HOST is an innovative vehicle concept suitable for the urban transport of both persons and goods. To lower the impact of mobility on the cities, cleaner vehicles are not enough: an integrated passenger and freight strategy must be adopted. Cleaner vehicles must be specifically designed for the purpose to be better than conventional ones under any aspect, including costs. To lower such costs and to start up the Low Polluting Vehicles (LPV) market the versatility of LPVs has to be enhanced. HOST aims at developing a fully versatile low-cost LPV concept. Versatility is achieved by making HOST vehicle modular and cost reduction is obtained by using the same vehicle for different purposes, simply changing different cabins on the same chassis. The main four tasks HOST is conceived for are: • Nocturne collective taxi; • Daytime car sharing services; • Daytime freight collection and distribution; • Nocturne garbage collection. The four mentioned services are not the only ones HOST may be used for, but are those for which it is specifically studied. Such choice is made for one very simple reason: all of the four tasks belong to the same family of "municipal services". Using the same chassis to operate all the different services is feasible and can finally create the critical mass of final users, so to reach convenient prices. The four services chosen, two addressing passenger mobility and two addressing freight mobility, go all in the way of reducing city mobility impact. Car sharing and nocturne collective taxi systems, if integrated with public transport, can increase its attractiveness, pushing more people to use it. Freight pick-up and delivery and garbage collection need a low polluting alternative to be re-organised, so to become sustainable. The powertrain layout and the possibility to easily vary the platform main dimensions enable HOST to be equipped with very different bodyworks, which let the car manufacturer provides both private and public bodies, such as municipalities or urban mobility authorities. More in detail the energy system is all included in the HOST platform and it is conceived in shaped boxes, so that its modules become inter-exchangeable. A series hybrid configuration let HOST to be equipped with an internal combustion engine (ICE) coupled with an energy recovery system (batteries+supercapacitors), anyhow is already designed to utilise fuel cells (FC) powered by pure hydrogen just changing the energy module (and the tank), being this last the final purpose of the concept design. Thanks to these two solutions HOST is able to run as a zero emission vehicle for a limited period (ICE) or for the whole driving cycle (FC). A full drive-by-wire solution is adopted and the only mechanical connections between the cabin and the platform will be a specifically designed mechanical anchorage, these solutions will allow the easy installation/removal of any cabin. The vehicle has four wheel drive capability (4WD), thus featuring a good grip even on slippery roads. The four electric motors (one per wheel) allow an easy traction control, ensuring stability and safety. The chassis has a four wheel total steering (4WS) configuration, that enables the vehicle to rotate around its vertical axis as well as the to shift horizontally. These characteristics give HOST decisive advantages for the missions it has been conceived for. The 4WS capability gives to the vehicle easy manoeuvring in little streets in the cities centres and they are useful for the accurate positioning to be easily accessible by wheel chairs, during freight loading/unloading operations and while it runs as a garbage truck. Only a modular vehicle featuring the reusing concept can cover contemporarily all the selected services: one vehicle chassis with different sizes interchangeable energy generation modules and different bodies, depending on the service it is used for. Such concept, other than abating the environmental impact, will allow: • a reduction of costs: one chassis can fit several bodies compensating the higher cost of a low environmental impact energy and traction system; • a reduction of occupied space: the vehicle is always in use, night and day; • a reduction of waste materials, increasing their lifetime; • an increased life of vehicles, due to the possibility of changing bodies and energy generation modules; • traffic congestion reduction: using and reusing one vehicle for several services.Copyright © 2005 by ASME


Using a monoclonal antibody against protein kinase C (PKC) that recognises the isoenzymes α, βI, and βII, positive immunoreactivity was observed throughout the cytoplasm of bipolar cells in both rat and rabbit retinas. PKC immunoreactivity was also associated with the outer segment of photoreceptors in the rabbit retina and presumed amacrine cells in the rat retina. The PKC immunoreactivity in the retina was unaffected in content or localisation in rats kept in continuous dark or light conditions over a period of 6 days. The localisation of PKC immunoreactivity in retinas was similar in 6‐day‐old, 16 day‐old, or adult rabbits. However, the content of PKC was lowest at the youngest stage and highest in the adult rabbit retinas. Of the two active phorbol esters studied, only phorbol 12, 13‐dibutyrate (PDbut) at a concentration of 1 μM caused the PKC immunoreactivity in rabbit retina bipolar cells to be "transported" from the perikarya towards the axonal terminal processes. Biochemical analyses showed that most of the cytosolic PKC was translocated to the membrane compartment following such treatment. The other phorbol ester, phorbol 12‐myristate 13‐acetate, even at a concentration of 10 μM did not cause a similar transport of PKC immunoreactivity in the bipolar cells, although a partial translocation of the enzyme could be followed biochemically. Both the translocation and transport of PKC by PDbut could be reversed by simply incubating the retinas in physiological solution for 60 min. The "transport" and translocation processes were not obviously affected by the transport inhibitor colchicine or by known PKC inhibitors such as staurosporine, H‐7, sphingosine, or polymyxin B. In addition, agonists known to stimulate inositol phosphates in the retina, viz., carbachol, noradrenaline, and quisqualate, or 4‐aminopyridine did not cause a translocation or "transport" of PKC as observed for the phorbol esters.


The ability of an aerosol particle to act as a cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) is a function of the size of the particle, its composition and mixing state, and the supersaturation of the cloud. In-situ data from field studies provide a means to assess the relative importance of these parameters. During the 2006 Texas Air Quality – Gulf of Mexico Atmospheric Composition and Climate Study (TexAQS-GoMACCS), the NOAA RV Ronald H. Brown encountered a wide variety of aerosol types ranging from marine near the Florida panhandle to urban and industrial in the Houston-Galveston area. These varied sources provided an opportunity to investigate the role of aerosol sources and chemistry in the potential activation of particles to form cloud droplets. Measurements were made of CCN concentrations, aerosol chemical composition in the size range relevant for particle activation in warm clouds, and aerosol size distributions. Variability in aerosol composition was parameterized by the mass fraction of Hydrocarbon-like Organic Aerosol (HOA) for particle diameters less than 200 nm (vacuum aerodynamic). The HOA mass fraction in this size range was lowest for marine aerosol and highest for aerosol sampled close to anthropogenic sources. Combining all data from the experiment reveals that composition (defined by HOA mass fraction) explains 40% of the variance in the critical diameter for particle activation at the instrumental supersaturation ( S ) of 0.44%. Correlations between HOA mass fraction and aerosol mean diameter show that these two parameters are essentially independent of one another for this data set. We conclude that, based on the variability of the HOA mass fraction observed during TexAQS-GoMACCS, variability in particle composition played a significant role in determining the fraction of particles that could activate to form cloud droplets. Using a simple model based on Kohler theory and the assumption that HOA is insoluble, we estimate the degree to which calculated CCN concentrations are under- or overestimated if the variability in the HOA mass fraction that was observed during TexAQS-GoMACCS is neglected. The percent under- or overestimation in the CCN concentration is related to the source of the aerosol. Relative to the mean HOA mass fraction of 0.4±0.2 (average ±1σ standard deviation) for the entire experiment, CCN concentrations are underestimated by up to 50% (at 0.22% S ) for aerosol sampled far from anthropogenic source regions as it had a lower HOA mass fraction and overestimated by up to 50% for organic-rich aerosol sampled near the source as it had a higher HOA mass fraction.


There is little evidence that the website blocking scheme in s 115A of the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth) it is effective. We suggest that it be repealed. Instead, Government should focus on encouraging the further development of new markets for digital content, and should ensure that markets for digital content are fair and competitive.

In particular, the Government should immediately act on the Productivity Commission's 2016 recommendation to repeal Section 51(3) of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth). In the short to medium term, the Government should continue to monitor the performance of digital media markets, seek to ensure that Australians are being fairly served, and ensure that established interests are not able to restrict competition from innovative new entrants in media distribution.


The use of UV-absorbers in the dyeing of polyester to improve lightfastness is well known. In analogous manner, in this study the effect of ultraviolet (UV) absorbers on light fastness of acrylic yarns dyed in conventional dyeing process has been investigated. Under optimised dyeing conditions, the samples were dyed with a selection of basic dyes. Consequently, the samples were post-treated with five types of UV-absorbers. Regarding the photo-fading, the postdyeing treatment was evaluated from the reflection spectra in terms of the L, a, b, color coordinates and by measuring the difference ΔE between untreated and treated samples. Samples were subjected to Xenotest and FTIR-ATR spectroscopy, while the morphological structure of the dyed fibres was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
After the treatment, the acrylic fibres did not present any structural modifications and the specimens showed optimal values of light fastness.


Malware scanning of an app market is expected to be scalable and effective. However, existing approaches use either syntax-based features which can be evaded by transformation attacks or semantic-based features which are usually extracted by performing expensive program analysis. Therefor, in this paper, we propose a lightweight graph-based approach to perform Android malware detection. Instead of traditional heavyweight static analysis, we treat function call graphs of apps as social networks and perform social-network-based centrality analysis to represent the semantic features of the graphs. Our key insight is that centrality provides a succinct and fault-tolerant representation of graph semantics, especially for graphs with certain amount of inaccurate information (e.g., inaccurate call graphs). We implement a prototype system, MalScan, and evaluate it on datasets of 15,285 benign samples and 15,430 malicious samples. Experimental results show that MalScan is capable of detecting Android malware with up to 98% accuracy under one second which is more than 100 times faster than two state-of-the-art approaches, namely MaMaDroid and Drebin. We also demonstrate the feasibility of MalScan on market-wide malware scanning by performing a statistical study on over 3 million apps. Finally, in a corpus of dataset collected from Google-Play app market, MalScan is able to identify 18 zero-day malware including malware samples that can evade detection of existing tools.


The runjags package provides a set of interface functions to facilitate running Markov chain Monte Carlo models in JAGS from within R. Automated calculation of appropriate convergence and sample length diagnostics, user-friendly access to commonly used graphical outputs and summary statistics, and parallelized methods of running JAGS are provided. Template model specifications can be generated using a standard lme4-style formula interface to assist users less familiar with the BUGS syntax. Automated simulation study functions are implemented to facilitate model performance assessment, as well as drop-k type cross-validation studies, using high performance computing clusters such as those provided by parallel. A module extension for JAGS is also included within runjags, providing the Pareto family of distributions and a series of minimally-informative priors including the DuMouchel and half-Cauchy priors. This paper outlines the primary functions of this package, and gives an illustration of a simulation study to assess the sensitivity of two equivalent model formulations to different prior distributions.


The study proposes a dialogical approach between OR and Health Services Planning and Epidemiology based on the similarities of their own epistemological experiences, according to Habermas' Theory of Knowledge. As a field of application, health services planning and epidemiology are Complex Societal Problems (CSP), requiring multidisciplinary and multi-dimensional approach. The paper suggests an agenda towards systems thinking to enhance the interaction between the disciplines to guarantee the implementation research´ results by decision makers. Multi - methodology and concept maps tools deal with CSP and may consider peacefully the coexistence of different paradigms. Structuring the problems by concept maps accomplish the systems thinking approach, by presenting the context with diverse levels, feedback loops and dependencies. The map is a real board upon which actors and stakeholders exercise their communicative skills and define collaborative loops towards concepts, meanings and practical implementation.


Objectives To determine the incidence of neonatal stroke by gender, race and geographic region, to describe medical disorders commonly associated with neonatal stroke, and to characterize the burden of disease due to neonatal stroke. Methods National Hospital Discharge Survey data from 1979-2002 was analyzed for children 0 to 28 days of age with any-listed discharge diagnosis of stroke according to the International Classification of Disease-9th Revision-Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes 430-431 (hemorrhagic) and 433-437 (ischemic). Incidence rates were calculated as the estimated number of strokes divided by the total number of births for each study period. Rates were compared between stroke subtypes (ischemic and hemorrhagic), gender, race, and geographic region. Medical disorders associated with stroke were ascertained by ICD-9-CM codes in order to identify potential risk factors. The annual burden of disease was estimated as years of life lost and disability-adjusted life-years. Chi-square was used to test for significance. Results From 1979-2002, there were an estimated 20,800 neonatal strokes in the United States, for an annual rate of 22.5 per 100,000 live births. Rates of stroke (per 100,000 live births) were higher for ischemic compared to hemorrhagic stroke (16.9 vs. 5.6, p≤0.05), females to males (25.2 vs. 19.8, p≤0.05), blacks to whites (21.7 vs. 21.0, p≤0.05) and in the Northeast as compared to other regions of the United States (31.0 vs. 20.5, p≤0.05). The most common medical disorders reported among newborns hospitalized with stroke included seizures (50% of ischemic strokes and 44% of hemorrhagic strokes), cardiac disorders (28% and 12%), infections (26% and 34%), respiratory conditions (21% and 11%), low birth weight (14% and 16%), and birth trauma (13% and 1%). The overall in-hospital mortality rate was 10%, which resulted in over 156,000 years of life lost due to neonatal stroke over the study period. Long-term disability due to stroke in neonates has been estimated at 57%, resulting in over 800,000 disability-adjusted life-years lost due to neonatal stroke during the study period. Conclusions Stroke is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in neonates. We estimate that stroke is diagnosed in 1/4400 live births; however, many neonatal strokes are not detected in the first month of life, so this figure is presumably an underestimation. Stroke is diagnosed more frequently among females and individuals in the Northeast United States. Cardiac disorders and infection are important risk factors for stroke in neonates.


The papers in this volume were presented at the AMS-IMS-SIAM Joint Summer Research Conference on Symplectic Topology and Measure Preserving Dynamical Systems held in Snowbird, Utah in July 2007. The aim of the conference was to bring together specialists of symplectic topology and of measure preserving dynamics to try to connect these two subjects. One of the motivating conjectures at the interface of these two fields is the question of whether the group of area preserving homeomorphisms of the 2-disc is or is not simple. For diffeomorphisms it was known that the kernel of the Calabi invariant is a normal proper subgroup, so the group of area preserving diffeomorphisms is not simple. Most articles are related to understanding these and related questions in the framework of modern symplectic topology.


The common denominator of this thesis is the quest for processing a wider range of materials using inkjet technology, to allow for the realization of innovative manufacturing methods based on the precisely controlled placement in time and space of small portions of possibly different materials in order to build a complete product. One of the limiting factors in commercial available inkjet systems is the viscosity. To overcome this, a printhead has been developed, based on the very first inkjet principle developed, namely continuous inkjet. In this thesis the design phases of the complete print system are described. Several aspects are discussed all the way from the material supply mechanism, the droplet generation mechanism itself, towards means and methods to control the droplet landing position. To create a system which is as material independent as possible, deflection mechanisms are described requiring no material adaptation; droplet selection by collision, and droplet selection by air-jet.
Thereafter several application areas are described, from powder generation towards novel encapsulation methods.
For the realization of functional 3D electronics, using additive manufacturing techniques, it is required to create conductive tracks without additional high temperature processing steps. To that end two methods are described. The first process, pyrolitic metal printing, creates droplets of metal salt solutions which are pyrolised in flight on their way to the substrate. The second process, direct metal printing, deposits metal droplets directly from the melt. Therefore a printhead is developed capable of operating at 1140?C allowing deposition of Feingold.
Finally an overview is given of the challenges occurring when implementing the developed inkjet technology and creating a 3D layer-wise production system. Combining multiple materials into one single product opens new opportunities. The described process is used in one of the first systems capable of generating gradients in material properties within one product. Until now only nature was able to generate these structures. Now production technology is starting to catch up.


According to the current legislation, the modern Ukrainian pension system is not yet fully formed. In Ukraine, PFC contributions currently form a source of pension benefits for citizens. The solidarity pension system is crumbling . That is, as in the rest of the world, the nation is aging, the share of retirees is growing, and there is less able-bodied population. The search for new ways to save for old age is in the direction of creating a mandatory accumulation under the supervision of the state. Thus, today, a second level of the pension system, mandatory accumulative component, and a rather underdeveloped and unpopular non-state pension system, which forms the third level of the national pension system, do not function. However, in 2020, the work on the concept and bill on the mandatory savings system was intensified. Its introduction is seen as a tool that can increase both the level of pensions and their differentiation. But the world experience of such reforms shows that the real effect on payments from the savings system will have to wait at least 15-20 or even 25 years. The article examines the issue of introducing a funded pension level at the legislative level. According to the results of an expanded analysis of 19 draft laws on reforming the current pension legislation and proposals for new laws on these issues in the period from 2018 to 2021, we can conclude that there is no single concept of amending legislation, so most bills are either withdrawn or sent for further refinement. Currently, various aspects of the pension system of Ukraine are regulated by a large number of legislative acts, so there are signs of dispersion in these draft legislative changes. Most of the bills are developed to enhance the welfare of certain categories of citizens, including servicemen, single mothers, victims of the Chernobyl accident, war veterans and more. The issues of the accumulative pension system are mainly raised in the bills of 2020–2021.


This work focuses on the impact of defects, intrinsic or artificially introduced, on the functional properties of thin, epitaxial oxide films. In the first part, the origin of the ferromagnetic properties of Mn-doped and undoped zinc oxide is studied. The deposition conditions are found to have a significant impact on the structural, transport and magnetic properties of the thin films. Combining x-ray magnetic circular dichroism and magnetometry experiments, it is established that the transition metal dopants (i.e. Mn) have no influence on the ferromagnetic nature of the zinc oxide, but that localised magnetic moments on intrinsic defects are in fact responsible for the ferromagnetic behaviour. A relation between strain (related to defect concentration) and magnetisation is established. In the second part of this dissertation, artificially introduced defects are employed in order to discover the fundamental conduction mechanism behind the two-dimensionally conductive LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface. All experiments, from varying deposition temperature, to oxygen pressure, to laser fluence or to the insertion of (doped) perovskite layers, point towards a structurally governed conduction mechanism, although the exact details are still unclear. Distinct transitions in the resistance versus temperature curves are observed at different values than the bulk phase transformation temperature. These transitions form the boundaries of different conduction modes, with tendencies towards non-Fermi-liquid behaviour observed in certain two-dimensionally conducting samples in limited temperature regimes. By optimising the (defect) structure at the interface, i.e. by introducing a single unit cell of (La0.5,Sr0.5)TiO3 or SnTiO3, it is shown that the sheet carrier density can be dramatically enhanced, up to an order of magnitude higher than unmodified LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interfaces with a value of 1014 cm−2 at 200 K. Finally, attempts at functionalising the conductive heterointerface by doping and inserting (anti)ferromagnetic layers are made.


Wildlife damage to crops is a widespread concern among agricultural producers and wildlife professionals. In the United States, raccoon (Procyon lotor) damage to field corn (Zea maize) has become a serious concern, as raccoon depredation to corn has increased significantly in recent years. However, little information is available to suggest the underlying factors responsible for recent increases in raccoon depredation on agricultural crops because there is a limited understanding of the ecological factors influencing wildlife damage to crops at local scales. During 2004, we initiated a study to elucidate the ecological factors influencing depredation to field corn by raccoons, and, in particular, to determine the relationship between local raccoon abundance and raccoon damage to corn. We used mark-recapture techniques to trap raccoons in 14 forest patches in northern Indiana and estimated raccoon abundance for each patch using the Huggins closed capture maximum likelihood approach in Program MARK ™ . All cornfields adjacent to the trapped forest patches were surveyed for raccoon damage to obtain patch-specific estimates of crop damage for each patch. We used the best subsets regression moderated by r 2 and Akaike's information criterion (AIC c ), as well as stepwise multiple linear regression to model the influence of raccoon abundance, raccoon sex and age ratios, and landscape characteristics (e.g., forest patch size, isolation) on the amount of damage incurred to cornfields by raccoons. Both best subsets and stepwise regression produced an optimal model that included raccoon abundance and the proportion of forest patch edge bordered by corn as important predictors of raccoon damage to corn. Both raccoon abundance and the proportion of forest patch edge bordered by corn were positively related to the amount of raccoon damage to corn. The results of our study support the supposition that recent increases in raccoon abundance throughout much of the midwestern United States likely have contributed to the concomitant increases in damage to agricultural crops observed in this region. Although current management regimes for raccoons appear to be ineffective at regulating raccoon populations at the landscape level, our results suggest that sustained localized management of raccoon populations may decrease the amount of damage incurred to cornfields at local scales.


Late research and developments show a trend towards integrated models to simulate the urban drainage cycle to offer a complete picture of the system's performance. However, in regard to integrated models considering water quality, only few actual case studies exist. We developed such a model for the urban drainage system of Graz, Austria containing runoff generation, a sewer system, actuators and the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) of the city. This integrated model uses an interface approach, which connects commonly known sub-models of the various subsystems by automated scripts. Following this methodology results in the advantage of an understandable and easier to maintain integrated model for the sewer operator. So far the model has been used to evaluate the impact of a newly constructed combined sewer storage tunnel (central storage tunnel – CST) on the existing WWTP and to derive best management practices (BMPs) for the integrated operation of the system in regard to minimizing the total emission load to the receiving water.


We retrospectively analyzed hematologic parameters in 22 patients with advanced, nonsquamous, NSCLC undergoing VEGF inhibition on a phase II clinical trial of bevacizumab, carboplatin, and gemcitabine. We also examined TTP in relation to hemoglobin changes. Median hemoglobin increased significantly from a 12.9 g/dL pretreatment to 13.8 g/dL (p =.01) after the second cycle of maintenance bevacizumab until the first off cycle measurement. There was no difference in TTP in patients who achieved a rise in hemoglobin compared with patients who did not (median 238 days vs. 268 days, p =.38.) Maintenance bevacizumab is associated with increased hemoglobin in advanced, nonsquamous, NSCLC patients.


Background & Aim: Individuals' perception of organizational justice is very important. The aim of this study was to identify the relationship between organizational justice and psychological empowerment of nurses working in hospitals affiliated to Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. Material & Methods: It was a descriptive- correlational study. The sample consisted of 155 nurses working in hospitals affiliated to Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences who were recruited by random stratified sampling during 2012. Data was collected by Niehooff and Moorman's Organizational Justice questionnaire and Spreitzer's Psychological Empowerment instrument and analyzed by descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression using SPSS-PC (v. 16). Results: A significant positive correlation was found between organizational justice and nurses' psychological empowerment (p= 0.005). Also the results of multiple regression showed that interactional justice can explain %53 of the variance of Psychological empowerment of nurses. Conclusion: Regarding the significant relationship between organizational justice and nurses' psychological empowerment, managers' attention to organizational justice of healthcare system to improve the nurses' psychological empowerment is suggested.


Abstract Niger Delta depositional patterns are complicated by structural collapse of prograding deposits into underlying mobile shale. Delta field, along the northwest margin of Niger Delta, is located on the dominantly extensional proximal margin of a major collapse structure. This structure defines a sub-basin "depobelt" within this prograding clastic wedge. The Miocene deltaic Agbada Formation was deposited on a succession of cuspate normal faults displaced basinward under the weight of accumulating sediments. This nearly 2-km-thick succession contains five erosionally bounded sequences. Where not deeply incised, successive sequences become progressively thinner upsection, and change from dominantly upward-coarsening deltaic successions to dominantly channel sandstones interbedded with paralic mudstones. Older sequences thicken basinward to a greater extent onto downdropped fault blocks and across crests of associated rollover anticlines. Basal erosion of younger sequence boundaries is narrower and deeper along elongate trends extending landward into footwall blocks. Along the axis of deepest sequence-boundary incision, fills contain a relatively thin layer of basal, high-sinuosity channel sandstones that are abruptly overlain by shale. The rest of the deposits within sequences are separated vertically into two parts: a lower part defined by hundred-meter-thick, basinward-inclined bed sets that coarsen upward, and an upper part with higher-frequency parallel seismic reflections that record vertical aggradation of growth strata after erosional basin-floor topography was buried. Broad constraints on the age of deposits from biostratigraphic studies suggest a tentative link between sequence-boundary development and sea level but do not constrain the timing of sequence incision and filling relative to sea-level stage. Vertical facies changes within individual sequences do not support formation of erosional sequence boundaries by lowstand fluvial incision; rather, sequence boundaries are interpreted to form by faulting of the sea floor, the slumping of rapidly accumulated sediments and erosion by submarine mass-flow channels into footwall blocks. Deeply incised sequence boundaries may be more likely to develop during initiation of a new depobelt, as deltas first prograde to the shelf edge onto undercompacted shales.


We designed a protocol (VAPA) that featured 14 mo of intensive postremission induction chemotherapy in an effort to improve remission durations for patients with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). One hundred and seven patients under 50 yr of age were entered into this study. The rate of complete remission is 70%. A Kaplan-Meier analysis of patients entering remission predicts that 56% +/- 7% (+/-SE) of patients less than 18 yr and 45% +/- 9% of patients aged 18-50 yr will remain in remission at 3 yr (median follow-up is 43 mo). Patients with the monocytic subtype had a statistically significant shorter duration of remission (2-sided p less than 0.05). There was a high incidence of primary CNS relapse in children. Thirty-one of 41 patients who completed the regimen remain in remission without maintenance therapy. We conclude that the VAPA protocol continues to offer a promising approach to treatment of AML.


In this study the sustainability of integrated water resources management in Amsterdam has been reviewed using the City Blueprint approach. The City Blueprint® is a set of 24 dedicated indicators divided over eight categories, i.e., water security, water quality, drinking water, sanitation, infrastructure, climate robustness, biodiversity and attractiveness, and governance including public participation. In 2006 the various urban water-related services in Amsterdam were brought under one roof, culminating in the country's first water cycle company called Waternet. Waternet is responsible for surface water (rivers, canals, ditches and lakes), groundwater, stormwater, drinking water supply and waste water treatment. The city's unique water cycle approach has proved highly beneficial. Currently Amsterdam is the best performing city of the 30 cities assessed so far. This can be explained by: (1) a long-term vision and a multi-level water governance approach, (2) integration of water, energy and material flows (e.g., struvite production), (3) the entanglement between urban quality and water management, and (4) the transparent communication to and feed-back from customers, i.e., farmers and citizens. Surface water quality and biodiversity remain future challenges.


The p38 family of mitogen‐activated protein kinases is believed to mediate a variety of leukocyte responses to pro‐inflammatory stimuli. There are four members of the p38 family, and although activation of the different members has been studied in transiently transfected cells much less is known about activation of the endogenous p38s, particularly in myeloid lineage cells. To investigate activation of endogenous p38s, we have made monoclonal antibodies specific for each p38 and have used these antibodies to study p38 activation by pro‐inflammatory stimuli in several human monocytic cell lines. Without stimulation endogenous p38α kinase activity was readily detectable, whereas that of p38β, γ, and δ was barely measurable. In response to inflammatory stimuli, we observed a time‐ and dose‐dependent activation of all four p38s. The kinetics of activation of each of the p38s were similar for each stimulus used, suggesting a common upstream activation pathway. Simultaneous activation of the p38s suggests that all four may be important in inflammation. J. Leukoc. Biol. 67: 705–711; 2000.


It is not uncommon for endangered languages to be treated as 'dialects' of a more widely spoken language in the region—a label that downgrades their status, discouraging their use and ultimately contributing to their further decline. One place where this has happened is Korea's Jeju Island, where the critically endangered local variety of speech (Jejueo) is often referred to as a dialect of Korean, not only by government officials and educators, but in some cases even by linguists.
 In order to evaluate this categorization in an objective manner, we designed a study to evaluate the inter-comprehensibility of Jejueo and Korean, consistent with the standard view within linguistics that varieties of speech with low mutual intelligibility should be considered distinct languages (e.g., Hockett 1958).
 Participants: 10 native speakers of Jejueo, 10 native speakers of the Seoul variety of Korean (the national standard), 10 native speakers of the South Jeollado variety of Korean, and 10 native speakers of the South Gyeongsangdo variety of Korean. (The latter two varieties are spoken in the southern part of the Korean peninsula near Jeju Island.) All participants were aged 49 to 64. Materials: The test passage consisted of a short narrative (describing the first events in the "Pear Story" video) that had been recorded by a fluent female native speaker of Jejueo. The narrative was 62 words in length (1 minute & 9 seconds in duration). Method: Participants first listened to the entire narrative without interruption. The narrative was then replayed in five segments, varying in length from 1 to 3 sentences. After each segment, the participants were asked to respond in writing to one or more written questions designed to test their understanding of what they had just heard. (In all, there were nine questions of this type.) Results: Percentage correct on comprehension questions
 Jejueo Native Speakers Seoul South Jeollado South Gyeongsangdo
 89.21% 12.03% 6.00% 5.26%
 These results demonstrate that Jejueo is a distinct language, not comprehensible either to speakers of Seoul Korean or to speakers of regional varieties of Korean in the southern part of the Korean peninsula. There are broader implications as well, since the establishment of language-hood is a prerequisite for revitalization efforts in many communities. As part of our presentation, we will show how the materials that we have developed can be adapted for use with other languages. Hockett, C. 1958. A course in modern linguistics. New York: Macmillan.


We show an accurate procedure to obtain a Fourier transform (FT) with no dc term using a commercial twisted-nematic liquid-crystal display. We focus on the application to holographic storage of binary data pages, where a drastic decrease of the dc term in the FT is highly desirable. Two different codification schemes are considered: binary pi radians phase modulation and hybrid ternary modulation. Any deviation in the values of the amplitude and phase shift generates the appearance of a strong dc term. Experimental results confirm that the calculated configurations provide a FT with no dc term, thus showing the effectiveness of the proposal.


Signaling pathways mediated by adhesive molecules are tightly associated with cytoskeletal organization and cell growth regulation. Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) plays a prominent role in the adhesion signaling pathway through its tyrosine kinase activity and protein‐protein interaction with other signaling molecules, including src, paxillin, and p130CAS, and other proteins. We explored the roles of these signaling molecules in the transformation of B104‐1‐1 cells, an NIH/3T3‐derived cell line transformed by activated rat p185neu. The cytoskeletal organization of the p185neu‐transformed cells was disrupted, and their morphology was dramatically altered. FAK, paxillin, and p130CAS appeared to be tyrosine phosphorylated in both NIH/3T3 and B104‐1‐1. However, the phosphorylation levels of paxillin and p130CAS were lower in B104‐1‐1 cells than in NIH/3T3 cells. Surprisingly, the association between FAK and paxillin was enhanced in B104‐1‐1 cells, suggesting reorganization of protein‐protein interaction modulated by protein phosphorylation. Our results showed that even though cellular transformation by src and neu has similar consequences, such as focal adhesion disassembly and increased metastasis potential, the molecular events underlying the signaling pathways can be dramatically different. Mol. Carcinog. 25:150–154, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


This introductory text is meant to give students of tax law around the world an overview of how EU law impacts domestic taxation. While the main focus of this text concerns the interaction between the fundamental freedoms of the Internal Market and national tax legislation, other areas like the current state of European tax legislation (directives) and the role of state aid law in the field of taxation are covered as well. It is based on courses given at NYU Law School (2009) Columbia Law School (2014), University of Pennsylvania School of Law (2015), UBC Allard School of Law (2016) and Munich University Law School (2015, 2016 and 2019). The author is grateful to Caroline Heber who – given her expertise - has written Part XIV on VAT and indirect taxation.


This paper introduces the "Search, Align, and Repair" data-driven program repair framework to automate feedback generation for introductory programming exercises. Distinct from existing techniques, our goal is to develop an efficient, fully automated, and problem-agnostic technique for large or MOOC-scale introductory programming courses. We leverage the large amount of available student submissions in such settings and develop new algorithms for identifying similar programs, aligning correct and incorrect programs, and repairing incorrect programs by finding minimal fixes. We have implemented our technique in the SARFGEN system and evaluated it on thousands of real student attempts from the Microsoft-DEV204.1X edX course and the Microsoft CodeHunt platform. Our results show that SARFGEN can, within two seconds on average, generate concise, useful feedback for 89.7% of the incorrect student submissions. It has been integrated with the Microsoft-DEV204.1X edX class and deployed for production use.


This paper is devoted to two-scale homogenization for a class of rate-independent systems described by the energetic formulation or equivalently by an evolutionary variational inequality. In particular, we treat the classical model of linearized elastoplasticity with hardening. The associated nonlinear partial differential inclusion has periodically oscillating coefficients, and the aim is to find a limit problem for the case in which the period tends to 0. Our approach is based on the notion of energetic solutions, which is phrased in terms of a stability condition and an energy balance of an energy-storage functional and a dissipation functional. Using the recently developed method of weak and strong two-scale convergence via periodic unfolding, we show that these two functionals have a suitable two-scale limit, but now involving the macroscopic variable in the physical domain as well as the microscopic variable in the periodicity cell. Moreover, relying on an abstract theory of $\Gamma$-convergence for...


Current study intends to investigate the extraction yield, phytochemical analysis and antioxidant potential of selected plant by executing a wide range of in vitro assays. This was done to suggest the most proficient solvent system and plant part for isolation and purification of probable bioactive leads. The colorimetric estimation of total phenolic, flavonoid contents, total antioxidant capacity, total reducing power and free radical scavenging activity was done. The specific polyphenols were quantified by RP-HPLC analysis. The present findings proved acetone and methanol (AC:M) extract of root bark part as an enriched source of antioxidant phytochemicals. The highest amount of rutin was detected in methanol (M) extract of root bark i.e. 0.70 μg/mg DW followed by methanol (M) extract (0.52 μg/mg DW) of leaf. Bombax ceiba L. was found to be a reservoir of phytochemicals possessing antioxidant potential.


Ecological inference (EI) is the process of learning about individual behavior from aggregate data. We relax assumptions by allowing for "linear contextual effects," which previous works have regarded as plausible but avoided due to nonidentification, a problem we sidestep by deriving bounds instead of point estimates. In this way, we offer a conceptual framework to improve on the Duncan–Davis bound, derived more than 65 years ago. To study the effectiveness of our approach, we collect and analyze 8,430 $2\times 2$ EI datasets with known ground truth from several sources—thus bringing considerably more data to bear on the problem than the existing dozen or so datasets available in the literature for evaluating EI estimators. For the 88% of real data sets in our collection that fit a proposed rule, our approach reduces the width of the Duncan–Davis bound, on average, by about 44%, while still capturing the true district-level parameter about 99% of the time. The remaining 12% revert to the Duncan–Davis bound.


It is helpful in studying disasters to be able to generalize about many types of disasters. It is possible to talk about disaster threats in terms that apply equally wel1 to a flood, tornado, earthquake, or civil disturbance. This can be done because while there are differences between the several types of threats, there are also many similarities. Thus, in this report we may talk about the "warning process" in terms that will apply not only to floods, but, with a little adaptation, to most disaster situations. In this introduction some time is spent discussing the most important variables of disaster stiuations. By specifying these variables, we can make important distinctions among disaster situations and also relate them to other social phenomena such as chronic social problems or gradual social trends. A second section of the introduction is devoted to a discussion of warning as a process. The three stages of the warning process are outlined. The matter of response, as it relates to warnlng, is also considered. The third section of the introduction informs the reader about the techniques of data collection that were used in gathering material for this study.


Numerical investigations of chaos synchronization and communication in three semiconductor lasers with cascade configuration are presented. The open-loop form composed of an external-cavity master laser and two stand-alone (intermediate and slave) lasers was chosen for the system. Through computer simulation, three possible synchronization types (complete, generalized, and hybrid synchronizations) are found. For the complete type, all lasers show the same chaotic output. For the generalized type, however, the injected lasers emit the amplified signals compared with the injecting signals, and the amplified signals show the anticipating behaviors with the propagation time in advance. Due to the synchronization relay, the synchronization degree is seen to be somewhat degraded. With proper selection of the feedback and injection parameters, the first two lasers can achieve complete synchronization, and the last two lasers can obtain generalized synchronization, i.e., the so-called hybrid synchronization, where the system shows the combined characteristics of complete and generalized synchronizations. The communication performances are also examined briefly. It is found that the original message can be extracted correctly in both the intermediate and the slave parts. Due to the synchronization relay, the decoding performances are degraded in the slave part. In addition, it shows that there is an optimized coupling level between the intermediate and the slave lasers to better demodulate the message


The execution of a SPMD application involves running multiple instances of a process with possibly varying arguments. With the widespread adoption of massively multicore processors, there has been a focus towards harnessing the abundant compute resources effectively in a power-efficient manner. Although much work has been done towards optimizing distributed process launch using hierarchical techniques, there has been a void in studying the performance of spawning processes within a single node. Reducing the latency to spawn a new process locally results in faster global job launch. Further, emerging dynamic and resilient execution models are designed on the premise of maintaining process pools for fault isolation and launching several processes in a relatively shorter period of time. Optimizing the latency and throughput for spawning processes would help improve the overall performance of runtime systems, allow adaptive process-replication reliability and motivate the design and implementation of process management interfaces in future manycore operating systems.
 In this paper, we study the several limiting factors for efficient spawning of processes on massively multicore architectures. We have developed a library to optimize launching multiple instances of the same executable. Our microbenchmarks show a 20-80% decrease in the process spawn time for multiple executables. We further discuss the effects of memory locality and propose NUMA-aware extensions to optimize launching processes with large memory-mapped segments including dynamic shared libraries. Finally, we describe vector operating system interfaces for spawning a batch of processes from a given executable on specific cores. Our results show a 50x speedup over the traditional method of launching new processes using fork and exec system calls.


Boron Nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) together with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have attracted the wide attention of the scientific community and have been considered as promising materials due to their unique structural and physical properties. In this paper, the behavior of BNNTs of different diameters under compressive loading has been studied through molecular dynamic (MD) simulations. We have used a Lennard-Jones pair potential to characterize the interactions between non-bonded atoms and harmonic potentials for bond stretching and bond angle vibrations. Results of the MD simulations determine the critical buckling loads of the BNNTs of various diameters under uniaxial compression, and indicate that for the simulated BNNTs of length L = 6 nm, the critical buckling loads increase by increasing the nanotube diameters.


Purpose : Autophagy is thought to be a response to increased oxidative stress in age related macular degeneration (AMD) and it has been suggested that modulation of autophagy flux could become a treatment strategy for the disease. The ARED study showed that zinc supplementation can reduce the progression of AMD, raising the possibility, that zinc might be directly involved in regulating cellular processes during disease progression. In this study we tested the hypothesis that zinc supplementation can directly affect autophagy. Methods : Primary human fetal RPE cells (ScienceCell) were cultured on polyester transwells (Corning), coated with Geltrex for 4 and 31 days in the presence or absence of 125 μM externally added ZnSO₄. Autophagosome number was induced by Chloroquine or Bafilomycin, visualized using CytoID kit (Enzo) and the Opera high content screening system (PerkinElmer) and quantified by ImageJ. Distribution of autophagosomes were examined by confocal (Zeiss LSM 700) and transmission electron microscopy (Jeol 1010). Results : There was a small, but significant decrease in autophagosome numbers with increasing differentiation in non-treated cells (1.77±0.31 vs. 0.65±0.15; p<0.05). Treatment with Chloroquine or Bafilomycin increased autophagosome numbers to 7.92±0.45 and 11.25±2.34 respectively, at day 4. The treatment with Bafilomycin did not affect the cells at day 31, while Chloroquine had a small, but significant effect (0.65±0.15 vs 1.17±0.21; p<0.05). Treatment with zinc significantly attenuated the effects of both Chloroquine and Bafilomycin (p<0.05). Examination of the autophagosomes with confocal and transmission electron microscopy showed that autophagosomes were not only present in the cells but also in the sub-RPE space. Conclusions : Our results support the hypothesis, that zinc supplementation can directly affect autophagy. The observation that autophagosomes are present in the sub-RPE space suggest that they may contribute to deposit formation in AMD. Therefore, the effects observed in the ARED study, at least in part, might be due to a direct influence on autophagy and this could indeed be a target for future treatment strategies for AMD. Aknowledgement: This work was supported by COST TD 1304 'The Network for the Biology of Zinc (Zinc-Net)'and EYE-RISK European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No 634479. This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2017 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Baltimore, MD, May 7-11, 2017.


Based on the kinematic approach of limit analysis, a full set of upper bound solutions for the stability of homogeneous rock slopes subjected to cracks are obtained. The generalized Hoek-Brown failure criterion is adopted to describe the non-linear strength envelope of rocks. In this paper, critical failure mechanisms are determined for cracks of known depth but unspecified location, cracks of known location but unknown depth, and cracks of unspecified location and depth. It is shown that there is a nearly up to 50% drop in terms of the stability factors for rock slopes intersected by cracks compared with intact ones. Tables and charts of solutions in dimensionless forms are presented for ease of use by practitioners.


The aim of this dissertation was to gain knowledge about the experiences of siblings and parents of children with autism and learning difficulties, about what brought about the decision to apply for a place in a group home for their child and what it meant for the parents that their child had moved. A further aim was to gain knowledge about what it is like to work in a group home for children with autism as well as to investigate the work atmosphere in group homes for adults with autism.

The dissertation includes four studies: the first comprises interviews with parents (n = 10) before their children have moved as well as when their children have lived for two years in the group home, the second comprises interviews with siblings (n = 14), the third comprises interviews with staff (n = 10) who have worked with the five children in a newly opened group home after one year and after four years, the fourth comprises a study with a questionnaire focusing on the views of staff (n = 152) on the work atmosphere in 58 group homes for adults with autism.

The results from the interviews show that the parents had experienced grief over not having a child that was healthy and could develop normally. Before applying for a place in a group home they had been in a situation of great stress and were overloaded. Their children had very extreme deviant behaviour that they were not always able to control. This led to the families becoming increasingly isolated, the siblings being affected and several parents feeling that they were completely worn out. The results of the interviews carried out two years after their child had moved to a group home revealed that this gave the whole family feelings of release and relief. The parents also experienced an ethical dilemma consisting on the one hand of an ethical duty to care for their own child and on the other hand a feeling of relief when passing over responsibility to others.

The results from the interviews with the siblings before the children moved, show that these siblings took responsibility in a precocious way. The siblings were often exposed to frightening and deviant behaviour.This led to several siblings feeling anxious and insecure at home. Having a brother or sister with autism led to relationships with friends being affected negatively. The siblings chose not to bring friends home because of the child's occasionally violent and destructive behaviour.

When the staff had worked for one year in the group home it was seen that they were greatly involved in the children and their families. They had developed a very supportive work atmosphere among the staff but experienced stress that was triggered by violence. Focus group interviews with staff after four years of work revealed that four of the ten staff had left the job. Those who were still there, both the original and newly appointed staff desired more support and in-house training, particularly in coping with the then teenage children's violent behaviour. The staff who participated in the study of the work atmosphere in group homes for adults with autism described the atmosphere as being generally more creative and innovative than stagnating. There were two different types of group homes, those providing living accommodation only and those combining accommodation with daytime activities, the former were rated as having a better work atmosphere than the latter, which showed higher degree of conflict and lower degrees of motivation and challenge.


Two of the most important political movements of the late twentieth century are those of environmentalism and feminism. In this book, Val Plumwood argues that feminist theory has an important opportunity to make a major contribution to the debates in political ecology and environmental philosophy. Feminism and the Mastery of Nature explains the relation between ecofeminism, or ecological feminism, and other feminist theories including radical green theories such as deep ecology. Val Plumwood provides a philosophically informed account of the relation of women and nature, and shows how relating male domination to the domination of nature is important and yet remains a dilemma for women.


Revive and recharge your old PC in a jiffy, the cheap and painless way with Upgrading & Fixing PCs For Dummies, 3rd Edition. This newly revised, hands-on guide helps you install the hardware you need and fix nagging problems in your PC with clear, easy-to-follow instructions and figures. You'll also find out how to fix your PC troubles yourself so you can spend your money on upgrades instead of costly repairs. Inside, find helpful advice on how to Figure out what's broken and how to fix it Install inexpensive new memory chips for faster performance Upgrade your computer to run Windows 95 and surf the Internet Give your computer more horsepower with a CPU upgrade chip Untangle the octopus that lives behind your PC Safely retrieve screws that "fell in there someplace" Add a speedy new video card or hard disk with ease Decide whether to upgrade or buy a new computer Plus, Andy's Top Ten Lists: Ten cheap fixes to try first Ten easiest things to upgrade Ten hardest things to upgrade


* See Last Page for Key 2013 Original Kalva Page 1 Reference Study Type Patients/ Events Study Objective (Purpose of Study) Study Results Study Quality 1. American College of Radiology. ACR Appropriateness Criteria®: chest pain, suggestive of acute coronary syndrome. Available at: http://www.acr.org/~/media/ACR/Docum ents/AppCriteria/Diagnostic/ChestPainSu ggestiveAcuteCoronarySyndrome.pdf. Accessed 3 October 2012. Review/OtherDx N/A To review the literature and provide guidance on the appropriate use of imaging modalities in acute coronary syndrome. Noninvasive imaging in this setting includes myocardial perfusion scanning, coronary CTA, and echocardiography. These tests may be performed as an intermediate step and may improve confidence regarding the safety of discharge from the emergency department. 4


There are two forms of otic capsule defect: Perilymph Fistula (PLF), a tear that typically occurs in the round window; and Superior Semicircular Canal Dehiscence (SCD), a thinning or absence of bone between the otic capsule and the brain. Symptoms of either may comprise mild to severe disturbances in the vestibular and auditory systems. These may be accompanied by various cognitive inefficiencies. Neurotologists, Grimm, Hemenway, LeBray, and Black (1989) measured cognitive efficiency presurgery in 38 adults who had acquired PLF. Assessment revealed difficulty in: verbal and visual memory; attention/concentration; and mental flexibility. Despite their research, the reality of PLF remains controversial (Hornibrook, 2012; Hughes, Sismanis & House, 1990) as at present, there is no objective means of providing a firm diagnosis. In contrast, objective diagnostic tests can corroborate an SCD, yet no research has been conducted concerning cognitive functioning. This study mirrors Grimm et al.'s attempt to substantiate cognitive difficulties in patients with otic capsule defects. Participants were recruited through the Ear and Skull Base Center, at Legacy Research Institute, in Portland, Oregon. The sample consisted of eighteen participants, including five adolescents. The treatment plan OTIC CAPSULE DEFECTS iv included these pre and post-surgical neuropsychological assessments: intelligence, attention/concentration, processing speed, working memory, and mental flexibility. Assessments were administered six to one week(s) prior to surgery; two to three months following surgery; and nine to twelve months later. Scores were analyzed using analysis of variance for repeated measures. Similar to the findings of Grimm et al, pretest scores suggested possible impairment in cognitive functioning. Overall post-operative results indicated significant improvement in both cognitive and emotional functioning for PLF patients. Cognitive and emotional gains showed large effect sizes for the PLF participants, but more modest gains for the SCD participants. Although otic capsule defects affect a small segment of the population, its continued examination may have broader applications. SCD patients have similar patterns of cognitive function, however they have earlier brain reorganization and less dramatic changes post-operatively. Conversely, as PLF typically develops later, results demonstrated dramatic post-operative changes. This information may be helpful in diagnosing, monitoring, and developing comprehensive rehabilitation plans. OTIC CAPSULE DEFECTS v


Background This meta-analysis seeks to quantify the prospective association between neuroticism and the common mental disorders (CMDs, including anxiety, depression, and substance abuse) as well as thought disorders (psychosis/schizophrenia) and non-specific mental distress. Data on the degree of confounding of the prospective association of neuroticism by baseline symptoms and psychiatric history, and the rate of decay of neuroticism's effect over time, can inform theories about the structure of psychopathology and role of neuroticism, in particular the vulnerability theory. Method This meta-analysis included 59 longitudinal/prospective studies with 443 313 participants. Results The results showed large unadjusted prospective associations between neuroticism and symptoms/diagnosis of anxiety, depression, and non-specific mental distress (d = 0.50–0.70). Adjustment for baseline symptoms and psychiatric history reduced the associations by half (d = 0.10–0.40). Unadjusted prospective associations for substance abuse and thought disorders/symptoms were considerably weaker (d = 0.03–0.20), but were not attenuated by adjustment for baseline problems. Unadjusted prospective associations were four times larger over short (<4 year) than long (⩾4 years) follow-up intervals, suggesting a substantial decay of the association with increasing time intervals. Adjusted effects, however, were only slightly larger over short v. long time intervals. This indicates that confounding by baseline symptoms and psychiatric history masks the long-term stability of the neuroticism vulnerability effect. Conclusion High neuroticism indexes a risk constellation that exists prior to the development and onset of any CMD. The adjusted prospective neuroticism effect remains robust and hardly decays with time. Our results underscore the need to focus on the mechanisms underlying this prospective association.


Previous applied empirical research is limited. This research builds a bridge
between management accounting 'normative theory' and current practice,
through the development of 'positive budgetary theory'. In order to achieve
this a series of objectives were set, relating to: developing a statement of
textbook 'normative' theory; identifying industry practice; analysing practice in
relation to theory; critically reviewing the rationale for practice; and
developing a model of 'positive' budgetary theory appropriate for UK hotel
organizations.
The methodological stance was interpretive and corpus based. Individual
corpus (body of knowledge) were developed related to 'normative' theory and
hospitality industry practice. An interpretative approach was used to
interrogate the corpus in order to ascertain 'positive' theory, concerning
budgeting in the hospitality industry. The methodological approach adopted
required a multi-method approach, which allowed triangulation of results.
Methods used were content analysis, postal census survey, semi-structured
interviews and a qualitative questionnaire.
The content analysis results identified aspects of budgeting that were
'normative', 'probably normative', 'probably not normative', and 'not
normative' in textbooks. Of the sixteen aspects of budgeting reviewed ten
were considered normative (at the primary coded level) but others such as
zero base budgeting was probably not normative.
Findings from industry research established aspects of practice in line with
'normative' theory. Positive theory developed was informed by practice,
normative theory and the rationale for industry practice. No general
'theory/practice' gap was identified for budgeting. For many aspects such as
the need for participation in the budgeting process, or the marginal reporting
of zero base budgeting, there was agreement. However flexible budgeting
was viewed has having little use in the industry, whilst it was normative in
textbooks. The results also identify aspects that need to be reconsidered by
industry, particularly participation at lower levels in the organization and the
financial training needs of non-financial managers.


UNLABELLED
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

BACKGROUND
Anticipation of an invasive procedure in hospital is likely to provoke feelings of anxiety and stress in patients. An unfamiliar environment, loss of control, perceived or actual physical risk, dependence on strangers and separation from friends and family are all factors that can contribute to the development of such feelings. Recently, there has been considerable interest in the anxiolytic potential of music listening in a variety of clinical settings, yet thus far, little is known about the impact of music listening on the pre-procedural patient population. A systematic review of all literature to date was indicated to improve understanding of outcomes and impact of music listening on pre-procedural anxiety, thus helping nurses decide whether or not to incorporate music listening into practice and to highlight a need, or otherwise, for a related primary research agenda.

OBJECTIVE
The objective of this review was to determine the best available evidence on the effectiveness of music listening in reducing adult hospital patients' pre-procedural state anxiety.

INCLUSION CRITERIA
Types of studies This review included randomised controlled trials and quasi-experimental research designs that examined the efficacy of music listening in reducing state anxiety among pre-procedural hospital patients published between January 1985 and February 2006. The search was limited to publications after 1985 to coincide with the increasing interest and use of complementary therapies within health care during the 1980s and 1990s. Types of participants Participants of interest to the review were adult day patients, ambulatory patients and inpatients who were about to undergo any type of clinical procedure. Types of intervention The review focused on studies that investigated pre-procedural music listening employed and prescribed as a potentially therapeutic activity. It excluded any other form of music therapy. Types of outcome measures The primary outcome measures examined were alterations in state anxiety and a variety of physiological variables such as blood pressure and respiration and heart rates.

SEARCH STRATEGY
A search for published and unpublished literature between January 1985 and February 2006 was conducted using all major electronic databases. A three-step search strategy was devised which consisted of using high-precision MeSH terminology and keywords to ensure that all material relevant to the review was captured. CRITICAL APPRAISAL: The methodological quality of included studies was assessed by two reviewers, who appraised each study independently, using the standard Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal tools.

DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS
Data were extracted from the studies that were identified as meeting the criteria for methodological quality using a data-extraction tool developed for the review. Studies were grouped by outcome measure and summarised using tabular and narrative formats.

RESULTS
The review demonstrated that state anxiety is defined and measured using both psychological and physiological parameters. Music listening had a consistently positive and statistically significant effect on reducing psychological parameters of pre-procedural state anxiety. However, the results from the measurement of various pre-procedural physiological parameters failed to reveal any consistent positive changes in patients who had listened to music. This calls into question the adequacy of the theories in this area which link anxiety and the automated and central nervous systems and the effect that music listening may have on these processes and physiological responses.

CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE
1 In order to reduce anxiety, it is likely that patients will benefit psychologically from having the opportunity to listen to music in the immediate pre-procedural period. 2 Patients do not appear to experience any alteration in physiological status as a result of listening to music. 3 Further research is indicated in order to replicate existing studies, to strengthen the evidence to support such interventions and to establish intervention parameters. 4 Further research is needed analysing the physiological mechanisms by which music listening is believed to reduce state anxiety and the contribution of the automated and other nervous systems to this reduction.


We describe in detail a general system–bath strategy for investigating the quantum behavior of small systems interacting with complex environments. In this approach, a simplified heat bath is used as a surrogate for realistic environments, and explicit, unitary quantum simulations of the "universe" (the system plus the bath) are performed by means of high-dimensional wave-packet techniques. In this chapter, we describe the underly‐ ing Hamiltonians and the related reduced dynamical descriptions, show how to recast real-world problems into this form, introduce some of the methods currently used to deal with high-dimensional quantum dynamics, and present the results of this strategy when applied to numerous problems of physicochemical interest.


The two agar‐producing red algae, Gracilaria chilensis C. J. Bird, McLachlan & E. C. Oliveira and Gracilaria conferta (Schousboe ex Montagne) Montagne, responded with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) release when agar oligosaccharides were added to the medium. In G. conferta, a transient release was observed, followed by a refractory state of 6 h. This response was sensitive to chemical inhibitors of NADPH oxidase, protein kinases, protein phosphatases, and calcium translocation in the cell, whereas it was insensitive to inhibitors of metalloenzymes. Transmission electron microscopic observations of the H2O2‐dependent formation of cerium peroxide from cerium chloride indicated oxygen activation at the plasma membrane of G. conferta. A putative system, consisting of a receptor specific to agar oligosaccharides and a plasma membrane‐located NADPH oxidase, appears to be responsible for the release of H2O2 in G. conferta. Subcellular examination of G. chilensis showed that the H2O2 release was located in the cell wall. It was sensitive to inhibitors of metalloenzymes and flavoenzymes, and no refractory state was observed. The release was correlated with accumulation of an aldehyde in the algal medium, suggesting that an agar oligosaccharide oxidase is present in the apoplast of G. chilensis. The presence of this enzyme could also be demonstrated by polyacrylamide electrophoresis under nondenaturating conditions and proven to be variable. Cultivation of G. chilensis at 16 to 17°C resulted in significantly stronger expression of agar oligosaccharide oxidase than cultivation at 12°C, which indicates that the enzyme is used under conditions that generally favor microbial agar macerating activity.


The keeping of zoo animals is a central tool in the conservation of some of the world's most fascinating, yet threatened, species. But how do zoos operate on a day-to-day basis? What are the key challenges they face in trying to feed, manage, and keep healthy the animals in their care? How can they play their part in conserving biodiversity? Zoo Animals: Behaviour, Management and Welfare addresses the key questions surrounding the keeping of exotic animals in captivity, and reveals how we can apply our ever-growing understanding of animal behaviour and use an evidence based approach to ensure zoo animals are managed as effectively as possible. Drawing on their extensive experience of zoo research, practice, and teaching, the authors blend together theory with a broad range of both mammalian and non-mammalian examples to give a highly-readable overview of this burgeoning field. Zoo Animals: Behaviour, Management, and Welfare is the ideal resource for anyone needing a thorough grounding in this subject, whether as a student or as a zoo professional.


Total US healthcare spending reached $2.7 trillion in 2011, or $8680 (£5410; €6625) per person, show figures released by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.1 The relatively low 3.9% rise from 2010 was roughly in line with growth in the economy, and for the third straight year spending remained at 17.9% of gross domestic product. Previous years had seen higher rises in healthcare spending, such as 7.6% in 2007.

The intriguing but unanswered question is whether this deceleration in healthcare spending is the effect of the economic recession or whether it represents a fundamental restructuring of healthcare delivery and costs.

Among the fastest growing components of healthcare spending in 2011 were increases in personal spending, prescription drugs, and physician and clinical services. These were …


This study examines beginning women and men STEM [Science, Technology, and Mathematics] secondary teachers' initial motivations for undertaking a teaching career and their subsequent self-reported teaching style during early career. The sample was recruited from four Australian teacher education university programs during their first year. Those STEM teachers who qualified and were subsequently in their early career teaching ( N = 245, 53% women at Time 1; N = 96, 58% women at Time 2) were compared with non-STEM secondary teachers recruited at the same two timepoints ( N = 619, 70% women at Time 1; N = 258, 76% women at Time 2) from the same programs. Motivations were assessed using the Factors Influencing Teaching (FIT)-Choice scale; teaching style was assessed using the Teaching Style Scale. Gender differences in initial motivations appeared similar for women and men among STEM and non-STEM specialisms, indicated by no significant interaction effects between gender and specialism. More positive motivational profiles were evident for women than men, and for non-STEM than STEM teachers. In particular, men and STEM teachers were more motivated than women and non-STEM teachers, to choose teaching as a fallback career, which had consequences for subsequently reported higher negativity towards students during their early career. Our findings suggest implications for enhancing the effectiveness of efforts to recruit and support future STEM teachers who will be central to future students' STEM learning and engagement.


Recent findings implicate embryonic signaling centers in patterning the mammalian cerebral cortex. We used mouse in utero electroporation and mutant analysis to test whether cortical signaling sources interact to regulate one another. We identified interactions between the cortical hem, rich in Wingless-Int (WNT) proteins and bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), and an anterior telencephalic source of fibroblast growth factors (FGFs). Expanding the FGF8 domain suppressed Wnt2b, Wnt3a and Wnt5a expression in the hem. Next to the hem, the hippocampus was shrunken, consistent with its dependence for growth on a hem-derived WNT signal. Maintenance of hem WNT signaling and hippocampal development thus require a constraint on the FGF8 source, which is likely to be supplied by BMP activity. When endogenous BMP signaling is inhibited by noggin, robust Fgf8 expression appears ectopically in the cortical primordium. Abnormal signaling centers were further investigated in mice lacking the transcription factor EMX2, in which FGF8 activity is increased, WNT expression reduced, and the hippocampus defective. Suggesting that these defects are causally related, sequestering FGF8 in Emx2 homozygous mutants substantially recovered WNT expression in the hem and partially rescued hippocampal development. Because noggin can induce Fgf8 expression, we examined noggin and BMP signaling in the Emx2 mutant. As the telencephalic vesicle closed, Nog expression was expanded and BMP activity reduced, potentially leading to FGF8 upregulation. Our findings point to a cross-regulation of BMP, FGF, and WNT signaling in the early telencephalon, integrated by EMX2, and required for normal cortical development.


A total of 35 studies were published on the impact of the Tomatis Method of auditory stimulation. The largest number of publications deals with treating learning disabilities, showing that a variety of learning disabilities are effectively treated by the Tomatis Method. Several small scale research projects on autism have been reported, showing that about 60% of the autistic children benefit from the Tomatis intervention. Several studies show that the Tomatis intervention accelerates the learning of foreign languages. One of these shows that the Tomatis intervention reduces the time to obtain a correct pronunciation by half. Two small scale study documents the positive impact of Tomatis Training on the voice. Other studies show that Tomatis Training facilitates child birth and reduces the time of labor. Other studies show positive effects on stuttering, retardation and on a range of psychological disorders.


For graphs $F$ and $G$ an $F$-matching in $G$ is a subgraph of $G$ consisting of pairwise vertex disjoint copies of $F$. The number of $F$-matchings in $G$ is denoted by $s(F,G)$. We show that for every fixed positive integer $m$ and every fixed tree $F$, the probability that $s(F,\mathcal{T}_n) \equiv 0 \pmod{m}$, where $\mathcal{T}_n$ is a random labeled tree with $n$ vertices, tends to one exponentially fast as $n$ grows to infinity. A similar result is proven for induced $F$-matchings. As a very special special case this implies that the number of independent sets in a random labeled tree is almost surely a zero residue. A recent result of Wagner shows that this is the case for random unlabeled trees as well.


South Africa's current legal regime criminalises the voluntary selling or buying of adult sex. This article argues that continued criminalisation of voluntary sex work is wasteful and destructive, while being an imprudent use of public resources. It uses the South African Law Reform Commission (SALR C)'s Discussion Paper on Adult Prostitution as the starting point to argue in favour of a legal framework that recognises voluntary adult sex workers as legitimate labourers who are entitled to the full protection of the law and human rights. The article considers the theoretical framework on criminal law and sexual morality, while examining how South Africa's legal system has disempowered black women and gay and lesbian people through employing criminal sanction in the sphere of sexual morality. We then argue that most human relationships involve some degree of contractual or transactional behaviour and that any criminal laws inserted into the fray of complex social and sexual relations will draw arbitrary distinctions and create standards that are not judicially manageable. In conclusion, we consider the current New Zealand approach to sex work and argue that South Africa should adapt its model.


In this paper we introduce multivariate hyperedge elimination polynomials and multivariate chromatic polynomials for hypergraphs. The first set of polynomials is defined in terms of a deletion-contraction-extraction recurrence, previously investigated for graphs by Averbouch, Godlin, and Makowsky. The multivariate chromatic polynomial is an equivalent polynomial defined in terms of colorings, and generalizes the coboundary polynomial of Crapo, and the bivariate chromatic polynomial of Dohmen, Ponitz and Tittman. We prove that specializations of these new polynomials recover polynomials which enumerate hyperedge coverings, matchings, transversals, and section hypergraphs, all weighted according to certain statistics. We also prove that the polynomials can be defined in terms of Mobius inversion on the partition lattice of a hypergraph, and we compute these polynomials for various classes of hypergraphs. We also consider trivariate polynomials, which we call the hyperedge elimination polynomial and the trivariate chromatic polynomial.


Background The use of social media and mobile health (mHealth) apps has been increasing in pregnancy care. However, the effectiveness of these interventions is still unclear. Objectives We conducted a meta-analysis to examine the effectiveness of these interventions with regard to different health outcomes in pregnant and postpartum women and investigate the characteristics and components of interventions that may affect program effectiveness. Method We performed a comprehensive literature search of major electronic databases and reference sections of related reviews and eligible studies. A random effects model was used to calculate the effect size. Results Fifteen randomized controlled trial studies published in and before June 2018 that met the inclusion criteria were included in the meta-analysis. The interventions were effective in promoting maternal physical health including weight management, gestational diabetes mellitus control, and asthma control with a moderate to large effect size (d=0.72). Large effect sizes were also found for improving maternal mental health (d=0.84) and knowledge about pregnancy (d=0.80). Weight control interventions using wearable devices were more effective. Conclusion Social media and mHealth apps have the potential to be widely used in improving maternal well-being. More large-scale clinical trials focusing on different health outcomes are suggested for future studies.


International democratization of authoritarian states has created a complex political dynamic pitting the goal of democratic diffusion against the objective of maintaining dictatorial power. By enacting legal reforms while episodically upholding rights or freedoms, amid repression, semi-authoritarian regimes generate diverse political grievances for obtaining constitutional rights and observations of those rights. Semi-authoritarian regimes have developed new tactics of manipulation of information exchange to address these grievances. This dissertation argues that to model semi-authoritarian constitutionalism, scholars must tackle complex multi-level interactions of aggrieved sub-national and state actors under influences of democratization. This dissertation develops a theory, and testable hypotheses, of semi-authoritarian resilience modeled as a complex adaptive system of systems (CASoS). This approach emphasizes concepts such as initial conditions, system structure, information exchange, and emergent phenomena.

Using the logic of abduction, through iteration between theory and empirical evidence, a parsimonious explanation is inferred with policy implications for reexamining how democracy is fostered across borders on multiple levels. A multi-level, multi-dimensional representation of interactions across the systems demonstrates a non-monotonic relationship between mobilization, grievance, and repression over time in which a convergence of preferences for more immediate, partial democratic reforms lowers mobilization under semi-authoritarianism, but incentivizes some groups to mobilize outside the existing constitutional system. This dissertation's pragmatic, multi-method research design explores implications of the developed model over time in the Ottoman Empire and Republic of Turkey, from 1876 to present, and also spatially in contemporary Turkey, Iraq, and Syria.

Using Qualitative Comparative Analysis, a theory of a constitutional semi-authoritarian dynamic of cycles through phases of repression, reform, and rights over time is developed as an emergent phenomenon of the CASoS. Citizens' discourse over constitutional reform in public communication processes in Turkey is analyzed using Structural Topic Modeling to understand stealth authoritarian resilience through information exchange and control. Finally, the evolution of Kurdish groups making constitutional claims for self-determination and their cooperation across borders in Turkey, Syria, and Iraq, under various influences of democratization, is analyzed as an inter-organizational network, demonstrating the adaptive mechanisms that can deepen sub-national grievances, prolonging conflict, but enhancing the resilience of constitutional semi-authoritarianism.


Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is prevalent in patients with heart failure (HF). The clinical signs of newly diagnosed HF and untreated SDB may overlap and patients in need of SDB treatment can therefore be difficult to identify in patients participating in disease management programmes (DMP). The aim was to describe the care process of two patients with HF involved in a DMP, focusing on the difficulties to identify and initiate treatment of SDB.A prospective case study design was used to follow one male (70 yrs) and one female (74 yrs) patient during 18 months at a Swedish University hospital. It took 5 to 10 months from diagnosis of HF until optimal treatment was reached for their heart conditions and 12 to 17 months until SDB was treated. None of the patients complained of poor sleep, but suffered from fatigue. In the male SDB was detected by the wife's complaints of her husband's snoring, apnoeas and restless sleep. In the female, SDB was detected after a detailed assessment of fatigue which was shown to be sleepiness. After optimal treatment of HF but before imitation of SDB treatment both cases cardiac function improved. For the female case improvements also were found in the blood pressure. SDB treatment improved fatigue in both patients. Initiation of HF treatment and self-care routines, as well as identification of SDB is complex and time consuming. Treatment of HF and SDB can improve sleep, cardiac function as well as disturbing associated symptoms.


In controlled environments, hydraulic conductance of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) roots is affected by nitrate supply. Limited information is available on the influence of nitrogen (N) fertilizer application on cotton root hydraulic conductance under field conditions. The objective of this study was to determine if applied N influenced root hydraulic conductance and lint yield of four diverse genotypes under field conditions. Studies were conducted in 2009 and 2010 at Florence, SC and Stoneville MS. Treatments were two applied N fertilizer rates (0 and 112 kg N ha -1 ) and four genotypes (AGC 85, PD 2, Siokra L23, and Tamcot 22). Root hydraulic conductance was measured twice each year at Florence and once each year at Stoneville. Nitrate-N (NO3-N) was determined in the stems of the plants on which root hydraulic conductance was measured. Cotton yield was measured at the end of the season. Stem NO3-N concentration was higher in the N-fertilized cotton plant stems than in the stems of the unfertilized plants at all measurement times. Nitrogen fertilizer increased yield by 47% at Florence and by 23% at Stoneville. An N rate X genotype interaction occurred for lint yield at Stoneville. Nitrogen fertilization significantly increased lint yield for AGC 85, Siokra L23, and Tamcot 22 but not for PD 2. No significant interaction between N rates and genotypes occurred at Florence. All four genotypes had similar increases in boll weight and decreases in lint percent with N fertilization, suggesting that the differential yield increase among genotypes with N was due to boll number and not yield components. No differences occurred between N rates or among genotypes for root hydraulic conductance. N


This article provides a comprehensive analysis of awards of "non-economic" damages for reputational and emotional harm in intellectual property (IP) law, including trademarks, copyright and moral rights, the right of publicity, and patent law. The article discusses, among other matters, the Second Circuit's recent decision in Castillo v. GM the European Union's Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Directive and its 2016 Liffers decision, which appear to require member states to award, where warranted, non-economic ("moral prejudice") damages across the full range of IP cases; and some recent arguments in favor of awarding damages for emotional harm in, even, patent infringement actions. Prompted by these and other developments, I argue that courts should recognize reputational harm as a potentially cognizable injury throughout all of the branches of IP law, but that damages for emotional harm should be limited to right of publicity and moral rights matters. In addition, I discuss the various options for providing monetary relief in response to non-economic harm, including awards of general damages, statutory damages, disgorgement of the infringer's profits, and enhanced or punitive damages; and I conclude with a set of recommendations for crafting awards in a manner that would both vindicate the relevant, cognizable interests of plaintiffs while reducing the risks of arbitrary, uncertain, and potentially over-deterrent relief.


OBJECTIVE
To explore the impact of venous leg ulcers on health-related quality of life and analyse the quality of life instruments that have been used for this topic.

BACKGROUND
Venous leg ulcers represent more than 80% of all chronic leg ulcers. Several studies have demonstrated that health-related quality of life is affected in patients with such lesions.

METHOD
An integrative review was conducted, together with an additional methodological review of quality of life instruments. Eight electronic databases were searched, and all studies published between 2003 and 2008 were considered in with both qualitative and quantitative approaches and in Spanish, English, French, German and Portuguese. Thus, no restrictions were applied as regards study design.

RESULTS
Twenty-two studies were included; one used mixed methods, three employed qualitative methods and the remaining articles used a quantitative approach. Pain was the factor most frequently identified as affecting health-related quality of life. The generic instruments most commonly used were Short Form-36 and adaptations, the Nottingham Health Profile and EuroQol-5, whilst the disease-specific tools were Hyland, Cardiff Wound Impact Schedule and Charing Cross Venous Leg Ulcer Questionnaire. Two new instruments were also identified, venous leg ulcer quality of life and Sheffield Preference-based Venous Leg Ulcer 5D.

CONCLUSIONS
The negative impact of venous leg ulcers on health-related quality of life is confirmed in this review. This impact has been measured using a variety of specific health-related quality of life instruments. However, the review findings suggest that the Charing Cross Venous Leg Ulcer Questionnaire is the most appropriate instrument due to its disease-specific psychometric characteristics.


The possible exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union could cause serious damage to the country's science infrastructure and research funding and could cut universities' income, science experts have predicted.

After the government's announcement of a referendum on 23 June on whether the UK should leave the EU, so called "Brexit," scientists and health experts have started to debate the pros and cons.

Most early commentators seem to believe that leaving the EU would be detrimental to the UK's science base and to healthcare. They say there would be a negative effect on research collaboration, funding, movement of researchers, access to data, and regulation.

A letter published in the Sunday Times on 21 February, signed by more than 100 UK university leaders, said that an exit would harm UK research and damage universities' education alliances.1

"Now the prime minister has announced the referendum date, we urge the British public to consider the vital role the EU plays in supporting our world-class universities," said the letter's signatories, who include heads of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, King's College London, and the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Liverpool, and Birmingham.

They continued, "Inside the EU we are better able to collaborate with partners across Europe to carry out cutting-edge research, from medical and healthcare advances to new materials, products and services.

"In the EU the UK is also a more attractive destination for global talent, ensuring that our students are taught by the best minds from across Europe. While no one is suggesting that UK universities could not survive …


With increasing ethnic and racial diversity in the classroom, understanding classroom dynamics and the use of space has become increasingly important. In particular, when theoretical perspectives, such as that offered by intergroup contact research, promotes the importance of contact between competing groups to improve relations. Adopting a behavioural approach, the research presented here observed intergroup behaviour between Protestants and Catholics, through seating choice, in three integrated secondary schools in Northern Ireland. In addition, it considered the use of classroom seating plans by teachers. The sample involved students from Year 8 (aged 11–12) and Year 10 (aged 13–14), and their teachers. For observations of seating behaviour, data collection took place at three time points in the school year (September, January and June). Teachers were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding their use of seating plans during the January data collection phase. Seating choice was analysed using a statistical index of segregation. Results found persistent religious segregation over time, despite intergroup contact potential. In addition, the use of teacher enforced seating plans was examined and evaluated, suggesting that they may be restricting natural opportunities for intergroup friendship formation. Findings are discussed in relation to implications for theoretical understandings of contact theory, research methods and policy.


Introduction: Florid cemento-osseous dysplasia is a benign bone reactive process and represents a type of fibro-osseous lesion, in which normal bone is replaced by fibrous connective tissues. Discussion : The lesions are most frequently seen in middle-aged black women and show a marked tendency for bilateral and symmetric involvement. The lesions usually require no treatment, and the management of the symptomatic patient is more difficult. A 42-year old black female patient was admitted to our Service of Oral and maxillofacial Surgery in the UFBA-OSID (Salvador/BA, Brazil) complaining of painful sintomatology in hers mandible associated with the use of denture. Panoramic radiograph revealed multiple sclerotic masses with radiolucent borders found in the maxilla and mandible. The case was diagnosed as FCOD, based in the features seen on the radiographs and clinic examination. The patient underwent surgical removal of exposed sclerotic mass. No evidence of recurrence has been seen as of 12 months postoperatively.


BACKGROUND
Most angiosperms present flowers in inflorescences, which play roles in reproduction, primarily related to pollination, beyond those served by individual flowers alone. An inflorescence's overall reproductive contribution depends primarily on the three-dimensional arrangement of the floral canopy and its dynamics during its flowering period. These features depend in turn on characteristics of the underlying branching structure (scaffold) that supports and supplies water and nutrients to the floral canopy. This scaffold is produced by developmental algorithms that are genetically specified and hormonally mediated. Thus, the extensive inflorescence diversity evident among angiosperms evolves through changes in the developmental programmes that specify scaffold characteristics, which in turn modify canopy features that promote reproductive performance in a particular pollination and mating environment. Nevertheless, developmental and ecological aspects of inflorescences have typically been studied independently, limiting comprehensive understanding of the relations between inflorescence form, reproductive function, and evolution.

SCOPE
This review fosters an integrated perspective on inflorescences by summarizing aspects of their development and pollination function that enable and guide inflorescence evolution and diversification.

CONCLUSIONS
The architecture of flowering inflorescences comprises three related components: topology (branching patterns, flower number), geometry (phyllotaxis, internode and pedicel lengths, three-dimensional flower arrangement) and phenology (flower opening rate and longevity, dichogamy). Genetic and developmental evidence reveals that these components are largely subject to quantitative control. Consequently, inflorescence evolution proceeds along a multidimensional continuum. Nevertheless, some combinations of topology, geometry and phenology are represented more commonly than others, because they serve reproductive function particularly effectively. For wind-pollinated species, these combinations often represent compromise solutions to the conflicting physical influences on pollen removal, transport and deposition. For animal-pollinated species, dominant selective influences include the conflicting benefits of large displays for attracting pollinators and of small displays for limiting among-flower self-pollination. The variety of architectural components that comprise inflorescences enable diverse resolutions of these conflicts.