Modern statistical and machine learning methods are increasingly capable of modeling individual or personalized treatment effects. These predictions could be used to allocate different interventions across populations based on individual characteristics. In many domains, like social services, the availability of different possible interventions can be severely resource limited. This paper considers possible improvements to the allocation of such services in the context of homelessness service provision in a major metropolitan area. Using data from the homeless system, we use a counterfactual approach to show potential for substantial benefits in terms of reducing the number of families who experience repeat episodes of homelessness by choosing optimal allocations (based on predicted outcomes) to a fixed number of beds in different types of homelessness service facilities. Such changes in the allocation mechanism would not be without tradeoffs, however; a significant fraction of households are predicted to have a higher probability of re-entry in the optimal allocation than in the original one. We discuss the efficiency, equity and fairness issues that arise and consider potential implications for policy.


The recent push to keep older adults in the labour force glosses over who is likely to follow what kind of employment trajectory and why. In this paper, we broaden understandings of later-life labour market involvement by applying a comparative gendered life course perspective. Our data come from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe and the Health and Retirement Study (US), two representative panel studies of individuals aged 50-plus. Using a unique modeling strategy, we examine employment biographies for older women and men from four nations with diverse policy regimes (Germany, Italy, Sweden, and the US), along with their links to family experiences and earlier attachment to the labour force. We find that, in every nation, women prevail in groups representing a weak(er) attachment to the labour market and men in groups signifying a strong(er) attachment. However, this pattern is much stronger for Germany and Italy than for Sweden and the US. Similarly, both family experiences and prior employment matter more for later-life labour market involvement in Germany and Italy. Our findings demonstrate that older adults' employment trajectories are gendered; moreover, there is evidence that they are influenced by policies related not only to paid work but also to caregiving, and by those affecting not only current decisions but also those made earlier in the life course.


In response to concerns over rising obesity rates, state and federal policymakers have introduced laws that seek to internalize the public health costs of consuming unhealthy foods. These laws range from taxes on sugared beverages to mandatory nutritional information disclosures and beyond. Vocal opponents to such laws, including many Tea Party members, characterize such laws as government overreaching into the private sphere. That opposition often evokes Revolutionary images and ideology, with references to the Boston Tea Party, the Founding Fathers, and the framing of the Constitution. This article challenges the symbolism used by these opponents by examining the pre-Revolutionary non-importation and non-consumption agreements. Historians have demonstrated that the original impetus behind these pre-Revolutionary "Associations" was something akin to modern concerns: The colonists' conspicuous consumption during the prosperous Seven Years' War had prompted Britain to believe that the colonies could afford higher taxes to pay the British war debt. In response, colonists began publicly urging each other to change their private consumption choices in order to alleviate the shared social costs of this behavior. The article compares the political situation and strategies of the colonists to the modern era and argues that the "Associators" and early Federalists had at least as much, if not more, in common with contemporary advocates of food-consumption regulation as with the small-government Tea Party opposition.


DMARDs = disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs; NSAIDs = non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; RA = rheumatoid arthritis; TNF = tumor necrosis factor. Introduction The past decade has been marked by significant advances in rheumatology, including a better understanding of the pathophysiology of rheumatic diseases and the addition of agents to the therapeutic armamentarium. Studies in cell biology and molecular immunology have clarified the role of cellular and humoral immunity and related processes in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other inflammatory arthritides. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) has been identified as a major effec-tor of structural joint disease in patients with RA and the spondyloarthropathies, and the development and introduction of TNF antagonists is a major advance in the management of RA. Notably, the successful use of these agents has not been limited to RA: inroads have been made into other immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, including ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis. The efficacy of the TNF antagonists has been established, and these agents can now be considered the new standard of care for RA and the spondyloarthropathies when disease activity is not controlled by standard non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Additionally, much has been learned about the safety and adverse event profiles of the TNF antagonists; importantly, we are becoming more adept at managing safety-related issues. With appropriate risk management, the TNF antagonists can be considered to be as safe as the traditional DMARDs and other anti-inflammatory agents. However, certain questions remain to be answered. Why are some patients not completely responsive to anti-TNF therapy regardless of which TNF antagonist is used? How can we identify patients who are most likely to respond to anti-TNF agents? These questions require further investigation. Additionally, remission in most patients with RA has not yet been achieved; this indicates an unmet need. Although the TNF antagonists are proving to be effective and safe therapies for RA, there are other agents in development , and some of the preliminary data have been presented at the 65th American College of Rheumatology Conference during October 2002 in New Orleans, Louisiana. When the time comes for such prospective new therapies to be evaluated, they will have to be compared with the TNF biologic response modifiers, the new gold standard for the modification of RA. RNM has received institutional grants (to the Kennedy Institute) for research and clinical trials from Centocor, acted as a Consultant and participated in Centocor …


To contribute to the clarification of taxonomy of bagrid catfishes belonging to the genus Mystus, the lapillus otoliths of five species (Mystus armatus, M. malabaricus, M. cavasius, M. gulio and M. tengara), using various otolith shape indices such as circularity, ellipticity, rectangularity and form factor were compared. Among the indices studied, rectangularity and form factor bestowed maximum F-ratio of 49.223 and 30.621, respectively, contributing maximum to species discrimination. The F-ratio for circularity, ellipticity, rectangularity, form factor and roundness were found to be 4.154, 28.735, 30.621, 49.223 and 14.58, respectively. The shape indices studied varied significantly among the five species. Cross validation by discriminant analysis of otolith shape data explained 100%variability by the first four functions. The jack-knifed classification matrix identified that the original groups are correctly classified to an extent of 68.6%. The description provided in this article will serve as a baseline database for bagrid otolith of the genus Mystus.


Visual methods for supporting the characterization, comparison, and classification of large networks remain an open challenge. Ideally, such techniques should surface useful structural features -- such as effective diameter, small-world properties, and structural holes -- not always apparent from either summary statistics or typical network visualizations. In this paper, we present GraphPrism, a technique for visually summarizing arbitrarily large graphs through combinations of 'facets', each corresponding to a single node- or edge-specific metric (e.g., transitivity). We describe a generalized approach for constructing facets by calculating distributions of graph metrics over increasingly large local neighborhoods and representing these as a stacked multi-scale histogram. Evaluation with paper prototypes shows that, with minimal training, static GraphPrism diagrams can aid network analysis experts in performing basic analysis tasks with network data. Finally, we contribute the design of an interactive system using linked selection between GraphPrism overviews and node-link detail views. Using a case study of data from a co-authorship network, we illustrate how GraphPrism facilitates interactive exploration of network data.


Abstract In the context of insurance, the smallest and largest claim amounts turn out to be crucial to insurance analysis since they provide useful information for determining annual premium. In this paper, we establish sufficient conditions for comparing extreme claim amounts arising from two sets of heterogeneous insurance portfolios according to various stochastic orders. It is firstly shown that the weak supermajorization order between the transformed vectors of occurrence probabilities implies the usual stochastic ordering between the largest claim amounts when the claim severities are weakly stochastic arrangement increasing. Secondly, sufficient conditions are established for the right-spread ordering and the convex transform ordering of the smallest claim amounts arising from heterogeneous dependent insurance portfolios with possibly different number of claims. In the setting of independent multiple-outlier claims, we study the effects of heterogeneity among sample sizes on the stochastic properties of the largest and smallest claim amounts in the sense of the hazard rate ordering and the likelihood ratio ordering. Numerical examples are provided to highlight these theoretical results as well. Not only can our results be applied in the area of actuarial science, but also they can be used in other research fields including reliability engineering and auction theory.


The objective of rapid development of rural population in a sustainable manner with a view to bridging the urban-rural divide would require leveraging knowledge and technology in an environment conducive for innovation. The concept of a CILLAGE that incorporates the best of a city in a village is developed with this objective in mind. A CILLAGE is a knowledge-based ecosystem for integrated education, research, technology development and deployment as well as capacity building in rural areas. The focus of research work at a CILLAGE is on regional problems. CILLAGE activities also include a comprehensive engagement with people in the neighbourhood for demonstration and deployment of relevant technologies through a number of Advanced Knowledge-based Rural Technology Initiative (AKRUTI) centres located in the neighbourhood. CILLAGE should thus become a centre of innovation in rural areas to solve the problems of the region and disseminate the developed technologies in the region through AKRUTI centres. This article discusses the philosophy of the CILLAGE concept and describes its implementation through an example.


How have local peacebuilding initiatives contributed to inclusive peace in Afghanistan? Local peace councils have played essential roles in resolving disputes and supporting justice, working with traditional jirgas and shuras to fill gaps in the formal justice architecture. Religious actors' influence also has a key function to mediate local conflicts. Neither of these institutions should be idealised and both bring challenges, such as relating to representation, gender, conservatism and clientalism. But linking up with NGOs in joint peace initiatives has brought mutual benefits, for example in enhancing women's involvement, and has helped to multiply gains in preventing local violence. A question remains over the implications for peace beyond the local level. Community-based mechanisms used effectively can help link local agency to formal peace structures and processes – for example local peace councils sharing conflict analysis and mitigation planning with provincial and high peace councils. As well as providing a significant practical resource, such initiatives would also help to ground the national peace architecture, which at present is widely perceived as remote and ineffective.


The coenosus group, containing 34 species, is the most speciose clade of Histerini in the Americas. The author provides the first comprehensive revision of these species, including keys for identification, complete distributional data, illustrations of diagnostic characters, and a detailed phylogenetic analysis. He uses the phylogeny to examine the evolution of several biological characteristics, with particular emphasis on myrmecophily.


This letter presents an original approach that exploits classified spectral prediction for lossless/near-lossless hyperspectral-image compression. Minimum-mean-square-error spectral predictors are calculated, one for each small spatial block of each band, and are classified (clustered) to yield a user-defined number of prototype predictors that are capable of matching the spectral features of different classes of pixel spectra for each wavelength. Such predictors are used to achieve a prediction, either crisp or fuzzy. Unlike most of the methods reported in the literature, the proposed approach exploits a purely spectral prediction that is suitable in compressing the data in band-interleaved-by-line format, as they are available at the output of the onboard instrument. In that case, the training phase, i.e., clustering and refining of predictors for each wavelength, may be moved offline. Experimental results on Airborne Visible InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer data show improvements over the most advanced methods in the literature, with a computational complexity that is far lower than that of analogous methods by the same and other authors.


Trait cheerfulness, seriousness, and bad mood have been proposed to form the temperamental basis of humor. Bypassing the vague folk concept of the "sense of humor" they are expected to predict humor-related thoughts, feelings, and actions just like the sense of humor should. The State-Trait-Cheerfulness-Inventory that measures these three concepts both as states (STCI-S; Ruch et al., 1997) and traits (STCI-T; Ruch et al., 1996) is introduced. To test the underlying assumptions the trait part of the State-Trait-Cheerfulness-Inventory (STCI-T; Ruch et al., 1996) was administered to 105 adults together with two lists of everyday humor behavior, the HUMOR (Manke, 2007) and the selfand peer-administered Humorous Behavior QSort Deck (HBQD; Craik, Lampert, & Nelson, 1996) in Study I. In Study II 169 adults filled in the STCI-T together with the rating form of the HBQD and the Humor Styles Questionnaire (HSQ; Martin et al., 2003). It turned out that the STCI-T is predictive of many but not all of the selfand peer-reported humor behaviors. Trait cheerfulness is strongly correlated with the socially warm, affiliative, self-enhancing humor style and use of humor in everyday life, and also predictive of competent, earthy, and selfdefeating humor. Low trait seriousness is involved in the prediction of the major humor styles but also is involved in earthy and aggressive humor and predicted the frequency of everyday humor interactions (HUMOR). Bad mood is involved in the prediction of major humor styles (negatively) and also predicts inept, repressed and mean spirited humor and has incremental validity in the prediction of self-defeating humor. Taken together these results support the view that traits forming the temperamental basis of humor are able to predict everyday humorous behavior demonstrating their utility as a valid alternative to the folk concept of the sense of humor. Nevertheless, neither the STCI-T nor a direct measure of the sense of humor could predict all humor behaviors. An adaptation of the scale and its first use in Romanian samples is described. Psychometric characteristics are encouraging and some validity information recommends the use of the scale with Romanian participants.


Purpose: To describe a kinesiologic EMG method and determine the reliability of EMG activity of representative muscles of mastication (temporal, masseter), posture of neck (sternocleidomastoid, trapezius) and trunk (rectus abdominis, paravertebral), and lower extremity strength (rectus femoris, medial gastrocnemius) during simulation of activities of daily living. Methods: Ten edentulous healthy women (age: 58.2±5.6 yr old) were tested with and without their dentures. EMG signals were recorded for each subject during three trials of each kinesiologic test: to stand up/sit down on a chair (TC), to rise/lie down in the bed (TB), and to lift/lower bags (TW). The same-day reprodutibility of the EMG values was estimated by test-retest reliability analyses. For each test (TC, TB, and TW) the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and 95% confidence interval were estimated stratified by muscle, presence or not of complete dentures, and movement during the test (up and down) considering the three repetitions per subject to assess consistency. Results: All muscles showed activation during the tests. The method yielded moderate to high ICCs; the highest test-retest reliability levels were estimated for the sternocleidomastoid (0.82-0.97) and paravertebral (0.86-0.99) muscles. Conclusion: These findings suggest that the described kinesiologic EMG method showed satisfactory reliability in this sample.


OBJECTIVES:We aimed to determine whether early trends in the serum pancreatic enzymes and liver tests of patients with gallstone pancreatitis predict persistent common bile duct (CBD) stones and complications.METHODS:Medical records of patients with gallstone pancreatitis were reviewed retrospectively. Serial serum pancreatic enzymes and liver tests were recorded until the time of cholangiography. Laboratory trends were analyzed by comparing initial results obtained in the emergency department to subsequent results obtained 8–24 h, 24–48 h, and 48–72 h after presentation.RESULTS:Of 154 patients with gallstone pancreatitis, 28 (18%) had persistent CBD stones at cholangiography. Complications and death were more frequent in patients with persistent CBD stones than in those without CBD stones (29% and 11% vs 12% and 1%, respectively; p < 0.05). Laboratory trends predicted both persistent CBD stones and complications of pancreatitis. When any laboratory value rose between admission and 24–48 h of hospitalization, persistent CBD stones were present in 31% of cases, versus 8% of those in whom all laboratory values remained constant or fell (p = 0.001). Likewise, complications occurred in 21% of those with any rising laboratory value, versus 8% of those in whom all values remained constant or fell (p < 0.05).CONCLUSIONS:Patients with gallstone pancreatitis and rising serum chemistries had a 4-fold risk of persistent CBD stones and a nearly 3-fold risk of complications compared to patients in whom all chemistry values remained constant or fell. This simple prediction rule may identify patients with biliary pancreatitis who are most likely to benefit from early interventions to diagnose and remove persistent CBD stones.


The paper addresses the question of pricing access to the network facilities of an incumbent firm after deregulation. Network access pricing continues to be regulated in such industries as telecommunications, railroads, electric power and natural gas. We emphasize that access prices should be set such that they should satisfy an individual rationality condition for the incumbent firm so that access is granted voluntarily. We examine the effects of the voluntary access condition on incentives for entry and show that properly chosen access prices provide incentives for efficient entry using several alternative competition models: Bertrand-Nash, Cournot-Nash and Chamberlin competition with differentiated products.


Half a century of research on bystander behavior concludes that individuals are less likely to intervene during an emergency when in the presence of others than when alone. By contrast, little is known regarding the aggregated likelihood that at least someone present at an emergency will do something to help. The importance of establishing this aggregated intervention baseline is not only of scholarly interest but is also the most pressing question for actual public victims-will I receive help if needed? The current article describes the largest systematic study of real-life bystander intervention in actual public conflicts captured by surveillance cameras. Using a unique cross-national video dataset from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and South Africa (N = 219), we show that in 9 of 10 public conflicts, at least 1 bystander, but typically several, will do something to help. We record similar likelihoods of intervention across the 3 national contexts, which differ greatly in levels of perceived public safety. Finally, we find that increased bystander presence is related to a greater likelihood that someone will intervene. Taken together these findings allay the widespread fear that bystanders rarely intervene to help. We argue that it is time for psychology to change the narrative away from an absence of help and toward a new understanding of what makes intervention successful or unsuccessful. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).


In this study, we have investigated nanoplasmonic modulation for surface plasmon resolution imaging. Subwavelength metal grating was used to localize plasmon excitation, thereby limiting the propagation of surface plasmon. An optimum grating structure for an enhanced lateral imaging resolution was designed based on the effective medium theory. A metal grating at 400 nm period was fabricated on a metallic thin film and a BK7 glass substrate. For metal, both gold and silver were considered. Effects of other geometrical parameters such as grating thickness and orientation were also explored. The resolution enhancement was found to be more effective with silver than gold. Studies on grating thickness and orientation suggest that stronger plasmon localization produce more efficient resolution enhancement.


The aim of the paper is to introduce the role of 'intentionality' of students' embodied subjectivity in virtual learning environments. Our intentional stance is a means to interpret the behavior of students. Our empirical material consists of narratives and discussions produced by students in a virtual university course and it gives an authentic view of reality in this respect. These narratives were continuously in process of construction within social interaction. We don't interpret the emotions and feelings posed in students' texts as psychical facts, as if they were hidden at the bottom of consciousness; rather they are visible types of behaviour. Intentions have three tasks: to orient students to work together in virtual learning environment, to involve into group processing, and to get students to know each other. These facts form the central factors in virtual learning environments.


A framework for designing orthogonal chaotic phase-coded waveforms with space-time complementary coding is proposed for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar applications. The phase-coded waveform set to be transmitted is generated with an arbitrary family size and an arbitrary code length by using chaotic sequences. Due to the properties of chaos, this chaotic waveform set has many advantages in performance, such as anti-interference and low probability of intercept. However, it cannot be directly exploited due to the high range sidelobes, mutual interferences, and Doppler intolerance. In order to widely implement it in practice, we optimize the chaotic phase-coded waveform set from two aspects. First, the autocorrelation property of the waveform is improved by transmitting complementary chaotic phase-coded waveforms, and an adaptive clonal selection algorithm is utilized to optimize a pair of complementary chaotic phase-coded pulses. Second, the crosscorrelation among different waveforms is eliminated by implementing space-time coding into the complementary pulses. Moreover, to enhance the detection ability for moving targets in MIMO radars, a method of weighting different pulses by a null space vector is utilized at the receiver to compensate the interpulse Doppler phase shift and accumulate different pulses coherently. Simulation results demonstrate the efficiency of our proposed method.


Examining undergraduate education from the point of view of a philosopher of communication, Ronald C. Arnett takes a positive view of higher education during a time when education is being assailed as seldom before. Arnett responds to this criticism with convincing support of the academy reinforced by his personal experiences as well as those of other scholars and teachers. Arnett's book is an invitation to converse about higher education as well as a reminder of the potential for dialogue between teacher and student, dialogue that the author defines as a "willingness to enter conversation about ideas, " to maintain relationships through differences, and to ask value questions. Arnett sees education as more than the dispensing of information. He emphasizes the importance of character development as well as the development of relationships between students and teachers. Arnett stresses the importance of honesty and integrity in students, teachers, and administrators, and he insists that education should focus more on the good of the entire school than on the individual. Arnett does not offer this book as the truth about education nor as a "how to teach" manual. Rather, he regards it as an attempt to understand education from a communication perspective and as a reminder of the positive and constructive aspects of teaching. The book is based on Arnett's belief that educators who care about ideas and people not only improve education but also benefit the community.


This research attempted to extend the scope of
Construal Level Theory (CLT) [1], thus tested whether
prosocial behaviour could be induced using positive or
negative, concrete or abstract mindset. Participants (N
=188) were randomly assigned to one of the four priming
conditions of positive concrete or positive abstract or
negative concrete, or negative abstract (n = 47). Results
obtained supported the main hypothesis indicating
priming with abstract construal categories lead to
prosocial behavior.


Modern scientific databases and web databases maintain large and heterogeneous data. These real-world databases contain over hundreds or even thousands of relations and attributes. Traditional predefined query forms are not able to satisfy various ad-hoc queries from users on those databases. This paper proposes, a novel database query form interface, which is able to dynamically generate query forms. The essence of DQF is to capture a user's preference and rank query form components, assisting him/her to make decisions. The generation of a query form is an iterative process and is guided by the user. At each iteration, the system automatically generates ranking lists of form components and the user then adds the desired form components into the query form. The ranking of form components is based on the captured user preference. A user can also fill the query form and submit queries to view the query result at each iteration. In this way, a query form could be dynamically refined till the user satisfies with the query results.


Abstract Glycaspis brimblecombei Moore (Hemiptera: Aphalaridae) is an invasive psyllid introduced into the Mediterranean area, where it affects several species of Eucalyptus. Psyllaephagus bliteus Riek (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) is a specialized parasitoid of this psyllid that was accidentally introduced into Italy in 2011. We developed a model of this host–parasitoid system that accounts for the influence of environmental conditions on the G. brimblecombei population dynamics and P. bliteus parasitism rates in the natural ecosystem. The Lotka–Volterra-based model predicts non-constant host growth and parasitoid mortality rates in association with variation in environmental conditions. The model was tested by analyzing sampling data collected in Naples in 2011 (before the parasitoid was present) and defining several environmental patterns, termed Temperature-Rain or T-R patterns, which correspond to the host growth rate. A mean value of the host growth rate was assigned to each T-R pattern, as well as a variation of the parasitoid mortality rate based on temperature thresholds. The proposed model was applied in simulation tests related to T-R patterns carried out with a data series sampled between June 2014 and July 2015 in five Italian sites located in Campania, Lazio, Sicily, and Sardinia regions. The simulation results showed that the proposed model provides an accurate approximation of population trends, although oscillation details may not be apparent. Results predict a 64% reduction in G. brimblecombei population density owing to P. bliteus parasitoid activity. Our results are discussed with respect to features of the host–parasitoid interaction that could be exploited in future biological control programs.


This paper aims at providing an analytical examination of the criticism that the WTO is unfair and hurts the weak, developing countries. We utilize a formal model with the following features: in both the powerful and the weak economies, pressure groups lobby to influence their trade policies in their respective countries. We then allow the powerful country the exclusive ability to spend resources to facilitate the lobbying of one of the pressure groups in the weak country, thereby moving the trade policy of the developing country in favor of the powerful trading partner. Next we compare the effects of asymmetric foreign influence in a world with no WTO and no multilateral principles (most-favored-nation principle, MFN, and the negotiation principle of reciprocity) to a situation with WTO and its associated non-discrimination principles. We show that the weak, developing country will have fewer 'unfair' concessions of market openings and in general will be better off with the WTO and with rules of non-discrimination.


The conservation of wildlife corridors between existing habitat preserves is important for combating the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation facing species of concern. We introduce the Steiner Multigraph Problem to model the problem of minimum-cost wildlife corridor design for multiple species with different landscape requirements. This problem can also model other analogous settings in wireless and social networks. As a generalization of Steiner forest, the goal is to find a minimum-cost subgraph that connects multiple sets of terminals. In contrast to Steiner forest, each set of terminals can only be connected via a subset of the nodes. Generalizing Steiner forest in this way makes the problem NP-hard even when restricted to two pairs of terminals. However, we show that if the node subsets have a nested structure, the problem admits a fixed-parameter tractable algorithm in the number of terminals. We successfully test exact and heuristic solution approaches on a wildlife corridor instance for wolverines and lynx in western Montana, showing that though the problem is computationally hard, heuristics perform well, and provably optimal solutions can still be obtained.


In semiconductor manufacturing, when a wafer is processed, it requires unloading from its process module in a given time interval, otherwise it is scraped. This requirement is called wafer residency time constraints. Thus, it is crucial to schedule a cluster tool such that the wafer sojourn time in a process module is within a given time window to satisfy the wafer residency time constraints. Besides wafer residency time constraints, in a cluster tool, the activity time is subject to variation. The activity time variation can make a feasible schedule obtained under the assumption of deterministic activity times become infeasible. To solve this problem, it is important to reveal the wafer sojourn time fluctuations with bounded activity time variation. Such an issue is addressed in this chapter for single-arm cluster tools. A single-arm cluster tool is modeled by a resource-oriented Petri net to describe the wafer fabrication processes. Based on it, a real-time control policy is proposed such that it offsets the effect of the activity time variation as much as possible. Then, the wafer sojourn time delay in a process module is analyzed and analytical expressions are derived to calculate the upper bound. With the help of the real-time control policy and wafer sojourn time delay analysis results, schedulability conditions and scheduling algorithms for an off-line schedule are presented in this chapter. The schedulability conditions can be analytically checked. If schedulable, an off-line schedule can be analytically found. The off-line schedule together with the real-time control policy forms the real-time schedule for the system. It is optimal in terms of cycle time minimization. Examples are given to show the application of the proposed approach.


Pulmonary immunisation has gained increased recognition as a means of triggering both a mucosal and systemic immune response through aerosol delivery to the lungs. The appropriate formulation of antigens in a dry, solid state can result in improved stability, thereby removing cold chain storage complications associated with conventional liquid-based vaccines. Nevertheless, dry powder pulmonary vaccine formulations are not being widely used as yet. This thesis describes the latest developments in pulmonary vaccines, and explores the use of recent advancements in spray-drying technologies for the production of dry powder formulations for pulmonary vaccine delivery. Dry powder inhaler formulations for pulmonary delivery of antigen should be readily and consistently dispersible and aerosolisable upon inhalation by an appropriate range of patient groups and circumstances for efficient delivery. In addition, the formulation should be capable of stabilising the antigen, which is commonly a potent biomacromolecule (e.g., protein or peptide required in relatively low dose of <1 mg). In contrast to the respiratory delivery of many small molecule drugs which is commonplace via simple ordered mixtures, there is no well-characterised delivery platform that is readily adaptable to the incorporation of potent biomacromolecules. A novel multi-component particulate system suitable for pulmonary delivery of biotherapeutics is therefore highly beneficial. To investigate the potential benefits from multi-component spray-dried systems, the interaction effects of the amino acids leucine, glycine and alanine on a mannitol-based spray-dried formulation for pulmonary delivery was initially studied using a design of experiment approach. The amino acid leucine was found to facilitate particle formation and production of aerosolisable multi-component spray-dried powders that would otherwise not be suitable for aerosol application. Further results from X-ray powder diffraction studies suggested the formation of a partially ordered leucine shell resulting from self-assembly on particle surfaces was important in assisting particle separation and powder aerosolisation. The results also suggested the potential benefit of leucine in retarding crystallisation and maintaining amorphicity of the formulation. This has significant implication as an amorphous environment is required for glassy stabilisation of biomacromolecules e.g., vaccine antigens. The particle formation effect of leucine was found to be transferrable to excipients covering a range of molecular weights from polyol (mannitol), disaccharide (trehalose), polysaccharide (inulin) to synthetic polymer (PVP). These multi-component systems were found to be both amorphous with sufficiently high glass transition temperature for stability at typical ambient condition, while remaining aerosolisable with high fine particle fractions. An in vivo immunisation study using influenza vaccine co-spray-dried with trehalose and leucine was shown to produce highly aerosolisable powders that induced superior systemic and mucosal immunity after pulmonary administration. This formulation strategy was found to be promising for the production of dry powder formulations for pulmonary vaccine delivery. Multi-component spray-dried delivery systems with leucine and appropriate baseline excipients were therefore shown to produce inhalable dry powder formulations that were aerosolisable with the amorphous environment needed for stabilisation of biomacromolecules. This work presented a novel formulation strategy for the production of dry powder carrier platforms for pulmonary delivery of vaccines, and more broadly for various potent biotherapeutics.


Adoption of solar PV and other distributed generation sources are becoming widespread and affordable across Europe. Local on-site energy production raises the chance to manage surplus energy (especially for variable renewable sources, solar or wind) and exploiting possible local flexibility sources (e.g. storage, load shifting, and others). These local energy system features has translated into the rise of positive energy buildings which form a cluster labeled as the Positive Energy Block (PEB). In this concept paper and as part of the H2020 project +CityXChange, we discuss the creation of local flexibility markets for PEBs. We propose the electricity trading within the block and the exchange of flexibility locally and externally to other PEBs. This creates added value and incentives for the consumer to exploit energy products and services. As local flexibility markets carry different definitions and connotations in the literature, we propose ideas for a local market based on PEBs. We discuss the value they provide, such as: 1) smoothing and balancing locally solar PV surplus, 2) defer distribution grid investmens and 3) utilizing local energy products.


The aim of the study was to test whether a new dynamic light regime would improve alertness, sleep, and adaptation to rotating shiftwork. The illumination level in a control room without windows at a nuclear power station was ∼200 lux (straight-forward horizontal gaze) using a weak yellow light of 200 lux, 3000 K (Philips Master TLD 36 W 830). New lighting equipment was installed in one area of the control room above the positions of the reactor operators. The new lights were shielded from the control group by a distance of >6 m, and the other operators worked at desks turned away from the new light. The new lights were designed to give three different light exposures: (i) white/blue strong light of 745 lux, 6000 K; (ii) weak yellow light of 650 lux, 4000 K; and (iii) yellow moderate light of 700 lux, 4000 K. In a crossover design, the normal and new light exposures were given during a sequence of three night shifts, two free days, two morning shifts, and one afternoon shift (NNN + MMA), with 7 wks between sessions. The operators consisted of two groups; seven reactor operators from seven work teams were at one time exposed to the new equipment and 16 other operators were used as controls. The study was conducted during winter with reduced opportunities of daylight exposure during work, after night work, or before morning work. Operators wore actigraphs, filled in a sleep/wake diary, including ratings of sleepiness on the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) every 2 h, and provided saliva samples for analysis of melatonin at work (every 2nd h during one night shift and first 3 h during one morning shift). Results from the wake/sleep diary showed the new light treatment increased alertness during the 2nd night shift (interaction group × light × time, p < .01). Time of waking was delayed in the light condition after the 3rd night shift (group × light, p < .05), but the amount of wake time during the sleep span increased after the 2nd night shift (p < .05), also showing a tendency to affect sleep efficiency (p < .10). Effects on circadian phase were difficult to establish given the small sample size and infrequent sampling of saliva melatonin. Nonetheless, it seems that appropriate dynamic light in rooms without windows during the dark Nordic season may promote alertness, sleep, and better adaptation to quickly rotating shiftwork. (Author correspondence: firstname.lastname@example.com)


The role of the state in modern capitalism has gone beyond fixing market failures. Those regions and countries that have succeeded in achieving 'smart' innovation-led growth have benefited from long-term visionary 'mission-oriented' policies – from putting a man on the moon to tackling societal challenges such as climate change and the wellbeing of an ageing population. This book collects the experience of different types of mission-oriented public institutions around the world, together with thought-provoking chapters from leading economists. As the global debate on deficits and debt levels continues to roar, the book offers a challenge to the conventional narrative – asking what kinds of visionary fiscal policies we need to help promote 'smart' innovation-led, inclusive, and sustainable growth.


Awareness on the importance of quality and having a quality management system to
improve organizational perfonnance has been emphasized through the work of many
quality proponents. There is a growing awareness and acceptance of IS0 9000
quality management standards for establishing quality management system among
organizations in Malaysia. The number of certified organizations increased from
2022 in 2003 to 3249 in 2005 (as at June 2005) and in 2004 there was an annual
increase of 51.2% compared to 2003. The implementation and maintenance of a
quality management system is important to satisfy customers' requirements and to
ensure there is continuous improvement of the system.
This study measures the influence of various factors such as organizational factors,
motivational factors in obtaining certification and the perceived benefits on the ease
of implementing and maintaining IS0 9001:2000 quality management system. The
influence of motivation on perceived benefits was also examined.
The survey was conducted on organizations that had obtained their IS0 9000
certification and were continuing with the implementation of the system with various certification bodies at the time of the study. The scope of thls research
covered organizations in all economic sectors and industries listed in the statistics on
IS0 9000 certification by the Department of Standards Malaysia. Hypotheses were
tested using ANOVA in the Statistical Package for Social Solutions (SPSS) version
13.0 and path analysis in the LISREL 8.72.
The findings revealed that corrective and preventive actions are among the critical
issues or factors in the maintenance of an IS0 9000 system. Results also showed
that there are significant differences in ease of implementation among the industrial
sectors. The path analysis showed that there is a positive relationship between
internally perceived benefits and the ease of implementation and maintenance. It
was also established that motivation is a significant predictor which influences the
benefits gained.
It was also revealed that the motivation for obtaining IS0 9001:2000 certifications
seemed to be more internally-driven. Large percentage of respondents agreed that
motivation comes from internal factors such as the need to improve internal
operation, products, system and processes. As in many previous studies, the most
important benefits were mostly from internal factors such as improved internal
procedures or documentation and increase in quality awareness among employees.
IS0 9000 has provided a platform for a consistent organization-wide approach to
continual improvement.


New compilations of geometry and tectonic transport in the Pennsylvania salient suggest that these features continue uninterrupted from the Piedmont through the Valley and Ridge provinces. These data are the basis for a new two-azimuth transport model for origin of the curvature. Edge geometry of an Eocambrian craton and a thickened stratigraphy acted as templates for Alleghanian regional decollement, first as Reading Prong ∼N35°W motion, followed by ∼N68°W Blue Ridge motion. Both displacements involved some drag rotation and overprinting in a central zone. This model avoids the problem of minimal tangential stretching, explains the anthracite basins as trailing-edge graben and basin structures against the autochthonous Pocono Plateau, and produces the Nittany-Juniata culmination as an overprinted pileup of duplexes in the central zone. The model of detachment followed by changing azimuth of motion of a megadecollement sheet may apply to other salients throughout the world.


Abstract. Downward transport of ozone (O3) from the stratosphere can be a significant contributor to tropospheric O3 background levels. However, this process often is not well represented in current regional models. In this study, we develop a seasonally and spatially varying potential vorticity (PV)-based function to parameterize upper tropospheric and/or lower stratospheric (UTLS) O3 in a chemistry transport model. This dynamic O3–PV function is developed based on 21-year ozonesonde records from World Ozone and Ultraviolet Radiation Data Centre (WOUDC) with corresponding PV values from a 21-year Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) simulation across the Northern Hemisphere from 1990 to 2010. The result suggests strong spatial and seasonal variations of O3 ∕ PV ratios which exhibits large values in the upper layers and in high-latitude regions, with highest values in spring and the lowest values in autumn over an annual cycle. The newly developed O3 ∕ PV function was then applied in the Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model for an annual simulation of the year 2006. The simulated UTLS O3 agrees much better with observations in both magnitude and seasonality after the implementation of the new parameterization. Considerable impacts on surface O3 model performance were found in the comparison with observations from three observational networks, i.e., EMEP, CASTNET and WDCGG. With the new parameterization, the negative bias in spring is reduced from −20 to −15 % in the reference case to −9 to −1 %, while the positive bias in autumn is increased from 1 to 15 % in the reference case to 5 to 22 %. Therefore, the downward transport of O3 from upper layers has large impacts on surface concentration and needs to be properly represented in regional models.


A spectrofluorimetric technique was applied to the determination of compounds in samples with unknown background fluorescence, consisting of performing synchronous scans through a trajectory joining points of equal intensity of a fluorescence matrix three-dimensional spectrum, which is called 'matrix isopotential synchronous fluorescence'. This technique can be improved by application of derivatives. The determination of pyridoxamine in urine was performed using this technique and the validity, applicability and simplicity of the method were demonstrated. With first-derivative matrix isopotential synchronous fluorescence the maximum sensitivity was 12.5 mg l–1 for pyridoxamine in real urine samples. The measurements were performed in aqueous medium at pH 7.0, adjusted by adding 0.05 mol l–1 phosphate buffer, and without any previous derivatization reactions. A complete statistical analysis of the experimental data was performed. Pyridoxamine in urine was determined by this method with good results and without the need for tedious prior separation.


Abstract. The special modules of photogrammetric processing of remote sensing data that provide the opportunity to effectively organize and optimize the planetary studies were developed. As basic application the commercial software package PHOTOMOD™ is used. Special modules were created to perform various types of data processing: calculation of preliminary navigation parameters, calculation of shape parameters of celestial body, global view image orthorectification, estimation of Sun illumination and Earth visibilities from planetary surface. For photogrammetric processing the different types of data have been used, including images of the Moon, Mars, Mercury, Phobos, Galilean satellites and Enceladus obtained by frame or push-broom cameras. We used modern planetary data and images that were taken over the years, shooting from orbit flight path with various illumination and resolution as well as obtained by planetary rovers from surface. Planetary data image processing is a complex task, and as usual it can take from few months to years. We present our efficient pipeline procedure that provides the possibilities to obtain different data products and supports a long way from planetary images to celestial body maps. The obtained data – new three-dimensional control point networks, elevation models, orthomosaics – provided accurate maps production: a new Phobos atlas (Karachevtseva et al., 2015) and various thematic maps that derived from studies of planetary surface (Karachevtseva et al., 2016a).


Background Aromatherapy as an alternative and complementary medicine is a well-known method for reducing the symptoms of various physiological processes such as labor experience. The aim of this study was to systematically review the currently available evidences evaluating the use of aromatherapy for management of labor pain and anxiety. Methods In a systematic review, 5 databases (PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, Google Scholar and Scientific Information Database [SID]) were searched, from database inception up to December 2019. Keywords used included (aromatherapy OR ""essential oil" OR "aroma*") AND (pain OR anxiety) AND (labor OR delivery). Using the Cochrane Collaboration's 'Risk of bias' method; the risk of bias in the included studies was evaluated. Results A total of 33 studies were verified to meet our inclusion criteria. Most of the included studies were conducted in Iran. Aromatherapy was applied using inhalation, massage, footbath, birthing pool, acupressure, and compress. The most popularly used essential oil in the studies was lavender (13 studies), either as a single essential oil or in a combination with other essential oils. Most of included studies confirmed the positive effect of aromatherapy in reducing labor pain and anxiety. Conclusion The evidences from this study suggest that aromatherapy, as a complementary and alternative modality, can help in relieving maternal anxiety and pain during labor.


Understanding uncertainty is critical for many analytical tasks. One common approach is to encode data values and uncertainty values independently, using two visual variables. These resulting bivariate maps can be difficult to interpret, and interference between visual channels can reduce the discriminability of marks. To address this issue, we contribute Value-Suppressing Uncertainty Palettes (VSUPs). VSUPs allocate larger ranges of a visual channel to data when uncertainty is low, and smaller ranges when uncertainty is high. This non-uniform budgeting of the visual channels makes more economical use of the limited visual encoding space when uncertainty is low, and encourages more cautious decision-making when uncertainty is high. We demonstrate several examples of VSUPs, and present a crowdsourced evaluation showing that, compared to traditional bivariate maps, VSUPs encourage people to more heavily weight uncertainty information in decision-making tasks.


The aim of this paper is to reveal and discuss the methodological issues related to online qualitative consumer behavior research. A number of methodological issues are examined, related with the online qualitative research on consumer in-store emotional experience implemented by the authors. It is concluded that the Internet is becoming an increasingly attractive environment for consumer behavior research. A large part of scholars use the Internet as a medium for data collection and analysis. At the same time, researchers study the Internet as a source of information about consumer preferences, their virtual communities, prevailing relationships, traditions and attitudes. The Internet is analyzed as a phenomenon in itself, too. In this article, the Internet is analyzed as a tool for communicating with research participants, and collecting, storing and analyzing data. In general, qualitative inquiry is characterized by contextual and naturalistic approach to the study of objects and processes. Therefore, decision to carry out qualitative study in virtual environment must take additional strategic and tactical solutions. Most often, researchers need to decide about the mode of communication that solves time management, spontaneity and security problems. It is also relevant to sampling and its contents. Different solutions from quantitative studies are required in ensuring the ethics and quality of the study. During the analysis of the qualitative data collected through the Internet, mostly in a form of computer communication language (text), specific characteristics, such as backspacing and correction during the communication that impact spontaneity rate, the absence of non-verbal language, etc., are necessary to be taken into account It is concluded that all the above-mentioned issues must be addressed individually to the research topic, object, aim, research problem and the specifics of the respondents. When deciding about the method of communication, it is important to assess which synchronous or asynchronous communication method is appropriate for the study participants. This decision relates to both computer literacy and psychological and personal factors of the researcher and a person involved. Asynchronous communication eliminates "rush" factor and solves organizational problems. Decision about communication synchronicity is closely associated with the interaction anonymity level. When the research question covers sensitive topics, on which the respondents may find it difficult to talk, it is recommended to choose the anonymous environment that encourages communication to be more open and free. In this case, it is likely preferable to use an asynchronous communication mode. On the basis of the analysis, it is concluded that qualitative research online population perception and evaluation differ from the reality research. The differences here relate to geographical uncertainty, cyberspace users' sex, age, social status and other demographic characteristics intangibility. One way to solve the problem mentioned, especially in cases, where the investigation is carried out in the wider population, is to avoid studying as the unit of analysis individuals, and to choose unit of analysis as social interactions (e.g. unsuccessful purchases, in-store conflict, etc.), social artifacts (e.g. advertising) and so on. Ethical concerns analysis showed that although the online investigator is less constrained by the structure, space and time of communication, virtual environment complicates some ethical solutions (e.g. receiving informed consent). It is concluded that in cases, where the object of investigation or research field is not associated with sensitive aspects of personal life, there is no threat or harmful consequences for research participants and analyzes the generic nature of the problem, the study participants' voluntary participation is seen as an implied consent. The study participant's consent is difficult to obtain and can be excluded when data is collected anonymously. By using pseudonyms and responsibly citing the study participants' computer communication language (text), confidentiality can be achieved. The authors indicate some limitations of the article. They examined the issues identified only in the context of a particular research and more samples were not discussed. This prevents access to general conclusions and contributes only in small aspects of the field. On the other side, each attempt to analyze Internet specificity caused issues lead to methodological qualitative online research perspicuity, research validity and reliability improvement.


Recently there has been a growing movement of researchers that believes innovation and novelty creation, rather than pure optimization, are the true strengths of evolutionary algorithms relative to other forms of machine learning. This idea also provides one possible explanation for why evolutionary processes may exist in nervous systems on top of other forms of learning. One particularly exciting corollary of this, is that evolutionary algorithms may be used to produce what Pugh et al have dubbed Quality Diversity (QD): as many as possible different solutions (according to some characterization), which are all as fit as possible. While the notion of QD implies choosing the dimensions on which to measure diversity and performance, we propose that it may be possible (and desirable) to free the evolutionary process from requiring defining these dimensions. Toward that aim, we seek to understand more about QD in general by investigating how algorithms informed by different measures of diversity (or none at all) create QD, when that QD is measured in a diversity of ways.


For decades, humans have dreamed of making cars that could drive themselves, so that travel would be less taxing, and the roads safer for everyone. Toward this goal, we have made strides in motion planning algorithms for autonomous cars, using a powerful new computing tool, the parallel graphics processing unit (GPU). We propose a novel five-dimensional search space formulation that includes both spatial and temporal dimensions, and respects the kinematic and dynamic constraints on a typical automobile. With this formulation, the search space grows linearly with the length of the path, compared to the exponential growth of other methods. We also propose a parallel search algorithm, using the GPU to tackle the curse of dimensionality directly and increase the number of plans that can be evaluated by an order of magnitude compared to a CPU implementation. With this larger capacity, we can evaluate a dense sampling of plans combining lateral swerves and accelerations that represent a range of effective responses to more on-road driving scenarios than have previously been addressed in the literature. We contribute a cost function that evaluates many aspects of each candidate plan, ranking them all, and allowing the behavior of the vehicle to be fine-tuned by changing the ranking. We show that the cost function can be changed on-line by a behavioral planning layer to express preferred vehicle behavior without the brittleness induced by top-down planning architectures. Our method is particularly effective at generating robust merging behaviors, which have traditionally required a delicate and failure-prone coordination between multiple planning layers. Finally, we demonstrate our proposed planner in a variety of on-road driving scenarios in both simulation and on an autonomous SUV, and make a detailed comparison with prior work.


This paper presents a novel Bayesian strategy for the estimation of smooth signals corrupted by Gaussian noise. The method assumes a smooth evolution of a succession of continuous signals that can have a numerical or an analytical expression with respect to some parameters. The proposed Bayesian model takes into account the Gaussian properties of the noise and the smooth evolution of the successive signals. In addition, a gamma Markov random field prior is assigned to the signal energies and to the noise variances to account for their known properties. The resulting posterior distribution is maximized using a fast coordinate descent algorithm whose parameters are updated by analytical expressions. The proposed algorithm is tested on satellite altimetric data demonstrating good denoising results on both synthetic and real signals. In comparison with state-of-the-art algorithms, the proposed strategy provides a good compromise between denoising quality and necessary reduced computational cost. The proposed algorithm is also shown to improve the quality of the altimetric parameters when combined with a parameter estimation or a classification strategy.


Knowledge base (KB) is an important component knowledge-based systems (KBS). Due to the fact that KB is often built in an incremental nd piecemeal fashion, potential errors may be inadvertently brought into it. KB verification refers to the process of ascertaining the correctness of a KB, which is an integral part of the effort to guarantee the overall correctness of a KBS. KB verification presents a problem of multiple dimensions. Though many verification tools and techniques have been developed or proposed, no coordinated effort has been made in establishing a standard for evaluation and comparison f those tools. It is our hope that the issues raised below and the summary of the existing approaches may serve as a steppingstone toward the convergence of a unified thoery on KB verification.


History and current circumstances suggest that regional planning organizations will be major actors in the planning arena over the coming decades. Amongst other responsibilities they are now accountable for transportation and land use planning decisions which requires assessing the impacts of their transportation policies on land use development. Hence, these agencies are mandated to use sophisticated information management tools and complex land use modeling methods. Existing planning methods have proved to be extremely complex for use by regional agencies' untrained staff, which results in the inability of planning organizations to systematically assess the implications of their planning decisions. It has been proposed that Knowledge Based Systems (KBS) can be used as a tool to improve planning practice by allowing untrained agency personnel to make effective use of complex planning methods. In this paper, we explore the role of KBS in assisting agency staff who lack modeling experience to make effective use of a sophisticated land use model. The hypothesis is that KBS can help us increase the usability of urban models by replicating the decision making process performed by land use model experts; increased usability will, in turn, increase their applicability in planning practice. The Transportation Economic and Land Use model (TELUM) was the software developed to demonstrate how KBS can refine existing land use models and create easy and simple to use planning support systems. The research concluded that under certain conditions KBS could be used as a method to create a buffer between the complexity of a land use modeling system and the inexperienced user.


In 2016, a conditional cash transfer programme that had been assisting targeted poor children since the 1990s was reformed to reach all children attending government schools in Bangladesh. Since the reforms, the cash has been disbursed through mobile money technology and a digital database. It is unchanged in key respects: it is still routed through students' mothers, and its aims still include improving the attendance and performance of students in public schools. Based on research into the political interests and actors behind the reform of the scheme and involved in its implementation, this paper examines how the state's capacity to achieve its aims in society through the stipend scheme (or its 'infrastructural power') interacted with local politics in the implementation of the reformed programme. The research found that the expansionary reform of the Primary Education Stipend Project (PESP) was motivated by the growing dominance of the ruling party in the political settlement, and how that increased its need for popular legitimacy and channels through which to reach citizens. The government and ruling party value the PESP not because it protects people from poverty or crisis, but because it enables the government to reach 10 million mothers with messages as well as money, while also raising educational standards. However, the research found no evidence that the growing dominance of the ruling party had strengthened its capacity to discipline its agents to enforce its policies. Instead, the government had responded to criticisms of the contention and alleged corruption in the programme by redesigning it to minimise the role of local actors. The research was undertaken a year and a half after the reform was implemented, and so it is likely that it picked up some of the teething problems likely to afflict any new or redesigned programme. However, now that the funds are transferred directly from Dhaka to mothers' mobile phones, the teachers, bureaucrats, and local elites who previously provided information or a conduit for complaints no longer have such a role in the system. The scheme connects government directly to the people, but lacks the infrastructure for information flows, monitoring, and grievance redressal through which citizens may hold government accountable.


The legal rules applicable to State compensation for services of general economic interest ("SGEIs") were recently revised by the European Commission. This led to the adoption of the "2012 SGEI Package". The most contentious document of this Package, the "2012 Framework", sets out the conditions for the compatibility of SGEI compensation with the internal market. Against this background, the Commission has recently shown an increased interest in the application of the State aid rules to the postal sector and seems determined to continue scrutinizing the sector in the future. This article aims to analyse the specific rules of the Framework and look closer at the way they (could) apply to the postal sector, with references to the decisional practice of the Commission.


Bacterial infections of the genitial tract are the major cause of reproductive failure in the mare. The variety of bacteria involved has been carefully established in the past and is approved in recent studies. There are approved laboratory procedures for etiologic diagnostics of bacterial infections of the female equine genital tract. Innovative molecular based approaches aim at elucidating, for instance, potential transmission modes of opportunistic pathogens like Pseudomonas aeruginosa, or at analysing genital microbial communities (microbiomes). The latter approach may provide new and more dynamic insights into the pathogenesis of genital infections since alteration of microbiomes is known to be associated with several pathogenic conditions.


Antibiotic resistance constitutes a major health threat. Predicting bacterial causes of infections is key to reducing antibiotic misuse, a leading cause of antibiotic resistance. We combine administrative and microbiological laboratory data from Denmark to train a machine learning algorithm predicting bacterial causes of urinary tract infections. Based on predictions, we develop policies to improve prescribing in primary care, highlighting the relevance of physician expertise and time-variant patient distributions for policy implementation. The proposed policies delay prescriptions for some patients until test results are known and give them instantly to others. We find that machine learning can reduce antibiotic use by 7.42 percent without reducing the number of treated bacterial infections. As Denmark is one of the most conservative countries in terms of antibiotic use, targeting a 30 percent reduction in prescribing by 2020, this result is likely to be a lower bound of what can be achieved elsewhere.


We analyze the stability and accuracy of the coarse-grain memory variable technique used for viscoelastic wave-field simulations. Our analysis shows that the general behavior of the coarse-grain system is well described by effective parameters ( M E and Q E ) that are derived from the harmonic average of the moduli over the volume of the coarse-grain cell. The use of these effective parameters proves essential for analyzing the performance and accuracy of the coarse-grain system for Q values less than about 20. A necessary stability condition for the coarse-grain system requires that the weighting coefficients be bounded between 0 and 1. Specifying the weights using the approach of Day and Bradley (2001) satisfies this condition for Q values of about 3 and larger; however, using unconstrained optimization techniques will often produce weights that violate this condition at much higher Q values. We also derive a variation of the original coarse-grain methodology called the element-specific modulus (ESM) formulation in which each element of the coarse-grain cell uses a different unrelaxed modulus. We demonstrate that the accuracy of the coarse-grain system for Q values lower than about 20 is significantly improved with the ESM formulation without increasing the computational cost. Finally, we present a technique for optimizing the accuracy of the coarse-grain system for very low Q based on the use of the effective quality factor ( Q E ). We demonstrate that using conventional optimization techniques that do not employ the effective parameter Q E will actually degrade the accuracy of the coarse-grain system.

Manuscript received 21 March 2002.


The impact that visual images has on the dissemination of Bruce Onobrakpeya's symbolic messages to the Nigerian peoples is the focus of this paper. The researchers stress that Onobrakpeya started to experiment with symbolic images of the Urhobo people and a complete set of ideograms that he calls IBIEBE symbols has emerged from this experiment. They reappraise the varied symbolic images that Bruce Onobrakpeya had used to disseminate national security messages to the Nigerian peoples. The study also places emphasis on the usage of colours in passing cultural messages in African society. It is, however, revealed that in some African cultures colours give contextual connotations to peace, danger and life respectively. Onobrakpeya's childhood encounter with the colour red was used by the researcher to support this argument. It is concluded that through the inherent symbolic representations and communicative messages in his prints Onobrakpeya has encouraged patriotic ideals as a Nigerian citizen.


Recurring activations of the prevalent latent herpes viruses Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) induces immune cell division leading to the premature terminal differentiation of T-cells. Terminally differentiated T-cells are known to accumulate with age causing a reduction in the naïve T-cell repertoire, which compromises the ability of the adaptive immune system to respond to novel pathogens. Although CMV and EBV seropositivity are hallmarks of the "immune risk profile" and are known to influence the frequency of terminally differentiated T-cells and increase infection risk in adults, it is not known if CMV or EBV impacts on the frequency of these cells in a young subject cohort. PURPOSE: To examine the impact of CMV and EBV seropositivity on the frequency of highly differentiated blood T-cells in Mexican-American adolescents. METHODS: Fasted resting blood samples were obtained from 77 adolescents consisting of both males and females. The presence of antibodies against CMV and EBV was determined in serum by ELISA. Lymphocytes isolated from peripheral blood were assessed for a combination of cell surface markers to determine their stage of differentiation. Monoclonal antibodies and four-color flow cytometry were used to identify senescent (CD27-, CD28-, CD57+), naïve (CCR7+, CD45RA+), memory (CCR7-, CD45RA-) and effector memory (CCD7-, CD45RA+) T-cell markers on pan CD3+ T-cells, CD4+ T-cells and CD8+ T-cells. Differences in T-cell phenotype between the CMV/EBV seropositive and seronegative participants were compared using independent Student t-tests. RESULTS: The prevalence of latent CMV and EBV infection among the subject cohort was 16% and 44% respectively, while 7% of all participants were carrying a latent infection for both. No differences in senescent and memory phenotypes were found between the CMV or EBV seropositive and seronegative groups. CONCLUSION: Despite the known influence of latent CMV and EBV infection on the frequency of senescent T-cells in adults, these preliminary data indicate that CMV and EBV seropositivity has no impact on the frequency of senescent T-cells in adolescents. These data suggest that the increased frequency of terminally differentiated T-cells that are associated with CMV and EBV seropositivity in adults is probably due to long-term infections. Future studies will assess the impact of CMV and EBV seropositivity on immunosenescence in association with other factors known to have an effect on T-cells differentiation, such as BMI and physical activity status.


Predictions about electric energy needs, based on current electric energy models, forecast that the global energy consumption on Earth for 2050 will double present rates. Using distributed procedures for control and integration, the expected needs can be halved. Therefore implementation of Smart Grids is necessary. Interaction between final consumers and utilities is a key factor of future Smart Grids. This interaction is aimed to reach efficient and responsible energy consumption. Energy Residential Gateways (ERG) are new in-building devices that will govern the communication between user and utility and will control electric loads. Utilities will offer new services empowering residential customers to lower their electric bill. Some of these services are Smart Metering, Demand Response and Dynamic Pricing. This paper presents a practical development of an ERG for residential buildings.


The identification of the appropriate role for government is a crucial element in the formulation of economic policy for developing countries. During the 1940s and 1950s the balance of opinion rested firmly in favour of substantial intervention, but over the 1960s and 1970s the balance shifted in what Little describes as the "neoclassical resurgence". In the important debate between the proponents of free markets and the supporters of government intervention, South Korea has been a major battle ground. The neoclassical view, which is currently enjoying some prominance, is that the Korean economic miracle happened because government intervention was in some sense 'neutral' and so something approximating free markets was allowed to prevail. In this thesis, we argue that policy incentives in Korea were not 'self-neutralising' and were contributory to Korean economic growth and development. First, we show that government intervention during the 1960s and 1970s was greater and more distortionary that some participants in the "neoclassical resurgence" might allow. Second, we show that government intervention was 'well-directed' in the sense that policy incentives were provided to those sectors with the greatest potential for economic development. One way in which we assess industrial policy involves the use of shadow prices and the concept of social profitability. If shadow prices are defined as the social opportunity cost of goods, then a change in the allocation of resources can only be socially beneficial if profits calculated using shadow prices are positive. We capture an emphasis on growth through a social welfare function with appropriate weights on certain incomes. We also assess whether the promotion of heavy and chemical industries was justified on infant industry grounds using productivity-related tests and revealed comparative advantage. Lastly, the method based on shadow prices and social profitability is adapted to study the current policy problem of trade imbalances with the US and Japan. We show that the imbalances are mainly by-products of export-led growth and that some 'selectivity' in the policies of export restraints vis-a-vis the US and localisation vis-a-vis Japan may be necessary to minimise the social cost of reducing the trade imbalances.


In natural populations of insect herbivores, genetic differentiation is likely to occur due to variation in host plant utilization and selection by the local community of organisms with which they interact. In parasitoids, engaging in intimate associations with their host during immature development, local variation may exist in host quality for parasitoid development. We compared the development of a gregarious endoparasitoid, Cotesia glomerata L. (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), collected in The Netherlands, in three strains and three caterpillar instars (L1–L3) of its main host, Pieris brassicae L. (Lepidoptera: Pieridae). Hosts had been collected in The Netherlands and France, and were reared in the laboratory for one generation. We also used an established Dutch laboratory strain that had not been exposed to parasitoids for at least 24 generations. Parasitoid survival to adulthood was inversely correlated with host instar at parasitism. Adult parasitoid body mass was largest when hosts were parasitized as L1 and smallest when hosts were parasitized as L3, whereas egg‐to‐adult development time was quickest on L3 hosts and slowest on L1 hosts. Higher survival and faster development of C. glomerata on French L2 hosts also showed that there is variation in host‐instar‐related suitability. Many L2 and most L3 caterpillars that were parasitized exhibited signs of pathogen infection and perished within a few days of parasitism, whereas this never happened when hosts were parasitized as L1 or in non‐parasitized control caterpillars. Our results reveal that, irrespective of the host strain, L1 hosts are optimally synchronized with C. glomerata development. By contrast, the high precocious mortality of L3 larvae may be due to stress‐induced regulation by the parasitoid in order to 'force' its developmental program into synchrony with the developing parasitoid larvae. Our results underscore a potentially important role played by pathogens in mediating herbivore–parasitoid interactions that are host‐instar‐dependent in their expression.


Redesigning the health system model(s) to provide improved access, coordination, and utilization of resources, and quality of care is an important step towards achieving better health for all. This will require the work of many creative and forward-thinking individuals who collaborate effectively with others and are capable of generating successful organizational change in complex, high pressure, and challenging environments. To ensure the continued expansion and success of these efforts, schools, colleges, and universities must develop and sustain high-impact learning environments and curricula that foster the ability to positively influence this process.

The AACP 2008-2009 Argus Commission examined issues related to building a sustainable system of leadership development for pharmacy, and student pharmacists were a focus in their report.1 One of the proposed policy statements from that report, "curricular modifications should occur such that competencies for leading change in pharmacy and health care are developed in all student pharmacists, using a consistent thread of didactic, experiential and co-curricular learning opportunities," clearly indicates the need for the curricula at all colleges and schools of pharmacy to have a focus on developing leadership skills. Many change leadership competencies can and should be reflected throughout the core curricular components, via lecture-based courses (required and elective), practice laboratories, small-group discussions and projects, case studies, and introductory and advanced pharmacy practice experiences (IPPEs and APPEs). In addition, extracurricular activities, service learning, and other experiences provided to student pharmacists throughout their formal professional education can serve to instill and promote change leadership attributes. Continued study of the impact of PharmD curricula is also needed. Applying Kirkpatrick's Model of Evaluation,2,3 programs appear to have made steady progress towards evaluating the reaction (satisfaction and perceived value of training) and learning (development of knowledge, skills, abilities) of student pharmacists. It is the behavior (transfer of the learning to the practice or other settings) and results (the impact on individual patients, health care settings, population, and community health) that need further study through enhanced partnerships among academia, practice, and other organizations.

The editors of this issue also reconnected with several of the student pharmacists (now pharmacists) who participated in the Argus Commission Report and recent graduates from 4 pharmacy practice organizations. Their viewpoints, many of which reinforce the Argus Commission's original recommendations, are summarized below:

(1) Colleges and schools should strive to create an environment where leadership is not only recognized but valued. Faculty members who are actively involved in professional organizations, policy development, and everyday practice as change agents themselves send a strong message to students of the importance they place on these types of activities. In addition, encouraging and providing financial support for student pharmacists to attend professional meetings raises awareness of new and emerging pharmacy roles and networking opportunities.

(2) Creating a supportive network of role models and mentors (faculty members, peers, and practitioners) is important to professional growth. Mentors are needed who encourage student pharmacists to see not only the challenges but also the possibilities, who spark curiosity, and in the words of one of the pharmacists interviewed, "not necessarily provide the right answer, but help frame the question." Providing multiple levels of involvement and the encouragement of mentors who have achieved a healthy balance between their work (or school, if peer mentors) and their personal life has increased student engagement for those "on the fence" and prevented burnout for those already involved.

(3) Providing multiple opportunities for learning outside of the classroom with multiple professions is essential. Applying previous learning to new, unscripted, and sometimes ambiguous situations creates the courage to test novel solutions, build team and coalitions, and challenge the status quo. Identifying needs and innovative approaches to addressing those needs (eg, coordinating health promotion/disease prevention and early detection activities in the community), capitalizing on the profession's strengths, and embracing new roles are examples of ways student pharmacists can promote better health as leaders and change agents. Embedding opportunities to expand pharmacy services, conduct research, and participate in policy development or advocacy in IPPEs and APPEs and intern experiences, allow student pharmacists to practice skills they can carry forward in their careers. Active involvement in professional organizations and co-curricular activities are strongly encouraged.

The critical issue of professional practice development in the AACP strategic plan addresses creating change agents and leaders in student pharmacists and graduates.4 The idea for a theme issue focused on student leadership development to be published in the Journal was developed by several faculty members who have worked and published in the area of student leadership and the AACP Director of Professional Alliance Development. The primary objectives for the issue were to promote awareness of the need for a focus on student leadership development, disseminate guidance documents for use by AACP member colleges and schools and the broader Journal readership, and facilitate implementation of educational programs to achieve competencies related to student leadership and change agent development. All AACP members were invited to submit manuscript proposals. Authors submitted an abstract and detailed outline within a predetermined set of themes: (1) research-focused work in areas of student leadership development; (2) the role of classroom, experiential, co-curricular, international/global, or interprofessional education in leadership development; (3) the role of student organizations in leadership development; (4) best practices in leadership instruction, including outcomes and quality indicators; and (5) the role of leadership abilities in the recruitment, selection, progression, and/or graduation of student pharmacists. Sixty-two proposals from 59 different colleges and schools of pharmacy were received. A committee of 17 members from the AACP Leadership Development Special Interest Group was formed to review the proposals. An evaluation rubric was developed based on the manuscript proposal's abstract and scholarly contribution. Six manuscripts were selected, and the non-selected submissions were encouraged to seek publication in the future.

The articles contained within this theme issue represent a diverse collection of information on student leadership development. The report of a 2010 AACP Council of Faculties Task Force examines how colleges and schools of pharmacy are preparing pharmacy faculty and student pharmacists to be leaders and advocates for the profession.5 Using a modified Delphi process, Traynor, Janke, and Boyle provide the academy with valuable information in 2 articles regarding student pharmacist leadership competencies and guidelines regarding student leadership development in the curricula.6,7 Patterson and colleagues provide an innovative method to offer formal leadership instruction to second- and third-year PharmD students with the assistance of graduate students and faculty members.8 Sucher and colleagues provide another example of using an elective course for student pharmacist development.9 Using various mechanisms to encourage student reflection, this course exposes student pharmacists to multiple facets, techniques, and tools used to develop and assess leadership. Chesnut and Tran-Johnson describe a student leadership development series that uses a longitudinal, co-curricular approach to emphasize the application of leadership concepts.10 This series has been available for 6 years and provides student pharmacists the opportunity to participate in multiple leadership platforms and activities as well earn points that can lead to the award of travel funds to attend a conference or meeting to further enhance their leadership skills.

Developing effective leaders and change agents is an important step in addressing the current and emerging challenges of the US healthcare system. Colleges and schools of pharmacy have a responsibility to incorporate leadership development opportunities throughout their curriculum in order to provide future practitioners with the knowledge, attitudes, and skills needed to implement positive change. The Leadership Development Special Interest Group formed in 2011 is creating a toolkit that can be shared among colleges and schools and other organizations based on a recommendation from the 2008-2009 Argus Commission Report. We hope that the articles in this theme issue will also provide helpful strategies in addressing academic pharmacy's important charge of leadership development.


At the Institute for Business Process Development (Institute V) we have developed a method for acquisition of application packages in order to have a better support for business activities in organizations. This approach is called the SIV-method and has been applied to operative information systems in both small and large companies. As a result of an empirical investigation there is a need to study how application packages can be used to create strategic information systems in organizations.It is maybe a common mistake that we always need specially designed strategic information systems (SIS) to create a competitive edge. More often we utilize existing operative systems in an intellectual way for attaining strategic goals on the market. In this sense it is interesting to study how ordinary application packages could be used for strategic purposes. Another possibility is to design interorganizational systems to facilitate strategic alliances (networks) of companies in the business world.The purpose of the project is to gain deeper knowledge about situations which are characterized by a strategic use of application packages in organizations. Application packages will be a major component of future information technology in both small and large companies. Application packages (or packaged software) are ready-made information systems which you either can buy or re-use from outside organizations


Myxoma virus is a member of Leporipoxviridae whose tropism is tightly restricted to lagomorphs. In susceptible Oryctolagus rabbits, the virus causes a highly lethal disease known as myxomatosis, which begins as a localized infection but rapidly disseminates throughout the animal, leading to immune compromise, mucosal infections, multiorgan failure, and death. In a research setting, myxoma infection of susceptible Oryctolagus cuniculus rabbits is used as a model of poxviral disease progression and represents one of only a few means to study the pathogenesis of this viral family in a native host species. However, the rapid progression of myxomatosis makes accurate prediction of humane endpoints critical to limiting animal pain and distress and preventing death as an endpoint. Here we present case studies of myxomatosis at 2 institutions and offer a refined scoring system to reliably track the course of disease in susceptible rabbits infected with myxoma virus.


A complex hydrologic-hydraulic model has been developed for the Upper Rhone River basin in Switzerland. It is currently operational in the Canton of Valais for real-time flood forecasting and management, providing automatic warnings to the crisis cell of the Canton as well as proposing preventive emptying operations of dam reservoirs to reduce potential flood damage. The system is connected with a database for real-time data transfer and a website has been created to provide information for flood management, such as warning levels, hydrological forecasts at the main control points of the Rhone River and its tributaries, precipitation forecasts over the whole basin, snow cover state and reservoirs water levels. Besides, a hydrological call center has been established for supporting the crisis cell during risked event situations.


Fintech and big tech platforms have expanded their lending around the world. We estimate that the flow of these new forms of credit reached USD 223 billion and USD 572 billion in 2019, respectively. China, the United States and the United Kingdom are the largest markets for fintech credit. Big tech credit is growing fast in China, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia and some countries in Africa and Latin America. Cross-country panel regressions show that such lending is more developed in countries with higher GDP per capita (at a declining rate), where banking sector mark-ups are higher and where banking regulation is less stringent. Fintech credit is larger where there are fewer bank branches per capita. We also find that fintech and big tech credit are more developed where the ease of doing business is greater, and investor protection disclosure and the efficiency of the judicial system are more advanced, the bank creditto- deposit ratio is lower and where bond and equity markets are more developed. Overall, alternative credit seems to complement other forms of credit, rather than substitute for them.


The influences of the number of heat transfer units distribution, cycle pressure ratio, specific heat ratio, etc. on the performance of an irreversible regenerative closed intercooled Brayton cycle are investigated in terms of thermal efficiency, thermodynamic efficiency, dimensionless power, entropy generation number and Ecological Coefficient Of Performance (ECOP). Different performance criteria correspond to the different optimal number of heat transfer units distribution schemes, generally, the NtuR fraction is the largest, followed by NtuH fraction and NtuL fraction, the NtuI is the smallest in the optimal distribution schemes. There exist the optimal specific heat ratios, the optimal cycle pressure ratios and the optimal intercooling pressure ratios for the maximum thermal efficiency, the maximum thermodynamic efficiency and the maximum ecological coefficient of performance in some situations. In general, the optimal specific heat ratio relatively increases as the cycle pressure ratio decreases and slightly increases as the intercooling pressure ratio increases. The optimal cycle pressure ratio increases and the optimal intercooling pressure ratio slightly decreases as the specific heat ratio decreases.


In late 1832, a small religious sect, the Children of Peace, completed their second place of worship, a temple, in the village of Hope in the sparsely settled northern reaches of Toronto's rural hinterland. Called by a vision to "ornament the Christian Church with all the glory of Israel," the Children of Peace rebuilt Solomon's temple as the seat of their New Jerusalem (Schrauwers 1993; 2009). As William Lyon Mackenzie, newspaper editor, mayor of Toronto, and member of the elected assembly for the riding enthused, this three-tiered building was "calculated to inspire the beholder with astonishment; its dimensions—its architecture—its situation—are all so extraordinary" (CA 18 Sept. 1828). The Children of Peace, having fled a cruel and uncaring English pharaoh, viewed themselves as the new Israelites lost in the wilderness of Upper Canada; here they would end sectarianism and rebuild God's kingdom on the principle of charity. It is important to stress both the symbolism and the intended function of this, their second church; the highly symbolic temple was intended solely for their monthly alms sacrifice for the poor "Israelite fashion." The Charity Fund they collected there was utilized for "the relief of the poor of the contributors, and others" (Sharon Temple n.d.: 11), as well as the support of a shelter for the homeless (Schrauwers 2009: 47). Targeted recipients included victims of a cholera epidemic in Toronto and starving pioneer settlers in the outlying districts (CA 23 Aug. 1832; Constitution 4 May 1837).


This thesis aims to spread some light over the phenomena of gender construction in the upper secondary school. The background of this thesis is the gender gap in education. Girls are more successful in school and receive better grades than boys. The explanation that is given for this is that pupils are limited by far to rigid gender roles (DEJA 2010). The question is how these gender roles – and specifically masculinity – are constructed. It was decided that a qualitative study would be the most suitable. To try to find out more about how masculinity is constructed it was important to visit the source – the classroom. For six days an observer sat in the classroom of two different upper secondary schools to study how the pupils shaped masculinity together. However, an observation is limited to what the observer can see and how the observer interprets the situation. In order to give the pupils an own voice a survey was created. Theories of masculinity and homosociality as described by Connell (1999), Kimmel (2010) and Bird (1996) were mostly used to understand the events in the classroom and the answers of the survey.The findings of the study are that masculinity is constructed in relation to other pupils and teachers in the classroom and is not a fixed notion. However, the construction of masculinity is not only limited to the realm of the classroom but also depends upon how masculinity is portrayed elsewhere.


3D seismic data were acquired at a site where enhanced coalbed methane production and carbon sequestration were being tested. The data were acquired nine months after 180 tons of gaseous CO2 were injected at a depth of 0.4 km into the Ardley coals of Alberta, Canada. Poststack inversion of the data showed a low acoustic-impedance anomaly updip and along strike of the preferential fluid pathway in the target coal zone. The size and location of the anomaly concur with the expected imprint of the injected CO2 , and it has been interpreted as the flood. The magnitude of the apparent reduction in acoustic impedance cannot be explained by the Gassmann fluid substitution model, suggesting that the elastic moduli of the coal rock frame has been reduced by exposure to the CO2 . Other authors have shown that such reduction in the elastic moduli of coal could be achieved by changes in the surface energy of the pore wall or by organic dissolution of the coal frame.


This critical essay challenges two assumptions that permeate the call for papers for this special issue of the Inter-American Journal of Education for Democracy. First, it questions the claim that American societies are "[becoming] progressively more diverse," implying that in the past they were less diverse. Second, it disputes not only the theoretical merit of the concept of "authentic democracy," but also the assumption that conflictive views and group relations are not compatible with it. Last, the essay engages in a discussion of how these assumptions, if not pointed out, hinder the purpose set for this special issue and democratic education alike. Academics and policy makers must exercise caution when formulating and setting up frameworks for debate.