycythemia. On abdominal magnetic resonance imaging, the segmental obstruction of three HVs and IVC was 2-3 cm long without thrombus. Cavogram revealed the severe segmental stenosis of intrahepatic portion of IVC with no visualized HV and extensive collateral veins. A Protégé stent was deployed to IVC. Leg swelling and ascites were completely resolved within 3 days after stenting. During 1-year follow-up, edema was not recurred and repeated laboratory results were all normal.


There are not two, but three speeds of transmission or of transformations of sensory inputs into behavioral outputs: first, genome encoding; second, learning; and third, flexible situational activation of mental constructs, especially overarching goals. Gintis and Helbing focus on the first two, and surely these two are important. However, by completely neglecting the third speed, their theory lacks the most important ingredient that would make a microfoundational theory relevant for sociology.


A fundamental if poorly understood problem that hydrogels display is the tendency of these contact lens materials to dehydrate, causing certain complications of the corneal epithelium. However, recent studies have indicated that the evaporation rate of water from different hydrogel lenses is the same and the severity of conditions such as corneal staining is controlled by the states of water in the material. A study was therefore undertaken which concluded that increased corneal desiccating staining occurred as the proportion of water existing in the bound state decreased. The possibility of using dehydrated hydrogels as packaging materials with desiccating properties has also been investigated. As hydrogels have a high affinity for water they have adequate ability to function as a moisture scavenger in an enclosed atmosphere. It was concluded that this ability is maximised by a high total water content and an increase in the proportion of this water existing in the bound state for the material when it is fully hydrated. N-vinyl pyrrolidone has a low reactivity in vinyl polymerisation reactions which results in polymers with local domains of the same chemical type which can lead to deposition. As contact lenses comprising of this monomer are susceptible to deposition, a monomer with a higher reactivity in vinyl polymerisations is acryloylmorpholine and its incorporation in favour of NVP is encouraged. Unfortunately a large proportion of high EWC hydrogels are mechanically weak and attempts to increase this property by increasing hydrophobicity or cross-linking results in a decrease in EWC. Monomers with the potential to carry a positive charge were incorporated into a high EWC, AMO-HEMA copolymer and the physical properties were investigated. Although EWC increased, mechanical properties decreased only slightly. Therefore simultaneous incorporation of a positively charged monomer and a negatively charged monomer was investigated. The resulting copolymers showed increased water content and increased initial modulus. A technique for measuring the coefficient of friction of contact lenses during lubrication has been developed.


1. Monolayer cultures of human parathyroid cells were established for a study of the nature of secreted human parathyroid hormone (HPTH). 2. [14C]Leucine and 75Se-labelled methionine were used as amino acid precursors for the biosynthesis of HPTH. 3. Immunoreactive labelled HPTH in the medium was extracted by affinity chromatography. 4. In cultures from glands, six adenomatous and one hyperplastic, radioactive HPTH in the media was indistinguishable in size and charge from highly purified bovine parathyroid hormone (PTH). 5. In two cultures from adenomata, media contained an immunoreactive basic peptide resembling 'pro-PTH' in its electrophoretic behaviour. The freeze-dried cells contained the same basic peptide.


Teachers in rural schools are often caught in a binary between a curriculum and 'official' pedagogies that value cosmopolitan ways of being and their own situated concerns for the interests of the students they teach and the communities in which they live. In this paper I draw on the example of two categories of (history) teachers, those who locate their practice in place and those who value a more bureaucratic approach to their work, in order to explore the question of an authentic rural curriculum (and pedagogy). The paper draws upon a series of semi-structured in-depth interviews with newly appointed teachers in rural school, experienced rural teachers and experts with systemic responsibilities or experience related to quality education in general. On a number of key issues of curriculum and pedagogy the data gathered grouped around two distinct views; that rural schools are different and that teachers need to be prepared for this difference and recognize it in their curriculum, or that all schools are the same regardless of location and what matters is the quality of the teaching. As a result of this study I suggest that teachers who reinterpret the curriculum and situate their pedagogy in the places they work are better placed to meet the educational needs of their students and their own professional goals.


In order to determine the pest status of cereal leaf beetles in Southern Belgium, the population densities of Oulema melanopus (L., 1758) and O. lichenis (Voet, 1806) were studied at Ciney and Louvain-la-Neuve during 1993 and 1994. During the two-year study period Oulema spp. populations had never reached the economic threshold of 2.5 larvae per tiller. The levels of the Oulema populations were significantly different between the 2 sites in 1994; Louvain-la-Neuve supporting greater densities than Ciney. Phenological differences between the two locations were postulated to be the result of two phenomena : (1) the early attainment of the physiological time of development, expressed in degree days, necessary for immature stage development, in Louvain-la-Neuve, the warmest location, and (2) the early attainment of the cold sum necessary to end the adult diapause in Ciney, the coldest site, however this second argument stays as a hypothesis that must be tested.


Finite element (FE) analysis has become increasingly important for mechanical design and the development of new advanced materials. Being able to predict structural performance accurately and efficiently can circumvent the extensive time and cost of repetitive and rigorous material testing. However, with fiber reinforced polymers (FRPs), the assumption of homogeneity as well as the generalization of a material based on global properties does not sufficiently describe the material close to failure. The key to accurately predict component failure is to realistically capture microstructural damage under complex multiaxial loads while simultaneously relaying the material response to the part level. This is possible through TRUE multiscale analysis (similar to FE but with a drastic reduction in computational cost) and in this paper, is applied to a specific FRP, unidirectional (UD) carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP). The first study demonstrates the benefit of stochastic variance at the microstructure length scale. Multiple representative volume elements (RVEs) are created with varying fiber volume fraction (FVF), slight fiber misalignment, and the fiber strength following the Weibull statistical distribution. These different RVEs are applied to a coupon, tested in longitudinal tension. Multiple runs of this multiscale model result in varying strengths and moduli due to the stochastic nature of the model. These results are compared against the experimental results this model is based on, showing good agreement. The second study uses a different RVE (representing the same UD CFRP), integrated in a model of a laminate with multiple plies in different orientations. The RVE's constituent material properties (fiber, matrix, and fiber-matrix interface properties) are designated using only standard lamina level data. After the RVE is calibrated, three different laminate models for each material are run with the results showing stress-strain curve and strength of the coupon. These results are well aligned within experimental data publicly available through the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR), demonstrating the accuracy of failure prediction using multiscale simulation. All models were run using the multiscale simulation software MultiMech.


Wintertime satellite‐derived ice surface velocities, from 2001 through 2007, suggest an increase in ice velocity in the wet snow zone of Southwest Greenland. We present a thermomechanical model to evaluate the influence of surface meltwater runoff on englacial temperatures, via cryo‐hydrologic warming (CHW), as a possible mechanism to explain this velocity increase at Sermeq Avannarleq. The model incorporates CHW through a previously published dual‐column parameterization. We compare model simulations with (i) CHW active over the entire ice thickness ("base case CHW"), (ii) CHW active only in the surface 80 m of the ice sheet ("surface CHW"), and (iii) "no CHW" to represent a traditional thermomechanical model. The horizontal extent of CHW is prescribed based on equilibrium line altitude position and thus incorporates the upstream expansion of the ablation zone over the past decade. The base case CHW simulations reproduce the observed increase in inland ice velocity between 2001 and 2007 reasonably well. The no CHW and surface CHW simulations significantly underestimate observed ice surface velocities in both epochs. The higher ice velocities in the base case CHW simulations are attributable to both decreased basal ice viscosities associated with increased basal ice temperatures and an increase in the extent of basal sliding permitted by temperate bed conditions. Only the temperate bed extent predicted by the base case CHW simulation is consistent with independent observations of basal sliding. Based on our sensitivity analysis of CHW, we evaluate alternative explanations for an increase in inland ice velocity and suggest CHW is the most plausible mechanism.


Child maltreatment, which comprises both child abuse and child neglect, is a principal social quagmire. But why is there a huge focus on the criminal aspect of this social malady? It is mainly due to the reasons that crime and its consequences are the most socially expensive potential outcomes of maltreatment, and because the proposed systems linking maltreatment and crime are by comparison well expounded in the literature. It is also found that the maltreatment approximately doubles the prospect of participating in many types of crime. A few social problems have the wide-ranging impact on crime, the economy, and the health and welfare of communities that child abuse does.Consider the fact that there are ten billion children in India, and that over seven million of these children must be removed from their homes annually, due to substantiated allegations of sexual abuse. The present executive should consider their position of a responsible government as a social pioneer for the transformation of the nation for a better future. Its passage of a bill that offers equal protection for all of its children will stand as a challenge of implementation to the twenty eight states where the social evils exist which persist in treating children as property. Until these laws are abolished across the nation, not only will there be adults who abuse their children using a justification of ownership and control, but places in which such perpetrators can remain confident that they will be abetted by the laws of the state.


If the UK is to meet its carbon reduction targets, it will be necessary to retrofit energy
saving measures into the majority of homes. With approximately three quarters of the
houses that will exist in 2050 already built, this presents an enormous task. Whilst
retrofit of social housing can be undertaken at scale, encouraging people who are owner
occupiers to make changes to their homes presents more of a challenge. Within this
owner occupier group there are 4.5million homes that are also hard to treat, having solid
walls, and so many of the retrofit measures available will not be suitable. This paper
reports case study research based on 20 UK owner occupier households. It presents the
results of a thematic analysis based on semi–structured interviews with the 34 adult
members of the households that explored the home improvement experiences of the
participants from when they brought the house. The barriers that deter people from
making improvements to their homes and therefore implementing energy efficiency
measures are presented. The findings highlight a range of interrelated and sometimes
rather intangible barriers to making home improvements to older, hard to treat
properties. It is essential for these sometimes subtle issues to be understood in order for
policy makers to suitably engage home owners in taking up energy saving measures and
to inform the requirements for skilled professionals and their involvement in the
process.


The Semantic Web has become a dynamic and enormous network of typed links between data sets stored on different machines. These data sets are machine readable and unambiguously interpretable, thanks to their underlying standard representation languages. The expressiveness and flexibility of the publication model of Linked Data has led to its widespread adoption and an ever increasing publication of semantically rich data on the Web. This success however has started to create serious problems as the scale and complexity of information outgrows the current methods in use, which are mostly based on database technology, expressive knowledge representation formalism and high-performance computing. We argue that methods from computational intelligence can play an important role in solving these problems. In this paper we introduce and systemically discuss the typical application problems on the Semantic Web and argue that the existing approaches to address their underlying reasoning tasks consistently fail because of the increasing size, dynamicity and complexity of the data. For each of these primitive reasoning tasks we will discuss possible problem solving methods grounded in Evolutionary and Swarm computing, with short descriptions of existing approaches. Finally, we will discuss two case studies in which we successfully applied soft computing methods to two of the main reasoning tasks; an evolutionary approach to querying, and a swarm algorithm for entailment.


OBJECTIVE:The objective was the chemical and nutritional study of a bovine whey protein isolate, a bovine collagen hydrolysate and mixtures of the two products aiming at high nutritional and functional value. METHODS: Centesimal composition and amino acid analyses were performed on both proteinaceous materials for the calculation of an adequate amino acid profile based on the Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization recommendation. The nutritive value indexes for the whey protein isolate, the collagen hydrolysate and mixtures of both proteins were determined in rats through growth assay and nitrogen balance. The experimental parameters from nutritional assays were submitted to analysis of variance and the Tukey test applied for differences among means (p<0.05). RESULTS: The whey protein isolate met all the requirements of the Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization reference for essential amino acids while the collagen hydrolysate showed deficiency in all essential amino acids and complete absence of tryptophan. The casein showed higher efficiency than the whey isolate and mixtures of both proteins in promoting growth in the rat. There was no statistical difference in growth between the whey protein isolate and the mixture of 60% whey protein isolate and 40% collagen hydrolysate. In all other indexes of protein nutritive value the mixture 60% whey protein isolate and 40% collagen hydrolysate revealed itself equal or superior to casein and the 100% whey isolate. CONCLUSION: The protein mixture 60% whey protein isolate and 40% collagen hydrolysate showed high nutritive value and water solubility indexes, considered favorable properties as an ingredient for the formulation of dietetic products for elderly people.


The effort of clean up the T/V Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska, included the use of fertilizers to accelerate natural microbial degradation of stranded oil. A program to monitor various environmental parameters associated with this technique took place during the summer of 1990. Microbiological assays for numbers of heterotrophic and oil-degrading microbes and their hydrocarbon mineralization potentials were performed in support of this program. Fertilizer addition resulted in higher hexadecane and phenanthrene mineralization potentials on treated plots than on untreated reference plots. Microbial numbers in treated and reference surface sediments were not significantly different immediately after the first nutrient application in May 1990. However, subsurface sediments from treated plots had higher numbers of hydrocarbon degraders than did reference sediments shortly after treatment. The second application of fertilizer, later in summer, resulted in surface and subsurface increases in numbers of hydrocarbon degraders with respect to reference sediments at two of the three study sites. Elevated mineralization potentials, coupled with increased numbers of hydrocarbon degraders, indicated that natural hydrocarbon biodegradation was enhanced. However, these microbiological measurements alone are not sufficient to determine in situ rates of crude oil biodegradation.


The DISCRETE edit system, based on the Fellegi and Holt model [1976] of editing, contains two major components: edit generation and error localization. The set covering problem (SCP) is formulated with constraint matrices many times in both components. Therefore, an e cient set covering algorithm is critical to the overall performance of the DISCRETE edit system. The design of a set covering algorithm (Chen [1998]) provides a major performance improvement for the DISCRETE edit system. The size of the constraint matrices is a very important factor to have an e cient set covering algorithm. The age comparison approach described in Chen, Winkler, and Hemmig [2000] creates a huge number of new variables and edit rules in the set covering algorithm of the edit generation and error localization of the DISCRETE edit system. The dimension of the constraint matrices created is an increasing function of the number of variables and the number of edit rules. In this paper, we will describe an e cient formulation and simple implementation of the age comparisons in surveys that have the age eld.


Software-defined Internet eXchange points (SDXs) are a promising solution to the long-standing limitations and problems of interdomain routing. While the proposed SDX architectures have improved the scalability of the control plane, these solutions have ignored the underlying fabric upon which they should be deployed. In this paper, we present Umbrella, a software-defined interconnection fabric that complements and enhances those architectures. Umbrella is a switching fabric architecture and management approach that improves the overall robustness, limiting control plane dependence, and suitable for the topology of any existing Internet eXchange Point (IXP). We validate Umbrella through a real-world deployment on two production IXPs, TouSIX and NSPIXP-3, and demonstrate its use in practice, sharing our experience of the challenges faced.


What was it like to live in Iraq before the earth-shaking events of the end of the twentieth century? The mid seventies to the late eighties witnessed Saddam Hussein's rise to power, the establishment of Kurdish autonomy in the north, and the Iraq-Iran war. It also brought an influx of oil wealth, following the 1973 war and the spike in oil prices, and a parallel influx of Arab talent, including many Egyptians, as the Egyptian left became disenchanted with Sadat. The massive migration also extended to workers and peasants, some of whom created an entire Egyptian village just outside Baghdad.We witness all of this and more through the eyes of an Egyptian woman married to an engineer working in Iraq. The narrator, who works for an Egyptian magazine's bureau in the Iraqi capital, has a behind-the-scenes view of what was really happening at a critical juncture in the history of the region. Moreover, she has a mystery to solve: an Iraqi woman from the marshes in the south of Iraq, who is also a communist journalist, has disappeared, and as the mystery unfolds we learn of her love for an older Egyptian Marxist journalist. This is Iraq before and beyond Saddam, Iraq as the Arabs knew it, in the lives of interesting people living in a vibrant country before the attempted annexation of Kuwait and the American invasion. This is the Iraq that was


Original stories at seven levels from starter to advanced, written specially for learners of English. With gripping plots and a range of genres to satisfy every taste, Cambridge English Readers offer high-quality original fiction that students will love! The highest quality of writing and storytelling is combined with the greatest sensitivity to the learner's language level, to ensure an enjoyable and successful learning experience, with learners eager to finish one book and start the next.


In an attempt to engage a classroom of fifth-grade students in an engineering design experience, we took advantage of the prior experiences of a larger collaboration which demonstrated that these students gravitate towards projects which involve electronics while also providing an opportunity to help people1. The field of assistive technology, which provides a means of achieving greater independence and standard of living through the integration of technology with the tasks of everyday life and work, served as a suitable application for the student's natural inclinations towards helping others. Supporting evidence was also found in the literature where it is argued that assistive technology is a field that provides a rich opportunity for students to engage with their peers, their community, and the world at large in a meaningful way2,3. Further, the use of project-based design experiences has been shown to improve student engagement, use of divergent thinking, and teamwork skills4,5.


Contemporary discussions of education in blended-learning environments increasingly emphasize the social nature of learning which emphasizes interactions among students, or among students and instructors. These interactions can occur asynchronously using a text based discussion forum. A text-based discussion forum, however, may not work well for all participants as some find it difficult to explain complex concepts in words, while others complain of being misunderstood due to the absence of verbal cues. In this study, we investigated the use of a Wimba Voice Board to support asynchronous voice discussion. A quasi-experiment research design involving two classes of undergraduate students was conducted. One of the classes (n = 24 students) used the Wimba Voice Board while the other (n = 18 students) used a text discussion forum in BlackBoard. The results of an independent t-test analysis suggested that there was no significant difference in the students' degree of participation in the two classes, asynchronous voice discuss class (M = 2.92, SD = 1.586) and text discussion class (M = 2.78, SD = 1.353), (t = 0.299, df = 40, p = 0.767) at the 0.05 level of significance. However, the online discussion appeared to be more sustained in the asynchronous voice discussion group. Analyses of the students' reflection data suggested that asynchronous voice discussion have several advantages over text forums. Specifically, an asynchronous voice discussion: enables students to understand one another's messages better, allows students, who prefer speaking to writing, or students who are not proficient in written English, to participate in the discussion, promotes originality of students' ideas, and helps to foster a sense of online community.


Current global conflict trends are pulling NATO away from its traditional collective defense mission into stability and reconstruction (S&R) operations with greater frequency. S&R environments require NATO to collaborate with and support host nation governments, international organizations, and a range of non-governmental organizations to address security, political, and social challenges. However, NATO encounters difficulty with collecting and sharing intelligence and information in these environments. This inability to communicate compounds the already complex issues faced by all entities involved. This article identifies three policy options to help NATO improve its support to S&R operations by enhancing information-sharing mechanisms within NATO and with non-NATO stakeholders. These options are: 1) the completion of the Federated Mission Network that seeks to aggregate classified and unclassified information in a regulated virtual space; 2) the indoctrination of a Joint Information Fusion Cell to act as a physical clearinghouse for information; and 3) the development of Regional Coordination Centers and Stabilization and Reconstruction Teams to implement individual S&R projects. The progression of policy options represents increases in stakeholder engagement, operational effectiveness, and overall cost. Based on an analysis of the pros and cons associated with each option, we recommend the development of the Joint Information Fusion Cell (JIFC). This option offers a centralized facility capable of collecting, processing, and disseminating information and intelligence, and a separate, neutral facility Hanna, Granzow, Bolte, and Alvarado, Connections QJ 16, no. 4 (2017): 5-33 6 for coordinating with non-military entities. This option confers the widest array of benefits to NATO's contributions to S&R operations in both in-area and out-of-area environments.


The spotted galaxias (or trout minnow), Galaxias truttaceus, is a species that is restricted to south-western and south-eastern Australia, but there has long been conjecture as to whether the geographically and Critically Endangered Western Australian populations represent a subspecies (Galaxias truttaceus hesperius). We provide evidence that Western Australian populations, on the basis of a combination of genetic, geographic and ecological criteria, should be considered an evolutionary significant unit, which merits management as a high conservation priority. Substructure at nuclear and matrilineal genetic markers is not suggestive of species-level divergence, but rather of discrete western and eastern Australian subpopulations with limited contemporary gene flow. In contrast to many eastern populations that are diadromous, all western populations are potamodromous. Adults live and spawn in riverine habitats and larvae drift downstream to coastal lakes, where they spend several months, before undertaking a distinct upstream recruitment migration as juveniles to colonise riverine habitats. Instream barriers that disconnect riverine and lentic habitats restrict distributional range and presumably affect reproductive success of Western Australian populations. Conserving the remaining populations in Western Australia will require ongoing efforts to reduce the impact of emerging threats, particularly those related to instream barriers, introduced species and reductions in water quantity and quality.


Citizen involvement in the production and delivery of public service has been a long time topic of interest and controversial debate among scholars. Essentially, the belief has been that if citizens are actively involved in the process, public organizations and communities benefit in numerous ways that will ultimately lead to increased citizen satisfaction. The purpose of this research is to explore the relationship between citizen involvement in the production of public safety and security and its effects on organizational efficiency and effectiveness of law enforcement agencies. To test the assumption that citizen involvement is positively correlated to organizational success and organizational efficiency of law enforcement agencies, a citizen involvement index was developed and used as the independent variable in ordinary least square regression (OLS) analysis. Three separate models are developed to measure the impact of citizen involvement on law enforcement. Findings obtained through bivariate and multivariate analyses indicate mixed results. Bivariate analysis revealed that citizen involvement was negatively correlated to organizational efficiency while no statistically significant correlation was found in multiple regressions. In addition, through bivariate analyses, citizen involvement was positively correlated with crime rates reported to city police departments, whereas multivariate regression analyses indicated that citizen involvement does not have a statistically significant impact on crime rates. Both analyses, however, provided support for the positive impact of citizen involvement on crime clearance rates. Finally, findings suggested that citizen involvement in public organizations and its effects on the production and delivery of public goods and services are overestimated from the perspective of law enforcement.


Channeling of relativistic particles through a crystal may be useful for many applications in accelerators, and particularly for collimation in hadronic colliders. Efficiency proved to be dependent on the state of the crystal surface and hence on the method used for preparation. We investigated the morphology and structure of the surface of the samples that have been used in accelerators with high efficiency. We found that crystal fabrication by only mechanical methods (dicing, lapping, and others) leads to a superficial damaged layer, which is correlated to performance limitation in accelerators. A planar chemical etching was studied and applied in order to remove the superficial damaged layer. RBS channeling analysis with low-energy protons and 4 He + highlighted better crystal perfection at surface, as a result of the etching. A protocol for preparation and characterization of crystal for channelling has been developed, which may be of interest for reliable operation with crystals in accelerators.


The removal of iron from the <0.45m fraction of Tamar River water on addition of both calcium chloride
solution and sea water was studied using a continuous autoanalytical system. The addition of increasing
concentrations of either calcium ions or sea water caused increased iron removal, but at all of the
concentrations studied a fraction of iron was found to remain within the <0.45jim fraction (termed the residual
or unreactive fraction). Storage time was shown to have a marked effect on the residual concentration. Kinetic
analysis of the experimental results showed that when a residual fraction was taken into account, the data could
be described by either a first or second order kinetic model. The first order model gave an approximately linear
increase in rate constant with increasing concentrations of calcium ions or sea water, ranging from 1.02 xlO
to 6.14x10 s for the addition of calcium ions and from 3.97 xlO to 6.95 xlO s for the addition of sea
water. The second orderrate constant also showed an increase with increasing calcium concentration, from
3.95 xlO to 3.02 xlO 1 mol s . When the first and second order profiles were studied and the fit of the
model to the experimental residual values was considered, the first order was shown to be a better descriptor of
the observed removal of microcolloidal iron.
A comparative study was made of iron removal under different conditions of simulated estuarine mixing,
following the procedures of Fox & Wofsy {Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 1983, vol 47 p211), Mayer (Geochim.
Cosmochim. Acta, 1982, vol 46 p2527), Hunter & Leonard (Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 1988, vol 52 pi 123)
- all using 'discrete sampling during mixing and Duffy (PhD Thesis, University of Southampton) - using
continuous sampling with more rapid mixing. Variations among the 'discrete' methods are small relative to
those between them and the method of Duffy (1985) e.g. 65 % for the 'continuous' method as compared with
36%, at a salinity of 5, and the first order rate constant was seen to be about an order of magnitude greater for
the'continuous'method e.g. 3.97 xlO s as compared with 1.97 xlO s
,
at a salinity of 5. Further
experiments looking specifically at the effect of stirring rate on a 'discrete' sampling method concurred with
these observations. In experiments carried out at a salinity of 8, the iron removal increased from 44% to 55%
and the first order rate constant increased from 2.96 xlO to 3.58x10 s as a result of a relative increase in
stirring rate from 1 to 5. The fact that the first order rate constant for iron removal varied with the energy of
the system, even in the least energetic system studied, and that under all conditions the first order model
provided the best descriptor of the observed process, showed that the mechanism of microcolloidal
aggregation under all these conditions could not be accounted for by Brownian Motion. Shear must therefore
be a significant factor and it was concluded that none of the systems studied could afford a test of kinetic order
under conditions where Brownian Motion dominantly accounts for particle collisions. The experiments,
however, are still of relevance to environmental conditions, since estuarine mixing is greatly influenced by
turbulence due to tidal energy and wind stress.
Phosphate behaviour was studied concurrently with that of iron and both the percentage removal and kinetic
rate constants showed comparable dependence on calcium ion / sea water concentration, although the
percentage phosphate removal was consistently lower than that observed for iron. Kinetic rate constants ranged
from 0.0019 to 0.0179 s for the first order model and 0.29 xlO to 5.3 xlO' 1 mol" s for second order.
When the removal profiles were studied and the fit of the first and second order models to the experimental
residual values was considered, the first order model was again shown to be a better descriptor of the observed
removal. Phosphate behaviour remained essentially unaffected by changes in experimental methodologies or
stirring rate. The factor which most affected iron (stirring) had no major systematic effect on phosphate and
therefore it must be concluded that the results indicate a co-removal of phosphate during iron colloid
aggregation rather than removal of a common colloidal population containing both constituents.


Objectives: To estimate and validate cut-off points of skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) in Chilean population, for using in an algorithm for a diagnosis of sarcopenia developed by European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP). Methods: Secondary analysis of Cross-sectional data in 440 Chilean older subjects to estimate cut-off points of SMI determined by DEXA and predicted by an anthropometric equation. Afterward a cross-sectional validation in a sample of 164 older people was performed. Anthropometric measures, self-reported health status, physical performance tests and DEXA were carried out. Decreased muscle strength was defined as handgrip strength <15 kg in women and <27 kg in male. Cut-off points of SMI were defined as values under 20th percentile for DEXA measures and estimated through ROC curves for the anthropometric model. Biological validity of the algorithm was tested by contrasting the diagnosis with physical performance tests and functionality. Results: Cut-off points of SMI obtained by DEXA were 7.19 kg/m2 in men and 5.77 kg/m2 in women and 7.45 kg/ m2 and 5.88 kg/m2, respectively for the predicted by the model. Sensibility and specificity of estimations vs DEXA measures were 80% and 92% in men and 77% and 89% in women. Conclusions: We obtained cut-off points of SMI for DEXA and for a prediction equation for older adults Chilean, with good sensibility and specificity for the measurement by DEXA. It will allow to apply the EWGSOP algorithm to the early diagnosis of sarcopenia and to develop programs for prevention, delay or reversion this syndrome.


Background Awareness of breast cancer causes and the screening program can help in reduction of morbidity and mortality among women. Aim The aim of this study was to examine the effect of peer education on adolescent students' knowledge and performance of breast self-examination (BSE). Methods A quasi-experimental study (pretest and post-test evaluations) was conducted. The study was conducted at the Faculty of Nursing, Kafrelsheikh University. A convenience sample of all students (260 peer students) from third level of Faculty of Nursing was recruited for the study. The students were divided equally into two groups: group 1 was assigned to individual education and group 2 was assigned to group education. The study was conducted from the first of December 2016 to the end of February 2017. Three tools were used to collect the data: a personal data record, BSE knowledge questionnaire, and BSE performance checklist. Results Despite the satisfactory knowledge level between the two groups did not differ significantly at baseline evaluation, the satisfactory knowledge level was reported to be more enhanced among the students in the education group than in the individual education group after intervention. The frequency of adequate performance of BSE did not differ significantly between the studied groups at baseline; however, after intervention, the frequency of adequate performance of BSE was significantly higher in the students in the group education group. The level of mother education significantly affected the knowledge and the performance level in the study groups. After intervention, the students with educated mother had significantly higher frequency of satisfactory knowledge level than students with uneducated mother in the individual education group and also in the group education group. Conclusion The peer education positively affects the knowledge and performance level of BSE of adolescent students. Recommendation Peer educational programs based on BSE should be propagated for various age groups to raise public awareness and achieve generalization about breast cancer prevention.


This Essay examines whether the United States Constitution allows a governor to veto a state legislature's bill governing presidential elections. The Constitution does not support this seemingly intuitive proposition directly, and on its face appears to vest control over presidential elections solely in the hands of state legislatures: while Article II of the Constitution explicitly provides for the "Legislature" of each state to control the "manner" in which electors are chosen, it makes no mention of state governors. This vagary in the Constitution's text takes on particular import in light of political polarization over election administration in recent years. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted numerous states to make emergency modifications to their election systems, including delaying elections or attempting to cancel marginally competitive presidential primaries. Commentators have even expressed fear that a state legislature may eventually attempt to exercise its plenary authority to determine how presidential electors are appointed under Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution to choose electors without holding a popular vote. This Essay answers these concerns by arguing that a state governor can veto state legislatures' bills governing presidential elections on the same terms as any other legislation. Although the Constitution may not explicitly provide for a state governor's role, the Supreme Court's precedents and longstanding practice strongly suggest that a state governor has the same powers over bills governing presidential elections as over other state legislation. This conclusion has further implications for other potential conflicts between state legislatures and governors over presidential elections, including rules for absentee balloting, awarding electors by congressional district, using ranked-choice voting, or entering the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact.


We investigated nuclear factors that bind to delta 1-crystallin enhancer core and regulate lens-specific transcription. A nuclear factor delta EF1, which binds to the essential element of the delta 1-crystallin enhancer core, was molecularly cloned from the chicken by a southwestern method. The protein organization of delta EF1 deduced from the cDNA sequence indicated that it has heterogeneous domains for DNA-binding, two widely separated zinc fingers and a homeodomain, analogous to Drosophila ZFH-1 protein. The C-terminal zinc fingers were found to be responsible for binding to the delta 1-crystallin enhancer core sequence. delta EF1 had proline-rich and acidic domains common to various transcriptional activators. During embryogenesis, delta EF1 expression was observed in the postgastrulation period in mesodermal tissues; initially, in the notochord, followed by somites, nephrotomes and other components. The expression level changed dynamically in a tissue, possibly reflecting the differentiation states of the constituent cells. Besides mesoderm, delta EF1 was expressed in the nervous system and the lens, but other ectodermal tissues and endoderm remained very low in delta EF1 expression. Cotransfection experiments indicated that this factor acts as a repressor of delta 1-crystallin enhancer. Possession of heterogeneous DNA-binding domains and its dynamic change of expression in embryogenesis strongly suggest that delta EF1 acts in multiple ways depending on the cell type and the gene under its regulation.


The study reported in this paper examines accidental humour, which derives from Nigerian English (NE) speakers' production of wrong communicative effects through the faulty use of speech acts or one of the rules of speaking. Such humour construction is unintentional because it reflects the ESL speakers' inability to understand what is meant by what is said. The study shows that pragmatic failure results not only from errors in syntax, inaccurate pronunciation, L1 interference, overgeneralization, but also in part from the lack of pragmatic awareness and cross-cultural interactional communicative competence, and misunderstanding or miscommunication of the implied meaning. The accidental humour, which results therefrom, essentially stems from script opposition and script overlap, but lacks intentionality that plays a key role in intentional humour. Results of the analysis reveal, inter alia, that unintentional humour in interlingual communication derives from the NE speakers' lack of communicative competence in the target language, i.e. Standard English. The paper concludes that although cross-cultural pragmatic failure is a product of interlingual communicative mishap, its humorous effect tends to mollify anger and soothe frayed nerves in Nigeria's frustration and stress-ridden contemporary society. Nonetheless, the demonstrable blissful ignorance of the basic rules of the English Language by an appreciable number of NE users questions the atavistic cling to it as the nation's official language in the midst of over three hundred indigenous languages begging for attention from the government. Keywords: pragmatic failures, Nigerian English, humour, interlingual, communicative competence.


ABSTRACT Oral mucosal colonization and infection with Candidaare common in patients receiving radiation therapy for head and neck cancer. Infection is marked by oral pain and/or burning and can lead to significant patient morbidity. The purpose of this study was to identify Candida strain diversity in this population by using a chromogenic medium, subculturing, molecular typing, and antifungal susceptibility testing of clinical isolates. These results were then correlated with clinical outcome in patients treated with fluconazole for infection. Specimens from 30 patients receiving radiation therapy for head and neck cancer were cultured weekly forCandida. Patients exhibiting clinical infection were treated with oral fluconazole. All isolates were plated on CHROMagar Candida and RPMI medium, subcultured, and submitted for antifungal susceptibility testing and molecular typing. Infections occurred in 27% of the patients and were predominantly due to Candida albicans (78%). Candida carriage occurred in 73% of patients and at 51% of patient visits. Yeasts other than C. albicans predominated in carriage, as they were isolated from 59% of patients and at 52% of patient visits. All infections responded clinically, and all isolates were susceptible to fluconazole. Molecular typing showed that most patients had similar strains throughout their radiation treatment. One patient, however, did show the acquisition of a new strain. With this high rate of infection (27%), prophylaxis to prevent infection should be evaluated for these patients.


The chapter presents an overview of emerging issues in the psychology of human behaviour and the evolving nature of cyber threats. It reflects on the role of social engineering as the entry point of many sophisticated attacks and highlights the relevance of the human element as the starting point of implementing cyber security programmes in organisations as well as securing individual online behaviour. Issues associated with the emerging trends in human behaviour research and ethics are presented for further discussion. The chapter concludes with a set of open research questions warranting immediate academic attention to avoid the exponential growth of information breaches in the future.


Ion exclusion chromatography (IEe) is a relatively
old separation technique, attributed to Wheaton and
Bauman, which is now staging an impressive comeback
for the simultaneous determination of ionic
species. IEC provides a useful technique for the separation
of ionic and nonionic substances using an ion
exchange stationary phase in which ionic substances
are rejected by the resin while nonionic or partially
ionized substances are retained and separated by partition
between the liquid inside the resin particles and
the liquid outside the particles. The ionic substances
therefore pass quickly through the column, but
nonionic (molecular) or partially ionized substances
are held up and are eluted more slowly.
IEC is also referred to by several other names,
including ion exclusion partition chromatography,
ion chromatography-exclusion mode, and Donnan
exclusion chromatography. In this article we use the
term ion exclusion chromatography.


There are numerous books dealing with epilepsy but none of them is entirely devoted to the manifold relationships between language and epilepsy. The present monograph focuses on the verbal shortcomings, disorders, deviances, and peculiarities which may be observed in patients with epilepsy, and endeavors to uncover the links between the observed linguistic features and the disturbance of bio-electrical activity that characterizes epilepsy. It describes the many verbal impairments and involuntary verbal behaviours which may occur during epileptic seizures, depicts the various types of language-induced reflex epilepsy, discusses the possible relations between stuttering and epilepsy and between literary production and epilepsy, analyses the verbal consequences of surgery for intractable epilepsy, and deals extensively with the durable verbal deficits which may be due to, or be concomitant with, some forms of abnormal bio-electrical brain activity. The book is meant primarily for clinicians and caretakers who are professionally concerned with epilepsy. However, it is written in such a way that it can be easily understood by lay people who would like to gain an insight into the nature of epilepsy and into the verbal phenomena which may accompany it.


The 2001 Gulliford Lecture was given by Professor Roy McConkey, of the University of Ulster. In this article, based on his lecture, Roy McConkey reflects on some of the themes in Ron Gulliford's work from the 1960s. These themes still seem relevant to our workwith pupils and students with special educational needs today. Roy McConkey focuses, in particular, on collaboration between practitioners from different professional backgrounds. He invites the reader to reflect on some of the strengths of current practice and to consider the ways in which these initiatives might be taken forward. This article closes with a setof strategies that could be used to develop innovative, holistic, inter-agency approaches in future.


The interpretation of 1 Pet 4.6 which sees 'the dead' as Christians who heard the gospel during their lifetime but who have since died is becoming increasingly widely accepted, especially in recent commentaries in English. William Dalton's monograph Christ's Proclamation to the Spirits has been influential in promoting this view. However, despite its current popularity, there are serious problems with this interpretation, especially in its dependence on assuming a primitive eschatological context for 1 Peter. The view of the verse as referring to a proclamation made to people already dead, on the other hand, is more plausible than recent commentators suggest, and can be defended against their criticisms.


We describe an automated method for detecting clusters of galaxies in imaging and redshift galaxy surveys. The adaptive matched filter (AMF) method utilizes galaxy positions, magnitudes, and—when available—photometric or spectroscopic redshifts to find clusters and determine their redshift and richness. The AMF can be applied to most types of galaxy surveys, from two-dimensional (2D) imaging surveys, to multiband imaging surveys with photometric redshifts of any accuracy (2.5 dimensional [2½D]), to three-dimensional (3D) redshift surveys. The AMF can also be utilized in the selection of clusters in cosmological N-body simulations. The AMF identifies clusters by finding the peaks in a cluster likelihood map generated by convolving a galaxy survey with a filter based on a model of the cluster and field galaxy distributions. In tests on simulated 2D and 2½D data with a magnitude limit of r′≈23.5, clusters are detected with an accuracy of Δz≈0.02 in redshift and ~10% in richness to z≲0.5. Detecting clusters at higher redshifts is possible with deeper surveys. In this paper we present the theory behind the AMF and describe test results on synthetic galaxy catalogs.


For the past decade, many Schools of Social Work across Canada have incorporated the anti-oppressive perspective in their course curriculum, despite the many contentiG?ns within the profession. Drawing upon my experience as a student of colour in a School of Social Work, this study adopted a qualitative research approach (Mason, 2002) in exploring the experiences of four white students and four students of colour at the McMaster University School of Social Work as they learn about antioppressive perspective, in particular, the impact of students' racial identities in their learning. Their reflections shed light on what can be done to support students' learning. The students in this study described the process of learning anti-oppressive perspective as "eye-opening". They expressed that critical reflectivity on their implicated role in the complex network of systemic power relations as indispensable to their learning, but also very challenging and unsettling. The process is full of ambiguities and contradictions, especially when situated in a society filled with contesting ideologies where oppressive practices are often masked with egalitarian i values. Students referred to processes that nourish or hamper the development o~ critical reflectivity. In turn, this elucidated the importance of an education that will illuminate complexities and ambiguities so as to equip students to face the challenges of their future and to work creatively to eliminate oppression.


Over 70 practical recipes to help you develop messaging applications using RabbitMQ with the help of plenty of real-life examples Overview Create scalable distributed applications with RabbitMQ Exploit RabbitMQ on both Web and mobile platforms Deploy message services on cloud computing platforms Full of screenshots and descriptions with clear, step-by-step instructions and practical examples In Detail RabbitMQ is an open source message broker software (sometimes called message-oriented middleware) that implements the Advanced Message Queuing Protocol (AMQP). The RabbitMQ server is written in the Erlang programming language and is built on the Open Telecom Platform framework for clustering and failover. Messaging enables software applications to connect and scale. Applications can connect to each other as components of a larger application or to user devices and data. RabbitMQ Cookbook touches on all the aspects of RabbitMQ messaging. You will learn how to use this enabling technology for the solution of highly scalable problems dictated by the dynamic requirements of Web and mobile architectures, based for example on cloud computing platforms. This is a practical guide with several examples that will help you to understand the usefulness and the power of RabbitMQ. This book helps you learn the basic functionalities of RabbitMQ with simple examples which describe the use of RabbitMQ client APIs and how a RabbitMQ server works. You will find examples of RabbitMQ deployed in real-life use-cases, where its functionalities will be exploited combined with other technologies. This book helps you understand the advanced features of RabbitMQ that are useful for even the most demanding programmer. Over the course of the book, you will learn about the usage of basic AMQP functionalities and use RabbitMQ to let decoupled applications exchange messages as per enterprise integration applications. The same building blocks are used to implement the architecture of highly scalable applications like today's social networks, and they are presented in the book with some examples. You will also learn how to extend RabbitMQ functionalities by implementing Erlang plugins. This book combines information with detailed examples coupled with screenshots and diagrams to help you create a messaging application with ease. What you will learn from this book Produce and consume AQMP messages using the fire-and-forget messaging model Optimize messaging applications using RabbitMQ extensions Learn how to configure RabbitMQ parameters, enable RabbitMQ plugins, and monitor RabbitMQ activities Integrate with other protocols such as MQTT, STOMP, and JSON Develop Web applications with RabbitMQ as a service bus Create a scalable and robust application using RabbitMQ clustering Create a highly available RabbitMQ cluster using RabbitMQ HA policies Create a geographic RabbitMQ cluster using the federation and shovel plugins Create and auto-scale a RabbitMQ cluster on Amazon Web Services Deploy and use RabbitMQ on Cloud-Foundry Create custom RabbitMQ plugins in Erlang Approach A practical book filled with advanced recipes as well as plenty of code and real-life examples which will make your learning curve quick and easy.


Warfare is commonly viewed as a driving force of the process of aggregation of initially independent villages into larger and more complex political units that started several thousand years ago and quickly lead to the appearance of chiefdoms, states, and empires. Here we build on extensions and generalizations of Carneiro's (1970) argument to develop a spatially explicit agent-based model of the emergence of early complex societies via warfare. In our model polities are represented as hierarchically structured networks of villages whose size, power, and complexity change as a result of conquest, secession, internal reorganization (via promotion and linearization), and resource dynamics. A general prediction of our model is continuous stochastic cycling in which the growth of individual polities in size, wealth/power, and complexity is interrupted by their quick collapse. The model dynamics are mostly controlled by two parameters, one of which scales the relative advantage of wealthier polities in between and within-polity conflicts, and the other is the chief's expected time in power. Our results demonstrate that the stability of large and complex polities is strongly promoted if the outcomes of the conflicts are mostly determined by the polities' wealth/power, if there exist well-defined and accepted means of succession, and if control mechanisms are internally specialized.


In this paper we explore a method of decomposition of compound tags found in social tagging systems and outline several results, including improvement of search indexes, extraction of semantic information, and benefits to usability. Analysis of tagging habits demonstrates that social tagging systems such as del.icio.us and flickr include both formal metadata, such as geotags, and informally created metadata, such as annotations and descriptions. The majority of tags represent informal metadata; that is, they are not structured according to a formal model, nor do they correspond to a formal ontology. Statistical exploration of the main tag corpus demonstrates that such searches use only a subset of the available tags; for example, many tags are composed as ad hoc compounds of terms. In order to improve accuracy of searching across the data contained within these tags, a method must be employed to decompose compounds in such a way that there is a high degree of confidence in the result. An approach to decomposition of English-language compounds, designed for use within a small initial sample tagset, is described. Possible decompositions are identified from a generous wordlist, subject to selective lexicon snipping. In order to identify the most likely, a Bayesian classifier is used across term elements. To compensate for the limited sample set, a word classifier is employed and the results classified using a similar method, resulting in a successful classification rate of 88%, and a false negative rate of only 1%.


The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of applied relaxation and electro-acupuncture (EA) on psychological well-being in breast cancer-treated women with vasomotor symptoms. Thirty-eight breast cancer-treated postmenopausal women with vasomotor symptoms were included in the study. They were randomized to either treatment with electro-acupuncture (EA) (n = 19, three of them with tamoxifen) or applied relaxation (AR) (n = 19, five of them with tamoxifen) over a 12-week study period with six months follow-up. Vasomotor symptoms were registered daily. A visual analog scale was used to assess climacteric symptom, estimation of general well-being was made using the Symptom Checklist, and mood using the Mood Scale. These were applied during treatment and at follow-up. In total 31 women completed 12 weeks of treatment and six months of follow-up. Hot flushes were reduced by more than 50%. Climacteric symptoms significantly decreased during treatment and remained so six months after treatment in both groups. Psychological well-being significantly improved during therapy and at follow-up visits in both groups. Mood improved significantly in the electro-acupuncture treated group. In conclusion psychological well-being improved in women with breast cancer randomized to treatment with either AR or EA for vasomotor symptoms and we therefore suggest that further studies should be performed in order to evaluate and develop these alternative therapies.


Betatrophin has recently been described as a key hormone to stimulate beta-cell mass expansion in response to insulin resistance and obesity in mice. The finding has generated an interest in the development of antidiabetic drugs with betatrophin as the active component. However, the circulating levels of betatrophin in patients with type 2 diabetes are not well known. Betatrophin concentrations in plasma of 27 type 2 diabetes patients and 18 gender-, age-, and BMI-matched controls were measured. Study participants were characterized with regard to BMI, waist and hip circumference, blood pressure, and fasting plasma blood lipids, creatinine, glucose, HbA1c, and C-peptide. HOMA2 indices were calculated. Betatrophin was 40% higher in patients with type 2 diabetes (893 ± 80 versus 639 ± 66 pg/mL). Betatrophin positively correlated with age in the controls and with HbA1c in the type 2 diabetes patients. All study participants were insulin resistant with mean HOMA2B IR in both groups exceeding 2 and HOMA2%S < 50%. Control individuals had impaired fasting glucose concentrations. In this report on betatrophin concentrations in type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance, elevated betatrophin levels were measured in the patients with type 2 diabetes. Future studies are clearly needed to delineate the exact role, if any, of betatrophin in regulating human beta-cell mass.


To analyse in-work poverty, we build a model in which human capital and productivity varies over time with experience, time-related obsolescence and poverty. The model reveals four possible trajectories: poverty to exclusion, permanent poverty, the emergence from poverty, and finally, from poverty to non-poor worker and then back to poverty. It also generates the main traits of in-work poverty in terms of skill, age, duration, and family characteristics. Both skill-biased technical change and globalization boost in-work poverty and exclusion. When unemployment compensation is introduced, being a poor worker can be a rational choice for individuals who accept lower pay today to earn more tomorrow.


Hong Kong started a major expansion of its higher education
system in 1989. By 1996, in less than a decade, the student enrolment
rate had reached 18% of the relevant age group. Was there a
justification for further expansion?
This thesis investigates the issue of the demand for higher
education from the perspective of the students during the 1 990s, a
period of drastic political change and difficult economic conditions. It
was an interesting time to explore students' perceptions of economic
and other benefits of university education. The assumption was that if
students possess positive views of returns from higher education, even
in critical periods, their motive for investing in higher education is at
least partly instrumental.
The findings of the study reveal that students were realistic and
informed about the future graduate labour market. They were aware of
the financial hardships incurred from the increase in their own share of
the cost of higher education, the intensifying competition in the future
graduate labour market resulting from education expansion, the
possible impact the political changes and the economic downturn after
1997 might have on their future career conditions. Many foresaw and
were ready to accept diminishing immediate economic returns upon
graduation. Yet most of them still maintained a positive view of long
term earnings and career development. Most of them understood that
their investment in higher education was a prerequisite for a better
future both in economic terms and in terms of life long personal
development. All in all, the findings of this study provide evidence to
support the instrumentalists' idea, not to exclude the academicians'
though, an individual perceives participating in higher education as
making investment for his/her future pecuniary returns and/or other
benefits.


The unique structure of hybrid robot makes its dynamic characteristic different from that of the traditional machine tools. Therefore, the dynamic model is crucial to both designing and application of hybrid robot. In this paper, a new type of 5-DoF hybrid robot is introduced and its dynamic model is established. Firstly, the kinematic formulas are derived for all the component, and then the inertia forces or moments are calculated. Secondly, the active forces or moments in the joints are assumed as variables and the number of variables is reduced by analyzing joint types. Then an equation set of 36 equilibrium equations with 38 variables is obtained by using D'Alembert's principle. Based on the spatial deformation compatibility analysis of 2 branches, 2 supplementary equations are derived to determine the solution of dynamic model of the hybrid robot with redundant constraints in its parallel mechanism. Several cases are studied by comparing with ADAMS simulation. The result shows the good accuracy of the proposed dynamic model, which provides a practical method to calculate the reaction force or moment in any joint at any instant for the hybrid robot and thus facilitates dimensional synthesis, trajectory optimization and smoothing control.


This essay argues that understanding people's lives, emotions and intellectual reasoning is crucial to exploring national identity and that 'the co-production of historical knowledge' provides an approach or methodology that allows for a deeper comprehension of people's self-identities by encouraging a diverse range of people to participate in the research process. We argue that many academic historians have maintained an intellectual detachment between university history and public and community history, to the detriment of furthering historical knowledge. We argue for a blurring of the boundaries between university and communities in exploring modern British history, and especially the history of national identities. It includes extracts of writing from community partners and a brief photographic essay of projects related to exploring identities.


This paper concerns the problem of matrix completion, which is to estimate a matrix from observations in a small subset of indices. We propose a calibrated spectrum elastic net method with a sum of the nuclear and Frobenius penalties and develop an iterative algorithm to solve the convex minimization problem. The iterative algorithm alternates between imputing the missing entries in the incomplete matrix by the current guess and estimating the matrix by a scaled soft-thresholding singular value decomposition of the imputed matrix until the resulting matrix converges. A calibration step follows to correct the bias caused by the Frobenius penalty. Under proper coherence conditions and for suitable penalties levels, we prove that the proposed estimator achieves an error bound of nearly optimal order and in proportion to the noise level. This provides a unified analysis of the noisy and noiseless matrix completion problems. Simulation results are presented to compare our proposal with previous ones.


In the area of product design, sensory dominance can be defined as the relative importance of different sensory modalities for product experience. Since product experience is multisensory, it is interesting to know which sensory modality plays a leading role in a particular experience, so that designers could concentrate on the creation of the most relevant product properties. It is often assumed that vision dominates other senses. In the present study, we investigated the importance of different sensory modalities during various episodes of product usage. We asked 120 respondents to describe their experiences with consumer products in the following situations: while buying a product, after the first week, the first month, and the first year of usage. The data suggest that the dominant modality depends on the period of product usage. At the moment of buying, vision is the most important modality, but at later stages other modalities become more important. The dominance of a particular modality may depend on its appropriateness for the particular task. During long-term usage, modality importance depends on product functions and the characteristics of the user-product interaction. We conclude that to create a long-lasting positive product experience, designers need to consider the user-product interaction at different stages of product usage and to determine which sensory modality dominates product experience at each stage.
 Keywords:
Sensory Dominance; User-Product Interaction; Product Design


With the advance of modem computer hardware, computer animation has advanced leaps and bounds. What formerly took weeks of processing can now be generated on the fly. However, the actors in games often stand mute with faces unmoving, or speak only in canned phrases as the technology for calculating their lip positions from an arbitrary sound segment has lagged behind the technology that allowed the movement of those lips to be rendered in real-time. Traditional speech recognition techniques requires the entire utterance to be present or require at least a wide window around the text to be matched to allow for higher level structure to be used in determining what words are being spoken. However, this approach, while highly appropriate for recognizing the sounds present in an audio stream and mapping those to speech, is less applicable to the problem of "lip-syncing" in real time. This paper looks at an alternate technique for applying multivariate statistical techniques to lip-sync a cartoon or model with an audio stream in real time, which requires orders of magnitude less processing power than traditional methods. Degree Type Open Access Senior Honors Thesis Department Mathematics


This research project explores the intersubjective world of the 'therapist in crisis' in an attempt to understand what it is like to be a psychological therapist following personal loss. Data gathered from nine semi-structured interviews with therapists
who had experienced personal loss were analysed using a relational-centred approach to a heuristic inquiry research method. This incorporated an explicit use of my 'self-as-researcher' and careful attendance to the 'in-between' of researcher-participant in order to access the experiencing of the phenomenon under investigation.
Three core themes were identified and created from the data. The first concerns the ambiguity in the post-loss therapist's ability to connect in the therapeutic relationship, highlighting the sense of connection and disconnection that can happen on an intrapsychic and intersubjective level. The second concerns the experience of physical and psychic space in the bereaved therapist's world and the impact this has on their ability to continue clinical work. The third theme surrounds the meaning of their work to the post-loss therapist and the embodiment of their changing identity as a psychological therapist.
My findings suggest that there is a complex interplay in the dynamic processes involved in the intrapsychic and intersubjective world of the post-loss therapist. What is evident from this research, and is of central importance to this thesis, is the way in which loss inevitably enters the unconscious intersubjective domain of the bereaved therapist. This has important implications for the psychological therapist, for the therapeutic relationship, and for the practise of counselling psychology and psychotherapy.


As the number of patients reaching stage 5 chronic kidney disease (CKD) increases worldwide, a similar trend can be seen in the UK. A disproportionate figure are older, frailer and more dependent with an increased prevalence of comorbidities. Subsequently, there is greater awareness among nursing and medical staff that dialysis may not improve survival rates and may impact considerably on the quality of life of these patients. Renal Services are being developed in order to support those deciding not to dialyse, although little is known about their experiences or concerns. Over recent years a number of directives have encouraged the principles of palliative care within non-specialist settings for people who do not have cancer, but it cannot be assumed that all people with a terminal illness have the same end of life needs.

This Practitioner Research study explored the experiences of patients with stage 5 CKD who had opted not to undergo dialysis to treat their renal failure. Patients were managed within a Renal Supportive Care Service at a London Hospital Trust. Data were generated longitudinally via 30 case studies of patients over an 18-month period or until the patient's death, with additional data collected from 19 carers. Naturally occurring clinical consultations made up the 82 interviews and took place in the clinic setting or in the patient's home. Findings were fed back to the renal multidisciplinary team, with nurses working in the service and with a 'validation' group of UK nurses working with a similar population to check for relevance and resonance of the study findings. Field notes were maintained throughout the study and incorporated observations of patient trajectories once referred to the service. Data analysis was conducted following an approach advocated by de Wet and Erasmus (2005) which offers guidance on rigorous qualitative analysis.

Generally, patients entering the service were frail, in poor health and at an advanced age. Some patients appeared unclear about the decision-making process and what had been agreed in terms of how their kidney failure would be treated. Common presenting symptoms included breathlessness, oedema, pruritus, nausea and vomiting, lethargy and insomnia, pain, immobility, depression and bowel and bladder problems. Some symptoms were treated successfully while others, such as difficult-to-treat oedema, indicated that the end of life was approaching. In addition, patients had to manage an uncertain prognosis, with some preparing for death that didn't always arrive as expected and others living with the worry that deterioration could occur at any time. Seventeen patients died during the study, the average length of life from first referral into the service until death being 15 months (range: 1-35 months). Three trajectories to death were identified: a typical uraemic death; death caused by another illness other than renal disease; and death where the cause was unclear.

Previous research has studied trajectories to death in cancer, chronic disease and old age with little known about the trajectory in those with stage 5 CKD. This study demonstrates the uniqueness of the renal trajectory to death in those managed without dialysis and highlights how services might improve to better meet the needs of this population. Findings from this study are likely to be of international interest and have implications for policy, education and research.


Therapeutic interventions based on specific religious and spiritual teachings have proven to be effective in dealing with psychological disorders especially general anxiety disorders. Notwithstanding the signs of effectiveness within the integral approaches consisting of religious, spiritual and family therapy's interventions, there are few studies that indicate the exploration of the integrative implications of the aforementioned interventions. Objective: The present research was to examine the effectiveness of integrative therapeutic interventions consisting of spirituality and Cognitive Behavioral Family Therapy on treatment of generalized anxiety disorders. Method: Case study. Participants: Two clients (one male aged 43 and one female, 37 years old). Procedure: Data was obtained based on the clinical interview, DSM-IV-TR criteria, psychological tests and psychiatrist's diagnosis. In the course of 55 weekly therapeutic sessions for the male client and 39 weekly sessions for the female client, a series of techniques with a focus on cognitive restructuring were applied. The participants were also given coaching skills, relaxation skills, problem solving techniques, relationship management skills, and positive psychology techniques. The techniques were: a focus on the integrative implications of spiritual therapy and its emphasis on shared love for all human beings, love for others regardless of their ethnicity, belief in monotheism and belief in the day of judgment and hereafter. Findings: The results of pre-tests and post-tests along with a one year follow-up indicated the efficiency of the treatment while highlighting the vital role of integrative interventions based on spirituality and family cognitive behaviour therapy. The results also supported the role of families in contributing to the treatment of the anxiety disorder. Discussion for Further Research: The enhancement of family members social competencies based on a focus on spirituality and cognitive behavior techniques may facilitate the process of modification of thinking patterns of clients.


This input, essentially empirical by nature, analyses the FDI determinants in Africa independently from the already clearly identified attraction of natural resources. Do powers of anticipation as to the general prospects for these economies influence incoming flows of capital? What role is played by socio-political instability connected to the social consequences caused by conflicts? Are the processes of regionalization enhancing the appeal of countries that are going down that path? From a panel of 28 African countries, the results from estimations obtained using the Hausman-Taylor method of instrumental variables show that the impact of projections on any ongoing decision to invest in the continent is not statistically significant. Our results also show that, although negative, the direct correlation between social risk, a proxy of socio-political instability, and flows of foreign investment is not systematically significant.. However, the fact remains that these instabilities undermine national competencies (human capital) and compound certain ills such as HIV/Aids, whose impact on foreign investment increases along a negative curve in the presence of social risk. However, the simultaneous introduction of regionalization processes into our estimations tends to lower the adverse effects of instability on certain explicative FDI variables.


In this thesis, vibration based techniques for detection of localised surface damages in multistage gearboxes are presented and evaluated. A modern vehicle gearbox is a complex system and the number of potential errors is large. For instance, surface damages can be caused by rough handling during assembly. Large savings can be made in the production industry by assuring the quality of products such as gearboxes. An automated quality test as a final step in the production line is one way to achieve this. A brief review of available methods for vibration based condition monitoring of gearboxes is given in the opening summary. In the appended papers, a selection of these methods is used to design signal processing procedures for detection of localised surface damages in gearboxes. The procedures include the Synchronous signal averaging technique (SSAT), residual calculation, filtering with a prediction error filter (PEF) based on an AR-model and the use of crest factor and kurtosis as state features. The procedures are fully automatic and require no manual input during calibration or testing. This makes them easy to adapt to new test objects. A numerical model, generating simulated gearbox vibration signals, is used to systematically evaluate the proposed procedures. The model originates from an existing model which is extended to include contributions from several gear stages as well as measurement noise. This enables simulation of difficulties likely to arise in quality testing such as varying background noise and modulation due to test rig misalignment. Without the numerical model, the evaluation would require extensive measure-ments. The numerical model is experimentally validated by comparing the simulated vibration signals to signals measured of a real gearbox. In the experimental part of the study, vibration data is collected with accelerometers while the gearbox is running in an industrial test rig. In addition to the healthy condition, conditions including three different surface damage sizes are also considered. The numerical and the experimental analysis show that the presented procedures are able to detect localised surface damages at an early stage. Previous studies of similar procedures have focused on gear crack detection and overall condition monitoring. The procedures can handle varying back-ground noise and reasonable modulation changes due to misalignment. The results show that the choice of sensor position and operating conditions during measure-ments has a significant impact on the efficiency of the fault detection procedures. A localised surface damage excites resonances in the transfer path between the gear mesh and the accelerometer. These resonances amplify the defect signal. The results indicate that it is favourable to choose a speed at which the resonant defect signals are well separated from the gear meshing harmonics in the order domain. This knowledge is of great importance when it comes to quality testing. When a quality test procedure is being developed, it is often possible to choose the operating conditions and sensor positions. It can in fact be more important to choose proper operating conditions than to apply an optimal signal processing procedure.


All too often in the debate over electronic health records, the interests of the individual and of the broader community are thought to be at odds. The patient's fundamental right to privacy is generally assumed to be best served by an opt-in rule requiring their explicit up-front consent to participate.Yet the benefits to population health and medical research of a comprehensive record depend on the completeness of the data and a freedom from bias, both of which may be compromised unless the vast majority do in fact opt in. Is this tension between individual and community unavoidable? The answer may lie in new security technologies such as smartcards, which can help de-identify event summaries written into the record, while preserving the patient's explicit control over the process. If fundamental privacy protections can be built into the architecture of electronic health record systems and health identifiers, then the de facto rule might be safely changed from opt-in to opt-out, with significant improvements in participation rates and consequentially the usefulness of population health data.


Herein we present a lab-chip device for highly efficient and rapid detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from whole blood samples. The device utilizes a microfabricated silicon microsieve with a densely packed pore array (10(5) pores per device) to rapidly separate tumor cells from whole blood, utilizing the size and deformability differences between the CTCs and normal blood cells. The whole process, including tumor cell capture, antibody staining, removal of unwanted contaminants and immunofluorescence imaging, was performed directly on the microsieve within an integrated microfluidic unit, interconnected to a peristaltic pump for fluid regulation and a fluorescence microscope for cell counting. The latter was equipped with a dedicated digital image processing program which was developed to automatically categorize the captured cells based on the immunofluorescence images. A high recovery rate of >80% was achieved with defined numbers of MCF-7 and HepG2 cancer cells spiked into human whole blood and filtered at a rapid flow rate of 1 mL min(-1). The device was further validated with blood drawn from various cancer patients (8 samples). The whole process, from sample input to result, was completed in 1.5 h. In addition, we have also successfully demonstrated on-microsieve fluorescence in situ hybridization for single cell molecular analysis. This simple method has great potential to supplant existing complex CTC detection schemes for cancer metastasis analysis.


Traditional employment discrimination law does not offer remedies for subtle bias in the workplace. For instance, in empirical studies of racial harassment cases, plaintiffs are much more likely to be successful if they claim egregious and blatant racist incidents rather than more subtle examples of racial intimidation, humiliation, or exclusion. But some groundbreaking jurists are cognizant of the reality and harm of subtle bias - and are acknowledging them in their analysis in racial harassment cases. While not yet widely recognized, the jurists are nonetheless creating important precedents for a re-interpretation of racial harassment jurisprudence, and by extension, employment discrimination jurisprudence more broadly. This article traces the development of racial harassment jurisprudence, explaining the development of the traditional model, which does not recognize subtle bias. It concludes with an analysis of an alternative jurisprudential model that "sees" subtle racism.


In the study, the place and importance of onyx stone industry in Kırsehir, the current situation and the research of the products that are done have been aimed. Being obtained onyx stone, the tools and materials that are used in the industry of onyx stone, technique, construction periods, the ranges of products, the technique and colour features that are used in manufacturing of the products have been studied. In the concept of the study has been included the people that labour in the industry of onyx stone and onyx stone dressing and exhibition workplaces. The knowledge about the study has been gathered from the written sources through scanning method, the people the labour in this industry, master the subject and know the history of the industry. The scope of this study consists of the onxy stone producers in Kırşehir and the certain onyx stone products. The research sample involves 100 onyx stone products and 25 people who labour in the industry of onyx stone. 100 onyx stone products were taken photos and filled in with regard to the prepared information form. The analaysis of the date that were acquired has been done. The products have been analyzed in terms of range, colour, technique, composition and place of use. According to the findings being acquired, it is stated that onyx stone products are sent to several cities in Turkey. It generates important but limited source of income for the region. Today, the trinkets, souvenirs, accessories, household goods, hooby products are made of onyx stone. Despite the limited workplaces, a great number of souvenirs are sen to several cities in Turkey and exported


We propose the concept of gentle acoustic crosstalk cancelation, which aims at reducing the crosstalk between a loudspeaker and the listener's contralateral ear instead of eliminating it completely as aggressive methods intend to do. The expected benefit is higher robustness and a tendency to collapse less unpleasantly. The proposed method employs a linear loudspeaker array and exhibits two stages: 1) Use the Spectral Division Method to illuminate the ipsilateral ear using constructive interference of the loudspeaker signals. This approach provides only little channel separation between the listener's ears at frequencies below approximately 2000 Hz. 2) There we additionally use destructive interference by Recursive Ambiophonics Crosstalk Elimination (RACE). RACE was chosen because of its tendency to collapse gently. In a sample scenario with realistic parameters, the proposed method achieves around 20 dB of channel separation between 700 Hz and 9000 Hz, which appears to be sufficient to achieve full perceived lateralization when only one ear is illuminated.


As part of a detailed study of the nomenclature and taxonomy of the New Zealand species of Pseudocyphellaria it has been noted that the chemistry of the P. impressa (Hook & Taylor) Vainio aggregate, that is species with a markedly faveolate (honeycomb-like) upper surface and a green algal phycobiont, is particularly complex. The 45 lichen substances detected fall into four distinct groupings, here designated as 'Codings'. The aim of this contribution is to investigate suitable methods for revealing this chemical assemblage by t.l.c. and, as far as is currently possible, to identify the range of substances. No conscious attempt is made to assign the four chemical Codings to particular taxa or species groupings; the taxonomy of the group will be discussed elsewhere. The four Codings proved to be remarkably uniform and constant considering the range and number of substances involved; such variation that occurred was only in the presence and concentration of accessory substances. Although this work only concerns New Zealand material, similar patterns occur in related taxa of the group present in southern South America, south-east Australia and Tasmania.


For some decades elastics have been a valuable adjunct of any orthodontic treatment .Synthetic elastomers overcome various limitations of natural rubber. The use of elastics in clinical practice is predicted on force extension values given by the manufacturer for different sizes of elastics. Elastics can be used in various configurations for correction of a particular malocclusion. To minimize the plaque retaining capacity of elastomeric chains and risk of demineralization fluorides releasing elastomeric ligatures have been introduced. The elastics however don't apply a continuous force over a interval of time due to the force degradation and are therefore inferior to Niti springs. There are increased incidences of latex allergies being reported in the literature and non latex products are available to overcome this limitation. It is very important for the orthodontist to educate the patient regarding the correct use of elastics as treatment results are dependent on patient cooperation. This article strives to summarize the currently available data on the various aspects of elastics including their properties, clinical usage and limitations. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/hren.v10i1.6008 HREN 2012; 10(1): 49-56


This novel research project draws upon the experience of a small number of experimental research projects in seeking to extend some of the frontiers to the spatial modelling of commercial real estate markets. In so doing, it explores new ways of capturing, integrating, representing, illustrating and modelling commercial real estate data with other spatial variables.There is tacit understanding of the relationship between the distribution of commercial properties, and spatial factors such as proximity to footfall, transport and other infrastructure. However, there has been surprisingly little research that has been able to illustrate these tangled market relationships using spatial analyses, underpinned by empirical quantitative data. This research project has developed a methodology to visualise the distribution of rateable value, used as a proxy for the attractiveness of commercial property, across a pilot study area, in this case, the City of York, in North Yorkshire, England.The project has experimented with the use of grid squares to analyse geo-spatial relations of commercial real estate variables (such as, rental value, stock, vacancy, availability) with other spatial variables (such as, infrastructural facilities, transportation nodes). The project has confirmed that grid squares are more effective at representing data that are unevenly distributed across urban space at city level, than other artificial delineations, such as area postcodes, political boundaries or streets. The grid square approach can be further enhanced using 3D extrusions which facilitate simultaneous representation of an additional data characteristic, for example total stock combined with average rental value by location. Finally, modelling was conducted using hexagonal rather than grid squares, which revealed that hexagonal tiles are potentially more accurate, due to the proximity of data to the centroid of the tile (effectively losing the corners) and more efficacious at representing linear spatial patterns of of commercial property market data due to hexagons having 50% more directions of alignment than square tiles.


In this paper, a novel electromyographic (EMG) motion pattern classifier using wavelet packet transform (WPT) and Learning Vector Quantization (LVQ) Neural Networks is proposed. This motion pattern classifier can successfully identify wrist extension, wrist flexion, hand extension and hand grasp, by measuring the surface EMG signals through two electrodes mounted on forearm extensor carpi ulnaris and flexor carpi ulnaris. The experimental results show that the proposed method achieves a 98% recognition accuracy. Furthermore, via quantitative comparison with other neural networks classifiers, LVQ method has a better performance. Consequently, the classifier is applicable to myoelectric hand control of 2 degrees of freedom (DOF) because of its high recognition capability.