One key to manpower planning is forecasting realistic and accurate manhour projections for work in-house or work in the proposal stage. A method used by the author to project manhours over the past ten years is: simple, fosters team spirit and, most important - it works. Make a moral contract with each employee who participates in the project from the project manager to the drafter. At a short meeting with all project participants: outline the work; establish preliminary task assignments; then ask the participants to project manhours required to complete tasks and what must be accomplished before they can begin their tasks. Follow-up quickly with another short meeting so that all participants can finalize their manhour projections and any ideas which affect the project. Confirm with them verbally, in the presence of all attending the meeting, the manhour projections that they have estimated; state that these are target goals for the project.


Several different accounting standards exist all over the world today. The accounting regulations used depends on the country in question and the character of the specific company. These different accounting standards have created an awareness of differences and difficulties when comparing them to each other. Because of this, the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) made an agreement in 2002 with the aim to make the accounting standards International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and the United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (US GAAP) compatible. The collaboration between the boards has shown great results so far, but there are still several remaining issues that have to be solved and the project is on-going. One of these issues is the current lease accounting standards. Both of the boards agreed upon that the existing rules concerning lease accounting is insufficient, resulting in the issuing of an exposure draft in August 2010. The first exposure draft received many comments from the public which led to the publishing of a revised exposure draft, ED/2013/6 (ED2). The purpose of this study has been to increase the knowledge of how changes in accounting standards affect the parties involved and how these changes are developed and implemented. Furthermore to answer the research questions: if the proposals under ED2 should be accepted as they are in their current form (ED2), and if there is a difference in the attitudes towards the proposals depending on if the submitters are organizations operating under the regulations of IASB or FASB. This study has been performed based on a qualitative approach where the different attitudes towards the proposals of ED2, expressed in submitted comment letters from various stakeholders were interpreted. The theoretical frame consists of scientific articles and a course book in order to cover the field of interest. Scientific articles concerning the proposals of ED2 has been included in this study along with information about the standard-setting processes of the IASB and FASB. The empirical findings of this study has been based on a collection of the comment letters that the boards received as responses towards the proposal (ED2), and in total 37 comment letters were included in this study. The comment letters submitted by professional accounting bodies has further been in focus and these provided the base for the empirical findings of the study. The overall approach expressed in the selected comment letters along with the attitudes towards a specific question has been examined. The analysis has been conducted by using the model of analysis (Chapter 3.3), and the empirical findings were put in relation to the theoretical frame. The analysis showed that the majority of the submitters have concerns regarding the proposals of ED2 and that the overall attitudes towards the proposals are negative. The main concerns for the submitters are that the proposals are too complex compared to the current rules and that the costs of implementation would exceed the benefits derived. Furthermore, this study shows that the proposals should not be accepted in their current form and that the boards have to continue their work on developing an accepted lease accounting standard. The attitudes towards the proposed changes in lease accounting do not differ depending on if the submitting organization is operating under the regulations of IASB or FASB


Before the India–Asia collision, Neotethyan subduction gave rise to an Andean-type convergent margin on the southern margin of Asia. To investigate the spatial and temporal distribution of the subduction-related magmatism, we undertook a combined determination of zircon U–Pb ages and Hf isotopes of Mesozoic to Paleogene intrusive and volcanic rocks from southern Tibet to Myanmar to characterize the two parallel magmatic belts that have previously been considered separately. One belt extends from the Gangdese Batholith in the Southern Lhasa sub-terrane to the Lohit Batholith, the Sodon Pluton and the Popa–Loimye Arc in the West Burma Block, and the other from the Central Lhasa Plutonic Belt to the Bomi–Chayu Batholith, the Dianxi Batholith and the Shan Scarps Batholith in central Myanmar. The Gangdese belt, as the main arc component, consists typically of I-type granitoids that contain magmatic zircons showing positive εHf(t) values. In contrast, the Central Lhasa Plutonic Belt belt is dominated by S-type granites in which most zircons show negative εHf(t) values suggesting the involvement of older continental crust in their petrogenesis. The distinct geochemical characteristics indicate not only distinct tectonic settings of their genesis but also the diverse nature of the crust forming the exotic continental ribbons amalgamated to Asia. Supplementary material: Details of sample locations and analytical results are available at: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.4311485


Starting from the perennial debate over the theoretical status of so-called 'affixoids', the present paper proposes a construction-morphological approach to the comparison of nominal compounds in three Germanic languages: German, Dutch, and Swedish. Construction morphology, it is argued, accounts for both crosslinguistic commonalities and differences in these closely related languages, while also taking into consideration factors like genealogical closeness and language contact. Furthermore, the polysemy of empirically attested word-formation patterns can be adequately conceptualised through the notion of a 'hierarchical lexicon', while the concept of 'semantic fragmentation' offers an explanation for different productivity levels within semantically coherent schemas and sub-schemas of compounding.


Abstract. We deployed an aerosol mass spectrometer during the POLARCAT (Polar Study using Aircraft, Remote Sensing, Surface Measurements and Models, of Climate, Chemistry, Aerosols, and Transport) summer campaign in Greenland in June/July 2008 on the research aircraft ATR-42. Online size resolved chemical composition data of submicron aerosol were collected up to 7.6 km altitude in the region 60 to 71° N and 40 to 60° W. Biomass burning (BB) and fossil fuel combustion (FF) plumes originating from North America, Asia, Siberia and Europe were sampled. Transport pathways of detected plumes included advection below 700 hPa, air mass uplifting in warm conveyor belts, and high altitude transport in the upper troposphere. By means of the Lagrangian particle dispersion model FLEXPART, trace gas analysis of O3 and CO, particle size distributions and aerosol chemical composition 48 pollution events were identified and classified into five chemically distinct categories. Aerosol from North American BB consisted of 22% particulate sulphate, while with increasing anthropogenic and Asian influence aerosol in Asian FF dominated plumes was composed of up to 37% sulphate category mean value. Overall, it was found that the organic matter fraction was larger (85%) in pollution plumes than for background conditions (71%). Despite different source regions and emission types the particle oxygen to carbon ratio of all plume classes was around 1 indicating low-volatility highly oxygenated aerosol. The volume size distribution of out-of-plume aerosol showed markedly smaller modes than all other distributions with two Aitken mode diameters of 24 and 43 nm and a geometric standard deviation σg of 1.12 and 1.22, respectively, while another very broad mode was found at 490 nm (σg = 2.35). Nearly pure BB particles from North America exhibited an Aitken mode at 66 nm (σg = 1.46) and an accumulation mode diameter of 392 nm (σg = 1.76). An aerosol lifetime, including all processes from emission to detection, in the range between 7 and 11 days was derived for North American emissions.


This study focuses on the impact of advertising and the influence of culture on the transformation of the ideal body image in Nigeria over a period of 25 years (1988-2013). The study contributes to knowledge of how culture and sociocultural factors may have an influence on overweight body size as ideal body image for Nigerians. The body has become a central part of the modern person's self-identity; therefore, a body that appears healthy and good looking provides cultural capital to the individual. Moreover, an ideal body image is the body size determined by one's cultural group to epitomize beauty. A pattern emerges where beauty is negatively correlated with being overweight in developed countries for women. However, the reverse pattern is found in developing societies like Nigeria where there is strong positive relationship between beauty and an overweight body image size.
Furthermore, sociocultural theories have had a significant impact in the development of ideal body image and self -Identity. According to these theories, there is a strong emphasis in Western societies on thinness as a central aspect of beauty for women. While many studies, mainly from the developed Western contexts, have argued that thin models are preferred in advertisements, there is a paucity of empirical research from the developing, and particularly African context that interrogates how this is necessarily impacting on attitude, particularly in relation to body image size. In existing body image knowledge, many women in contemporary Western cultures have developed what has been termed a 'normative discontent' with their bodies, which in turn is a risk factor for body dissatisfaction. However, little is known about the current development of these phenomena amongst literate Nigerian adults, or when they develop. In this thesis, the research examines how the role of sociocultural influences in individual denudation to experiencing pressure of possessing ideal body image is portrayed in Nigerian advertisements. Using a combination of 1531 questionnaires and content analysis of advertisements in Nigerian magazines, the study finds that a higher percentage of Nigerian males and females wish to increase their body image size and a strong positive correlation was found between body image attitude and family influence. The content
analysis result also shows that in the last decade there has been a transformation in the body image of models portrayed in Nigerian advertisements from overweight to normal and thin size.
These findings suggest that younger Nigerian females may be moving towards a Western body image ideal. The study also supports the contention that higher education leads to exposure to Western culture, an acculturation process that may result in thinness becoming highly valued in Nigeria.


The currently popular approach to conceptualizing feasting practices in the archaeological record leaves little room for diversity in motivation or identity. At the moment, the only social actor given attention in the literature concerning feasting events is hypothesized to be a self-aggrandizing, elite-aspiring male. The narrow conception of who was responsible for feasts, and the reasons for holding them, shuts out the multitude of other standpoints and motivations which have the potential to broaden our understanding of these important social events. Through the intersection of the ancient Maya ritual ballgame, associated feasting, and gendered participation, I demonstrate the necessity of accounting for, and incorporating, a variety of perspectives and motivations when considering the feast as an important form of social interaction.


Er1-xTixOy dielectric thin films were deposited on Si(100) substrates by atomic layer deposition (ALD) using tris(methylcyclopentadienyl) erbium [(CpMe)(3)Er] and tetrakis(diethylamino) titanium [TDEAT] as metal precursors, and O-3 as oxidant. The deposition temperature dependence of both Er2O3 and TiO2 film growths showed the overlapping ALD window of 175-250 degrees C. Compositional tunability of Er1-xTixOy films was obtained through deposition process control. Carbon and nitrogen impurities in as-deposited films were found to be below X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy detection level. Glancing incidence X-ray diffraction and phase-shifting interferometry results showed that ErxTi1-xOy films with ALD cycle ratios (Er2O3/TiO2) of 1: 8 or higher have a good thermal stability and remain amorphous with unchanged surface roughness after post-deposition rapid thermal processing (RTP) at 700 degrees C in O-2. Electrical measurements showed that optimized amorphous Er1-xTixOy films after RTP exhibited a dielectric constant of similar to 36, a hysteresis voltage of less than 10 mV, and a leakage current density of 10(-8) A/cm(2) at - 1 MV/cm; such properties compare favorably with the properties of other reported amorphous titanium-based ternary dielectrics on Si. The sizable reduction of leakage current density of Er1-xTixOy found in our study suggests that amorphous Er1-xTixOy thin films are promising future dielectrics in Si integrated circuit technology.


Abstract. For understanding and forecasting of hydrodynamics in coastal regions, numerical models have served as an important tool for many years. In order to assess the model performance, we compared simulations to observational data of water temperature and salinity. Observations were available from FerryBox transects in the southern North Sea and, additionally, from a fixed platform of the MARNET network. More detailed analyses have been made at three different stations, located off the English eastern coast, at the Oyster Ground and in the German Bight. FerryBoxes installed on ships of opportunity (SoO) provide high-frequency surface measurements along selected tracks on a regular basis. The results of two operational hydrodynamic models have been evaluated for two different time periods: BSHcmod v4 (January 2009 to April 2012) and FOAM AMM7 NEMO (April 2011 to April 2012). While they adequately simulate temperature, both models underestimate salinity, especially near the coast in the southern North Sea. Statistical errors differ between the two models and between the measured parameters. The root mean square error (RMSE) of water temperatures amounts to 0.72 °C (BSHcmod v4) and 0.44 °C (AMM7), while for salinity the performance of BSHcmod is slightly better (0.68 compared to 1.1). The study results reveal weaknesses in both models, in terms of variability, absolute levels and limited spatial resolution. Simulation of the transition zone between the coasts and the open sea is still a demanding task for operational modelling. Thus, FerryBox data, combined with other observations with differing temporal and spatial scales, can serve as an invaluable tool not only for model evaluation, but also for model optimization by assimilation of such high-frequency observations.


Saffron, Crocus sativus L. (C. sativus) is rich in carotenoids and used in traditional medicine for treatment of various conditions such as coughs, stomach disorders, amenorrhea, asthma and cardiovascular disorders. These therapeutic effects of the plant are suggested to be due to its relaxant effect on smooth muscles. The effect of C. sativus and its constituents on different smooth muscles and the underlying mechanisms have been studied. Several studies have shown the relaxant effects of C. sativus and its constituents including safranal, crocin, crocetin and kaempferol on blood vessels. In addition, it was reported that saffron stigma lowers systolic blood pressure. The present review highlights the relaxant effects of C. sativus and its constituents on various smooth muscles. The possible mechanisms of this relaxing effect including activation of ß2-adrenoceptors, inhibition of histamine H1 and muscarinic receptors and calcium channels and modulation of nitric oxide (NO) are also reviewed.


A bacterium was isolated from a water sample collected from the Kephart Prong in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This isolate did not have a conclusive match to any known bacteria in the Ribosomal Database Project (RDP); therefore, it was tested to verify it as a novel species. The full 16S rRNA gene of the newly discovered bacterium was sequenced and results showed there to be a 100% confidence that it belonged in the Enterobacteriaceae family but only an 81% confidence that is belonged in the genus Serratia suggesting that this bacterium could represent a new genus in the family. The bacterium was characterized by its preferences and tolerance to temperature, pH, and salinity as well as for metabolic capabilities such as oxidase activity, ability to hydrolyze gelatin, ability to convert tryptophan into indole, and the ability to hydrolyze casein. Antibiotic resistance was also tested against penicillin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, clindamycin, nalidixic acid, nitrofurantoin, and colistin. Results from these phenotypic tests suggested that the isolate is not closely related to any known enterobacter species. Based on the limitations of the above methods, the full genome was sequenced to better place it in the family Enterobacteriaceae. Results of whole genome comparisons to its most closely related relatives indicate that this species is quite novel. Phylogenetics were performed and demonstrate that a new genus and species of bacteria has been cultured. This work will aid in understanding the biodiversity found in Great Smoky Mountains National Park as well as the possible contributions this bacterium provide to the ecosystem. Bacteria are also beneficial to humans and act as important resources in many different fields such as medicine, agriculture, biotechnology, and ecology. Without the knowledge and resources gained from bacteria these fields would not be as advanced as they are today. Further, conservation and restoration of ecosystems cannot occur without first understanding the biodiversity that makes up that these environments. The discovery of this isolate helps contribute to the understanding of the biodiversity in GSMNP as well as the understanding of the Enterobacteriaceae family.


The financial performance of the 991 sample plots of uneven-aged loblolly-hardwood stands in the Central South FIA database examined in this report depend crucially on real price trends. Equivalent annual income (EAI) is the measure of economic performance. The regional market stumpage price data are from the Timber Mart-South database. For this set of prices, a higher real price level prevailed in most of the regional markets after 1993. The mean EAI was $56/ac/yr most of which was due largely to the favorable trend in real timber prices. The mean EAI with the real price maintained at the starting price was $10/ac/yr. The increasing real price trend during the study period dominated all other factors in determining financial performance. With this increasing price trend, the best performing lands are overstocked stands and the opportunity cost of conservation is negative. Constant price EAI is affected significantly by the stand basal area, total number of trees, number of hardwood trees, and number of trees near saw timber size. The effect of some factors on constant price EAI is significantly stronger on publicly held lands than on privately held lands. No difference between the financial performance of industrially owned lands and other privately held lands is apparent.


Background Low fall-related efficacy is associated with the number and severity of future falls in older adults with balance disorders. Objective The purpose of this study was to examine whether improvements in clinical measures of balance after an intervention program were associated with changes in efficacy. Design. A prospective, nonexperimental, pretest-posttest design was used. Methods Sixty-three people (43 men, 20 women; mean [±SD] age=76.6±4.9 years) with a history of at least 2 falls in the previous 12 months were enrolled between 2004 and 2008 to participate in a 12-week home exercise program. Balance deficits were identified using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and the Dynamic Gait Index (DGI), and participants were evaluated monthly. Hierarchical linear regression was used to assess the relationship between measures of balance (BBS and DGI) and efficacy (Falls Efficacy Scale) before intervention. A second model examined the relationship between changes in balance and changes in efficacy after participation in the program. Results Preintervention scores of efficacy were significantly associated with age, depression, and BBS and DGI scores. After controlling for age, depression, and strength (force-generating capacity), BBS and DGI scores together accounted for 34% of the variance in preintervention efficacy. Significant improvements were noted in efficacy, BBS and DGI scores, and depression after intervention. When controlling for preintervention efficacy and changes in depression, the changes in DGI and BBS scores together explained 11% of the variance in the change in fall-related efficacy; however, only DGI scores contributed uniquely. Limitations These results are tempered by the absence of a control group to examine the role of time on changes in efficacy. Conclusions The results suggest that increased emphasis on mobility during rehabilitation leads to improved confidence to perform activities of daily living without falling.


After the establishment of the biodiversity conservation area of the Soubré hydroelectric dam, scientific studies showing its value as a biodiversity reserve and its importance for the population were not implemented. As a result, no sustainable management strategy has been initiated. this study was conducted to make up for this shortcoming. It aims to assess its conservation value. The data collection methodology combined botanical inventories and an ethnobotanical survey. The analyse of data was based on the plant diversity and the importance of the area for local populations. Investigations show a rich flora of 346 species. There are 38 endemic species, 10 vulnerable and 8 locally threatened with extinction. This flora richness allows to attribute to the conservation area the High Conservation Value of category 1 (HCV 1). Among the species list, 84 are cited by the populations as useful plants. The use categories are, in order of importance, medicinal use, food use, Handicrafted use, timber. The organs sought are mainly the leaves in the practice of traditional medicine, the fruits in food and the stem in crafts, timber and firewood. Among useful species, 13 are very important for local population. Of these, 6 are less abundant in the area such as Ricinodendron heudelotii, Carpolobia lutea G. Don. The capacity for the area to serve as a refuge for useful species gives it the HCV 5. These results will allow the implementation of appropriate management.


The U.S. campaign in Afghanistan has been based, in part, on a pair of contradictory notions: First, that the Taliban are a supra-ethnic, transnational group severed from the social and cultural heritage of Afghanistan; and second, that the Taliban represent a form of Pashtun nationalism. This article uses archival data and field research to show that both views are incorrect. The Taliban are historically rooted in Pashtun communities and yet are not a force of Pashtun nationalism. Rather, they comprise a network of exclusion, bound together in rhetoric by a particular conception of political Islam and Afghan sovereignty. This is an 'Islamist nationalism' in word, but crucially, not in deed: While the Taliban aspire to act as a nationalist force representing all Afghans, under conditions of institutional poverty and the lack of modernization, the Taliban are bound in practice by networks of trust and personal contact. This is an example of the 'combined and uneven development' of Afghan nationalism.


We present a general semantic account of Gifford-style type-and-effect systems. These type systems provide lightweight static analyses annotating program phrases with the sets of possible computational effects they may cause, such as memory access and modification, exception raising, and non-deterministic choice. The analyses are used, for example, to justify the program transformations typically used in optimising compilers, such as code reordering and inlining. Despite their existence for over two decades, there is no prior comprehensive theory of type-and-effect systems accounting for their syntax and semantics, and justifying their use in effect-dependent program transformation. We achieve this generality by recourse to the theory of algebraic effects, a development of Moggi's monadic theory of computational effects that emphasises the operations causing the effects at hand and their equational theory. The key observation is that annotation effects can be identified with the effect operations. Our first main contribution is the uniform construction of semantic models for typeand-effect analysis by a process we call conservative restriction. Our construction requires an algebraic model of the unannotated programming language and a relevant notion of predicate. It then generates a model for Gifford-style type-and-effect analysis. This uniform construction subsumes existing ad-hoc models for type-and-effect systems, and is applicable in all cases in which the semantics can be given via enriched Lawvere theories. Our second main contribution is a demonstration that our theory accounts for the various aspects of Gifford-style effect systems. We begin with a version of Levy's Callby-push-value that includes algebraic effects. We add effect annotations, and design a general type-and-effect system for such call-by-push-value variants. The annotated language can be thought of as an intermediate representation used for program optimisation. We relate the unannotated semantics to the conservative restriction semantics, and establish the soundness of program transformations based on this effect analysis. We develop and classify a range of validated transformations, generalising many existing ones and adding some new ones. We also give modularly-checkable sufficient conditions for the validity of these optimisations. In the final part of this thesis, we demonstrate our theory by analysing a simple example language involving global state with multiple regions, exceptions, and nondeterminism. We give decision procedures for the applicability of the various effectdependent transformations, and establish their soundness and completeness.


Beach seine is known to be biologically and ecologically destructive. Over the years there have been increased concerns from fishery managers and stakeholders in West Africa and beyond to reduce this destruction of fish resources by the gear. Total bans for periods in the year or the use of a bigger mesh size (25 mm) at the cod end have been investigated. A covered cod end experiment was conducted in the nearshore waters at Tsokome near Accra (Ghana) during June and September 2012 to contribute to find a solution to the management problem posed by the gear. The temporal variability of effort, catch, species composition of the 10 mm and 25 mm cod ends; the gear selectivity; and the revenue of each bag were studied and compared. A total of 60 species belonging to 35 families was recorded. The four dominant taxonomic families were: Penaeidae, Carangidae, Haemulidae and Trichiuridae in order of importance. The selection factors were high and almost the same for the dominant species Brachydeuterus auritus, Chloroscombrus chrysurus and Peneaus notialis. This suggests the need to raise the Lc through adoption of increased mesh size regulation. The use of the 25 mm bag was 25% more financially rewarding than that of 10 mm bag. The 10 mm bag was found to catch species of smaller size. Educational programmes for all relevant stakeholders about the gains of using a bigger mesh size at the cod end and immediate strict enforcement of the relevant provisions of the Fisheries Law 2002, Act 625 of Ghana are among the recommendations to help save fish resources from further degradation.

 Key words: Beach seine gear, cod end, fish resource, fisheries management, gear selectivity, Ghana.


The aim of this paper is to call for the need of a theoretical model of pharmaceutical products safety in which the two systems of regulation and liability operate complementarily. The question is why two legal tools that are meant to achieve and protect the same goal (protection of consumers) are shaped in a way that hinders, instead of promoting, a positive interaction between the two. At present we have two separate sets of rules that operate independently: pre-marketing regulation with post-marketing surveillance duties, and ex-post facto liability, linked to the pre-marketing available knowledge. Since the key issue in both regulatory and liability assessments related to pharmaceuticals is the one of "relevant knowledge", we claim that the legal framework should be shaped in the way that better promotes the availability of such a knowledge. In the effort of identifying a global paradigm of pharmaceutical safety (coherent with the global nature of the relevant market), a comparison of the legal frameworks in force in the two major "regional" drug markets (US and EU) is not only necessary, but valuable in order to identify the shortcomings of "local" solutions, and their inconsistencies vis a vis the transnational nature of the issue. The fact that the two scenarios present substantial institutional differences does not hinder such a value. If we consider that the market is globalized at both the stage of production and at the one of distribution, the construction of a global governance of pharmaceutical safety has to confront with legal and institutional diversities.


Pictures and words are the primordial ways of communication used by human beings: indeed, one might even conjecture which communication medium arose first. The present paper aims to analyse the deep relationship between pictures and words in ancient Mesopotamia, showing how communication is in fact the result of cooperation between the two: in particular, how pictures prevailed over and preceded words (also today we are used or we prefer to express our thoughts and emotions through pictures). It seems that pictures confer a stronger and more effective power in communication: the materiality of pictures as opposed to the immateriality of words discloses the possibility of asking questions of not only what pictures are, but how they are. Indeed, material culture deeply affects both the mind and the body and this entanglement closely links the sensual experience (perception, shaping, and use of things) to the emotional experience (reception of and reaction to things). In this respect, pictures are special objects of the material world and they can do things to people or even make people to do things that words cannot do.


This article documents a reading and writing promotion project amongst learners attending under-privileged schools with Afrikaans as medium of instruction in the West and Eastern Cape. The premise of this study was that reading and writing should be fun and that books created for children should be reader centred. Learners were asked to take part in a voluntary writing competition which entailed writing down a joke or a riddle. These were selected and compiled in an economically produced booklet that the learners could buy at a nominal price. Feedback from both the learners and teachers at participating schools revealed the booklet to be a great success. Two main factors that contributed to this success were: participation, i.e. the fact that the readers were part of the project which empowered them and fostered a sense of self-worth; and the fact that they could identify with the book in terms of the language used and the circumstances portrayed in the book. The popularity of the book in terms of sales showed that even children with very little money will buy books that interest them. As this was a pilot project, the long-term advantages of the project cannot be predicted. However, the immediate effect of the project was visibly positive and could provide guidelines for the planning of similar reading promotion projects in the future.


: - Forest utilization aims to obtain the benefits in terms of forest products and services in an optimal, fair, and sustainable manner for the welfare of people, especially those living around the forest as well as to foster public awareness to maintain and enhance the function of conserved forests to realize the preservation of natural resources and the environment for both present generation and future generation. The objective of this research is to confirm sustainability and the driving variables regarding the management of the customary forest of Rumbio, Kampar Regency, Riau Province. Developing a model for managing sustainable forest on customary land is carried out with interviews with experts in the field of forestry, adat stakeholders, spatial planning and the environment. there are 7 experts including government, academics, practitioners, community leaders, customary stakeholders, and non-governmental organizations. The overall Rapfor analysis show that the value of sustainability condition is 57.31% which is categorized as quite sustainable (in which the ecological dimension is 57.00%, the economic dimension is 48.55%, the social cultural dimension is 60.41%, and legal / institutional dimension is 61.13%). These conditions reveal that the Rumbio customary forest management is fairly good. The driving variables of the sustainability of the forest management include; institutional capacity, government budget, community agency involvement, tourism potential, and local wisdom practice factors.


The objective of this paper is the analysis of the state of the art in pedestrian simulation models and the identification of key issues for further research, with particular focus on the modelling of pedestrians and motorised traffic. A review and a comparative assessment of pedestrian simulation models are carried out, including macroscopic models, earlier meso-and miscosimulation models mostly in Cellular Automata and more recent Multi-Agent simulation models. The reviewed models cover a broad range of research topics: pedestrian flow and level of service, crowd dynamics and evacuations, route choice etc. However, pedestrian movement in urban areas and the interactions between pedestrians and vehicles have received notably less attention. A number of challenges to be addressed in future research are outlined: first, the need to and account for the hierarchical behavioural model of road users strategic / tactical / operational behaviour; second, the need for appropriate description and parameterization of vehicle and pedestrian networks and their crossing points; third, the need to exploit in the simulation models the results of statistical and probabilistic models, which offer valuable insight in the determinants of pedestrian behaviour. In each case, recent studies towards addressing these challenges are outlined.


This paper examines the responses of firms in the textile industry of South Africa to that country's rapid liberalisation of trade since the early 1990s. The data reveal that there have been increased exports accompanied by reductions in employment and contraction of production of yarns and fabrics. Drawing on a survey of companies, followed by interviews, it documents how competitive pressures from imports have led firms to increase their exports. Exporting is not, however, directly associated with better performance. This is due to its being a response by many firms to weak domestic demand and the need to maintain production capacity. But, liberalisation has also been accompanied by much upgrading of equipment and by increased specialisation and vertical disintegration in order to develop competitive niches despite South Africa's manufacturing wage levels being higher than those of many of its international competitors. Firms focusing on non-price factors of export competitiveness have been better performing. Firms have also been most successful where technological capabilities based on the domestic market provided a foundation for export competitiveness. There are indications that with the restructuring induced by liberalisation the sector is in a position more effectively to exploit its competitive strengths in international markets. In addition, the United States' African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) offers some stimulus for the textile industry to supply fabrics to firms in the export garment sector which previously imported them. Copyright 2003, Oxford University Press.


Introduction: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a functional disorder of inflammation and disruption of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This is the most common GI disorder affecting 10% of people in North America. Probiotics are active microorganisms that provide health benefits when consumed. They are beneficial because they improve or restore gut flora. Consumption of probiotics associate with shortening of colonic transit time in patients with IBS. Purpose: The purpose of this review is to determine if there are beneficial effects of taking a probiotic among clients that are diagnosed with IBS.Methods: The Evidence Analysis Manual was followed to examine articles one and two to evaluate the effects of probiotics on IBS. The studies of the articles included active and control groups and were done over a period oftime that was feasible to produce an outcome.Results: Article one and two both show a positive correlation in the improvement of symptoms in taking a probiotic while having IBS. Article one took into consideration more symptoms associated with IBS. However, both articles focused on the common symptoms of pain, constipation, frequency of bowel movement, and flatulence.Conclusion: There was a positive correlation of improvement shown throughout the results of Table 1. They each focused on four common symptoms of IBS. This data showed the alleviation of symptoms while taking a probiotic.


To ensure sequestration safety, confirming the injectivity of the reservoir rock formation is of critical importance, requiring studies of the rock permeability to uncover the fluid migration scenarios within the porous reservoir rock. Two-phase (super-critical CO2-brine) flow behavior following the post CO2 injection is believed to be a dominating factor; its flooding behavior within the porous rock media needs to be further clarified prior to confirming the feasibility of domestic CO2 geo-sequestration. This study aims to determine the relative permeability of rock cores obtained from field outcropping. A test facility was established to determine the relative permeability during drainage and imbibition processes using a core-flooding test characterized by displacement method. The test facility was assembled locally and is regarded as a pioneering attempt. By relevant data interpretation, the parameters of relative permeability for predicting the movement of super-critical CO2 after injection can be modeled. More reliable parameters can be obtained using history matching processes wherein time-elapsed data calibration is used in conjunction with a computer code, TOUGH2. The test results were iteratively calibrated using numerical simulation by conducting a history matching process. The K-S curves derived from best-fit parameters are believed to be the most relevant relative permeability for the reservoir rock. Through this preliminary study, a better understanding of some of the problems and limitations associated with the determination of the rock relative permeability using two-phase flow test is achieved, but more advanced research is required. Article history: Received 21 March 2012 Revised 10 September 2012 Accepted 1 August 2013


Leaf Area Index (LAI), quantifies the total foliage per unit ground surface area. It is
the "driving" biophysical variable and is therefore an important input parameter to
many hydrological, ecological and climate models. In this study, we develop LAI
estimation model for obtaining LAI value using LANDSAT TM data image analysis.
The use of vegetation indices acquired h m remotely sensed data considered as mean
of estimating LAX. A study was carried out to estimate LA1 using Normalised
Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) using Landsat 'Rvl data. The objective of this
study was to estimate LAI in Air Hitam Forest Reserve (AHFR) using NDVI, in
which, the empirical relationship between LAI (NDVI) and measured LAI (LICOR
2000) was developed.
The AHFR, located in Puchong, Selangor, Malaysia was chosen for this study.
Landsat TM was digitally processed and enhanced using ERDAS IMAGINE 8.4
which produced the NDVI map. Based on this NDVI values, 12 sample plots of 20 m
x 40 m were established to measure the LAI (using LICOR 2000) along with six
stand parameters namely the dbh, height, crown volume, stand density, basal area and
light intensity. The measurements were analysed to determine the descriptive statistic
of each plot using SPSS Software. LA1 was later regressed against the stand variables
as well as the NDVI value, derived earlier from the Landsat TM image, to establish
the regression fit. Once the regression fit model between NDVI and LA1 was
obtained, the NDVI image data was converted to the mapping of LAI. The accuracy
of LAI was evaluated using the accuracy assessment in ERDAS IMAGINE 8.4.
Stand characteristic variables such as dbh, height, crown volume, basal area and light
intensity showed correlation with LAI except stand density. It also produced
correlation with the NDVI which was derived fiom Landsat TM. Linear relationship
described the relationship between LA1 and NDVI with the regression equation of
LAI = 7.0861 xNDV1+ 1.0929 with high R~ of 0.81 with significance level of 0.05.
The range of LAI observed (LICOR 2000) was similar to the overall range in LAI
from the NDVI. Through the models of LAI value estimation, LAI mapping on
AHFR can be done with each pixel holding its own LAI value. This study suggests
that remote sensing can be used to estimate LA1 in forest stands and produce LAI
map in AHFR subsequently provide predictive models of LAI specific for forest
stands.


Computer scientists and practitioners defend their lack of experimentation with a wide range of arguments. Some arguments suggest that experimentation is inappropriate, too difficult, useless, and even harmful. This article discusses several such arguments to illustrate the importance of experimentation for computer science. It considers how the software industry is beginning to value experiments, because results may give a company a three- to five-year lead over the competition.


Cooperation and Human Cognition Michael Tomasello Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology Department of Developmental and Comparative Psychology GERMANY Abstract: Great apes cognitively represent and reason (make inferences) about the world. Humans, in addition, represent the world propositionally and conceptually (perspectivally), and they reason about it recursively and reflec- tively. The Shared Intentionality Hypothesis posits that these uniquely human forms of cognitive representation and reasoning emerged evolutionarily as cognitive adaptations for dealing with a distinctive form of social life, specifically, one in which individuals had to coordinate their intentional states with others in cooperative, and ultimately cul- tural, activities. Within these cooperative activities, early humans created shared realities (joint attention, common ground), which then enabled them to direct the attention and imagination of one another in relevant ways in acts of cooperative, and ultimately conventional, communication. Learning to cooperate and communicate within a cultural group during ontogeny creates uniquely human propositional-conceptual-reflective cognition.


This thesis has explored the economic, political, legal and technological changes that have an impact on decision support requirements in many organisations. It has looked particularly at the Public Sector and the FE Sector and has established the need for an intelligent decision support system. Critical Success Factors have been identified that have influenced the design of a specific Expert Advisor System experimental prototype, the development of which has been central to the research. A range of system development methodologies have been reviewed, and justification has been provided for the selection of the CommonKADS methodology. Technologies and techniques to be used in the development of the Expert Advisor System have also been reviewed and justification has been provided for incorporating Case-Based Reasoning and Data Warehousing. The analysis, design and development of the system has been strongly influenced by the Critical Success Factors that were identified to ensure the system met the decision support needs. The experimental prototype has been developed specifically to assist Senior Managers at an FE college with the decision making that is used to complete ISR Funding Returns. The system gives access to historic data, provides auditable data trails to substantiate decisions and facilitates what-if projections. Case-based knowledge discovery, data-based knowledge discovery, graph-based knowledge discovery and projection-based knowledge discovery have been achieved through the use of the prototype. An important part of the development process was the adaptation of cases and the adaptation of queries that extracted and aggregated data to provide system adaptation. The research has focused around addressing two research hypotheses. Evidence has been provided to show that the two research hypotheses have been addressed. This demonstrates that (hypothesis 1) CommonKADS Models are well suited to providing a template for the design and documentation of Decision Support Systems that need to operate in rapidly changing domains. Justification has also been given to show that (hypothesis 2) CBR principles can be used together with other knowledge discovery techniques to provide useful adaptive systems. The research concludes by looking at how new technologies could be incorporated in later versions of the Expert Advisor System.


Referrals of all NHS patients and all surgery on children have been suspended at a private hospital in Surrey after an inspection by the main NHS regulator found the hospital to be failing several quality standards.

The BMI Healthcare's Mount Alvernia Hospital in Guildford, Surrey—an independent acute care hospital—has now replaced its management team after a highly critical inspection by the Care Quality Commission. Care is now back to a good standard, it said.

Inspections carried out in December last year and January this year found medical, surgical, and nursing practices at the hospital were so poor that people were put at "significant risk" that was sometimes "life threatening," despite staff members themselves raising concerns with …


Holothurin, a biotoxic principle from the Cuvierian glands of the Bahamian sea-cucumber, Actinopyga agassixi, was studied as an antitumor agent capable of retarding tumor growth and prolonging the life of tumor-bearing mice. White Swiss mice injected with Sarcoma 180 had a mean survival time of 18.1 days with an average weight gain representing tumor and ascites fluid accumulation amounting to 25.1 grams in 15 days. Of five white Swiss mice with Sarcoma 180 receiving 0.15 mg Holothurin every other day, one was alive a t 57 days and the average weight gain of the group was 10.4 grams in 15 days. White Swiss mice with Sarcoma 180 which survived the lethal effects of slightly higher doses of Holothurin also had prolonged survival times and negligible tumor growth. C57-Bl-6J mice with B-16 melanoma tumors did not show increased survival time using the same doses of Holothurin that were effective in white Swiss mice. Toxicity tests indicated that the safe upper limit for intraperitoneal Holothurin injection in white Swiss mice was 0.10 mg/day, 0.15 mg given every other day, and up to 0.30 mg given in a single injection. Similar tests with C57 black mice showed survival with as much as 0.60 mg Holothurin in a single subcutaneous injection. Holothurin was found to be 250 to 500 times more effective in causing red blood cell hemolysis than saponin and thus appears to have some action on living cells in addition t o its surfactant action.


The National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) database contains a large amount of information, regarding the way of life, medical conditions, etc., of a representative sample of the U.S. population. In this paper, we are interested in seeking the hidden causes behind the suicide attempts, for which we propose to model the subjects using a nonparametric latent model based on the Indian Buffet Process (IBP). Due to the nature of the data, we need to adapt the observation model for discrete random variables. We propose a generative model in which the observations are drawn from a multinomial-logit distribution given the IBP matrix. The implementation of an efficient Gibbs sampler is accomplished using the Laplace approximation, which allows integrating out the weighting factors of the multinomial-logit likelihood model. Finally, the experiments over the NESARC database show that our model properly captures some of the hidden causes that model suicide attempts.


BACKGROUND
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) agonists are insulin-sensitising drugs used for the treatment of insulin resistance. In addition to lowering glucose in diabetes, these drugs may also protect against hyperlipidaemia and arteriosclerosis, which are risk factors for stroke. This is an update of a review first published in January 2014 and subsequently updated in October 2015.

OBJECTIVES
To assess the efficacy and safety of PPAR-γ agonists in the secondary prevention of stroke and related vascular events for people with stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA).

SEARCH METHODS
We searched the Cochrane Stroke Group Trials Register (16 May 2017), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; 2017, Issue 5), MEDLINE (1949 to 16 May 2017), Embase (1980 to 16 May 2017), CINAHL (1982 to 16 May 2017), AMED (1985 to 16 May 2017), and 11 Chinese databases (16 May 2017). In an effort to identify further published, unpublished, and ongoing trials, we searched ongoing trials registers, reference lists, and relevant conference proceedings, and contacted authors and pharmaceutical companies. We did not impose any language restrictions.

SELECTION CRITERIA
We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating PPAR-γ agonists versus placebo for the secondary prevention of stroke and related vascular events in people with stroke or TIA, with the outcomes of recurrent stroke, vascular events, and adverse events.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two review authors independently screened the titles and abstracts of identified records, selected studies for inclusion, extracted eligible data, cross-checked the data for accuracy, and assessed methodological quality and risk of bias. We evaluated the quality of evidence for each outcome using the GRADE approach.

MAIN RESULTS
We identified five RCTs with 5039 participants; two studies had a low risk of bias for all domains. Four studies evaluated the drug pioglitazone, and one study evaluated rosiglitazone. The participants in different studies were heterogeneous.Recurrent strokeThree studies evaluated the number of participants with recurrent stroke (4979 participants, a single study contributing 3876 of these). Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma agonists probably reduce the recurrence of stroke compared with placebo (risk ratio (RR) 0.66, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.44 to 0.99; moderate-quality evidence).Adverse eventsEvidence that adverse events occurred more frequently in participants treated with PPAR-γ agonists when compared with placebo was uncertain due to wide confidence interval and high levels of statistical heterogeneity: risk difference 10%, 95% CI -8% to 28%; low-quality evidence).Data were available on additional composite outcomes reflecting serious vascular events (all-cause death and other major vascular events; all-cause mortality, non-fatal myocardial infarction or non-fatal stroke) from one study in 984 people. This study provided low-quality evidence that PPAR-γ agonists led to fewer events (data not meta-analysed).Vascular eventsPeroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma agonists given over a mean duration of 34.5 months in a single trial of 984 participants may reduce serious vascular events expressed as a composite outcome of total events of cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction or non-fatal stroke (RR 0.73, 95% CI 0.54 to 0.99; low-quality evidence).Other outcomesOne study in 20 people measured insulin sensitivity, and one study in 40 people measured the ubiquitin-proteasome activity in carotid plaques. Our confidence in the improvements observed with PPAR-γ agonists were limited by small sample sizes and risk of bias. None of the studies reported the number of participants with disability due to vascular events or improvement in quality of life.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma agonists probably reduce recurrent stroke and total events of cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction or non-fatal stroke, and may improve insulin sensitivity and the stabilisation of carotid plaques. Their effects on adverse events are uncertain. Our conclusions should be interpreted with caution considering the small number and the quality of the included studies. Further well-designed, double-blind RCTs with large samples are required to assess the efficacy and safety of PPAR-γ agonists in the secondary prevention of stroke and related vascular events in people with stroke or TIA.


A 53-year-old woman was referred to the immunology clinic for further assessment after an episode of serotype Y meningococcal meningitis. She had no history of exposure to meningococcal infection or of foreign travel. Otherwise, she had no history of infections. Six months before the admission with the meningitis, she had an episode of pleurisy, which did not respond to antibiotics but responded to a 5 day course of prednisolone. Apart from this short course of steroids 6 months before the meningitis she had not received any immunosuppressive drugs.

She had had persistent non-productive cough with breathlessness since the age of 47 years. A chest CT scan and spirometry, at this stage, were normal.

From the age of 48, she had been experiencing urticaria, mainly on her arms and legs, almost every day. The wheals took about 12 hours to develop and lasted for at least 24 hours, leaving bruise-like marks. In addition, she had episodes of angioedema affecting the face, cheeks, lips and eyelids. Because of the atypical features of her chronic urticaria, which were suggestive of urticarial vasculitis, a skin biopsy was done. This showed non-specific changes of dermal oedema and little perivascular inflammatory cell infiltration. Treatment with antihistamines had little benefit.

She had had recurrent episodes of aches and painful swelling of her knees, ankles, wrists and fingers, lasting for more than a week from the age of 50, but no morning stiffness or deformity. Most recently, she had been diagnosed with anterior uveitis.

On physical examination, she had non-scarring urticaria on legs and arms, angioedema of the upper lip and red left eye. Both knees and both ankles were tender and swollen with synovitis. There was no organomegaly. Her blood pressure was 159/87 mm Hg. Urinalysis …


We consider systems of integral-algebraic and integro-differential equations with weakly singular kernels. Although these problem classes are not in the focus of the main stream literature, they are interesting, not only in their own right, but also because they may arise from the analysis of certain classes of differential-algebraic systems of partial differential equations. In the first part of the paper, we deal with two-dimensional integral-algebraic equations. Next, we analyze Volterra integral equations of the first kind in which the determinant of the kernel matrix k(t, x) vanishes when t = x. Finally, the third part of the work is devoted to the analysis of degenerate integro-differential systems. The aim of the paper is to specify conditions which are sufficient for the existence of a unique continuous solution to the above problems. Theoretical findings are illustrated by a number of examples.


Children may present with a sudden collapsing episode, and the paramedic team is often requested to attend such emergencies. It is important that these episodes are correctly categorised as being either epileptic or non-epileptic events. A reflex anoxic seizure (RAS) is one such presentation. RAS is a paroxysmal, spontaneously-reversing, brief episode of asystole triggered by pain, fear or anxiety. RAS occur due to a brief stoppage of the heart caused by overactivity of the vagus nerve. This is usually triggered by an unpleasant stimulus, following which the child may appear pale and lifeless. The diagnosis is usually made by a paediatrician but it is important that the paramedic team are aware of this condition. A child with a diagnosis of RAS may be managed by reassurance from paramedic practitioners if the child is judged to be well after an episode.


The unique and visually mesmerizing appearance of pearlescent materials has made them an indispensable ingredient in a diverse array of applications including packaging, ceramics, printing, and cosmetics. In contrast to their natural counterparts, such synthetic examples of pearlescence are created by dispersing microscopic interference pigments within a dielectric resin. The resulting space of materials comprises an enormous range of different phenomena ranging from smooth lustrous appearance reminiscent of pearl to highly directional metallic gloss, along with a gradual change in color that depends on the angle of observation and illumination. All of these properties arise due to a complex optical process involving multiple scattering from platelets characterized by wave-optical interference. This article introduces a flexible model for simulating the optics of such pearlescent 3D microstructures. Following a thorough review of the properties of currently used pigments and manufacturing-related effects that influence pearlescence, we propose a new model which expands the range of appearance that can be represented, and closely reproduces the behavior of measured materials, as we show in our comparisons. Using our model, we conduct a systematic study of the parameter space and its relationship to different aspects of pearlescent appearance. We observe that several previously ignored parameters have a substantial impact on the material's optical behavior, including the multi-layered nature of modern interference pigments, correlations in the orientation of pigment particles, and variability in their properties (e.g. thickness). The utility of a general model for pearlescence extends far beyond computer graphics: inverse and differentiable approaches to rendering are increasingly used to disentangle the physics of scattering from real-world observations. Our approach could inform such reconstructions to enable the predictive design of tailored pearlescent materials.


This thesis evaluated in vivo and in vitro enamel permeability in different physiological and clinical conditions by means of SEM inspection of replicas of enamel surface obtained from polyvinyl siloxane impressions subsequently later cast in polyether impression ma-terial. This technique, not invasive and risk-free, allows the evaluation of fluid outflow from enamel surface and is able to detect the presence of small quantities of fluid, visu-alized as droplets. Fluid outflow on enamel surface represents enamel permeability. This property has a paramount importance in enamel physiolgy and pathology although its ef-fective role in adhesion, caries pathogenesis and prevention today is still not fully under-stood.
The aim of the studies proposed was to evaluate enamel permeability changes in differ-ent conditions and to correlate the findings with the actual knowledge about enamel physiology, caries pathogenesis, fluoride and etchinhg treatments. To obtain confirmed data the replica technique has been supported by others specific techniques such as Ra-man and IR spectroscopy and EDX analysis.
The first study carried out visualized fluid movement through dental enamel in vivo con-firmed that enamel is a permeable substrate and demonstrated that age and enamel per-meability are closely related. Examined samples from subjects of different ages showed a decreasing number and size of droplets with increasing age: freshly erupted permanent teeth showed many droplets covering the entire enamel surface. Droplets in permanent teeth were prominent along enamel perikymata.
These results obtained through SEM inspection of replicas allowed innovative remarks in enamel physiology. An analogous testing has been developed for evaluation of enamel permeability in primary enamel. The results of this second study showed that primary enamel revealed a substantive permeability with droplets covering the entire enamel sur-face without any specific localization accordingly with histological features, without changes during aging signs of post-eruptive maturation. These results confirmed clinical data that showed a higher caries susceptibility for primary enamel and suggested a strong relationship between this one and enamel permeability.
Topical fluoride application represents the gold standard for caries prevention although the mechanism of cariostatic effect of fluoride still needs to be clarified. The effects of topical fluoride application on enamel permeability were evaluated. Particularly two dif-ferent treatments (NaF and APF), with different pH, were examined. The major product of topical fluoride application was the deposition of CaF2-like globules. Replicas inspec-tion before and after both treatments at different times intervals and after specific addi-tional clinical interventions showed that such globule formed in vivo could be removed by professional toothbrushing, sonically and chemically by KOH. The results obtained in relation to enamel permeability showed that fluoride treatments temporarily reduced enamel water permeability when CaF2-like globules were removed. The in vivo perma-nence of decreased enamel permeability after CaF2 globules removal has been demon-strated for 1 h for NaF treated teeth and for at least 7 days for APF treated teeth.
Important clinical consideration moved from these results. In fact the caries-preventing action of fluoride application may be due, in part, to its ability to decrease enamel water permeability and CaF2 like-globules seem to be indirectly involved in enamel protection over time maintaining low permeability.
Others results obtained by metallographic microscope and SEM/EDX analyses of or-thodontic resins fluoride releasing and not demonstrated the relevance of topical fluo-ride application in decreasing the demineralization marks and modifying the chemical composition of the enamel in the treated area.
These data obtained in both the experiments confirmed the efficacy of fluoride in caries prevention and contribute to clarify its mechanism of action.
Adhesive dentistry is the gold standard for caries treatment and tooth rehabilitation and is founded on important chemical and physical principles involving both enamel and dentine substrates.
Particularly acid etching of dental enamel enamel has usually employed in bonding pro-cedures increasing microscopic roughness. Different acids have been tested in the litera-ture suggesting several etching procedures. The acid-induced structural transformations in enamel after different etching treatments by means of Raman and IR spectroscopy analysis were evaluated and these findings were correlated with enamel permeability. Conventional etching with 37% phosphoric acid gel (H3PO4) for 30 s and etching with 15 % HCl for 120 s were investigated.
Raman and IR spectroscopy showed that the treatment with both hydrochloric and phosphoric acids induced a decrease in the carbonate content of the enamel apatite. At the same time, both acids induced the formation of HPO42- ions. After H3PO4 treatment the bands due to the organic component of enamel decreased in intensity, while in-creased after HCl treatment.
Replicas of H3PO4 treated enamel showed a strongly reduced permeability while replicas of HCl 15% treated samples showed a maintained permeability. A decrease of the enamel organic component, as resulted after H3PO4 treatment, involves a decrease in enamel permeability, while the increase of the organic matter (achieved by HCl treat-ment) still maintains enamel permeability. These results suggested a correlation between the amount of the organic matter, enamel permeability and caries.
The results of the different studies carried out in this thesis contributed to clarify and improve the knowledge about enamel properties with important rebounds in theoretical and clinical aspects of Dentistry.


genetically engineered (GE) soybeans, cotton, and corn with herbicide tolerance and/or insect resistance traits over the 13 years since their commercial introduction. According to ERS research, U.S. farmers are realizing economic benefits from GE crops, including higher yields, lower pesticide costs, and savings in management time. The impacts of GE crops vary with the crop, technology, pest infestation levels, and other factors. Herbicide-tolerant (HT) crops are treated with certain effective herbicides, allowing adopters of these varieties to control pervasive weeds more effectively. In the U.S., HT soybean adoption has expanded more rapidly and widely than other GE crops, reaching 92 percent of planted soybean acreage in 2008. The second most adopted variety, HT cotton, was planted on 68 percent of cotton acreage. The level of HT corn adoption, which had been modest in earlier years, has recently accelerated, reaching 63 percent of U.S. corn acreage. Insect-resistant (Bt) crops contain a gene from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis that produces a protein toxic to specific insects. Bt cotton, which controls tobacco budworm, bollworm, and pink bollworm, was planted on 63 percent of U.S. cotton acreage in 2008. Adoption of Bt corn plateaued in the U.S. during 1998-2002 because farmers who needed to protect their crops against the European corn borer had already adopted it. However, adoption of Bt corn is increasing again since a Bt variety to control corn rootworm was introduced in 2003. Bt corn was planted on 57 percent of U.S. corn acreage in 2008. The rapid increase in the adoption of crop varieties with more than one GE trait (stacked traits) continues. Corn varieties with both Bt and HT traits grew from 1 percent of corn-planted acres in 2000 to 40 percent in 2008, while cotton varieties with stacked traits increased from 20 to 45 percent of cotton-planted acres in the same period. In addition to corn, soybeans, and cotton, U.S. farmers have adopted HT canola and virus-resistant papaya and squash. Moreover, other GE crops are in various stages of development. As of May 2008, USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service had approved 1,311 field-testing applications for crops with resistance to virus, 842 for resistance to fungi, 2,200 for improved agronomic properties (such as resistance to cold, drought, and salinity), and 3,362 for higher product quality (including crops with increased protein and/or oil content, and crops with added vitamins and iron). Worldwide, more than 280 million acres of GE crops with HT and/or Bt traits were planted in 23 countries in 2007, with the U.S. accounting for about 50 percent. Argentina, Brazil, Canada, India, China, Paraguay, and South Africa accounted for about 49 percent.


ABSTRACT This paper challenges Ed Barbier's influential contribution to the resources and economic development debate and extends our understanding of the process of resource-based development in two relevant economies since World War Two. We argue that: the expansion of resource-based industries remained a viable path of economic development in the 'contemporary era' since the 1950s; nations have modernised their economies while continuing to invest in resource industries; and innovation frontiers more than physical frontiers shaped the development of natural resource industries. We build our argument by providing a comparative study of two successful resource-based economies, Australia and Norway. Our focus is on aquaculture and offshore oil and gas, growth industries in both countries. Aquaculture is renewable and of recent origin, offshore oil and gas is non-renewable but with a longer history in other nations. Differences between the two nations are also discussed, particularly the narrower product specialisations of Norway. In both nations and both industries, though, there are common patterns of knowledge-intensive development through three stages – learning from older and imported technologies, the development of national capabilities, and their exploitation overseas through internationalisation – that draw upon the relationship between the resource sector and its supporting enabling sector.


The paper contributes towards improving the understanding over the potential of bioeconomy by focusing on a regional context. The study is realised by applying a combination of PESTEL analysis, resource analysis and analysing true and potential cases with high bioeconomy relevance and potential for substantial commercial volume. Hence, this article combines approaches of strategy development and analyses cases in bioeconomy context with a specific regional perspective. The results provide an overview on the potential of bioeconomy, particularly that of Northern Finland, but also the entire country. The article brings forward sustainability considerations aside from demonstrating the complexity inherent to the topic. Opportunities and potential are demonstrated by presenting case examples. The findings can benefit both the academia and those involved in planning and implementing relevant actions towards bioeconomy - both in general and in the selected setting.


ABSTRACTThis Article proposes a reassessment of current methods for valuing compensation owed by host States for breaches of non-expropriation standards of investment treaties, when the host State breaches such standards in order to fulfill obligations to its citizens under the International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). The ICESCR minimum core obligations continue to have binding force during financial crises, despite the latter's impairment of host States' fiscal resources and social protection capabilities. Current investment arbitral jurisprudence involving financial crises show that tribunals have not adjudged host States implementing interventionist social protection measures to be responsible for direct or indirect expropriation, but rather for violating other treaty standards such as the "fair and equitable treatment" clause.Arbitral tribunals have generally determined compensation for such breaches by referring to a "fair market value" standard, more synchronous with assumptions of perfectly competitive markets. However, the process of determining compensation for breaches of non-expropriation standards is governed by the general law of international responsibility, of which compensation is only one of the forms of reparations. Under the law of international responsibility, compensation is not intended to be punitive or expressive, but is evaluated according to the objective conduct of both the injuring State and the injured State, in order to reach the most equitable outcome that redresses damage to the injured State. Investment arbitral tribunals determining compensation for a host State's non-expropriation breaches should, thus, be similarly obliged to reach for equitable outcomes, rather than automatically resorting to the flawed definition of the "fair market value" standard.This Article shows that States, in conjunction with the Committee on Economic, Social and Economic Rights ("the Committee"), jointly define the minimum core obligations particular to their respective jurisdictions in light of resource constraints, governmental capacities, and growth prospects. While minimum core obligations are not static concepts, they can nonetheless be empirically determined and institutionally verified, as shown in the settled practices of the Committee in working with State Parties to the ICESCR. The Article then synthesizes current tribunals' approaches in valuing compensation for breaches of non-expropriation treaty standards in times of economic crises (primarily through the 2001- 2002 Argentine financial crises), and reveals latent methodological defects from using a broad "fair market value" standard, without considering equitable adjustment factors and other comparable arbitral practices that focus more narrowly on past performance, rather than future earnings projections for compensation in times of emergencies. Finally, the Article suggests a valuation proposal that recasts country risk premium to factor in the host State's obligation to fulfill the ICESCR minimum core obligations as a fixed constraint on government resources, even in times of financial or economic crisis."Concerns have sometimes been expressed that the principle of full reparation may lead to disproportionate and even crippling requirements so far as the responsible State is concerned. The issue is whether the principle of proportionality should be articulated as an aspect of the obligation to make full reparation. In these Articles, proportionality is addressed in the context of each form of reparation, taking into account its specific character. Thus restitution is excluded if it would involve a burden out of all proportion to the benefit gained by the injured State or the other party. Compensation is limited to damage actually suffered as a result of the internationally wrongful act, and excludes damage which is indirect or remote."1(ProQuest: ... denotes formula omitted.)I. …


Augmented reality (AR) is a technology in which a user's view of the real world is enhanced or augmented with additional information generated from a computer model. Using AR technology, users can interact with a combination of real and virtual objects in a natural way. This paradigm constitutes the core of a very promising new technology for many applications. However, before it can be applied successfully, AR has to fulfill very strong requirements including precise calibration, registration and tracking of sensors and objects in the scene, as well as a detailed overall understanding of the scene. We see computer-vision and image-processing technology playing an increasing role in acquiring appropriate sensor and scene models. To balance robustness with automation, we integrate automatic image analysis with both interactive user assistance and input from magnetic trackers and CAD models. Also, in order to meet the requirements of the emerging global information society, future human-computer interaction will be highly collaborative and distributed. We thus conduct research pertaining to distributed and collaborative use of AR technology. We have demonstrated our work in several prototype applications, such as collaborative interior design and collaborative mechanical repair. This paper describes our approach to AR with examples from applications, as well as describing the underlying technology.


Chromosome Conundrum The three-dimensional organization of chromosomal DNA within the cell nucleus plays an important role in gene regulation. Naumova et al. (p. 948, published online 7 November; see the Perspective by Kleckner et al.) used chromosome conformation capture-based methods in human tissue culture cells to analyze the higher order folding of human chromosomes across the cell cycle. During interphase the chromosomes showed locus-specific compart-mentalization. In mitotic cells, on the other hand, the chromosome organization was more linear, consistent with arrays of consecutive chromatin loops. Chromosome conformation changes dramatically during the cell cycle and is unlikely to carry epigenetic information. [Also see Perspective by Kleckner et al.] Mitotic chromosomes are among the most recognizable structures in the cell, yet for over a century their internal organization remains largely unsolved. We applied chromosome conformation capture methods, 5C and Hi-C, across the cell cycle and revealed two distinct three-dimensional folding states of the human genome. We show that the highly compartmentalized and cell type–specific organization described previously for nonsynchronous cells is restricted to interphase. In metaphase, we identified a homogenous folding state that is locus-independent, common to all chromosomes, and consistent among cell types, suggesting a general principle of metaphase chromosome organization. Using polymer simulations, we found that metaphase Hi-C data are inconsistent with classic hierarchical models and are instead best described by a linearly organized longitudinally compressed array of consecutive chromatin loops.


Stratigraphic sections in the high Precambrianlow Cambrian of Siberia are described. They have yielded the variety of fossils—archaeocyathids, gastropods, hyolithids, hyolithelminthids, poriferids, tommotiids and others—that characterize the Tommotian, Atdabanian and Lenian Stages. Some shelly fossils are found high in the Precambrian (Yudomian). The Tommotian Stage is regarded here as the lowest Cambrian unit. Trilobites first appear at the base of the Atdabanian Stage. A selection of fossils is illustrated and briefly described. Faunas from equivalent levels in Sweden (Tommotian Stage) and England (Nuneaton: Tommotian Stage; Comley: Atdabanian Stage) are cited. Comments are offered on ranges and on distribution (it is already apparent that certain Atdabanian Stage fossils are not restricted to the "provinces" identified for trilobites). The problems of recognizing primary shell-structure, the existence of symmetry-pairings, the manner of coiling of shells and the occurrence of perforations of shells (some seemingly due to boring by predators) are also discussed.


Introduction The U.S. obesity epidemic is escalating, particularly among communities of color. Obesity control efforts have shifted away from individual-level approaches toward population-based approaches that address socio-cultural, political, economic, and physical environmental factors. Few data exist for ethnic minority groups. This article reviews studies of population-based interventions targeting communities of color or including sufficient samples to permit ethnic-specific analyses. Methods Inclusion criteria were established, an electronic database search conducted, and non-electronically catalogued studies retrieved. Findings were aggregated for earlier (early 1970s to early 1990s) and later (mid-1990s to present) interventions. Results The search yielded 23 ethnically inclusive intervention studies published between January 1970 and May 2003. Several characteristics of inclusive interventions were consistent with characteristics of community-level interventions among predominantly white European-American samples: use of non-interpersonal channels for information dissemination directed at broad spheres of influence (e.g., mass media), promotion of physical activity, and incorporation of social marketing principles. Ethnically inclusive studies, however, also placed greater emphasis on involving communities and building coalitions from study inception; targeting captive audiences; mobilizing social networks; and tailoring culturally specific messages and messengers. Inclusive studies also focused more on community than individual norms. Later studies used "upstream" approaches more than earlier studies. Fewer than half of the inclusive studies presented outcome evaluation data. Statistically significant effects were few and modest, but several studies demonstrated better outcomes among ethnic minority than white participants sampled. Conclusion The best data available speak more about how to engage and retain people of color in these interventions than about how to create and sustain weight loss, regular engagement in physical activity, or improved diet. Advocacy should be directed at increasing the visibility and budget priority of interventions, particularly at the state and local levels.


Molecular mechanisms underpinning the genetic risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D) remain poorly understood, hindering translation into new therapies. Recently, genome-wide studies identified two coding variants in Peptidylglycine Alpha-amidating Monooxygenase (PAM) associated with T2D risk and measures of beta cell dysfunction. Here, we demonstrate that both risk alleles impact negatively on overall PAM activity, but via distinct effects on expression and catalytic function. In a human beta cell model, PAM silencing caused decreased insulin content and altered dynamics of granule exocytosis. Analysis of primary human beta cells from cadaveric donors confirmed an effect on exocytosis in carriers of the p.D563G T2D-risk allele. Finally, we show that the granular packaging protein Chromogranin A is a PAM substrate and a strong candidate for mediating downstream effects on insulin secretion. Taken together, our results establish a role for PAM in beta cell function, and uncover a novel mechanism for T2D-associated PAM alleles.


Vijay Krishna Sukhavasi Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs) have been instrumental in building a reliable and robust Power System. Recent blackouts have increased the importance of PMUs and PMUs from various manufacturers are being installed in the in large quantities in the North American Grid. The interoperability and accuracy of these PMUs is important to obtain full benefit of the wide area monitoring systems. With the large number of installed PMUs it has become necessary to validate their performance and understand the limitations of each model. A test system was built by NIST in cooperation with NASPI to test for compliance to the existing IEEE C37.118 standard. This thesis presents the development of a Steady State Test System at Virginia Tech based on the NIST Steady State Testing system. The various issues that were faced during the process of development are discussed and the methodology implemented for solving these problems is described. This thesis also presents the additional benefits derived from the results obtained when different PMUs were tested using the Virginia Tech PMU Steady State Test System.


There is a growing interest in learning data representations that work well for many different types of problems and data. In this paper, we look in particular at the task of learning a single visual representation that can be successfully utilized in the analysis of very different types of images, from dog breeds to stop signs and digits. Inspired by recent work on learning networks that predict the parameters of another, we develop a tunable deep network architecture that, by means of adapter residual modules, can be steered on the fly to diverse visual domains. Our method achieves a high degree of parameter sharing while maintaining or even improving the accuracy of domain-specific representations. We also introduce the Visual Decathlon Challenge, a benchmark that evaluates the ability of representations to capture simultaneously ten very different visual domains and measures their ability to recognize well uniformly.


Educational data mining is an emerging research field concerned with developing methods for exploring the unique types of data that come from educational context. These data allow the educational stakeholders to discover new, interesting and valuable knowledge about students. In this paper, we present a new user-friendly decision support tool for predicting students' performance concerning the final examinations of a school year. Our proposed tool is based on a hybrid predicting system incorporating a number of possible machine learning methods and achieves better performance than any examined single learning algorithm. Furthermore, significant advantages of the presented tool are that it has a simple interface and it can be deployed in any platform under any operating system. Our objective is that this work may be used to support student admission procedures and strengthen the service system in educational institutions.


Surface elevation tables, feldspar marker horizons, and "2oPb analysis of core profiles were implemented at four sites in Western Port Bay, Victoria, Australia, to provide information on the role of sedimentation, subsidence or compaction, and enhanced sea-level rise in contributing to salt marsh decline. Photogrammetric surveys indicate that the rate of salt marsh decline that is attributable to mangrove encroachment is lower in Western Port Bay than in comparable sites in New South Wales. Differences in the rate of mangrove encroachment at Western Port Bay may be attributed to the inverse relationship found between the degree of mangrove encroachment and surface elevation increase. While sedimentation contributes to surface elevation changes, surface elevation is not solely explained by sedimentation; factors including autocompaction and changes in the water table also play a significant role in Western Port Bay. Historic sedimentation rates measured using 2"Pb dating techniques corresponded to contemporary sedimentation rates determined from feldspar marker horizons. Core sediment profiles show no change in sedimentation rates at three sites. A fourth site (French Island) was the only site that exhibited high rates of sedimentation, which appears to be related to local land-use changes in the area. All sites maintained their elevation with respect to sea level over the study period. Historic sedimentation exceeded sea-level rise for the past 32 yr, but it is difficult to determine the extent to which belowground processes affect surface elevation, causing deviations between surface elevation and sedimentation over longer periods.


The aim of this study is to detect and measure ground deformation over the broader area of Lake Trichonis (Western Greece), focusing mainly on the April 2007 earthquake swarm which occurred at the vicinity of the Lake. The area, forming a pull-apart basin, presented historically an intense seismic activity along the two active normal faults at the northern and southern part of the Lake. The swarm initiated by small magnitude events on the 8th of April 2007 followed by the three strongest events of the entire sequence on the 10th of April 2007, with magnitudes ranging from 5.0 to 5.2 Mw. The seismic activity continued for longer with smaller seismic events. Based on seismological data this activity was attributed to two unmapped NW SE trending normal faults that bounds the SE bank of the Lake. Using a dataset of 28 ENVISAT ASAR scenes covering the period from February 2003 until February 2010 (~7 yr), different Interferometric Stacking techniques was applied in order to quantify the ground deformation induced by the earthquake swarm as well as its effect on the inter-seismic deformation pattern of the area. Our results indicate that co-seismic motion differs significantly from that observed during the pre- and post- swarm periods. The co-seismic pattern reveals subsidence at the northern and uplift at the southern lake sides, consistent with the structural model already proposed for the area. For the pre- and post-seismic periods both sides of the Lake show stability or low rates of subsidence with higher deformation velocity rates for the period after the seismic activity, possibly attributed to postseismic relaxation. Our findings imply that inter-seismic ground deformation does not necessary follow the deformation pattern observed during seismic triggering, thus, long-term geodetic observations such as those provided by SAR interferometry are valuable in order to fully characterize the geodynamic behavior of an active region.


Using a round-robin data set assembled from over 60 teams of more than 500 scientists and engineers across a variety of science and engineering disciplines, as well as longitudinal research productivity data, this study examines differences in how men and women in science and engineering teams evaluate their colleagues' expertise and how that affects team performance. Because these teams are assembled to enhance innovations, they are most productive if they fully utilize the expertise of all team members. Applying a social relations modeling approach, two studies conducted in multidisciplinary research centers in a large public U.S. university test whether a team's gender composition predicts how well women's expertise is used within the team, based on peer evaluations of male and female team members with varying education levels. A third study returns to the same two research centers to examine whether the larger context in which the team operates affects the use of expertise and the team's productivity. An important finding is that the gender and educational attributes of the person being evaluated are less critical to the recognition of expertise than the attributes of the person conducting the evaluation and the relationship between these two team members. In addition, context matters: gender-integrated teams with a higher proportion of highly educated women are more productive in disciplines with a greater female faculty representation.


Chitin, a homopolymer of s-(1-4) linked N-acetyl D-glucosamine units, and its deacetylated derivative chitosan have unique properties that may allow their utilisation in a diverse array of high-value applications. Currently chitinous materials are commercially produced from the waste products of the seafood processing industry, this supply is seasonal and the extraction procedures required harsh, resulting in products with heterogeneous characteristics. In this work novel methods of extraction of chitinous material from the dry fungal biomass remaining from the large-scale fermentation of Penicillium chrysogenum in the penicillin manufacturing industry were investigated, with the aim of avoiding or minimising the harsh chemical treatments. This work was carried out in partnership with Angel Biotechnology, who produce penicillin commercially and provided the waste biomass. It was determined that the chitinous material present in this biomass was too intractable for this to be a suitable commercial source of chitin, as large quantities of non-chitinous polysaccharide impurities remained in the product. Attempted enzymatic degradations of the fungal cell wall did not increase the level of purity of the extract. Comparison to other fungal sources of chitinous material indicated that P. chrysogenum does not provide the most efficient source of chitinous material. During the course of these studies it became apparent that there is no agreed literature procedure for the determination of the degree of deacetylation (DDA) of chitinous material, this characteristic is essential in determining the physiochemical properties of the polymer. In reviewing the procedures available we concluded that (^15)N solid-state NMR offered the most reliable method, however, its use was limited by the low natural abundance of (^15)N. We therefore developed a novel, efficient and directed strategy for the (^15)N labelling of chitinous material in fungal cells walls. This allows the direct determination of the DDA of chitinous material in whole fungal cells without the need for lengthy extraction procedures. The whole cell CPMAS ssNMR techniques developed may find many applications, such as monitoring cell wall biogenesis in response to varying nutrient conditions. Additionally, this may allow the rapid screening of fungal species to determine the concentration and DDA of chitinous material.


Background A randomized trial of voluntary medical male circumcision (MC) of HIV—infected men reported increased HIV transmission to female partners among men who resumed sexual intercourse prior to wound healing. We conducted a prospective observational study to assess penile HIV shedding after MC. Methods and Findings HIV shedding was evaluated among 223 HIV—infected men (183 self—reported not receiving antiretroviral therapy [ART], 11 self—reported receiving ART and had a detectable plasma viral load [VL], and 29 self—reported receiving ART and had an undetectable plasma VL [<400 copies/ml]) in Rakai, Uganda, between June 2009 and April 2012. Preoperative and weekly penile lavages collected for 6 wk and then at 12 wk were tested for HIV shedding and VL using a real—time quantitative PCR assay. Unadjusted prevalence risk ratios (PRRs) and adjusted PRRs (adjPRRs) of HIV shedding were estimated using modified Poisson regression with robust variance. HIV shedding was detected in 9.3% (17/183) of men not on ART prior to surgery and 39.3% (72/183) of these men during the entire study. Relative to baseline, the proportion shedding was significantly increased after MC at 1 wk (PRR = 1.87, 95% CI = 1.12–3.14, p = 0.012), 2 wk (PRR = 3.16, 95% CI = 1.94–5.13, p < 0.001), and 3 wk (PRR = 1.98, 95% CI = 1.19–3.28, p = 0.008) after MC. However, compared to baseline, HIV shedding was decreased by 6 wk after MC (PRR = 0.27, 95% CI = 0.09–0.83, p = 0.023) and remained suppressed at 12 wk after MC (PRR = 0.19, 95% CI = 0.06–0.64, p = 0.008). Detectable HIV shedding from MC wounds occurred in more study visits among men with an HIV plasma VL > 50,000 copies/ml than among those with an HIV plasma VL < 400 copies/ml (adjPRR = 10.3, 95% CI = 4.25–24.90, p < 0.001). Detectable HIV shedding was less common in visits from men with healed MC wounds compared to visits from men without healed wounds (adjPRR = 0.12, 95% CI = 0.07–0.23, p < 0.001) and in visits from men on ART with undetectable plasma VL compared to men not on ART (PRR = 0.15, 95% CI = 0.05–0.43, p = 0.001). Among men with detectable penile HIV shedding, the median log10 HIV copies/milliliter of lavage fluid was significantly lower in men with ART—induced undetectable plasma VL (1.93, interquartile range [IQR] = 1.83–2.14) than in men not on ART (2.63, IQR = 2.28–3.22, p < 0.001). Limitations of this observational study include significant differences in baseline covariates, lack of confirmed receipt of ART for individuals who reported ART use, and lack of information on potential ART initiation during follow—up for those who were not on ART at enrollment. Conclusion Penile HIV shedding is significantly reduced after healing of MC wounds. Lower plasma VL is associated with decreased frequency and quantity of HIV shedding from MC wounds. Starting ART prior to MC should be considered to reduce male-to-female HIV transmission risk. Research is needed to assess the time on ART required to decrease shedding, and the acceptability and feasibility of initiating ART at the time of MC.


AIMS
Despite progress in anti-emetic treatment, many patients still suffer from chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). This is a pilot, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase II clinical trial designed to evaluate the tolerability, preliminary efficacy, and pharmacokinetics of an acute dose titration of a whole-plant cannabis-based medicine (CBM) containing delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol, taken in conjunction with standard therapies in the control of CINV.

METHODS
Patients suffering from CINV despite prophylaxis with standard anti-emetic treatment were randomized to CBM or placebo, during the 120 h post-chemotherapy period, added to standard anti-emetic treatment. Tolerability was measured as the number of withdrawals from the study during the titration period because of adverse events (AEs). The endpoint for the preliminary efficacy analysis was the proportion of patients showing complete or partial response.

RESULTS
Seven patients were randomized to CBM and nine to placebo. Only one patient in the CBM arm was withdrawn due to AEs. A higher proportion of patients in the CBM group experienced a complete response during the overall observation period [5/7 (71.4%) with CMB vs. 2/9 (22.2%) with placebo, the difference being 49.2% (95% CI 1%, 75%)], due to the delayed period. The incidence of AEs was higher in the CBM group (86% vs. 67%). No serious AEs were reported. The mean daily dose was 4.8 sprays in both groups.

CONCLUSION
Compared with placebo, CBM added to standard antiemetic therapy was well tolerated and provided better protection against delayed CINV. These results should be confirmed in a phase III clinical trial.