In many states, tax and expenditure limits constrain government spending. All but one state have adopted balanced-budget rules. Some governors have the power to veto individual budget items (the so-called line-item veto). This article reviews the evidence linking fiscal and political institutions to state taxation, spending, and debt. It appears that properly designed fiscal and political institutions are effective in containing the growth of state government. Constitutional tax and expenditure limits have been more successful than spending constraints established legislatively. Balanced-budget rules that prohibit deficit carryover to the following fiscal year are superior to rifles that allow deficit carryover. Researchers have identified two other relationships. First, there is evidence that fiscal rules reduce state borrowing costs. Second, the citizen initiative process has played a role in controlling spending: states with a citizen initiative process spend less. State Spending and Fiscal Controls In the United States, state government spending has grown rapidly, nearly doubling since 1995. Population and prices have grown as well, but at a much slower rate. The result has been a significant expansion in real per capita state government expenditures. Although the finances of state governments have improved considerably in the last few years, overspending in the 1990s was a major contributor to the fiscal problems that plagued state governments in 2001-03. Conventional views of government do not offer a justification for fiscal controls. For example, Downs (1957) argues that elected officials provide public services consistent with the preferences of the median voter. From this perspective, politicians act to maximize the net benefits of the median voter and there is no need to limit government. Similarly, Tiebout (1956) contends that businesses and individuals affect the size of government by voting with their feet, leaving jurisdictions with levels of spending they consider too high. In this view, competition between states brings about the right level of spending. Alternatively, the special-interest view of government (Stigler 1971, Peltzman 1976, Becker 1983) and the Leviathan view (Niskanen 1975, Brennan and Buchanan 1979) predict that the influence of lobbying groups and the behavior of self-interested bureaucrats result in levels of government spending that exceed what the average voter desires. In contrast to conventional views of government, special-interest and Leviathan views place far more emphasis on the role public institutions and rules play in facilitating (and limiting) the growth of government. Certainly state governments have a role to play in the provision of public goods and services, such as police, courts, and infrastructure. They also play a role in transfer programs. However, there is increasing concern over the growth in state spending. Economists and others worry that excessive spending results in higher taxes that, in turn, stifle economic activity (Barro and Sala-i-Martin 1995 and Engin and Skinner 1996). In the political arena, this concern has been manifested in the various attempts to establish fiscal and political institutions citizens can use to control the growth of state government. Fiscal Institutions Tax and Expenditure Limitations Tax and expenditure limitations (TELs) are rules that attempt to constrain the growth of a state's revenues or expenditures. Most TELs limit the increase in expenditures to the growth of state personal income or the growth in state population plus inflation. Poulson (2005) reports that 30 states have some form of a TEL limitation. The majority (18) are constitutional, while the remaining (12) are statutory. Statutory TELs tend to be weaker and easier for the legislature to modify or avoid. The early studies by Abrams and Dougan (1986), Cox and Lowery (1990), and Bails (1990) found TELs to be ineffective in controlling the growth of state government expenditures. …


The magnitude of the spread of the water hyacinth ( Eichhornia crassipes ) makes its extermination, either by physical or chemical methods, a costly and painstaking process. The exercise has to be repeated annually for an indefinite period, a burden that poorer nations are hardly equipped to support. The alternative is to find a use for this plant so that its eradication would entail some financial returns. A variety of studies have been carried out in this direction. The manifold uses to which the plant has been put include principally: (i) a fertilizer, compost and mulch; (ii) fodder; (iii) a raw material for industry; (iv) a protein source and source for carotene and other chemicals; (v) a pollution control agent; and (vi) biomass for biogas production. This paper represents a review of the past work on eradication and utilization of water hyacinth relevant in water treatment and resource recovery in the field of environmental engineering with special reference to India.


Record low runs of chinook salmon to the Yukon River in the late 1990s intensified concerns about salmon bycatch by U.S. groundfish fisheries in the eastern Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI). We estimated the bycatch of Yukon River chinook salmon by the BSAI groundfish fisheries in 1997-1999, and evaluated the effect of the BSAI bycatch on Yukon River fisheries and resources. Estimated interceptions of Yukon River chinook salmon by the BSAI fisheries were 7,266 fish in 1997, 8,908 fish in 1998, and 3,074 fish in 1999. Adult equivalent (AEQ) bycatch estimates were 6,522 fish in 1997, 7,510 fish in 1998, and 2,721 fish in 1999. The AEQ bycatch was equal to 1-4% of the minimum run, 12-51% of the minimum (lower river) escapement, 10-38% of upper river (Canadian) escapement, 3-35% of the Alaska commercial catch, 6-9% of the Alaska subsistence catch, or 22-84% of the Canadian catch of chinook salmon in the Yukon River in 1997-2000. We conclude that in years when chinook salmon runs are low, even relatively low incidental catches of salmon by non-target marine fisheries may reduce local utilization of chinook salmon resources and impede management and conservation efforts in the Yukon River.


ABSTRACT Objective To translate and perform the cultural adaptation of the tool Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy – Cervical Dysplasia (FACIT-CD) to the Portuguese language. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study, with translation and cultural adaptation of the assessment tool performed according to international guidelines and the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT) protocol group. It involved eight experts, six from Brazil, one from Portugal and one from the United States. After translation and back-translation of the tool, the semantic analysis process was carried out. We randomly included 20 women aged between 18 and 70 years with altered cervical cytology exam, seen at the Department of Prevention and Gynecologic Oncology - Hospital de Câncer de Barretos. Results The sample consisted of women with low education level. In the first pre-test, ten women participated and half of them considered the questions CD1, CD2 and CD3 as difficult, because they did not understand the meaning of the term "pelvic area". The question CD5, "I worry about spreading the infection", was also considered difficult to understand by five women. After the reconsideration of the expert committee and FACIT group, the second pre-test was performed. At this stage, we concluded that the previously raised understanding problems had been solved. Conclusion The translated version of FACIT-CD in universal Portuguese language is equivalent to the original version in English and was easily understood by patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.


An appropriate use of various pedagogical strategies is fundamental for the effective transfer of knowledge in a flourishing e-learning environment. The resultant information superfluity, however, needs to be tackled for developing sustainable e-learning. This necessitates an effective representation and intelligent access to learning resources. Topic maps address these problems of representation and retrieval of information in a distributed environment. The former aspect is particularly relevant where the subject domain is complex and the later aspect is important where the amount of resources is abundant but not easily accessible. Conversely, effective presentation of learning resources based on various pedagogical strategies along with global capturing and authentication of learning resources are an intrinsic part of effective management of learning resources. Towards fulfilling this objective, this paper proposes a multi-level ontology-driven topic mapping approach to facilitate an effective visualization, classification and global authoring of learning resources in e-learning.


Despite recent evidence suggesting that groundwater inputs of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) to rivers can contribute substantially to the fluvial evasion of carbon dioxide (CO2), groundwater is seldom integrated into fluvial carbon budgets. Also, unclear is the way equilibria between CO2 and ionic forms of carbonate will affect CO2 evasion from rivers. We conducted longitudinal river surveys of radon and carbon along two rivers of tropical Australia and developed a mass balance framework to assess the influence of groundwater‐derived inorganic carbon and carbonate buffering on CO2 evasion rates. Themean CO2 evasion flux totaled 8.5 and 2.3 g·C·m ·day for the two rivers, with considerable spatial variations that we attributed primarily to changes in groundwater inflow rates (minima and maxima per river reach 1.2–45.1 and 0.2–13.4 g·C·m·day). In the larger river system, inflowing groundwater delivered on average 6.7 g·C·m·day as dissolved CO2—almost 10 times as much as the CO2 produced via river metabolism—and 21.6 g·C·m·day as ionic forms. In both rivers, these groundwater‐derived inputs were a mixture of biogenic and geogenic carbon sources. Spatialized estimates of the carbonate buffering flux revealed that in reaches where CO2 evasion was particularly high, the carbonate systemwas able tomaintain high CO2 concentrations by adjustment of carbonate equilibria. This process was likely triggered by high groundwater inflow rates. Our findings suggest that both groundwater inputs and carbonate equilibria need to be accounted for in fluvial carbon budgets, particularly in high‐alkalinity rivers.


The current upsurge of interest in street art with its direct approach to the city emphasizes the need to readdress public arts' role within the wider social and cultural context. As it becomes routine to incorporate art works into city planning and city life, art has become both 'safe' and 'user‐friendly'. On the one hand, art is subsumed and immersed into the wider culture through leisure and entertainment policies, socially engaged public art projects, community art and urban design. On the other hand, there are those works which deliberately intend to unsettle or confront the viewer. In recent years the term intervention has been ascribed to unorthodox art works in the public sphere which are often illicit, or at least non‐complicit in the prevailing hegemony. These practices are disruptive due to their enactment outside traditional art spaces, often in the streets. By occupying the streets, places of democracy and disjunction, these interventions transform public space back into a place of overt cultural and political expression. They also deliberately involve the inhabitants of the city by utilizing everyday spaces in ways which offer an unmediated sense of the artwork.


AIM: To investigate the effect of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)on the diarrheogenic activity, gastrointestinal transit (GIT),and intestinal fluid content and the possible role of nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in gastrointestinal functions of endotoxin-treated mice.METHODS: Diarrheogic activity, GIT, and intestinal fluid content as well as nitric oxide and PGE2 products were measured after intraperitoneal administration of LPS in mice.RESULTS: LPS dose-dependently accumulated abundant fluid into the small intestine, induced diarrhea, but decreased the GIT. Both nitric oxide and PGE2 were found to increase in LPS-treated mice. Western blot analysis indicated that LPS significantly induced the protein expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 in mice intestines. Pretreatment with NG-nitro-L-arginine-methyl ester (L-NAME, a non-selective NOS inhibitor) or indomethacin (an inhibitor of prostaglandin synthesis) significantly attenuated the effects of LPS on the diarrheogenic activity and intestine content, but reversed the GIT.CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that the pathogenesis of LPS treatment may mediate the stimulatory effect of LPS on nitric oxide and PGE2 production and NO/prostaglandin pathway may play an important role on gastrointestinal function.


It is well documented that people with severe speech and physical impairments (SSPI) often experience literacy difficulties, which hinder them from effectively using orthographic-based AAC systems for communication. To address this problem, phoneme-based AAC systems have been proposed, which enable users to access a set of spoken phonemes and combine phonemes into speech output. In this paper we investigate how prediction techniques can be applied to improve user performance of such systems. We have developed a phoneme-based prediction system, which supports single phoneme prediction and phoneme-based word prediction using statistical language models generated using a crowdsourced AAC-like corpus. We incorporated our prediction system into a hypothetical 12-key reduced phoneme keyboard. A computational experiment showed that our prediction system led to 56.3% average keystroke savings.


To be a journalist in Poland, Russia and Sweden means - in many ways - to be a part of the same community: the most important ideals are the same, the daily work is performed with similar tools, formats and expressions are similar. On the surface there are many similarities, but still there are important differences when it comes to the conditions for  professionals. The frames in the daily work  describing the boundaries for each journalist are different – commercial and political limitations for what is possible in journalistic practice. There are commercial pressures from owners and advertisers and political influence on media companies and newsrooms on journalists to adapt in their daily work. Additionally, what is more important, these limitations differ between the three countries and among different types of media.These are some of the results presented in previous chapters in this anthology. The point of departure for the project has been the rapid changes in media technology, society (changes in users' behaviour) in combination with crisis for business models and increasing market influence in the media sector. The question is how these changes influence professional journalistic cultures in different media systems. Poland, Russia and Sweden represent different traditions in journalism, and the position of media in relation to political power and society differs as well. We knew from the beginning that there were differences – but is it also possible to identify similarities between journalistic cultures in the era of globalization of professional cultures (Waisbord, 2013)?The project has researched the changes in journalism from the perspective of representatives of this profession. With a survey to a representative sample of 500 journalists in each country, opinions and experiences were  studied. In 20 in-depth interviews in each country journalists were asked to give more detailed answers going beyond the questions in the survey. All the empirical work was accomplished by national teams in 2012, and the results were analyzed and presented at international and national conferences in 2013-2014 (see Chapter 2).The results of the project have been presented in thematic chapters. In this final conclusion we summarize and present answers for the following research questions: -      How is technological and economic development influencing professional journalistic cultures in the three countries?-      Do the changing practices influence journalists' perception of routines and values?-      What are the consequences for professional autonomy – in daily work and in relation to other social fields such as politics and the economy?-      Is media development making journalism more similar in spite of differences in traditions and media systems? Is there a homogenization of journalism or is it more correct to label it hybridization?-      Is the status of journalism as a social field changing; is there a de-professionalization as a result of media development?


Hand-based gestural interaction in augmented reality (AR) is an increasingly popular mechanism for spatial interactions. However, it presents many challenges. For example, most hand gesture interactions work well for interactions with virtual content and interfaces, but seldom work with physical devices and users' environment. To explore this, and rather than inventing new paradigms for AR interactions, this paper revisits Zigelbaum, Kumpf, Vazquez, and Ishii's 2008 project 'Slurp' [72] - a physical eyedropper to interact with digital content from IoT devices. We revive this historical work in a new modality of AR through a five step process: re-presecencing, design experimentation, scenario making, expansion through generative engagements with designers, and reflection. For the designers we engaged, looking back and designing with a restored prototype helped increased understanding of interactive strategies, intentions and rationales of original work. By revisiting Slurp, we also found many new potentials of its metaphorical interactions that could be applied in the context of emerging spatial computing platforms (e.g., smart home devices). In doing so, we discuss the value of mining past works in new domains and demonstrate a new way of thinking about designing interactions in emerging platforms.


Aim and objective: To study the clinicopathological profile, risk factors, and outcomes in distant metastasis from differentiated thyroid cancer in a single institution. Materials and methods: A retrospective review of the medical records of 1,408 consecutive patients diagnosed with differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) and managed at Christian Medical College, Vellore, India from January 2004 to December 2013 was performed. There were 108 patients with distant metastasis among this cohort. Results: We had 1,408 DTC patients treated over 10 years, among them 108 patients had distant metastasis (7.7%). Among 1,408 patients, 1,355 (96.2%) were papillary carcinoma thyroid, 49 (3.5%) were follicular, and 4 (0.3%) were Hürthle cell carcinoma. The mean age was 47.84 + 15.4 years ranging from 13 to 75. Age >45 years constitute 60.2%. Among the 108 distant metastasis patients, 85.2% were papillary, and the remaining 14.8% follicular carcinoma. A significant proportion of patients had T3, T4 disease (63.9%) and nodes involved (50%). On logistic regression analysis, the adjusted odds ratio (OR) for detection of metastasis in this series was significantly high for age >45, male gender, follicular cancer or follicular variant papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), higher stage T3/T4 primary, and the presence of nodal disease. Of the 108 patients, 64.8% presented with metastases. Among the patients presented with metastatic symptoms, 9.3% had paraparesis or paraplegia. Isolated bone (40.7%) is the commonest site of involvement followed by isolated lung (32.4%) and multiple organ pattern of involvement is the least common (6.5%). All patients with metastatic follicular carcinoma had bony metastasis either alone (81.3%) or rarely with lung (18.7%). The whole-body iodine scan showed positive uptake in 85.7% metastatic patients and was negative in 14.3%. Metastases involving only bone was significantly associated with radioactive iodine avidity. Among the patients who underwent radioiodine therapy, 78.5% have shown a good response to iodine therapy. Patients with age 45 years or patients with bone-only or multiple distant metastatic sites. Metastasectomy was done in 13 patients, curative surgery in 7 and palliative in 6. Conclusion: The prevalence of distant metastasis among our series of DTC is 7.7% with a higher proportion from follicular carcinoma. Significant numbers of patients have distant metastases during the initial evaluation of the primary and it can have a quite morbid presentation like paraparesis and paraplegia in some patients. Bone is the most preferred site of metastases, which requires more studies to evaluate the cause especially in an iodine-deficient country like India. It is possible to treat distant metastases effectively with radioactive iodine therapy as considerable responses are present in most of the patients. Improved efficacy of radioiodine therapy is present in younger patients and for lung metastases. Metastasectomy especially for solitary skeletal metastases is a considerable option. Clinical significance: The pattern of disease in India—the iodine deficiency soil, is different compared to other parts of the world. With the possibility to treat with radioiodine and surgery, extended survival is a possibility in metastatic thyroid disease. When the majority of patients with metastases are diagnosed at presentation, sometimes even presenting with paraplegia, public awareness should be raised to avoid neglecting the thyroid illness.


The ligand 5-Methyl-2-phenyl-4-(1,3-thiazol-2-yl)-2,4-dihydro-3H-pyrazol-3-one (MPP) has been synthesized via Sandmeyer reaction of MPP with 2-aminothaizole. A series of complexes of the ligand with Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) ions are synthesized and structurally characterized by Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H-NMR), Infra-Red (IR), UV-Visible and Powder X-ray Diffraction (PXRD) spectral techniques. The powder XRD studies reveal that all complexes are in crystalline nature. The cytotoxic activity of the complexes and the uncoordinated ligand against human breast cancer (MCF-7) and chronic myelogenous leukemia cell line (K-562) exhibits good viability in the range of 50.16-55.16% at a concentration of >100-110 µg/ml as compared to the inhibition in the untreated cells. Further, the metal complexes and the ligand were screened for the antibacterial activity, the cytotoxicity studies are correlated with computational docking analysis.


This paper overviews the political-economics of FIAT and asset-based money. The paper further highlights the presumably syariah standpoint of the impartiality character of money as the fundamental factor that differentiates money from her conventional counterpart. The paper argues that while it is ideal for asset-based money to make a comeback in the interest of holistic wellbeing (maslahah) of humankind, it necessarily be complemented by an appropriate financial and regulatory system to safeguard its impartiality, i.e., viz, non-tradable, non-interest bearing, and non-debt financing to avoid the recurring pitfalls which are immanent in conventional financial system. It is hoped this rather concise paper will offer a thought provoking discourse on how syariah principles may present the world a useful ideological construct for a new monetary and financial architecture in light of the global financial crises.


Statisticians and researchers will find Categorical Data Analysis Using SAS, Third Edition, by Maura Stokes, Charles Davis, and Gary Koch, to be a useful discussion of categorical data analysis techniques as well as an invaluable aid in applying these methods with SAS. Practical examples from a broad range of applications illustrate the use of the FREQ, LOGISTIC, GENMOD, NPAR1WAY, and CATMOD procedures in a variety of analyses. Topics discussed include assessing association in contingency tables and sets of tables, logistic regression and conditional logistic regression, weighted least squares modeling, repeated measurements analyses, loglinear models, generalized estimating equations, and bioassay analysis. The third edition updates the use of SAS/STAT software to SAS/STAT 12.1 and incorporates ODS Graphics. Many additional SAS statements and options are employed, and graphs such as effect plots, odds ratio plots, regression diagnostic plots, and agreement plots are discussed. The material has also been revised and reorganized to reflect the evolution of categorical data analysis strategies. Additional techniques include such topics as exact Poisson regression, partial proportional odds models, Newcombe confidence intervals, incidence density ratios, and so on.


This article examines the various ways in which representations of children and their relationships with the canine (the dog or the wolf) are portrayed in contemporary horror film and fiction. The discussion suggests how these contemporary representations are influenced by former narratives located in myth and fairy tale. Important issues concerning gender are debated, with the first part of the article interrogating representations of female children and the second part of the article interrogating representations of male children. The discussion includes close readings of several key texts, including Little Red Riding Hood, The Lost Boys, The Omen and Cujo. These readings suggest how such narratives are often symptomatic of deep-seated, and often gendered, cultural anxieties that manifest clear moral warnings. Alternatively, representations of children and the canine can be more ambiguous. While some representations seem to translate into a liberal humanist hope, or desire for, the existence of an altruistic or divine entity, a goodness that is inherent to the taming of an aberrant supernatural force, other representations might be symptomatic of the horror that is threatened by the potential unleashing of an untamable human or inhuman, natural or supernatural, madness or disease that is endemic to modern culture and society.


Today's society is exposed to an increasing number of disasters and large scale emergencies (e.g. earthquake in Haiti, global swine flu, or manmade disasters like the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico). Information and communication technology (ICT) can help to prevent and mitigate the effects of threatening situations if applied appropriately. In industry ICT governance methods have become important tools to successfully align ICT with business goals. However, the domain of emergency management (EM) has to deal with unpredictable situations, multi organizational collaborations and ad-hoc teams, conditions which make conventional ICT governance frameworks and methods less useful. Based on a qualitative analysis of several European and Australian EM organizations and government agencies this paper discusses the issues and benefits of strategic ICT alignment in EM and identifies the current barriers and the special requirements of this domain. Finally, it presents a prototypical approach to fill this gap.


While previous watermarking-based approaches to intellectual property protection (IPP) have asymmetrically emphasized the IP provider's rights, the true goal of IPP is to ensure the rights of both the IP provider and the IP buyer. Symmetric fingerprinting schemes have been widely and effectively used to achieve this goal; however, their application domain has been restricted only to static artifacts, such as image and audio. In this paper, we propose the first generic symmetric fingerprinting technique which can be applied to an arbitrary optimization/synthesis problem and, therefore, to hardware and software intellectual property. The key idea is to apply iterative optimization in an incremental fashion to solve a fingerprinted instance; this leverages the optimization effort already spent in obtaining a previous solution, yet generates a uniquely fingerprinted new solution. We use this approach as the basis for developing specific fingerprinting techniques for four important problems in VLSI CAD: partitioning, graph coloring, satisfiability, and standard-cell placement. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our fingerprinting techniques on a number of standard benchmarks for these tasks. Our approach provides an effective tradeoff between runtime and resilience against collusion.


This study explores the relevancy of climate change to business using a sample of wine firms operating in Margaret River, Western Australia, one of the premier wine regions of the world. Using a qualitative approach based on thematic analysis, the results challenge the extent to which climate change is a salient stakeholder, while demonstrating that the phenomenon may, in fact, be beneficial. Response actions towards climate change demonstrate both mitigative and adaptive actions, although differences in their level and rate of implementation appear to be attributable to a mix of normative and instrumental trade-offs. Implications of the findings are discussed, with a particular focus on location theory and economic barriers as a key driver of trade-offs between the choice of mitigative or adaptive response to climate change. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.


The microbiome corresponds to the genetic component of microorganisms (archaea, bacteria, phages, viruses, fungi, and protozoa) that coexist with an individual. During the last two decades, research on this topic has become massive demonstrating that in both homeostasis and disease, the microbiome plays an important role, and in some cases, a decisive one. To date, microbiota have been identified at different body locations, such as the eyes, lung, gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts, and skin, and technological advances have permitted the taxonomic characterization of resident species and their metabolites, in addition to the cellular and molecular components of the host that maintain a crosstalk with local microorganisms. Here, we summarize recent studies regarding microbiota residing in different zones of the body and their relationship with the immune system. We emphasize the immune components underlying pathological conditions and how they interact with local (and distant) microbiota.


The Internet of Things (IoT) architecture currently being implemented in commercial applications does not fully realize the potential of IoT devices. The IoT devices themselves lack the computational power to perform significant and real-time feedback for the data being gathered at edge devices. The current architecture places most of the computational burden on various cloud servers. This creates a performance bottleneck due to unpredictability in network latency and reliability. The amount of data flowing through the cloud-to-things continuum will only continue to grow, increasing stress on the cloud and network. This type of bottleneck creates difficulties for devices, such as those in Smart Communities, that require reliable connectivity with in depth real-time feedback. These communities host a level of context that is unique to each of them and can be used to help maximize the usefulness of the local network while sending more contextually relevant information back to the cloud for deeper learning. The master thesis research was aimed at developing, implementing, and evaluating a Fog Computing based IoT system. The deployment of the framework on several IoT devices will be set up with example data to be processed. These devices will be set up in a mesh topology with fog gateway devices. In this research, we developed three testbeds to test the fog computing architecture and its performance in IoT applications where smart communities are targeted. Each of the three different testbeds will run the most appropriate OS for the device and will be capable of managing communication with the things via Bluetooth, as well as providing access to a cloud service. The aims is to evaluate the timing, CPU load, and memory load, and network measurements throughout each stage of the cloud-to-things continuum during an experiment for determining features from a finger tapping exercise for Parkinson's Disease patients. It will be shown that there are limitations to the proposed testbeds when trying to handle upwards of 35 clients simultaneously. These findings lead us to an appropriate distribution of processing the leaves the Intel NUC as the most appropriate fog device. While the Intel Edison and Raspberry Pi find a better footing at in the edge layer, bridging communication protocols and maintaining a self-healing mesh topology for "thing" devices in the personal area network.


Public pension systems based on the Notional Defined Contribution (NDC) principle were introduced during the '90s in Italy, Sweden and Poland, among other countries. They mimic private savings, in that individuals get back, as pensioners, what they contributed to social security during working life, plus returns. As such, NDC systems should realize actuarial equity and incentive neutrality. However, when one considers the presence of NDC pensions together with minimum and social assistance pensions, this is no longer true. Indeed, in all the three countries considered, the NDC system shows a regressive feature, which disincentives contributions, particularly from low earners, who would be better off entering, or staying in, the shadow economy. In order to reduce the extent of this phenomenon, we examine the effects of introducing, or increasing, the possibility of accumulation of social assistance and NDC pensions, which would also improve pension adequacy. A complete accumulation of the two would solve the incentive problem, but would be costly and would require a structural reform of the pension system financing mechanism, altering the current balance between social contributions and general fiscal revenues. We show the effects of a change in the accumulation rules for social assistance and NDC pensions in Italy using CAPP DYN, a population-based dynamic micro simulation model, which allows assessment of the evolution of the pension system in the coming decades and the distributional implications of such reform.


In this work, has been a studied the effect of thermal treatment using different annealing temperatures (373, 423 and 473) K in vacuum on structural and morphological properties of organic semiconductor Alq 3 :C 60 thin films which are prepared by the spin coating on a glass, silicon and porous silicon.  These films have been coated on substrates with speed of 2000 rpm. The structure properties of Tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (III) (Alq 3 ) and fullerene (C 60 ) (100:1) and (100:10) blend as-deposited and treated have been studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) for glass only and morphological properties by Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) for silicon and porous silicon substrates. The results of XRD pattern shows that the structure of (Alq 3 :C 60 ) as-deposited and annealed thin films are polycrystalline in nature for both mixed weight ratio. The result of AFM measurements show that grain size increase is due to the increases of surface energy at high temperature. Surface roughness increasing and decreased randomly with the temperature can be attributed to the random distributions of the grains and also due to the phase change.


Identification of targets of IL-13 and STAT6 signaling in polycystic kidney somal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is a life-threat-ening, highly prevalent monogenic disease caused by mutations in polycystin-1 (PC1) in 85% of patients. We have previously identified a COOH-terminal cleavage fragment of PC1, PC1-p30, which inter- acts with the transcription factor STAT6 to promote transcription. STAT6 is aberrantly active in PKD mouse models and human ADPKD, and genetic removal or pharmacological inhibition of STAT6 attenuates disease progression. High levels of IL-13, a STAT6-activating cytokine, are found in the cyst fluid of PKD mouse models and increased IL-13 receptors in ADPKD patient tissue, suggesting that a positive feedback loop exists between IL-13 and STAT6 is activated in cystic epithelial cells and contributes to disease progression. In this study, we aimed to identify genes aberrantly regulated by STAT6 to better understand how increased IL-13/STAT6 signaling may contribute to PKD progression. We demonstrate that the expression of periostin, galectin-3, and IL-24 is upregulated in various forms of PKD and that their aberrant regulation is mediated by IL-13 and STAT6 activity. Periostin and galectin-3 have previously been implicated in PKD progression. We support these findings by showing that periostin expression is increased after IL-13 treatment in kidney epithelial cells, that galectin-3 expression is increased after injecting IL-13 in vivo and that IL-24 expression is upregulated by both IL-13 treatment and PC1-p30 overexpression in mouse and human kidney cells. Overall, these findings provide insight into the possible mechanisms by which increased IL-13/STAT6 signaling contributes to PKD progression and suggest potential therapeutic targets.


A 4.0 to 6.6GHz self-correcting quadrature voltage controlled oscillator (QVCO) with phase compensation loop is implemented in a 65nm CMOS process. The topology couples IQ oscillation signals of two LC-VCOs, a phase shifter, and buffers with circular configuration. This paper introduces the idea to obtain low phase noise and accurate IQ phase quadrature oscillation signal, by employing phase compensation loop to correct the IQ phase error. The self-correcting QVCO achieves the IQ phase error less than a degree, and 1MHz offset phase noise -107dBc/Hz at 6.9GHz.


The term Cloud Computing represents a paradigm for offering different kind of Web services, which can be dynamically developed, composed and deployed on virtualized infrastructure. This work will extend the concepts known from the revenue management to the specific case of Cloud Computing and propose two models, bid price control and a variant of dynamic pricing, that will compete with the commonly used static pricing. Both models will try to maximize revenues by controlling the availability or price of every offered fare class. The aim is to understand from a Cloud Computing company's perspective, how decisions about the pricing and the optimal allocation of the given resources for the various Cloud Services can be supported. As expected, simulation results show that an optimally adjusted dynamic pricing model will outperform any pricing model with static prices and will simultaneously contribute to slightly smoother resource utilization in some cases. However, we will see that the adjustment itself is difficult to realize, and if conducted suboptimal, it may also have certain disadvantages compared to static prices. In combination with a reasonable product differentiation, the bid-price method performed very solid and in nearly any case better than the pure static pricing model.


Why has the rapid privatization of firms in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union not brought dramatically higher performance as expected? If private ownership were so clearly dominant, why has state control of enterprises been such a common phenomenon historically, even in many Western countries? In this paper, we argue that with private ownership, any price distortions (whether from high tax rates or explicit price controls) generate efficiency losses roughly proportional to the square of the implicit tax rate. In contrast, the efficiency loss under state ownership should be largely independent of these implicit tax rates. Therefore, the efficiency loss from state ownership can be less than that from private ownership when price distortions become large enough. Historically, there does seem to have been a close association between state ownership and high tax rates. For good reasons, privatization is normally associated with sharp drops in tax and nontax distortions. When privatization occurs without a substantial reduction in tax rates, as in Russia, efficiency costs from the high tax rates have been obvious, raising questions about the internal consistency of this set of policies.


The purpose of this paper is to evaluate popular academic theories believed to cause corruption through quantitative dataset proxies. In undertaking the exercise, the author examines various (and often competing) schools of thought on the topic, while showcasing the challenges that burden the objective study of corruption in a global context. The paper obtains a list of sixteen (16) variables extrapolated from academic literature; each (independent) variable is tied to a proxy dataset. The variables are first analysed through univariate statistics, before being subjected to bivariate correlation analysis against the (dependent) variable of corruption (itself tied to a proxy dataset, the Corruption Perception Index). The methodology employed in the analysis involves a standard mixture of statistical techniques—descriptive statistics & charts, logarithmic normalisation, Q-Q plotting, distribution curve overlays, etc.—as well as regression techniques aimed at the analysis of possible associations. The process uncovers data limitations for at least three variables (monitoring institutions, monotheistic religion, and campaign expenditure limits), while also revealing an unexpected (negative) relationship between corruption and national levels of debt. Several variables believed to impact corruption levels are confirmed, showing that rule of law, violence and instability, and national wealth all exert a strong impact on levels of corruption; other variables exhibit smaller-thanexpected associations (e.g. freedom of the press). The paper outlines future research avenues (multicollinearity analysis coupled with a robust stepwise regression model) that would generate valuable insights into global corruption trends that can then be scaled-down to accommodate local idiosyncrasies.


On 28 March 2017, the Grand Chamber of the EU Court of Justice (CJEU) decided in a preliminary ruling that the restrictive measures adopted by the Council against Russian undertakings, including oil company Rosneft, are valid. The judgment is of constitutional significance. It clarifies the scope of the CJEU's jurisdiction with respect to acts adopted in the sphere of the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). In particular, it reveals that the EU system of judicial protection fully applies in relation to restrictive measures against natural and legal persons (socalled 'targeted sanctions').


Simple changes in signaling mechanisms can explain variation in tooth morphology in a wild population of seals. Salazar-Ciudad and Jernvall report that fairly simple genetic changes can explain the morphological changes in teeth seen in ringed seals, a species chosen for study because its teeth show a large variation from animal to animal in wild populations. The challenge was to model how changes in genetic makeup could be translated through the process of development into teeth that vary in the number, form, and relative position of the protrusions or cusps that make up the teeth. The authors created a simplified computational model that approximated the processes known to contribute to tooth development. These included an activator that autoregulates and, when it reaches a threshold concentration, then causes cell differentiation and further production of an inhibitor and secondary signals. (In actuality, these virtual molecules are likely encoded by multiple genes such as those producing bone morphogenetic protein 4, activin and inhibin βA subunit (also called Inhba), Wnt family members, and inhibitors like sonic hedgehog.) The model allowed diffusion of gene products among cells and incorporated mechanical interactions of cells that influence the form of the tooth. The model successfully reproduced characteristics of the variation seen in ringed seal teeth in a wild population. By varying the numerical values of genetic or cellular parameters in the model, the authors determined that key parameters that gave different tooth morphologies were the amount of activator and its self-regulation, diffusion of the activator, the strength of the inhibitor and its diffusion properties, and the threshold for the production of the secondary signal. Thus, despite the apparent complexity of such systems, it appears to be possible to integrate developmental models with analysis of genotype and phenotype to explain how genetic variation modulates form, providing new mechanistic insights into development and evolution. I. Salazar-Ciudad, J. Jernvall, A computational model of teeth and the developmental origins of morphological variation. Nature 464, 583–586 (2010). [PubMed]


The amount and distribution of dark matter in galaxies defines the formation, evolution and
dynamics of these systems. In this thesis we infer the internal mass distributions of 26 E–Sd
galaxies using SAURON and CALIFA two-dimensional stellar kinematic maps. We compare two
modeling approaches – fitting a solution of the axisymmetric Jeans equations and the commonly
applied asymmetric drift correction (ADC). We show that ADC underestimates the enclosed
mass by a factor of ∼3-4 once random motion (velocity dispersion) becomes significant com-
pared to ordered motion (streaming), that is, when the ratio of ordered-over-random motion is
less than about 1.5. Such kinematics indicate that the stellar mass of the galaxy is not confined
to the disk plane, as happens in bulges and thick disks of spiral galaxies, as well as in elliptical
galaxies. Since this is frequently realized in our sample, as well as in the general galaxy population, a full line-of-sight integration as provided by solutions of the axisymmetric Jeans equation
is needed to reliably infer mass distributions in galaxies. We henceforth use the more realistic
Jeans models to estimate the dark matter fraction (fDM), by modeling the total (dynamical) mass-to-light ratio and comparing it with the value derived for stars (baryons) from stellar population models.
We find several trends of dark matter fraction with global galaxy properties. Ellipticals (E) and
late-type spiral (Scd–Sd) galaxies are the most dark matter-dominated objects, while lenticular
(S0) and early-type spirals (Sa–Sb) have significantly smaller dark matter fractions. On average,
fDM increases both at highest and lowest galaxy (stellar) masses, and is smaller at intermediate
masses. Further, it is also anticorrelated with the ratio of ordered-over-random motion, that is
dispersion-dominated galaxies show a higher dark matter fraction. Finally, we investigate the
maximum circular velocities and qualitative shape of rotation curves as a function of galaxy
morphological type along the Hubble sequence. Peaked rotation curves are found in early-type
galaxies, while slowly rising rotation curves are typical for late-type spirals. This confirms predictions of recent simulations of galaxy evolution with local photoionization feedback. More
generally, our results for dark matter content and dynamics provide empirical constraints on
current and future theoretical models of galaxy evolution across a wide range of galaxy morphological types and masses, and thereby will help us to understand the relevant physical processes.


The power of robotic telescopes to transform science education has been voiced by multiple sources, since the 1980s. Since then, much technical progress has been made in robotic telescope provision to end users via a variety of different approaches. The educational transformation hoped for by the provision of this technology has, so far, yet to be achieved on a scale matching the technical advancements. In this paper, the history, definition, role and rationale of optical robotic telescopes with a focus on their use in education is provided. The current telescope access providers and educational projects and their broad uses in traditional schooling, undergraduate and outreach are then outlined. From this background, the current challenges to the field, which are numerous, are then presented. This review is concluded with a series of recommendations for current and future projects that are apparent and have emerged from the literature.


A major bottleneck in training end-to-end task-oriented dialog system is the lack of data. To utilize limited training data more efficiently, we propose Modular Supervision Network (MOSS), an encoder-decoder training framework that could incorporate supervision from various intermediate dialog system modules including natural language understanding, dialog state tracking, dialog policy learning and natural language generation. With only 60% of the training data, MOSS-all (i.e., MOSS with supervision from all four dialog modules) outperforms state-of-the-art models on CamRest676. Moreover, introducing modular supervision has even bigger benefits when the dialog task has a more complex dialog state and action space. With only 40% of the training data, MOSS-all outperforms the state-of-the-art model on a complex laptop network trouble shooting dataset, LaptopNetwork, that we introduced. LaptopNetwork consists of conversations between real customers and customer service agents in Chinese. Moreover, MOSS framework can accommodate dialogs that have supervision from different dialog modules at both framework level and model level. Therefore, MOSS is extremely flexible to update in real-world deployment.


The Delhi Metro (DM) is a mass rapid transit system serving the National Capital Region of India. It is also the world's first rail project to earn carbon credits under the Clean Development Mechanism of the United Nations for reductions in CO2 emissions. Did the DM also lead to localized reduction in three transportation source pollutants? Looking at the period 2004–2006, one of the larger rail extensions of the DM led to a 34 percent reduction in localized CO at a major traffic intersection in the city. Results for NO2 are also suggestive of a decline, while those for PM25 are inconclusive due to missing data. These impacts of pollutant reductions are for the short run. A complete accounting of all long run costs and benefits should be done before building capital intensive metro rail projects.


Data collection of alluvium aquifers is done by using quality-quantity networks because of their spread and continuity.In designing such a network, it is necessary to pay attention on distribution of variables all over the aquifer so that variables represent whole of aquifer correctly. This happens when the network is able to predict the affects of climatical, natural etc parameters on the aquifers. Besides it should provide the maximum amount of information of the studied aquifers. At present, these networks are designed based on some empirical parameters. As a result, these cannot correctly represent the aquifer and some scientific methods needs to be benefited from to modify the empirical methods. Therefore using geostatistical methods seems to be necessary. The major difference is that a relation can be detected between quantities of a variation in different samples and distance and direction of the samples, while in the statistical methods, the quantites are haphazardly. It means that in the statistical methods, quantity of the variation in one sample doesn't provide any information about its quantity in other samles. In this case study, using geostatistical methods, water table network is optimized for the aquifer of Ardestan Plain. Gaussian model - as the best fitted model on Kriging geostatistical method - is used in this case study. Optimization has two main steps: in the first step, using cross validation method, possibility of deleting some wells is studied based on the differences between predicted and measured values of them during a suitable statistical period; if the difference is negligible, these wells can be omitted, based on the iso-standard deviation map, and in the next step based on some suitable points, the best combination of points, by try % error method and a computerized model is determined to be added to the network in such a way that estimations cause minimum standard deviation. At the end of this study, the network was optimized by deleting a piezometer and adding two other ones.


A study was conducted to determine the association of climate variability, Prosopis juliflora spread, and other vegetation trends with livestock population dynamics in Kajiado County, Kenya. Monthly rainfall, mean monthly temperatures, cattle, sheep and goats populations from January 2000 to December 2014, were analyzed to determine time series trends. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data derived from moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) 250 m satellite imageries for 2000 to 2014 were used to determine the temporal dynamics of P. juliflora invasion in the study area. Both temperature and rainfall trends showed marked variability over the period under study. The mean monthly temperatures during the long dry season increased erratically from 33°C in 2000 to 37°C in 2014. Moreover, the rainfall during the wettest season was 600 mm in 2000 and 250 mm in 2014. During the study period, divergence from the long term mean rainfall (450 mm) decreased from 585 to 403 mm. At the same time cattle population decreased, sheep and goats populations remained static. P. juliflora invasion correlated positively (r=0.2; P<0.05) with mean monthly temperature and negatively (r=-0.4; P<0.05) with rainfall and other vegetation cover in drier parts, but not in the higher altitude and wetter parts of the study area. It also correlated negatively with cattle populations (r=-0.4; P<0.05). In the 1980's, bushlands and woodlands constituted 95 and 5% of the land cover, while in 2008, herbaceous vegetation, shrublands, and open trees together with bare areas constituted 50, 30, and 22%, respectively; out of which 70% had been taken over by Prosopis in 2014. This study demonstrated that even though the trends showed that cattle population decreased as climate variability and Prosopis  invasion increased, there was no significant correlation among the attributes, over the period under study. Key words : Climate, drylands, livestock, Prosopis juliflora , variability vegetation, trends, mesquite.


Abstract This article examines how to quantify and optimally utilize the beneficial effect that capital loss harvesting generates in a taxable portfolio. We explicitly determine the optimal initial asset allocation for an investor who follows the continuous time dynamic trading strategy of Constantinides (1983). This strategy sells and re-buys all stocks with losses, but is otherwise passive. Our model allows the use of the stock position's full purchase history for computing the cost basis. The method can also be used to rebalance at later times. For portfolios with one stock position and cash, the probability density function for the portfolio's state corresponds to the solution of a 3−space + 1−time dimensional partial differential equation (PDE) with an oblique reflecting boundary condition. Extensions of this PDE, including to the case of multiple correlated stocks, are also presented. We detail a numerical algorithm for the PDE in the single stock case. The algorithm shows the significant effect capital loss harvesting can have on the optimal stock allocation, and it also allows us to compute the expected additional return that capital loss harvesting generates. Our PDE-based algorithm, compared with Monte Carlo methods, is shown to generate much more precise results in a fraction of the time. Finally, we employ Monte Carlo methods to approximate the impact of many of our model's assumptions.


In this paper, Ag/ZnO photocatalysts with different Ag loadings were prepared by photo reduction, chemical reduction and polyacrylamide-gel methods. TheAg/ZnO photocatalysts were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, EDX andDRUV-vismethods. The results of the photocatalytic degradation of 4-NP in aqueous suspensions showed that silver ions doping greatly improved the photocatalytic efficiency of ZnO nanocrystallites. The enhancement of photocatalytic activity is due to the fact that the modification of ZnO with an appropriate amount of Ag can increase the separation efficiency of photogenerated electrons and holes in ZnO, and the improvement of photo stability of ZnO is attributed to a considerable decrease of the surface defect sites of ZnO after the Ag loading. The chemisorptions ofmolecular oxygen and the chemisorption of atomic oxygen on Ag in the Ag/ZnO photocatalysts were observed. It was found that the metallicAg in theAg/ZnO photocatalysts does play a new role of O2 chemisorption sites except for electron acceptor, bywhich chemisorbed molecular oxygen reacts with photogenerated electrons to form active oxygen species, and thus facilitates the trapping of photogenerated electrons and further improves the photocatalytic activity of the Ag/ZnO photocatalysts. Also the method of preparation is regarded as important factors for determining photocatalysis. The best photocatalytic performance was exhibited forAg/ZnO prepared by polyacrylamide gel method in comparison with chemical reduction and photo reduction method and the optimumAg content was approximately 0.5%.With the appearance of microbial organisms resistant to multiple antibiotics, also, increase nosocomial infection, antibacterial effects of nanocomposites have attended by the many researchers in recent years. In the present work, the antibacterial properties of Silver incorporated zinc oxide nanoparticles were investigated using Escherichia coli.


Using data collected with the LHCb detector in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV, the semileptonic decays Bs -> Ds+ X mu nu and Bs -> D0 K+ X mu nu are detected. Two structures are observed in the D0 K+ mass spectrum at masses consistent with the known D^+_{s1}(2536) and $D^{*+}_{s2}(2573) mesons. The measured branching fractions relative to the total Bs semileptonic rate are B(Bs -> D_{s2}^{*+} X mu nu)/B(Bs -> X mu nu)= (3.3\pm 1.0\pm 0.4)%, and B(Bs -> D_{s1}^+ X munu)/B(Bs -> X mu nu)= (5.4\pm 1.2\pm 0.5)%, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. This is the first observation of the D_{s2}^{*+} state in Bs decays; we also measure its mass and width.


This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of three different dietary binders on growth performance and water analysis in the culture of juvenile sea cucumber, Apostichopus japonicus. The basal diet without binder was used as control (CON), three diets with each of three different binder sources such as guar gum (G10), carrageenan (C10) and xanthan gum (X10) at 10%, and other three diets (G5C5, C5X5 and X5G5) were formulated to contain mixture of two different binders at 5% for each. Juvenile sea cucumber averaging 1.09 ± 0.01 g (mean ± SD) were fed one of the seven experimental diets for 12 weeks. Weight gain and specific growth rate of sea cucumber fed G10 and X5C5 diets were significantly higher than those of sea cucumber fed the CON diet. Diet cumulative melt away rates for G10, X10, X5C5, G5C5 and G5X5 diets were significantly higher than CON diet. G10 diet resulted in a significantly lower chemical oxygen demand comparing to CON diet. Therefore, the present study demonstrated that 10% of dietary guar gum and mixture of 5% xanthan gum and 5% carrageenan could improve growth and water quality in juvenile sea cucumber aquaculture.


Recently we presented a successful strategy to extract the position of the two $\Lambda(1405)$ poles from experimental photoproduction data on the $\gamma p \to K^+ \pi^0 \Sigma^0 $ reaction at Jefferson Lab. Following a similar strategy, we extend the previous method to incorporate also the isospin 1 component which allows us to consider in addition the experimental data on $\gamma p \to K^+ \pi^\pm \Sigma^\mp$. The idea is based on considering a production mechanism as model independent as possible and implementing the final state interaction of the final meson-baryon pair based on small modifications of the unitary chiral perturbation theory amplitudes. Good fits to the data are obtained with this procedure, by means of which we can also predict the cross sections for the $K^- p \to \bar K N$, $\pi \Sigma$, $\pi\Lambda$ reactions for the different charge channels. Besides the two poles found for the $\Lambda(1405)$ resonance, we discuss the possible existence of an isospin 1 resonance in the vicinity of the $\bar K N$ threshold.


Tamoxifen, a member of the selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) family, is widely used in the treatment of estrogen-receptor (ER) positive breast cancer. It has been shown in previous studies that Tamoxifen exerts an antiproliferative effect in patients harbouring glioma.
Glioma brain tumours differ from most other cancers by their diffusive invasion of the surrounding normal tissue and frequent recurrence following all forms of therapy. It is this invasive nature that ultimately contributes to their poor 6-12 month prognosis.
Because of their profound devastating effect much research is currently being carried out to investigate gliomas and it seems that the chemosensitivity of gliomas, i.e. the analysis of glioma response to a specific drug, is a focal point of developing treatment, and more recently an idea of prevention.
Tamoxifen is considered to exert its anitproliferative effect in ER-positive neoplasms through blocking the estrogen receptor, thus, inhibiting gene transcription and cellular proliferation. In vitro studies have shown that Tamoxifen can inhibit the growth of a brain tumour cell lines, but whether the mechanism involves oestrogen blockade remains a matter of some debate.
As well as its effect in blocking estrogen receptors, Tamoxifen is also known to exert antiproliferative effects via non-receptor mediated mechanisms including the blockage of Protein Kinase C and inhibition of the MAPK family among a vast array
of cellular signalling pathways.
This study employed three different glioma cell lines to investigate the antiproliferative effect of Tamoxifen. The results of this study have demonstrated that Tamoxifen induces cell death in a dose-dependent manner in all three cell lines. Moreover, cells pre-treated with 50 nM of 17-estradiol for 1 week prior to treatment with Tamoxifen demonstrated no significant increase in cell death.
Previous work in the University laboratory (unpublished) has indicated that Tamoxifen can affect MAPK activity. A known MAPK inhibitor, Aloe Emodin (AE) in combination with Tamoxifen was investigated to examine whether combination of
the two agents would enhance the anti-proliferative capability of Tamoxifen. The results of this study have shown that a combination of Tamoxifen and AE caused no apparent increase in Tamox ifen- induced cell death.
In addition to Tamoxifen toxicity, the expression of ER for each cell line was investigated to determine if the mechanism of action of Tamoxifen is by an estrogendependent or —independent pathway. None of the three glioma cell lines in this study
demonstrated positive expression of ERa by immunofluorescence. Based on these results alone, it would suggest that the mechanism of Tamox ifen- induced glioma cell death is likely to be independent of the ER pathway.
In conclusion, the results suggest a potential use of a combination of Tamoxifen and AE, due to AE's relatively low toxicity to normal cells, and the association of Tamoxifen with high toxicity. Potentially, in combination, a lower dosage of Tamoxifen could be administered, representing a lowered risk of associated toxicity and this in turn may improve quality of life of glioma patients.


In 1908 H. Witkamp, then with the Royal Dutch Petroleum Company, collected a number of molluscan fossils at a locality near Sungai Kari Orang, on the north flank of the Kari Orang anticline, the locality subsequently being known simply as Kari Orang. It yielded also a few corals which were described by J. Felix and H. Gerth and dated as just Miocene. In the present paper 27 molluscan species, containing few bivalves are described from Kari Orang, including 5 new ones: Terebralia? orangensis, Erosaria (Erosaria) kutaiana, Hinia (Uzita) kalimantanensis, Mitra (Mitra) ickeae, and Turridrupa? witkampi. No less than 17 out of 21 species used for age determination occur in Preangerian assemblages, equally close relationships existing with the classical Preangerian of Java and the Lower Gelingseh fauna of East Borneo, while the ties with other Bornean molluscan assemblages are weak to non-existent. It is concluded that the age of the Kari Orang fauna is Preangerian, Tf3.


This study employs classic grounded theory methodology to produce a theory of rehumanising knowledge work through fluctuating support networks in the knowledge workplace. Data consisted of field notes and transcripts from personal interviews and focus groups. Participants were drawn from the public and private sectors and a variety of professional fields under the general rubric of knowledge work. Data were analysed using the full complement of procedures that comprise classic grounded theory methodology, including theoretical sensitivity, core emergence, constant comparison of empirical indicators to theoretical saturation and hand sorting of conceptual memos to achieve theoretical integration.

The thesis explains the basic social structural process of fluctuating support networks through which knowledge workers self-organise to overcome dehumanised work environments, consequent of a rapidly changing workplace context. Such networks operate outside the formal organisation. They are epiphenomenal - self-emerging, self-organising, and self-sustaining. Participation is voluntary and intuitive.

The core variable of the theory is the basic social psychological process of rehumanising. Through fluctuating support networks, knowledge workers rehumanise their work and work environments. Rehumanising gives meaning to work while sustaining energy and commitment. Rehumanising is characterised by authenticity, depth and meaning, recognition and respect, safety and healing and kindred sharing.

Network relationships offer validation and support. Network members pursue shared interests and passions. Network activities are characterised by challenge, experimentation, creativity and learning, providing members with renewed energy and learning. The resultant sense of achievement builds confidence and passion for sustained network engagement.

The contributions of the thesis to knowledge centre on the role of informal networks in the knowledge workplace and relate to theories of organisation, social networking, motivation and social learning. Knowledge of fluctuating support networks will enable managers to understand their functionality as psychological infrastructure for resolving workers' concerns and needs in coping with change in the knowledge workplace


Portable electric spas are typically the largest electrical load in homes that have one. In recent years, the California Energy Commission's California code of regulations, Title 20 has been revised to regulate the maximum allowable standby power for a portable electric spa based on the spa volume. The goal of this regulation is to require improvements to the lowest performing models, for which simple and cost effective improvements are readily available, without eliminating average or better performing products. In this research, the standby power of twenty seven portable electric spas was measured and compared to the Title 20 requirement. These tests resulted in nine of the twenty seven spas not meeting the allowable standby power. Analysis demonstrates that simple and inexpensive improvements to these nine spas would likely cause the spas to pass the Title 20 requirement. Additionally, temperature normalization developed in this research have been adopted by the California Energy Commission and included in revisions to Title 20.


by DAVID PAUL VOLK (Under the direction of Roger Vogel) ABSTRACT The dissertation is in two parts. The first part is an original chamber opera in one act based on the short story A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O'Connor. The opera is scored for flute, oboe, B-flat clarinet, bassoon, piano, violin I, violin II and violoncello. It employs a cast of ten singers. In addition to the acoustic accompaniment, the score synchronizes pre-recorded electronic sound throughout most of the opera. The second part of the dissertation is an analysis of the opera by the composer. The analysis includes a brief overview of compositional trends in contemporary chamber opera, a summary of the original story, a summary of the opera libretto written by the composer, an outline of the general form of the composition, consideration of the electronic score and its integration in the opera, a categorization of the scalar types employed in writing the principal motives and vocal melodies and an overview of the primary pitch-centers emphasized in each section of the opera.


Background: Approval from Ethical Review Committee (ERC) has often been considered a challenge by researchers. Regular evaluation of ERC procedures has been recommended globally. We have evaluated working of ERC at Foundation University by identifying gaps between ERC and researchers with the vision to improve the efficiency of the committee. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted, after permission from president ERC. We developed a structured feedback proforma with 20 questions regarding application form, its processing and over all experience of researchers. A total of 65 volunteer faculty members who had ever applied to ERC for approval, participated in study. A descriptive analysis was done using spreadsheets. Results: Out of 65 volunteers, 41 returned and completed the proforma. More than 50% (n=24) respondents considered application form was simple to comprehend, however, 40% (n=17) agreed that ERC should provide assistance in its completion. The good majority received final approval letter within one month of application however almost none received proper acknowledgement of receipt and notification of time taken for review. Two third participants (66%, n=27) showed confidence in ERC decisions. Improvement in communication between ERC and researchers through IT support was suggested. Conclusions: Researchers agreed that ERC at Foundation University with its limited resources was fulfilling its role of timely review process and showed confidence in its decisions. The communication lack between ERC and researchers was considered major weakness.
Keywords: Ethical rreview process, communication gaps, researchers' feedback
Pak J Physiol 2018;14(4):55–7


Grounded in the South African experience, in discussions with Blacks about their everyday experiences of oppression and in attitudes formed from that experience and sharpened by an engagement with Africana philosophers like Fanon, Steve Biko recreated the kind of praxis that Fanon suggested in the conclusion of The Wretched of the Earth, namely that the working out of new concepts cannot come from the intellectual's head alone but must come from a dialogue with common people. Today a new shackdweller movement (Abahlali baseMjondolo) has emerged in South Africa, which has put post-apartheid society on trial and has resonated with Fanon and Biko's idea of a decolonized new humanism. At the same time Abahlali's notion of a person and its critique of reification has been challenged by the spontaneous eruption of xenophobic violence indicating that the stark choice between humanism and barbarism is a most concrete question in the shack settlements. Because Biko's development of Black consciousness and his engagement of Fanon's thought remains of historic importance to contemporary South Africa, the paper begins with a focus on the creativity and the contradictory processes by which Fanon's philosophy of liberation is articulated in Steve Biko's conception of Black consciousness. From this starting point the discussion shifts from Biko's critique of white liberalism to the dialectics of contemporary neoliberal 'postcolonial' reality. What remains central, however, are the creative and contradictory processes that a reengagement with Fanon will create. In other words, since it is 'the live subject that unites theory and reality', the issue becomes how, in a new historic moment, a philosophy born of struggle makes itself heard.


Vocabulary is crucial for language learning. Therefore, searching for the most effective methods to master vocabulary is an important quest. This study investigated the effect of stereoscopic three-dimensional (S3D) images on recall and retention of foreign language vocabulary. S3D images, frequently used in virtual reality visualizations, are highly realistic and differ from non-stereoscopic three-dimensional (NS3D) images in that they provide an impression of depth. In this within-subject study, American subjects ( N = 82) were exposed to 16 Polish words accompanied by corresponding images. Half of these images were in NS3D format, and half were in S3D format. The vocabulary was counterbalanced throughout four randomly distributed versions of the experiment. Quantitative data were drawn from immediately administered and one-week-delayed productive and receptive vocabulary tests. Qualitative data were gathered through background questionnaires and follow-up surveys, which included a mixture of open-ended and Likert scale questions.  Two-tailed, paired t-tests showed no significant difference on vocabulary recall and retention of test scores for words represented with NS3D and S3D images. Post hoc tests revealed that lower performance on S3D images occurred only for those subgroups of subjects who exhibited discomfort or lack of experience with S3D technology, or both.


Exclusion responding has been considered one of the processes by which children learn to relate new words to objects. This pattern of responding is usually tested with a matching to sample task. The goal of the present experiment was to verify if exclusion responding also occurs with properties-object relations: dictated model stimuli were adjectives (/happy/, /sad/ and /anger/) and comparison stimuli were properties of objects (dolls' facial expression). A second goal was to investigate the relation between the quantity of exclusion trials and a learning outcome. Phase 1 established a baseline of auditory-visual discriminations in a natural situation with dolls; Phase 2 established the baseline among dictated words and pictures of the doll (a girl) with a specific software presented with a notebook; Phase 3 consisted of exclusion probes in which the pseudo words /piva/ and /fobam/ were presented as models in different trials and a defined face (related to baseline words), an undefined face (not related to baseline words) and a mask (blank comparison) were presented as comparison. Selection of undefined face showed exclusion control. Phase 3 also consisted of presentation of learning probes. In Phase 4 experimental blocks presented as comparison stimuli figures of another doll (boy) expressing the same emotions of the doll of Phase 3. The purpose of Phase 4 was to evaluate generalization of the results obtained in Phase 3. Experiment was finished if the participant had responded correctly the three learning probes or if he or she had been exposed to 10 exclusion trials with each relation. Data was collected with 22 typically developing preschool children between 24 and 29 months of age. All participants responded by exclusion along the experiment. 11 of the 22 participants showed a learning outcome, responding correctly the three learning probes (100% of correct responses) with one of the taught relations in Phase 3 or with one of the tested relations in Phase 4. Data confirm and extend regularity of exclusion responding. The amount of exclusion trials necessary to obtain a learning outcome and the best learning probes to be used still needs to be investigated. Key-words: Relational learning, vocabulary acquisition, exclusion, fast mapping, children.


Fresh-cut tropical fruit is increasingly popular currently, stimulated by public awareness of health and practical lifestyle-fresh-cut fruit presenting consumers' convenience, safety, and quality. Tropical fruit contains functional components that are quite varied and good for health. Mangosteen , Mango, and Rambutan are three exotic tropical fruits that have high economic value and are liked by foreign people. They have a nonedible relatively high and potentially processed into fresh-cut fruit—the process of stripping cutting and slicer, causing wounds that spur damage. During storage, fresh-cut fruits undergo physical-chemical changes—increased respiration rate, ethylene production, oxidation, and browning processes that can shorten shelf life. The damage will be faster if stored at an improper temperature. Fresh-cut fruit is preferably stored at cold temperatures, to extend the shelf life. The research aims to determine the physicochemical characteristics of fresh-cut tropical fruits during cold storage. The research uses a pattern of random group three replicate. The first factor is fruit type ( Mango, Mangosteen, Rambutan ); the second factor is storage time in cold temperatures (0, 5, 10 days). The variables observed in the study included physical characteristics color (L*a*b*), weight, and texture. Observations of chemical characteristics include moisture content, pH, total acids, vitamin C levels, and total dissolved solids. Fresh-cut tropical fruit has different physicochemical characteristics and experiences deterioration during cold temperatures. The characteristics of tropical fruit have changed significantly on day 5. Mango shows more significant changes than others, seen from variable moisture content, vitamin C, color, and texture. Meanwhile, based on the physicochemical analysis, rigidity of fresh-cut Mango higher than Mangosteen and Rambutan .


SUMMARY A combined study of heavy minerals and palaeocurrents shows that three main fluvial systems transported sediment to the Pennine Basin during Namurian and Westphalian times. The first, which brought a garnet-rich monazitic heavy mineral suite from the north, peaked in the Namurian and diminished through the Langsettian. The second flowed from the west, bringing heavy mineral suites with low garnet, low monazite and variable amounts of chrome spinel. It started in the late Namurian, replaced the first system in the Langsettian, and dominated thereafter until it was itself replaced in the late Duckmantian by the third system. This brought a garnetiferous heavy mineral suite with both monazite and chrome spinel from the E or SE and continued to the top of the preserved sequence, in the late Bolsovian. The first sourceland lay to the north, perhaps between Laurentia and Baltica, and included high grade metasediments or charnockites and granites. The second sourceland lay to the west and included mature, pre-existing clastic sediments of Devonian and possibly Lower Palaeozoic age. Ultramafic rocks such as ophiolites, possibly associated with Lower Palaeozoic ocean closure, were periodically exposed there. The third sourceland lay to the south, probably within the uplifting Variscan orogenic belt. It included low to moderate grade metasediments, high-grade gneisses, granites and ultramafic rocks.


Shaming sanctions have a long history in the United States. In the colonial era, judges routinely subjected criminal offenders to a variety of public humiliations that included branding and even maiming. These punishments were designed to exact retribution, deter future misdeeds, and to impress upon the offender the importance of adhering to community norms. Shaming sanctions largely disappeared in the early 1800s with the rise of the prison industrial complex, only to reappear in courtrooms across the country in the early 1990s, when trial judges began to demand that offenders write public apologies, mop streets they had desecrated, and wear signs proclaiming their offenses to the world. Now a new shame sanction is on the horizon with a wholly unexpected cast of characters. The shamers are federal appellate judges; the shamed are prosecutors who vigorously defend criminal convictions that are infected by state-sanctioned misconduct. At stake are the reputation of the prosecutor's office and the outcome of the case. The federal judges have no legal means of granting relief because of a statute that bars overturning state court judgments except under the most extreme circumstances. Hands tied, the judges turn oral argument into a public theatre in which they deploy shaming sanctions against prosecutors in live-streaming video that is later posted to YouTube and watched by thousands if not tens of thousands of people. In these arguments, the judges use moral condemnation to attempt to persuade the prosecution that its position is morally abhorrent. This article explores the use of this new shaming sanction from an ethical and efficacy perspective, asking if it is a proper use of judicial authority and more practically, if it works. The Article draws three conclusions based on a small sample of cases. First, that as judges grow more social-media savvy and video-streaming oral arguments becomes a more common practice, this shaming sanction will likely continue. Second, the efficacy of the sanction depends upon the ability of the lawyers to publicize the oral argument so that it reaches the greatest number of viewers possible. It is only when the moral outrage become a matter of public knowledge that the prosecutor's office is likely to reconsider its position because of mounting political pressure. Finally, while shaming sanctions are arguably "extra-judicial" in that they are not rooted in legal doctrine, there is nothing unethical about using them. To the contrary, the Article concludes that by shaming prosecutors in this particular, case-specific way, federal judges are carrying out their essential mandate: to protect the individual – however powerless and despised – against the abuse of authority by the State.


This purpose of this case study is to appreciate the application of strategic planning tools
to facilitate the realisation of the objectives of Custodial Service Department of
Majujaya Bank Berhad.
Part 1 of this case has discussed the development of Majujaya Bank Berhad during the
eighties whereby it was linked to the banking group from Sweden which owned thitty
percents of the bank. The association had provided synergy to the bank whereby through
the formation of Custodial Services Department, Majujaya Bank Berhad was able to
capitalise on the investment arm of the Swedish partner to generate fees based income
arising from trading and investment activities on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange.
Due t.o the relatively small clientele base, the department was vulnerable when the
Swedish partner being the largest customer left the department as a result of changes in
ownership within the Swedish banking group. Realising the various internal as well as
external factors, the department head was working on plan to overcome the predicament
in order to meet all objectives of the department and the bank.
Part 2 of the case study has analysed the various factors by using the strategic tools
namely SWOT as well as SPACE models and concluded that the most appropriate
option for Custodial Services Department is to expand the business into the regional
markets via working with fund managers who invest in regional markets. In order to
proceed with regionalisation, the department needs to increase its efficiency and
effectiveness by streamlining its operation and expand the capability of the computer
systems while at the same time marketing its services to secure more customers.
It is through this approach at moderate scale that the department would be able to meet
its objectives of being a leading local as well as regional provider while at the same time
contributing to the bank's objective of achieving tier 1 by 1998.


An understanding of the flow of toxic materials through industry and into the environment is one of the major tasks for the IIASA Study, "The Future Environments for Europe: Some Implications, of Alternative Development Paths". Toxic chemicals represent a great threat to the environment, and yet they are commonly used in industrial societies. A sustainable development path would require that usage and disposal of toxic chemicals be compatible with the long-term health of humans and the natural environment. Examining the current and past flows of these materials is a starting point for understanding options for management of their use and disposal, and the impact these options might have on the economy and society.

The method chosen to analyze this problem is a materials balance approach in which toxic chemicals are traced as they move through the industrial economy; from extraction to production to intermediate uses and finally to end uses. The methodology and its advantages and disadvantages are discussed in some detail in Chapter 2. The implementation of this approach will become apparent in Chapters 3 through 6 as four individual chemical elements are studied.

The four elements examined are bromine, chlorine, sulfur and nitrogen. These chemicals were chosen from a list of 15 which were of particular interest because of the exceptional biological activity of many of the compounds derived from them. The major goal of the project was to develop process-product flow diagrams for these elements showing their pathways through the industrial economy. Each of Chapters 3 through 6 contains a discussion of production processes, major uses, process-product flow diagram(s) and an Appendix with detailed information about the chemical transformations involved in each of the processes. In addition, further investigations including quantitative analysis and discussions of the applicability of this approach for a given element are included in some of the Chapters.

Chapter 3, Bromine, presents a detailed qualitative material balance and a more aggregated quantitative material balance for the Netherlands and the United States for 1978 and 1985. The selection of these two countries was based solely on available data. Although the U.S. is not formally part of the study, it is useful as it more closely represents the Western European consumption pattern on average than the Netherlands. While the quantitative analysis focuses only on two countries for two years, it does demonstrate both the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the material balance approach. Bromine consumption is an interesting case as it has been heavily impacted by the phase-out of leaded gasoline and strong market shifts are expected in the future.

Chapter 4, Chlorine, presents an in-depth qualitative materials balance and a look at the pathways of chlorine into the environment based on its pattern of end-use consumption. Currently, millions of tons of chlorine are produced each year for use as a disinfectant and in the organic and inorganic chemical industries. Many of the end-uses of chlorine result in eventual releases into the environment of various compounds which have a significant effect on environmental quality. Organic chlorine compounds are of great use to man because they are not readily biodegradable and they are chemically stable. However, because of these qualities they represent some of the most difficult disposal problems of any anthropogenic material.

Chapter 5, Sulfur, presents a thorough qualitative analysis of the industrial processes and an in-depth discussion of the applicability of the materials balance approach to sulfur. A large portion of anthropogenically mobilized sulfur is from the burning of fossil fuels and the smelting of ores, two processes where sulfur is not an intentional product, simply an unavoidable one. The bulk of scientific study of sulfur wastes is concentrated on these areas due to their contribution to the acid rain problem. The analysis presented here shows that over half of the total anthropogenic sulfur budget in Europe is from industrial sources other than fossil fuels and ore smelting. This is a fairly surprising result. Thus, the flow of sulfur through the industrial economy in Europe is significant and greater understanding of the eventual disposal of this sulfur is needed. In addition, sulfuric acid is the number one industrial chemical based on the tonnage of production. It is used in a myriad of industries where it is generally consumed in the process and not embodied in the end product. This presents difficulties in the implementation of the materials balance analysis for sulfur.

Chapter 6, Nitrogen, presents the process-product flow diagram for nitrogen. About 95% of the anthropogenically mobilized nitrogen is in the form of ammonia. Therefore, this chapter concentrates on the production and eventual end-uses of ammonia. While the process-product diagram is quite thorough, due to time constraints, further discussion and analysis of nitrogen is left as a future research topic.

This report is the first step toward completing the task of understanding the impact of toxic materials in Europe. Future analysts may use the process-product diagrams and the analysis presented in this report as a starting point for a historical reconstruction which then could be used for building future scenarios of chemical flows of toxic materials.


Through a historical account of the Pro-Canada/Action Canada Network (PCN/ACN), this dissertation examines coalition formation among social movements. It argues that the complex process of cross-sectoral coalition formation and thus the
potential for convergence of social movements can best be understood by combining elements of different analytical frameworks. This dissertation draws on elements of the two dominant paradigms for the study of social movements, resource mobilization theory and new social movement
theory. Specifically, it utilizes the formers' attention to the specifics of organization and structure and the latter's focus on the discursive formation of identities. Both are
then combined with the uniquely Canadian but theoretically underdeveloped concept of the popular sector and a neo-gramscian perspective on social formation and mobilization that draws on political economy and class-analytical traditions. With its formation in 1988 around opposition to the Canada - U.S. Free Trade Agreement, the PCN/ACN was an early example of a broader trend for trade and investment to become key arenas for social and political contention at the turn of the century. This dissertation challenges the assumptions of most analytical frameworks concerning the limits to coalition formation and argues that the nature of the unifying issue is an important determinant of the potential for the growth and deepening of social alliances.
After reviewing the historical conjuncture in which the PCN/ACN emerged, this dissertation traces the history of key sectors and member organizations - labour, women and ecumenical justice - paying specific attention to their approach to political engagement and the issue of free trade. As a result, it establishes the necessary background to understand both the initial basis for unity and the Network's progression beyond a lowest common denominator alliance around a single issue, to a broader mandate.
This dissertation provides empirical evidence on which to judge the potential of social movements to displace other discourses and agencies on the left. Given the contemporary interest in the role of social movements, NGOs and civil society, this dissertation provides some essential signposts for two types of practitioners: academics seeking to understand outcomes and activists hoping to determine them.


This short essay considers the findings and recommendations of the Paulson Report relating to securities fraud class actions under the 1934 Act and Rule 10b-5. While the report exposes numerous problems with securities litigation in the United States, it understates the problems inherent in stock-drop actions. As a result, the report fails to propose an effective fix. As the report recognizes, diversified investors gain nothing from stock-drop actions: Because the corporation pays, holders effectively reimburse buyers and sellers keep their gains. In other words, the system suffers from circularity akin to a game of musical chairs in that stock-drop actions ultimately do no more than transfer wealth among investors. Indeed, diversified investors are net losers to the extent of attorney fees and other costs of litigation. But the report fails to note that issuers who are targets of such actions see their stock drop in price by more than it otherwise would because of the prospect of litigation and a feedback effect: When the issuer pays to settle the case, the payment further reduces the value of the company, which leads to a further decrease in stock price and a further increase in the potential for damages. In the end, a target company faces a higher cost of capital than it would in a world without securities fraud class actions. And in some cases it may face financial ruin. The report also fails to note that diversified investors may suffer genuine financial loss when insiders take advantage of nonpublic information for personal gain or when they damage the reputation of the company by failure to be candid with the market. In such cases, stockholders have a real gripe and should have a remedy. The simple solution is for the courts to deem stock-drop actions under the 1934 Act and Rule 10b-5 to be derivative actions rather than direct (class) actions. It is well settled that it is up to the court to decide whether an action is direct or derivative. The fact that the parties style the action as a direct (class) action rather than as a derivative action does not make it so. By recasting stock-drop actions as derivative actions, the courts could in one stroke eliminate the glaring market inefficiency of circular recovery, lower the cost of capital for issuers, emphasize individual responsibility, induce boards of directors and gatekeepers to become more vigilant, and reduce the need for criminal prosecution.


Objective The long-standing protocol at our center for apparent stage I and II endometrial cancers comprises hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy without lymphadenectomy. Adjuvant treatment is based in line with Postoperative Radiation Therapy in Endometrial Carcinoma 1 protocol. Our aim was to quantify the number of patients who would avoid external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) in our institution if we adopted a protocol of lymphadenectomy to tailor adjuvant EBRT and its impact on cost and quality of life. Design Retrospective case-cohort study. Setting Gynecological oncology center. Methods All endometrial cancers treated from 2007 to 2012 were included. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) quality of life (QLQ-30) and endometrial cancer specific (EN-24) questionnaires were used to measure the quality of life. The NHS tariff for EBRT, VBT and lymphadenectomy were obtained from our Trust's contract with the local commissioning groups. Main Outcome Measures Quality of life and cost. Results Systematic pelvic lymphadenectomy in early endometrial cancers of all grades would avoid EBRT in 23.3% of patients, and if performed for grade 2 and 3 cancers, 39.5% of patients would avoid EBRT. The global health scores were significantly lower, and pain scores were considerably higher in patients who received EBRT. Performing systematic lymphadenectomy and tailored adjuvant therapy in grade 2 and 3 endometrial cancers would save £134,691 and for all grades save £37,161 for every 100 patients treated with early endometrial cancer. Conclusion Systematic lymphadenectomy with tailored adjuvant therapy may offer better QoL with reduced cost to NHS without a reduction in overall survival.


The Center for Disease Control approximates that one out of every four women carries Group B Streptococcus (GBS) bacteria. GBS can be passed to the neonate from the pregnant mother during vaginal delivery or in utero by the ascending route1. Some notable diseases that are caused by GBS are sepsis, meningitis, pneumonia, certain skin infections, and types of bone and joint infections2. One of the most important virulence factors for GBS is capsule, which has sialic acid residues attached to the polysaccharide chains helping to prevent the host immune system from being triggered when the pathogen is present. CpsA is a protein found in Streptococcus agalactiae, GBS, that plays a role in production and ligation of the capsule to the cell wall. This research aims to understand the mechanisms used by the CpsA protein to create and attach the capsule. Previous research in this lab has specifically focused on the two aspartic acid residues in the metal binding site of CpsA. This research showed that changing negatively charged aspartic acid residues to a different neutral amino acid resulted in decreased capsule expression. To continue the experiment, this project will be focusing on the third residue within this metal binding domain, arginine, and mutating it to an alanine. Some hypothesized results include that the mutation will cause less capsule production or attachment, increased resistance in zebrafish, and a possible difference between the single mutation compared to the double mutation in the metal binding site.