Schools are seen to have an important role to play in promoting good health.1 The National Healthy Schools Programme (NHSP) in England – launched in 1999 as the National Healthy Schools Standard – is seen by many policy-makers and practitioners as one key means to improve children's and young people's health and well-being. Participation of schools in the programme is voluntary, although encouraged. The Choosing Health White Paper stated that half of all schools should reach healthy school status by 2006 with the rest working towards it by 2009. The NHSP is a joint initiative between the Department of Health and the Department for Education and Skills. Primary and secondary schools are awarded healthy school status if they can demonstrate that, through a whole school approach, they are promoting children's health in four core areas: nutrition/healthy eating; physical activity; emotional health and well-being (including bullying); and personal, social and health education (including sex and relationships education and drug education).


The subject of this thesis is the investigation of the thermal transport properties of three classes of transition-metal oxides: Cuprates, cobaltates, and manganites. The layered cuprates R2CuO4 with R=La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, and Gd show an anomalous thermal conductivity k. Two maxima of k are observed as a function of temperature for a heat current within the CuO2 planes, whereas for a heat current perpendicular to the CuO2 planes only a conventional phononic low-temperature maximum of k is present. Evidence is provided that the high-temperature maximum is caused by heat-carrying excitations on the CuO2 square lattice. Moreover, it is shown that the complex low-temperature and magnetic-field behavior of k in Nd2CuO2 is most likely caused by additional phonon scattering rather than by heat-carrying Nd magnons, as it was proposed in the literature. In the cobaltates RCoO3 with R=La, Pr, Nd, and Eu, a temperature-induced spin-state transition of the Co(3+) ions occurs. It is shown that the additional lattice disorder caused by the random distribution of populated higher spin states causes a large suppression of the thermal conductivity of LaCoO3 for T>25K. The effect is much weaker in PrCoO3 and NdCoO3 due to the increased spin gap. A quantitative analysis of the responsible mechanisms based on EuCoO3 as a reference compound is provided. A main result is that the static disorder is sufficient to explain the suppression of k. No dynamical Jahn-Teller distortion, as proposed in the literature, is necessary to enhance the scattering strength. Below 25K k is mainly determined by resonant phonon scattering on paramagnetic impurity levels, e.g. caused by oxygen non-stoichiometry. Such a suppression of the thermal conductivity by resonant scattering processes is e.g. known from Holmium ethylsulfate. This effect is most pronounced in LaCoO3, presumably due to magnetic polaron formation. In the doped compounds LaxSr1-xCoO3 with 0<=x<=0.25, a large thermopower, a low thermal conductivity, and a considerable large thermoelectric figure of merit is found. Here, k is strongly suppressed by the Sr-induced magnetic polarons, whereas the large thermopower arises from a large entropy contribution due to the different spin states of Co(3+) and Co(4+). In the orthorhombic manganites NdMnO3 and TbMnO3 complex temperature and field dependencies of k are observed. In combination with magnetic-field dependent thermal expansion measurements it is shown that the dominating effect determining k is resonant phonon scattering by the 4f orbitals of the R(3+) ions. The complicated magnetic structure of TbMnO3 at low temperature as well as the ferroelectricity has only a minor influence on the thermal conductivity.


Material Supplemental http://genesdev.cshlp.org/content/suppl/2013/11/01/27.21.2367.DC1.html References http://genesdev.cshlp.org/content/27/21/2367.full.html#ref-list-1 This article cites 69 articles, 31 of which can be accessed free at: License Commons Creative . http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ Creative Commons License (Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported), as described at ). After six months, it is available under a http://genesdev.cshlp.org/site/misc/terms.xhtml six months after the full-issue publication date (see This article is distributed exclusively by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press for the first


Background/aim To reveal the contribution of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to ultrasound (US) in prenatal diagnosis of fetal craniospinal anomalies by retrospectively comparing the prenatal and postnatal findings. Materials and methods After institutional review board approval, between January 2010 and May 2020, 301 pregnant women, which had a gestational age between 19–37 weeks (mean 26.5 ± 6.1 weeks), diagnosed with cranial and spinal anomalies on fetal US and later on imaged with MRI were evaluated, and in 179 of those cases prenatal imaging findings were compared with postnatal findings. Results A total of 191 fetal craniospinal anomalies were detected in 179 pregnant women. MRI and US diagnosis were completely correct in 145 (75.9%) and 112 (58.6%), respectively. Diagnostic performance of MRI was significantly higher than that of the US (p < 0.05). Both prenatal MRI and US findings were concordant with postnatal diagnosis in 53% of the cases. In 28.7% cases, prenatal MRI contributed to US by either changing the wrong US diagnosis (8.9%), demonstration of additional findings (14%), or confirming the suspicious US diagnosis (5.8%). Conclusion Due to its high resolution and multiplanar imaging capability, fetal MRI contributes significantly to US in the correct prenatal diagnosis of craniospinal anomalies. This contribution especially is significant in neural tube defects, cortical malformations, and ischemic-hemorrhagic lesions.


Abstract. Well-preserved fault gouge along brittle faults in Paleoproterozoic, volcano-sedimentary rocks of the Raipas Supergroup exposed in the Alta–Kvænangen tectonic window in northern Norway yielded latest Mesoproterozoic (approximately 1050 ± 15 Ma) to mid-Neoproterozoic (approximately 825–810 ± 18 Ma) K–Ar ages. Pressure–temperature estimates from microtextural and mineralogy analyses of fault rocks indicate that brittle faulting may have initiated at a depth of 5–10 km during the opening of the Asgard Sea in the latest Mesoproterozoic–early Neoproterozoic (approximately 1050–945 Ma) and continued with a phase of shallow faulting to the opening of the Iapetus Ocean–Ægir Sea and the initial breakup of Rodinia in the mid-Neoproterozoic (approximately 825–810 Ma). The predominance and preservation of synkinematic smectite and subsidiary illite in cohesive and non-cohesive fault rocks indicate that Paleoproterozoic basement rocks of the Alta–Kvænangen tectonic window remained at shallow crustal levels (< 3.5 km) and were not reactivated since mid-Neoproterozoic times. Slow exhumation rate estimates for the early–mid-Neoproterozoic (approximately 10–75 m Myr−1) suggest a period of tectonic quiescence between the opening of the Asgard Sea and the breakup of Rodinia. In the Paleozoic, basement rocks in NW Finnmark were overthrusted by Caledonian nappes along low-angle thrust detachments during the closing of the Iapetus Ocean–Ægir Sea. K–Ar dating of non-cohesive fault rocks and microtexture mineralogy of cohesive fault rock truncating Caledonian nappe units show that brittle (reverse) faulting potentially initiated along low-angle Caledonian thrusts during the latest stages of the Caledonian Orogeny in the Silurian (approximately 425 Ma) and was accompanied by epidote–chlorite-rich, stilpnomelane-bearing cataclasite (type 1) indicative of a faulting depth of 10–16 km. Caledonian thrusts were inverted (e.g., Talvik fault) and later truncated by high-angle normal faults (e.g., Langfjorden–Vargsundet fault) during subsequent, late Paleozoic, collapse-related widespread extension in the Late Devonian–early Carboniferous (approximately 375–325 Ma). This faulting period was accompanied by quartz- (type 2), calcite- (type 3) and laumontite-rich cataclasites (type 4), whose cross-cutting relationships indicate a progressive exhumation of Caledonian rocks to zeolite-facies conditions (i.e., depth of 2–8 km). An ultimate period of minor faulting occurred in the late Carboniferous–mid-Permian (315–265 Ma) and exhumed Caledonian rocks to shallow depth at 1–3.5 km. Alternatively, late Carboniferous (?) to early–mid-Permian K–Ar ages may reflect late Paleozoic weathering of the margin. Exhumation rates estimates indicate rapid Silurian–early Carboniferous exhumation and slow exhumation in the late Carboniferous–mid-Permian, supporting decreasing faulting activity from the mid-Carboniferous. NW Finnmark remained tectonically quiet in the Mesozoic–Cenozoic.


This article investigates the effect of industrial linkages on firm performance in Chinese development zones, using Jiangsu province as a case study. An ordered response model based on the dependent variable being ordinal was developed. The empirical results reveal an insignificant relationship between industrial linkages and firm performance. Our interpretation of this finding mainly lies with the global and domestic challenges that have changed the way participating firms operate and organize in the development zones of Jiangsu. When many other economic factors take precedence over industrial linkages in driving superior firm performance, firms feel it less important to get closer to their suppliers or customers, therefore weakening the impact of industrial linkages. Although this article primarily focuses on development zones in Jiangsu province, the findings and discussion will provide insights for other development zones in China that may be, reviewing their development strategies because most of them have similar development problems.


Background . Benzodiazepines are among the most commonly prescribed drugs in Italy and they are often used inappropriately according to guidelines for their rational use. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and pattern of use of benzodiazepine amongst the general population aged 65-84 years in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region, in North-East Italy. Methods . A total of 40 general practitioners participated in the study. Two data sources were used in the research. The first was the Health Search Database, the second was a short questionnaire administered by the general practitioners to the 65 to 84 year old patients attending their surgeries for any reason during the study period. Data on the use of benzodiazepines between 1st February and 31st July 2001 were extracted from both the Health Search Database using drug prescriptions and the questionnaires. Results . Of the 10,468 patients aged 65-84 years with complete demographical data in the general practitioners' patient lists, 2,369 subjects used benzodiazepines, hypnotics and over the counter drugs. Overall prevalence of benzodiazepine use was 21.5% (95% confidence interval: 19.8-23.1%). Of the benzodiazepine users, 66.9% consumed a short-intermediate half-life and 33.1% a long half-life benzodiazepine. Most patients took benzodiazepines at night (68.2%), less frequently in the daytime and at night (23.7%), or in the daytime only (8.1%). Most users (89.2%) said they had been taking benzodiazepine for years. Conclusions . Benzodiazepine use was associated with patient characteristics, such as being female, using analgesics or antidepressants and the presence of a chronic disease especially cancer or chronic heart failure.


The Project The literary tradition in the third and fourth centuries CE: Grammarians, rhetoricians and sophists as sources of Graeco-Roman literature (FFI2014-52808-C2-1-P) aims to trace and classify all types of quotations, both explicit (with or without mention of the author and/or title) and hidden, in a corpus comprising the Greek grammarians, rhetoricians and " sophists " of the third and fourth centuries CE. At the same time, we try to detect whether or not these are first-hand quotations, and if our quoting authors (28 in all) are, in turn, secondary sources for the same citations in later authors. We also study the philological (textual) aspects of the quotations in their context, and the problems of limits they sometimes pose. Finally, we are interested in the function of the quotation in the citing work. This is the first time that such a comprehensive study of this corpus is attempted. This paper explains our methodology, and how we store all these data in our electronic card-file.


The remarkable growth in interest in aesthetic gardens in the late Ming period has been recognized in Chinese garden culture studies. The materialist historical approach contributes to revealing the importance of gardens' economic functions in the shift of garden culture, but is inadequate in explaining the successive burgeoning of small plain gardens in the 17th century. This article integrates the aesthetic and materialist perspectives and situates the cultural transition in the concrete social and cultural context in the late Ming period. Beginning with describing a taste change and an expansion in the number of gardens, this article focuses on the small plain garden phenomenon by exploring the unique role that the arts (e.g., poetry and painting) played. A series of artistic criteria were established in the late Ming period. The application of these aesthetic rules to gardens enabled more people to own gardens. This is process that economic requirements for owning gardens were lowered, giving way to the aesthetic appreciation and exploration of literati individuals' artistic talents. Gardens thus became more widely accessible and provided enhanced pleasure to the middle and lower class families. The conclusion is that the 'major shift' in garden culture was closely associated with the change of garden owners' aesthetic tastes, in addition to the economic conditions in the Jiangnan area. In the increased popularity of gardens, the arts played a significant role.


It is recognised that to enable high penetration of wind power it is essential for modern wind farms to meet some technical requirements. These requirements are specified, or planned to be included, in grid codes by some utilities around the world. In this paper it is shown that having an Embedded Energy Storage (EES) unit, a battery bank, in a wind turbine can help to meet these requirements and to reduce the overall wind farm development and system integration costs. After a review of wind power integration and power system load frequency control, two cases are presented. These are based on (a) the statistics of the wind speeds measured at Dunstaffnage, Scotland, (b) the manufacturers' data for two turbine generators, and (c) some mild assumptions used for the calculations. In the first case, for the same amount of wind energy annual output and a specified frequency control requirement: the delta production constraint, a wind farm of 50 wind turbines can be replaced by 10 wind turbines with an EES in each of them plus 33 ordinary wind turbines. In the second case, again for the same amount of wind energy annual output, wind turbines with EESs can meet the absolute power constraint and at the same time the ratings of transformers, transmission lines and other equipments associated with a wind farm development can be reduced, leading to a significant reduction in costs. Wind farms with such wind turbines can also provide some vital support in an emergency, for example, the event in Denmark on the 8th January 2005, when the total wind power output dropped suddenly from the scheduled 1843MW to 126MW, due to the shut down of most wind turbines under strong winds.


Chalcedony with or without agate banding occurs as amygdaloidal and vein fillings besides zeolites in the ∼65 Ma old Deccan flood basalts. Thin-section study has shown the occurrence of length-slow fibrous quartz in association with length-fast fibrous chalcedony in samples collected from a depth of 122 meters in a borehole passing through the Deccan basalts at Killari (18°03'N and 76°33'E) in Maharashtra, India. X-ray powder-diffraction studies show at least seven diffraction peaks corresponding to a monoclinic cell of the silica polymorph moganite, with lattice parameters α = 0.876(2) nm; b = 0.688(1) nm; c = 1.0715(2) nm; β = 90.07° in addition to α-quartz. Thermogravimetry indicates moganite contents up to 70 ± 10 wt% in moganite-rich samples and 50 ± 10 % moganite in chalcedony of Killari borehole samples. Both thermogravimetry and FT-IR spectroscopy point to the presence of a hydrous component in moganite. Solid state 29Si MAS-NMR and 1H MAS-NMR spectroscopic studies show characteristic peaks at -110 ± 2 ppm and 5.28 ± 0.05 ppm respectively, confirming the presence of moganite in the Deccan samples. Moganite of Killari is associated with amygdaloidal flows containing the zeolites—chabazite, natrolite, heulandite and mordenite, but is absent in flows with laumontite, indicating the stability of moganite up to the laumontite zone.


According to studies, students' progress is influenced by teachers' qualification. Despite their qualification, novice teachers have adjusting difficulties and soon leave the profession, caused by drawbacks in teacher preparation. The qualitative study aimed to identify satisfaction with teacher preparation among teacher training graduates and make recommendations for improving teacher training. It involved 14 teacher-education graduates. The data of the semi-structured interviews were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The results revealed satisfaction with a thorough theoretical basis and acquired skills: reflection, compiling study materials, information search; and dissatisfaction with excessive theoretical focus and insufficiently taught skills: using digital tools, teaching students with special needs, preventing burnout; short and rigid pedagogical practice. Graduates suggested using more active learning methods and teaching skills practically, also inviting novice teachers to share their experience; flexing pedagogical practice.


Abstract Despite the emergence of startup accelerators as venture development organizations (VDOs) to high-growth firms, research has yet to identify where these accelerators fit into the venture development ecosystem. By clarifying and reviewing three different subsystems in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, our paper proposes that as an extension of the current incubation mechanism, accelerators contribute to the entrepreneurial ecosystem by transforming entrepreneurs and their ventures at early stages. Drawing upon the Pipeline model (Lichtenstein, G. A., and T. S. Lyons. 2006. "Managing the community's pipeline of entrepreneurs and enterprises: A new way of thinking about business assets." Economic Development Quarterly 20 (4): 377–386.), we first plot where the accelerator model fits in the broader entrepreneurship ecosystem, and then demonstrate how different types of accelerators help participating entrepreneurs and their ventures progress along the venture development pipeline. Our theoretical approach contributes to both the entrepreneurship ecosystem and the accelerator literature and provides a practical map for both policymakers and early-stage entrepreneurs to manage and utilize their entrepreneurship ecosystem more effectively.


This essay responds to the 2012 CCCC featured session, "Access—A Happening," in which Blackmon et al. focused on "removing barriers and confusing the discipline's boundaries, with a focus on the bodies and minds that have been excluded." As a presenter, Paul Kei Matsuda called on instructors and WPAs to create access for ESL students into such spaces. WPAs have long sought out opportunities to allow students to have more of a voice when it comes to policy; in this way, this study examines whether WPA documents—specifically information and support resources available on writing center websites—meet the needs of ESL students. I studied eight OWL websites in universities with large international student populations to gauge how well these sites took into account criteria pertinent to ESL students as evident in the available scholarship: intercultural needs, writing resource needs, plagiarism resource needs, and readability. The article ends with specific recommendations for WPAs to follow in creating documents—online or otherwise—that will incorporate ESL audiences. By following these recommendations, WPAs can be more attuned to the needs of more individuals and can better accommodate access to places which may ordinarily prohibit entrance to those without particular (or with divergent) physical and linguistic capabilities.


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Work-related injuries impose substantial costs on employers as well as employees. This is as true of agriculture as of other industries. Moreover, because crops may perish if accidents delay harvest, and expensive machinery must be handled by experienced workers. farmers cannot afford to lose key people. There is ample proof from other industries that effective safety programs can reduce injuries and save companies money. The DuPont Company, for example, saved $26 million on workers' compensation, or the equivalent of 3.6 percent of its net profits, because management made safety the first item on its agenda (Jeremy Main, "When Accidents Don't Happen," Fortune, September 6, 1982). However, until now, the literature has provided few examples of such success in agriculture.


A multi-goal optimisation strategy may provide a basis for Lake Taupō water management. This involves defining an agreed 'optimal zone' of lake levels which are away from both high and low levels. The aim of water releases to the Waikato River would be to maximise the duration that lake levels are within the optimal zone, while also seeking to meet other, possibly conflicting, goals such as optimal hydro power operation. A sense of how a multi-goal model could operate is given, by considering a simple dual-goal linear programming model that manages Taupō water levels on a daily time step, optimised toward (i) hydro power income and (ii) water level in the optimal zone. The model serves as an illustration only but the approach is readily capable of being expanded to a full model that includes further goals and constraints.


A statistical mechanical model is used to describe the effect of restrictions, due to confinement by crystals, on the segmental relaxation dyamics of semicrystalline polymers. It is shown that the emergence of a rearrangement free energy barrier is intrinsi- cally associated with the dynamic heterogeneity observable in relaxation experiments such as those from dielectric spectroscopy. The relaxation behaviour of a number of systems has been considered; the analysis shows that chain orientation has a significant effect on the degree of cooperativity. Moreover, the relaxation features appear to be influenced by the thermodynamic state of the embedding crystalline domains.


This study investigated total quality management practices and quality culture of Saudi Arabian contractors. Improving the quality can be achieved through implementation of total quality management although studies and researches work regarding this improvement is still lacking. A quantitative approach using the survey method was employed. With assistance from the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, survey questionnaires were distributed to selected contractors in Saudi Arabia. The collected data were analysed using correlation, and multiple regression analyses. The key findings were the confirmation of significant relationships between all total quality management practices and quality culture and a positive relationship between quality management practices and quality culture. Furthermore, total quality management practices were found to be able to explain 68.1% of the variance in quality culture, while quality culture explained 12.5% of the variance in competitiveness. Quality culture was found to only partially mediate the relationship between total quality management practices and competitiveness.


The complete tutorial and reference to the world's leading CAD programThis thoroughly revised and updated edition teaches AutoCAD using explanations, examples, instructions, and hands-on projects for both AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT. This detailed resource works as both a tutorial and stand-alone reference. It introduces the basics of the interface and drafting tools; explores skills such as using hatches, fields, and tables; details such advanced skills as attributes, dynamic blocks, drawing curves, and using solid fills; explains 3D modeling and imaging; and discusses customization and integration.Covers all the new AutoCAD capabilities Written by George Omura, a popular AutoCAD author Offers an essential resource for those preparing for the AutoCAD certification program Includes a DVD with all the project files necessary for the tutorials, a trial version of AutoCAD, and additional tools and utilities George Omura's engaging writing style makes this reference the perfect reference and tutorial for both novice and experienced CAD users.Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of the e-book file, but are available for download after purchase.


Purpose - As the global market conditions become progressively more volatile and unpredictable, public and private organisations are increasingly pressured to rely on innovation and adaptability as crucial sources of sustained performance. Our study investigates the still underexplored link between organisational knowledge assets and contextual ambidextrous learning. Specifically, we study how different configurations of knowledge assets - also called intellectual capital architectures - influence an organisation's ability to simultaneously pursue knowledge exploration and exploitation. Methodology - We tested our model on a large hospital of about 250 beds and 35 wards located in the northern part of Italy. We surveyed health professionals by means of a structured questionnaire and also employed objective data in order to measure our outcome variables. Selected respondents included head physicians and assistants. Collected data were analysed using structural equations modelling (SEM) methodology in its PLS form and fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA). Originality/Value - We propose and empirically explore the relation between intellectual capital architectures and organizational ambidexterity. In so doing we contribute to the debate concerning how organizations can simultaneously pursue both knowledge exploitation and exploration giving birth to ambidextrous learning processes. Also, by conciliating two bodies of literature that come from organizational learning and intellectual capital theory, our study extends the current understanding of the relationships between knowledge management activities and continuous improvement in healthcare. Practical implications - Our study might have implications for managers of healthcare organizations in that it sheds first light on the responsibility hospital managers have to promote current practice improvement through a set of interventions aimed at increasing healthcare organisations' intellectual capital.


Seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana, heterozygous for the alb1 mutation were treated with X-rays to generate sectors of albino tissue in the mature plants. Sectors were observed in tissues derived from L2 and L3 layers of the shoot meristem. Altogether 324 sectors were obtained affecting 512 leaves or the inflorescence. The majority of sectors affected only one or other of the first leaf pair. In later leaves, sectors were less frequent, and often affected more than one leaf. Sectors seen in the flowers almost invariably included some of the cauline leaves. Sectors in any region of the plant were of variable length and width. The axillary meristems of Arabidopsis were found to be clonally related to two or more cells near the centre of the subtending leaf. Overall the data are compatible with the idea that there are few, if any, restrictions on cell fate within the cell layers of the dry seed meristem. As in other higher plants, developmental fate could only be predicted in a general and probabilistic way. Such a pattern might be generated if the acquisition of cell fate occurred continuously as the plant grows, in a position-dependent, lineage-independent fashion. A general model of the meristem has been produced to accommodate the observations concerning the great majority of the sectors.


The aim of this study is to explore the effect of corrective feedback (prompts and recasts) on oral accuracy with the emphasis on language aptitude. The initial participants of this study were 120 male Iranian elementary learners (15–20 years old) studying English as a foreign language. Their language aptitude was measured by the Words in Sentence component of the Modern Language Aptitude Test-Elementary (MLAT-E) (2002). The Key English Test 2 (2003) was conducted as a placement test. 60 learners were selected using the results of placement and aptitude tests and randomly assigned into three groups (prompt, recast, control) each of them containing 20 members. The study followed placement test, MLAT-E, pre-test, treatment sessions, immediate post-test, and delayed post-test design. A mixed between-within subjects analysis of variance was conducted to assess the impact of prompts and recasts on participants' oral accuracy across three time periods (pre-intervention, post-intervention, three weeks follow-up). The results showed that there was a statistically significant interaction between the use of corrective feedback and the time. The main effect comparing the two types of intervention was statistically significant suggesting a significant difference in the effectiveness of the two teaching approaches showing the superiority of prompts over recasts in post-tests. In the meantime, the results didn't show any interaction between aptitude and feedback conditions in terms of target language accuracy.


AbstractThis work suggests a framework for modeling the traffic emissions in urban road traffic networks that are described by the Network Fundamental Diagram (NFD) concept. Traffic emission is formalized in finite spatiotemporal windows as a function of aggregated traffic variables, i.e. Total Travel Distances (TTDs) in the network and network average speed. The framework is extended for the size of an urban network during a signal cycle – the size of a window in which the network aggregated parameters are modeled in the NFD concept. Simulations have been carried out for model accuracy analysis, using the microscopic Versit + Micro model as reference. By applying the macroscopic emission model function and the traffic modeling relationships, the control objective for pollution reduction has also been formalized. Basically, multi-criteria control design has been introduced for two criteria: maximization of the TTD and minimization of traffic emissions within the network.


Cubosomes are cubic lyotropic Liquid Crystalline structures consisting of polar lipids, such as glycerol monooleate (GMO) or glycerol monolaurate (GML) that provide the capability of carrying both hydrophilic and lipophilic compounds1-3. The most straightforward method of producing cubic phase particles is the agitation of both phases (oil and water) with a magnetic stirrer resulting in a coarse dispersion. This produces a polydisperse and unstable solution. Further post-manufacture modifications are required to control dispersity and size: ultrasonication5, homogenisation6, and microfluidics7. Aims: The aim of the present study was to formulate cubosomes (see Figure 1)4 in the presence of ethanol (hydrotrope) prepared comparing the three post-manufacture methods. Methods: Three samples were prepared using GMO and GML dissolved in ethanol (oil phase) and the surfactant (F127) dissolved in water (water phase). One sample was sonicated for 5 minutes using 30-40% of the maximum power. The second sample was homogenised for 10 minutes at 8000 rpm. The third sample was prepared using a Neonano device from Neofluidics for 1 minute. The samples were examined by Scanning Electron Microscopy to determine if cubosomes had been formed, and evaluated by Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) for measurement of particle size and Zeta potential using a Zetasizer Nano ZS90 system to provide a comparison of average droplet size and polydispersity index between all the samples and the measurements of zeta potential showed which method provides better colloidal stability during storage for three months at 4, 25 and 37oC. Results: The dispersions examined under Scanning Electronic Microscope showed non-aggregated particles confirming the nanoparticle formation for all three methods. The sample produced by microfluidics showed low polydispersity with no variation of the zeta potential over three months. Conclusion: Microfluidics avoids the heat gradient and it reduces the manufacture time with high reproducibility. Acknowledgments: These findings are part of the Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) project developed between AB Vista, Abitec and the University of Strathclyde. The authors would like to express their gratitude to Neofluidics for support in conducting this research.


Changes in forage utilization have been difficult to measure non-destructively without some level of subjectivity. This subjec tivity, combined with a lack of reproducibility of visual estimates, has made forage utilization measurement techniques a topic of considerable discussion. The objective of this study was to devel op and test the accuracy and repeatability of an objective, com puter-based technique for measuring changes in plant biomass. Digital photographs of target plants acquired before and after partial defoliation were analyzed using readily available image analysis software. Resulting data were used to develop a simple linear random coefficient model (RC) for estimation of plant bio mass removed based on the area of the plant in the photo. Sample collection took approximately 20 minutes/plant for alfal fa (Medicago sativa L.). Analysis of images took another 60 to 90 minutes. Regression analysis gave an R 2 of 0.969 for predicted vs. observed plant weights. Testing this model using 10 alfalfa plants yielded weight estimates of defoliated plants accurate to within +/‐ 8.5%. The advantage of the RC model is its ability to use easily obtained coefficients from simple linear regression models developed from each plant in a way that accounts for the lack of independence between samples within an individual plant. The technique described here offers an objective and accurate method for measuring changes in plant biomass with possible applications in ecology, botany, and range science. In particular, application of this technique for estimating forage utilization may improve accuracy of estimates and, thereby, improve range management practices.


The recent proliferation of international commercial courts around the world is changing the global business of adjudication. The rise of these courts also challenges the traditional accounts of the competitive relationship between and among courts and arbitral tribunals for this business. London and New York have long been considered the forum of choice in international commercial contracts—whether parties opt for litigation or arbitration. More recently, however, English-language-friendly international commercial courts have been established in China (2018), Singapore (2015), Qatar (2009), Dubai (2004), the Netherlands (2019), Germany (2018), France (2010), and beyond.

The emerging scholarship addressing these new courts tends to view them as engaged in a global competition with each other and with arbitration to create the most efficient dispute resolution mechanism. That account oversimplifies. The creation of each of these courts is driven by multiple, different factors on the ground.

This Article makes four contributions. First, it offers a categorization of international commercial courts based on the forces apparently driving their creation. Second, it critiques the "race to the top" narrative both within the law-and-economics framework and outside it, drawing attention to the range of domestic and international forces driving the courts' rise. The courts' success therefore will not necessarily be based on the excellence of adjudication they provide, but rather on other metrics, like the number of cases or amount of investment they attract, that reflect what drove states to create the international commercial court in the first place. Third, these courts counter a traditional U.S. narrative that arbitration and litigation are opposites. International commercial courts borrow many features from arbitration, like expert adjudicators, confidentiality, and customizable procedures. These courts thus raise questions about what characteristics of arbitration and litigation are fundamental and what parties prefer. Fourth, the Article celebrates procedural innovation but warns international commercial courts against becoming beholden to either sovereign or private interests.


The widespread adoption of the Common Core State Standards (2010) has caused mathematics and special educators to reconsider instructional methods. The Common Core introduces eight Standards for Mathematical Practice that outlines the dispositions that should be fostered in students. Most notable are those that push students to analyze problems, create a solution, explain/prove their reasoning to others and critique other students' methods. Although direct instruction has been the primary approach advocated in working with students who have disabilities, this approach tends to teach basic skill proficiency with less emphasis on the problem solving advocated in the Common Core. In this paper, we use examples from our own teaching to offer an alternative to direct instruction for special education teachers who are moving into mathematics or coteaching, an approach that has the potential for fostering the disposition advocated in the Common Core State Standards.


Lobophora variegata and Dictyota pulchella are dominant algal components on coral reefs across the Caribbean, but the mechanisms and outcomes of spatial competition between these algae and scleractinian corals are poorly understood. In this study the effects on growth and mortal- ity of juvenile corals by 2 forms of algal competition, shading and abrasion, were investigated. The growth of small Agaricia spp. (<20 mm diameter) was monitored over a 14 mo period on shallow forereefs in Roatan, Honduras. Experimental manipulations of algal shading and algal contact with the periphery of colonies were conducted in isolation from the effects of grazing through the use of exclusion cages. Shading by L. variegata caused an overall loss of coral tissue and significantly increased colony mortality rates from 0 to 50% in 6 mo. The presence of L. variegata around the periphery of a coral colony significantly reduced the overall growth of juvenile corals, decreasing the growth rate to 60% of that of control corals, but had no detectable effect on mortality. Shading by D. pulchella resulted in 99% growth inhibition (i.e. to just 1% of the growth rate of control corals). Peripheral contact with D. pulchella (without shading) also retarded coral growth rates but to a lesser extent: to 31% of that of controls. A synthetic alga made to mimic the action of D. pulchella abrasion caused a similar reduction in growth rate to actual D. pulchella, suggesting that the reduction in coral growth occurred because of physical mechanisms rather than allelochemical inhibition. The severe inhibition of colony growth caused by the proximity of D. pulchella or L. variegata may extend a coral's period of vulnerability to whole colony mortality. Based on the monthly mortality rate observed in uncaged control corals of 0.035 ± 0.135 (SE), peripheral contact with D. pulchella could decrease the survivorship of corals reaching a 3 cm diameter from 29 to <2%. Peripheral contact with L. variegata could likewise decrease cohort survival to 11%. The ability of these common macroalgae to reduce the survivorship of juvenile corals through interference competition could contribute to the perpetuating dominance of macroalgae on many Caribbean reefs.


This thesis aims to explore the problem of percussion pattern discovery in Indian art music specific to Hindustani music. We propose approaches for automatic discovery of percussion patterns from audio recordings of tabla solos. We take advantage of the onomatopoeic syllables used in transmission of the repertoire and the technique. We provide a short introduction to the concept of rhythm in Hindustani music, explaining the essential components that constitute a rhythmic cycle. We review the relevant research for transcription and pattern search in music using computational methods and present a critique. A detailed description and the implementation steps for the proposed methods are presented. In our approach, the recordings of the Tabla solos are transcribed into a sequence of syllables using an HMM model of each syllable. We compile a set of most frequently occurring patterns in the dataset and use them as query patterns to be searched over the transcribed sequence of syllables. For the purpose of pattern search, we use an approximate string search method of matching Rough Longest Common Subsequence (RLCS) which, empirically, seems to be robust to the transcription errors and improves the recall rate and the f-measure significantly over the baseline. Further, we hypothesize to aid the RLCS approach by introducing syllabic similarity and non-linear costs for insertions and deletions in transcription. While the introduction of syllabic similarities gives a boost to the recall rate at the cost of precision, non-linear cost for insertions and deletions improves the precision at the cost of recall. The methods are evaluated over a sizeable dataset that has been compiled as a part of the CompMusic project. The obtained results provide a proof for the proposed concept. A detailed error analysis is performed and plausible reasons are discussed to explain the obtained results. The thesis concludes with a summary of the work, highlighting the main conclusions and the contributions made.


Observations and model simulations of an Antarctic ice‐core record of hydrogen peroxide during the last ∼150 years are analyzed. The observations indicate a relative increase in hydrogen peroxide by approximately 50% since 1900, with most of the change since the early 1970s. Using two model simulations spanning 1850 to present, we show that the modeled relative change in annual‐mean surface hydrogen peroxide parallels the equivalent signal from the ice core record. In addition, we show that this relative change can be explained by the relative changes in tropospheric ozone concentration and mostly in ozone photolysis rates (J(O1D)). The simulated signal is therefore intimately related to the changes in stratospheric ozone associated with increases in chlorofluorocarbons; this is further demonstrated using total ozone column observations and the associated observed change in ice‐core hydrogen peroxide.


Feminist writing has emerged in recent years as a major influence in 20th century European literature. Second-wave feminism has not only inspired new generations of women writers but has also stimulated an interest in women's writing from the past. "Textual Liberation" provides a wide-ranging survey of 20th century feminist writing in Europe, presenting texts from a number of countries and highlighting some of the transnational parallels and contrasts. The contributors emphasize the wider context - political, social, economic - in which the texts were produced. They cover feminist literature in Britain, Scandinavia, Germany, Eastern Europe, Russia, France, Spain, Italy and Turkey, and consider a range of genres, including the novel, poetry, drama, essays, and journalism. Each chapter contains an extensive bibliography with special emphasis on material available in English.


The use of technology in language teaching and learning has been the focus of a number of recent research review studies, including developments in technology and CALL research (Zhao, 2003), CALL as an academic discipline (Debski, 2003), ICT effectiveness (Felix, 2005), and subject characteristics in CALL research (Hubbard, 2005), to name a few. Such studies have contributed to clarifying how language learning technologies have been investigated, but questions remain regarding how these technologies have been used in achieving learning objectives. In other words, what technologies do CALL practitioners select for the teaching of a certain language skill or area such as listening, grammar or pronunciation? Are the decisions to use these technologies made on pedagogical grounds, or alternatively, are there other aspects that are more instrumental in influencing what is used in the language classroom? The purpose of this study is to review the literature to examine what technologies are used in the teaching of the language skills and areas. All empirical research articles appearing in four major English-language journals in the field of CALL (CALICO Journal, CALL, Language Learning & Technology, and ReCALL) from 2001 to 2005 were examined and the results collated to determine (1) what types of technologies are being used in the teaching of specific language skills and areas, (2) whether researchers had a clear idea in mind regarding their choice of technology or technologies in relation to their learning objectives, and (3) whether the researchers attempted to capitalise upon the features inherent in the technology or technologies as opposed to traditional, non-CALL means. The paper concludes with a discussion of the relationship between technology and pedagogical goals.


The relationship between the employment patterns of undergraduate accounting students studying at a regional Australian university and students' course participation preferences is investigated in this study. The employment patterns which proxy students' socio-economic circumstances and their patterns of study are documented to discern course delivery strategies needed to better attract future accounting students, given the current shortage of qualified professional practitioners. A pilot study surveyed third year accounting students. There was no significant relationship found between participation in courses and employment patterns. However, significantly students who worked irregular hours achieved greater positive academic outcome. Other findings identify a preference for internet based learning, and employer requirements as a barrier to university attendance. The implications of this are the need for increased resources for internet delivered materials and infrastructure, a rethink of the form and relevance of contemporary accounting instruction materials, and the requisite changes to academic workplace tasks. This study uniquely contributes to an understanding of Australian employment patterns and the course participation preferences of accounting students.


This article describes architectural and algorithmic approaches that designers can use to enhance the energy awareness of wireless sensor networks. The article starts off with an analysis of the power consumption characteristics of typical sensor node architectures and identifies the various factors that affect system lifetime. We then present a suite of techniques that perform aggressive energy optimization while targeting all stages of sensor network design, from individual nodes to the entire network. Maximizing network lifetime requires the use of a well-structured design methodology, which enables energy-aware design and operation of all aspects of the sensor network, from the underlying hardware platform to the application software and network protocols. Adopting such a holistic approach ensures that energy awareness is incorporated not only into individual sensor nodes but also into groups of communicating nodes and the entire sensor network. By following an energy-aware design methodology based on techniques such as in this article, designers can enhance network lifetime by orders of magnitude.


In previous publications (Bottou and Vapnik 1992; Vapnik 1992) we described local learning algorithms, which result in performance improvements for real problems. We present here the theoretical framework on which these algorithms are based. First, we present a new statement of certain learning problems, namely the local risk minimization. We review the basic results of the uniform convergence theory of learning, and extend these results to local risk minimization. We also extend the structural risk minimization principle for both pattern recognition problems and regression problems. This extended induction principle is the basis for a new class of algorithms.


The integration of variable renewable energy sources (VRE) is likely to cause fundamental and structural changes to the operation of future power systems. In the United Kingdom (UK), large amounts of price-insensitive and variable-output wind generation is expected to be deployed to contribute towards renewable energy and carbon dioxide (CO2) emission targets. Wind generation, with near-zero marginal costs, limited predictability, and a limited ability to provide upward dispatch, displaces price-setting thermal power plants, with higher marginal costs, changing flexibility and reserve requirements. New-build, commercial-scale, and lowcarbon generation capacity, such as CO2 capture and storage (CCS) and nuclear, may impact power system flexibility and ramping capabilities. Low-carbon generation portfolios with price-sensitive thermal power plants and energy storage are therefore likely to be required to manage increased levels of variability and uncertainty at operational timescales. This work builds on a high-resolution wind reanalysis dataset of UK wind sites. The locations of existing and proposed wind farms are used to produce plausible and internally consistent wind deployment scenarios that represent the spatial distribution of future UK wind capacity. Temporally consistent electricity demand data is used to characterise and assess demand-wind variability and net demand ramp events. A unit commitment and economic dispatch (UCED) model is developed to evaluate the likely operating regimes of thermal power plants and CCSequipped units across a range of future UK wind scenarios. Security constraints for reserve and power plant operating constraints, such as power output limits, ramp rates, minimum up/down times, and start-up times, ensure the operational feasibility of dispatch schedules. The load factors, time spent at different loads, and the ramping and start-up requirements of thermal power plants are assessed. CO2 duration curves are developed to assess the impacts of increasing wind capacity on the distribution of CO2 emissions. A sensitivity analysis investigates the impacts of part-load efficiency losses, ramp rates, minimum up/down times, and start-up/shut-down costs on power plant operating regimes and flexibility requirements. The interactions between a portfolio of energy storage units and flexible CO2 capture units are then explored. This multi-disciplinary research presents a temporally-explicit and detailed assessment of operational flexibility requirements at full 8760 hour resolution, highlighting the non-linear impacts of increasing wind capacity. The methodological framework presented here uses high spatialand temporal-resolution wind data but is expected to provide useful insights for other VREbased power systems to mitigate the implications of inadequate flexibility.


Background: Most healthcare in the US is delivered in the ambulatory care setting, but the epidemiology of errors and adverse events in ambulatory care is understudied. Methods: Using the population-based data from the Colorado and Utah Medical Practices Study, we identified adverse events that occurred in an ambulatory care setting and led to hospital admission. Proportions with 95% CIs are reported. Results: We reviewed 14 700-hospital discharge records and found 587 adverse events of which 70 were ambulatory care adverse events (AAEs) and 31 were ambulatory care preventable adverse events (APAEs). When weighted to the general population, there were 2608 AAEs and 1296 (44.3%) APAEs in Colorado and Utah, USA, in 1992. APAEs occurred most commonly in physicians' offices (43.1%, range 46.8–27.8), the emergency department (32.3%, 46.1–18.5) and at home (13.1%, 23.1–3.1). APAEs in day surgery were less common (7.1%, 13.6–0.6) but caused the greatest harm to patients. The types of APAEs were broadly distributed among missed or delayed diagnoses (36%, 50.2–21.8), surgery (24.1%, 36.7–11.5), non-surgical procedures (14.6%, 25.0–4.2), medication (13.1%, 23.1–3.1) and therapeutic events (12.3%, 22.0–2.6). Overall, 10% of the APAEs resulted in serious permanent injury or death. The proportion of APAEs that resulted in death was 31.8% for general internal medicine, 22.5% for family practice and 16.7% for emergency medicine. Conclusion: An estimated 75 000 hospitalisations per year are due to preventable adverse events that occur in outpatient settings in the US, resulting in 4839 serious permanent injuries and 2587 deaths.


A key assumption in Mendelian randomisation is that the relationship between the genetic instruments and the outcome is fully mediated by the exposure measurement, known as the exclusion restriction assumption. However, in epidemiological studies, the exposure measurement is often a discrete marker for some latent continuous trait. For example, latent liability to schizophrenia can be thought of as underlying the binary diagnosis measure. Genetically-driven variation in the outcome can exist within categories of the exposure measurement, thus violating this assumption. We propose a framework to clarify this violation, deriving a simple expression for the resulting bias and showing that it may inflate or deflate effect estimates but will not reverse their sign. We then characterise a set of assumptions and a straight-forward method for estimating the effect of standard deviation increases in the latent exposure. Our method relies on a sensitivity parameter which can be interpreted as the genetic variance of the latent exposure. We show that this method can be applied in both the one-sample and two-sample settings. We conclude by demonstrating our method in an applied example and re-analysing two papers which are likely to suffer from this type of bias, allowing meaningful interpretation of their effect sizes.


Macro announcements change the equilibrium riskfree rate. We find that treasury prices reflect part of the impact instantaneously, but intermediaries rely on their customer order flow in the 15 minutes after the announcement to discover the full impact. We show that this customer flow informativeness is strongest at times when analyst forecasts of macro variables are highly dispersed. We study 30 year treasury futures to identify the customer flow. We further show that intermediaries appear to benefit from privately recognizing informed customer flow, as, in the cross-section, their own-account trade profitability correlates with access to customer orders, controlling for volatility, competition, and the announcement surprise. These results suggest that intermediaries learn about equilibrium riskfree rates through customer orders.


Binding of human growth hormone (hGH) to its receptor is required for regulation of normal human growth and development. Examination of the 2.8 angstrom crystal structure of the complex between the hormone and the extracellular domain of its receptor (hGHbp) showed that the complex consists of one molecule of growth hormone per two molecules of receptor. The hormone is a four-helix bundle with an unusual topology. The binding protein contains two distinct domains, similar in some respects to immunoglobulin domains. The relative orientation of these domains differs from that found between constant and variable domains in immunoglobulin Fab fragments. Both hGHbp domains contribute residues that participate in hGH binding. In the complex both receptors donate essentially the same residues to interact with the hormone, even though the two binding sites on hGH have no structural similarity. Generally, the hormone-receptor interfaces match those identified by previous mutational analyses. In addition to the hormone-receptor interfaces, there is also a substantial contact surface between the carboxyl-terminal domains of the receptors. The relative extents of the contact areas support a sequential mechanism for dimerization that may be crucial for signal transduction.


This thesis presents a collection of papers that has been published, accepted or submitted for publication. They assess price, volatility and market relationships in the five regional electricity markets in the Australian National Electricity Market (NEM): namely, New South Wales (NSW), Queensland (QLD), South Australia (SA), the Snowy Mountains Hydroelectric Scheme (SNO) and Victoria (VIC). The transmission networks that link regional systems via interconnectors across the eastern states have played an important role in the connection of the regional markets into an efficient national electricity market. During peak periods, the interconnectors become congested and the NEM separates into its regions, promoting price differences across the market and exacerbating reliability problems in regional utilities. This thesis is motivated in part by the fact that assessment of these prices and volatility within and between regional markets allows for better forecasts by electricity producers, transmitters and retailers and the efficient distribution of energy on a national level.

The first two papers explore whether the lagged price and volatility information flows of the connected spot electricity markets can be used to forecast the pricing behaviour of individual markets. A multivariate generalised autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (MGARCH) model is used to identify the source and magnitude of price and volatility spillovers within (intra-relationship) and across (inter-relationship) the various spot markets. The results show evidence of the fact that prices in one market can be explained by their own price lagged one-period and are independent of lagged spot prices of any other markets when daily data is employed. This implies that the regional spot electricity markets are not fully integrated. However, there is also evidence of a large number of significant ownvolatility and cross-volatility spillovers in all five markets indicating that shocks in some markets will affect price volatility in others. Similar conclusions are obtained when the daily data are disaggregated into peak and off-peak periods, suggesting that the spot electricity markets are still rather isolated.

These results inspired the research underlying the third paper of the thesis on modelling the dynamics of spot electricity prices in each regional market. A family of generalised autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity (GARCH), RiskMetrics, normal Asymmetric Power ARCH (APARCH), Student APARCH and skewed Student APARCH is used to model the time-varying variance in prices with the inclusion of news arrival as proxied by the contemporaneous volume of demand, time-of-day, day-of-week and month-of-year effects as exogenous explanatory variables. The important contribution in this paper lies in the use of two latter methodologies, namely, the Student APARCH and skewed Student APARCH which take account of the skewness and fat tailed characteristics of the electricity spot price series. The results indicate significant innovation spillovers (ARCH effects) and volatility spillovers (GARCH effects) in the conditional standard deviation equation, even with market and calendar effects included. Intraday prices also exhibit significant asymmetric responses of volatility to the flow of information (that is, positive shocks or good news are associated with higher volatility than negative shocks or bad news).

The fourth research paper attempts to capture salient feature of price hikes or spikes in wholesale electricity markets. The results show that electricity prices exhibit stronger mean-reversion after a price spike than the mean-reversion in the normal period, suggesting the electricity price quickly returns from some extreme position (such as a price spike) to equilibrium; this is, extreme price spikes are shortlived. Mean-reversion can be measured in a separate regime from the normal regime using Markov probability transition to identify the different regimes.

The fifth and final paper investigates whether interstate/regional trade has enhanced the efficiency of each spot electricity market. Multiple variance ratio tests are used to determine if Australian spot electricity markets follow a random walk; that is, if they are informationally efficient. The results indicate that despite the presence of a national market only the Victorian market during the off-peak period is informationally (or market) efficient and follows a random walk.

This thesis makes a significant contribution in estimating the volatility and the efficiency of the wholesale electricity prices by employing four advanced time series techniques that have not been previously explored in the Australian context. An understanding of the modelling and forecastability of electricity spot price volatility across and within the Australian spot markets is vital for generators, distributors and market regulators. Such an understanding influences the pricing of derivative contracts traded on the electricity markets and enables market participants to better manage their financial risks.


The mass development of the phototrophic under-ice community is an interesting phenomenon known for Arctic Ocean as well as for some rivers and freshwater lakes, including Lake Baikal. Species composition and productive characteristics of the under-ice phytoplankton in Lake Baikal are well studied. During the under-ice blooming, an endemic dinoflagellate Gymnodinium baicalense var. minor Antipova can create more than half of the annual primary phytoplankton production. However, there are still many questions to be answered regarding the factors limiting abundance and proliferation of the under-ice phytoplankton as well as mechanisms facilitating it to persist in Lake Baikal under conditions of the low salinity and low temperature. In present work, we studied dynamics of the development of dinoflagellates and microalgae under the ice cover in Listvennichny Bay of Lake Baikal during the period of February-April 2018. Simultaneously, dynamics of the chemical composition and concentration of atmospheric precipitation was analysed. We observed the under-ice community with domination of endemic dinoflagellate Gymnodinium baicalense var. minor in April. The biomass of this species considerably varied at different days from 0.04 to 10.0 x 103 mg/m3. The results of this study indicated that nutrient supply from precipitation could be an important source of nutrition for organisms developing under the ice, in particular Gymnodinium baicalense var. minor, and could be one of the factors causing the fluctuations in its biomass. We suggested that abrupt significant increases in abundance of G. baicalense var. minor could be a result of their active migration to the area with elevated concentration of nitrogen received from atmospheric precipitation. Such ability may help this species to prosper under the under-ice condition of Lake Baikal.


OBJECTIVE
Long-term glucocorticoid use is accompanied by rapid bone loss; however, early treatment with bisphosphonates prevents bone loss and reduces fracture risk. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of two bisphosphonates, i.v. zoledronic acid (ZOL) versus oral risedronate (RIS), on bone turnover markers (BTMs) in subjects with glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIO).

METHODS
Patients were randomly stratified according to the duration of pre-study glucocorticoid therapy [prevention subpopulation (ZOL, n = 144; RIS, n = 144) ≤3 months, treatment subpopulation (ZOL, n = 272; RIS, n = 273) >3 months]. Changes in β-C-terminal telopeptides of type 1 collagen (β-CTx), N-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (NTx), procollagen type 1 N-terminal propeptide (P1NP) and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BSAP) from baseline were measured on day 10 and months 3, 6 and 12.

RESULTS
At most time points, there were significantly greater reductions (P < 0.05) in the concentrations of serum β-CTx, P1NP and BSAP and urine NTx in subjects on ZOL compared with RIS in both males and females of the treatment and prevention subpopulations. In pre- and post-menopausal women, there were significantly greater reductions in the concentrations of BTMs with ZOL compared with RIS. At 12 months, ZOL had significantly greater reductions compared with RIS (P < 0.05) for β-CTx, P1NP, BSAP and NTx levels, independent of glucocorticoid dose.

CONCLUSIONS
Once-yearly i.v. infusion of ZOL 5 mg was well tolerated in different subgroups of GIO patients. ZOL was non-inferior to RIS and even superior to RIS in the response of BTMs in GIO patients.

TRIAL REGISTRATION
ClinicalTrials.gov, http://clinicaltrials.gov, NCT00100620.


Abstract. The experience of operating livestock farms shows that periodic reorganization does not prevent biological corrosion of building structures. In this work, the possibility of using glutaraldehyde as a fungicide for volumetric administration in the preparation of biostable concrete was investigated. The study aims to minimize the adverse effects of the components of commercial biocidal products on the physical and mechanical characteristics of products. For research, we used an aqueous solution of glutaraldehyde with an active substance concentration of 0.5 and 1 %, which was introduced into Portland cement CEM I 42.5 N as mixing water. The degree of influence of the active substance on the properties of cement paste and mortar was estimated according to data on heat release during hydration, strength, and phase composition. The fungicidal activity evaluation of glutaraldehyde in cement systems and the degree of their growth with the Aspergillus niger test culture were evaluated. It was established by isothermal calorimetry that, in mixtures with glutaraldehyde, a delay in the achievement of the main hydration peak is observed – by 30 minutes for 0.5 %, by 1 hour for 1 %. After 72 hours of hydration, a lower total amount of released heat of hydration is observed – for 0.5 and 1% solutions by 6.8 and 5.8 %, respectively. According to X-ray phase and differential thermal analyzes, the phase composition of the initial and aldehyde-modified cement stone on day 28 does not differ and consists of the following phases: ettringite, portlandite, calcite and clinker minerals. Varying the phase composition leads to a change in strength: when using a 0.5 % solution of aldehyde, the power of the cement-sand mortar increases by 6.5 %, and a 1 % solution decreases by 6.7 %. The use of a 0.5 % solution of glutaraldehyde provides a decrease in the intensity of fungal development and the formation of a fungistatic effect. Based on the results, a 0.5 % solution of glutaraldehyde can be recommended for the development of cement composites with prolonged bioresistance.


Abstract Physical activity is increasingly being defined as a major, complex, multi-sector issue. In order to understand more about how this expanded conception of physical activity is being factored into public policy, this article applies the multiple streams theory of policy change to examine the United Kingdom (UK) physical activity domain. Participant observation, policy analysis and media analysis are combined to examine the ways in which the political context, problem framing and policy solutions were brought together by a range of policy entrepreneurs. The study pays particular attention to how one lobby effort in the UK, the All Party Committee on Physical Activity (APCPA) attempted to elevate physical activity to a higher level of importance. The findings show how a hybrid form of organisation made up of traditional interest groups, corporations and government insiders, has successfully decreased ambiguity about physical activity and increased both official and public attention about the issue. The article suggests that while the multifarious benefits of physical activity and the diverse range of organisations involved have contributed to momentum towards policy change, these factors may also inhibit physical activity from remaining high on the policy agenda. Suggestions are offered for policy practices at a national level.


To progress compounds from candidacy to IND rapidly, manufacturers can adopt a strategy that involves front-loading as many studies as possible to reduce the number of potential problems, finding the best solid form for manufacture through a polymorph study or screen, developing a manufacturing process and formulation that preserves this form, and adopting process analytical technology and quality-by-design principles.


East Manchester has been the site of one of the most substantial regeneration projects internationally. The initiative in east Manchester confirmed the tag that the city is the 'regeneration capital' of the United Kingdom.

While the book focuses on a single project, it has wider relevance to national and international regeneration initiatives. The book assesses the outcomes of the regeneration, although it demonstrates the difficulties in producing a definitive evaluation. It has a political focus and illuminates and challenges many assumptions underpinning three major current academic debates: governance, participatory democracy and ideology.

The book is relevant to students of politics, geography, sociology, public administration and recent history but will also interest practitioners, academics and general readers interested in urban regeneration. Mancunians will also be fascinated by the rapidly changing face and character of their city as will those with an interest in Manchester's football, the Commonwealth Games and Sportcity.


The study first summarized the existing policies in Viet Nam on energy efficiency improvement of the transport sector. The result showed that Viet Nam has implemented principally the same type of policies as that of Japan and Thailand. However, the mechanism for implementation is key, so that stakeholders take their own initiatives autonomously, rather than simply be imposed with government policies. The quantitative case study for Da Nang City evaluated effects of implementation of long-term traffic plans. The study identified that planned bypass highway will differentiate oil consumption by 30% in 2030. While in the city centre, when assuming increasing modal shift from motorbike to automobile, 10 years' delay of development of public transport system will increase oil consumption by 5% in 2030. It appears that the existing blueprint of future traffic system is effective to reduce oil consumption, hence should be implemented immediately. The study revealed many remaining challenges in Viet Nam's transport sector. When addressing these challenges. It is thus recommended to make active use of information and communication technology (ICT) and encourage the development of technologies and creation of new services, for innovative approach to improve energy efficiency in the transport sector. A list of detailed policy actions was developed to address these challenges, based on intensive consultation with Viet Nam and international experts.


The first chapters of the thesis put special emphasis on tax-benefit microsimulation models. The state of the art in the economic literature of tax-benefit microsimulation models is reviewed and discussed. Particular attention is paid to issues such as the reliability of estimation and the grossing-up of the sample. In order to analyze tax-benefit microsimulation, a new model is developed focusing on the case of Italy: it shares many features with other country-specific tax-benefit microsimulation models. The model, appropriately calibrated to population totals, is also used for an estimation of tax evasion via comparison with a number of different data sources. Non-parametric density estimation is used to improve the understanding of policy simulations and to analyze the effect of fiscal reform: an application to the 1998 Italian personal income taxation reform is provided. The first part concludes with an analysis of the reliability of microsimulation models, which has been addressed by few authors before. The analysis is undertaken using the bootstrap, which tends to show a better performance in finite sample than asymptotic approximations. The main result is that static microsimulation does not by itself make confidence intervals larger: on the contrary they can also make it smaller. To improve the reliability of microsimulation models the best way to proceed is to reduce the sampling error of the available data sets. In the remaining chapters the thesis analyzes how microsimulation models can be useful in understanding the causes of inequality trends. As a preliminary step, the review and discussion of the literature about the main methods for inequality decomposition is provided. Based on this, a combination of two recent microsimu-lation methods is proposed to analyze the trend of inequality in Italy in 1977-2000. It is found that analysis using traditional methods of inequality decomposition can be seriously misleading if the sample is not representative of the whole population in some of its dimensions, such as female labor force participation. Microsimulation techniques can overcome this problem and can account for the major factors that driving inequality. Finally, the thesis discusses the issue of inference with thick-tailed distributions, such as the Pareto distribution with infinite second moment, that is of special relevance to empirical analysis of income distribution. It is shown that inference based on the standard t-ratio statistic can induce a non negligible error in rejection probability. Some solutions are suggested with an application to Italian household income data.


Wong's essay charts the legal controversies over slaves brought into New England after Massachusetts Chief Justice Lemuel Shaw's forceful application of the celebrated British civil suit, Somerset v. Stewart (1772), in the landmark case of the slave girl Med, or Commonwealth v. Aves (1836). It explores material that has been largely left out of the antislavery story: the cases brought by abolitionists to free slaves who had traveled with their masters into free territory. Wong's essay reconstructs the records of these cases from popular literature, newsprint, and legal pamphlets to explore what recent literary and historical scholarship has largely overlooked. Harriet and John S. Jacobs, Maria Weston Chapman, Sojourner Truth, and Ellis Gray Loring appear alongside a number of largely unknown slave attendants in an essay that explores the complex ways legal discourses circulating in newsprint constituted the agency and subjectivity of slaves who petitioned Northern courts for freedom (in counterdistinction from the criminal will of the fugitive). Their cases reveal the contradictory logic by which abolitionists disregarded the slaves' express desires to remain with their masters, and in many cases argued for the very sorts of separations from kin that usually figured so largely in abolitionist attacks on slavery. These legal stories compose a loose genre of antislavery literature, charting the struggles of jurists, slaveholders, free blacks, and abolitionists as they negotiated the predicament of a territorially bounded freedom.


Only recently have theologians begun to think and write about the ecological crisis in a focused manner. It is clear, however, that people of faith must come to grips with that crisis and find a way of thinking about it in the context of their beliefs. In this book, Willis Jenkins offers an introduction to Christian environemntal ethics. Following observations of lived environmental theologies, he argues that they often draw on concepts and metaphors of grace, thus placing environmental issues within Christian experiences of salvation. Jenkins therefore surveys major strategies of Christian environmental ethics by mapping them onto major traditions of grace and uses this new map to explore afresh the ecological dimensions of three distinctive theologies of grace.


Public-private partnerships in agriculture are collaborative mechanisms in which actors in research fields and the private sector share resources, risk and generate innovation for the development of the agricultural sector, including the livestock, forestry, and fisheries sectors. Possible partners include research institutes, universities, and public extension agencies, producer associations, businesses, and individual producers in the private sector. In sub-Saharan Africa countries, these partnerships are often supported by government and international cooperation agencies. Collaborative partnerships are a key mechanism in developing reliable delivery streams for technology. Collaborative partnerships can also effectively bridge the gap between the distinctive competencies of the public and private sector, respectively, to better meet the needs of farmers. Interactions between publically-funded institutions and private sector entities occur in several areas such as seed production, farm implements and machinery production, disease diagnostics and vaccines manufacture, value-addition, and post-harvest agricultural processing and product quality testing and evaluation. This review focuses on the role played by PPPs in disseminating acceptable technology to farmers, explores the current state of the field, and details approaches and methods for establishment and promotion of PPPs in sub-Saharan Africa.Keywords: Partnerships, Technology, Public, Private, Farmers


Since its discovery in New Zealand in 2006, the tomato-potato psyllid (Bactericera cockerelli) (TPP) has emerged as a major pest of solanaceous crops. In potato crops, the management of TPP has predominantly relied on insecticide applications, as biological control by generalist predators has been constrained by both insecticide use, and temporal and spatial scales. This research sought to further investigate a generalist predator already established in New Zealand, the southern ladybird (Cleobora mellyi), introduced from Tasmania as a biocontrol agent for Paropsis charybdis in the 1970s and 1980s, as a potential biocontrol agent of TPP. The southern ladybird's prey selection, ladybird longevity and ladybird-TPP predator-prey dynamics were investigated. A choice test assay utilised small experimental arenas of three alternative choices between: (1) TPP and green peach aphid, Myzus persicae, (2) TPP and potato aphid, Macrosiphum euphorbiae and (3) TPP and greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum. Cleobora mellyi larvae and adults did not demonstrate a significant prey preference between TPP and either green peach aphid or potato aphid, but did show a significant aversion to greenhouse whitefly. Longevity trials consisted of a water only control and three treatments: (1) a floral resource (flowering buckwheat), (2) 10 TPP/day or (3) flowering buckwheat + 10 TPP/day. All three treatments lived significantly longer than the water only control, and southern ladybirds adults lived significantly longer when given both the floral resource and TPP compared to only being given TPP. A glasshouse mesocosm study was used to investigate ladybird-TPP predator-prey dynamics. Within 3 weeks the southern ladybird had significantly reduced TPP densities in the treatment in which they were present along with potato plants and TPP compared to the treatment without ladybirds, a reduction that was maintained until the completion of the experiment. Where there was only TPP and no ladybird, no potato tubers were formed; in the presence of southern ladybird small and few potato tubers were formed, while, the most tubers were produced in insect-free controls. This indicates a species-level trophic cascade. This study has shown that the southern ladybird is capable of predating upon TPP and reducing densities within the controlled conditions of a glasshouse. However, with the current state of knowledge, the southern ladybird is not likely to be a viable predator for controlling TPP in potato crops outside glasshouses in New Zealand. This is due in part to the freedom to disperse in the field, the economics of such large scale rearing, and fundamental differences in habitat type compared to their natural environment, but applications in alternative contexts cannot be ruled out.


The super junction (SJ) concept (Coe et al.) applied to power semiconductor devices is attractive due to its potential for reducing on-resistance at a given breakdown voltage. Discrete SJ vertical power devices have recently become available commercially. However, lateral SJ devices have not materialized for several years partly due to the fact that the lateral SJ structure, implemented on silicon substrates, suffers from substrate-assisted depletion effects which reduce the breakdown voltage. This article discusses the various device structures that have been proposed to eliminate the substrate-assisted depletion effects in SJ-lateral double diffused MOS LDMOS transistors (SJ-LDMOSTs). The concept of the SJ device and vertical and lateral SJ structure was summarized. The substrate-assisted depletion effects are described in detail. The alternative implementations proposed to suppress the substrate effects were then discussed. And the experimental implementation results are summarized and discussed to identify the most likely option for the implementation of lateral SJ-LDMOSTs


: Background: Like genomic changes, the ability for biofilm production is considered as one of the antibiotic resistant factors in bacteria which can cause recurrent infections. The infection resulted from Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus is the most common form of such complications manifested as recurrent infections. The aim of this study was to investigate biofilm production ability among isolated Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in patients with different types of clinical infection. Material and Methods: Fifty Staphylococcus aureus strains were isolated from different specimens and identified by biochemical and species-specific PCR tests. Methicillin-resistance specificity of isolates was confirmed by disk diffusion method and mec A gene presence; the biofilm- forming ability was evaluated by crystal violet microtiter plate assay and Congo red agar (CRA). Results: Using turbidimetry with no acetic acid, the ability for biofim production was seen at 550 and 492 nm in 34 (68%) and 28 isolates (56%), respectively. In both methods, the most of isolates were weak biofilm producers. In CRA, 94% of isolates were biofilm producers which most (72.3%) of them were moderate producers. Conclusions: While with the consideration of three studied methods high percentages of isolates were biofilm producers and despite the significant correlation seen between their results, there was a higher correlation coefficient between the results obtained from crystalviolet-treated microtiter plates with two reading methods.


The adoption and use of three Web 2.0 technologies (web conferencing, eSurveys, and YouTube videos) were studied using the following four adoption models: the Diffusion of Innovations, the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, the Adoption and Diffusion Outcome Prediction Tool (ADOPT), and Switch: How to change things when change is hard. It is believed that this research study comparing
four quite divergent models is the first of its kind attempted, and similarly its focus on the adoption of Web 2.0 technologies.

The study was conducted within an organisational context of a state government agriculture department. Unlike previous studies which focused on individuals in an
organisational setting with attitude factors such as perceived use, this study considered the actual usage of the technologies by government staff.

A case study approach with mixed methods consisting of quantitative and qualitative techniques utilised the results from six data sets – five surveys and one set of
observational data – all collected as part of the Queensland Government's eExtension project. Staff actively using the eTechnologies were surveyed for the eExtension
project baseline survey (n=119), the Impact of web conferencing survey (n=56), the Impact of eSurveys survey (n=47), the YouTube video training workshop survey
(n=39) and finally, the Motivation to adopt an innovation survey (n=94). In that final survey, organisational users of the Web 2.0 technologies selected one of the three
technologies – eSurveys, webinars, or YouTube videos – and rated their degree of use of the technology, nominated the factors that encouraged and discouraged adoption of the technology, and then responded to questions from the four adoption models.

The quantitative data was analysed using R (including ANOVA, Principal Components Analysis and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis) and the qualitative data was analysed using content analysis (predominantly undertaken manually but also electronically using Leximancer and Wordle).
While it was not possible to determine whether one of the four models was any more effective than the others at predicting adoption, the Hierarchical Cluster Analysis
confirmed that the Diffusion of Innovations and ADOPT models were robust with minimal overlapping questions within them.

Unlike any previous study reviewed, an analysis was undertaken to determine whether there was a difference between human or technology related questions. An
analysis across all the questions indicated that questions categorised as relating to technological factors were slightly better at predicting adoption that those
categorised as human factors.

This study also identified the factors that encouraged the adoption and use of new technologies, which for eSurveys were the increased efficiency of creating, distributing and analysing surveys; the ease of use for the survey creator and respondent; saving time and money; accessibility of reaching people; and the ease of distribution. These factors for webinars were that they provided more opportunities to interact; reduced travel and were cost effective; provided visual aids in seeing each
other and documents, were easy to use or to get support and assistance. The factors that encouraged adoption of YouTube style videos were their use as a visual tool for
training and/or conveying information; lower costs associated with making video as opposed to other options; greater acceptance and/or demand by the target audience;
and having received training to make the videos. The overall themes that emerged regarding the factors that encouraged adoption of the new technologies were that
they needed to be easy to use, save time and money, and they required the provision of support.

The research study also identified the factors that discouraged adoption of the new technologies. For eSurveys these were learning how to use the technology and the
lack of acceptance of the technology by end-users. For webinars they were the lack of training for organisers and/or participants; lack of Departmental support; potential
participants not accepting the technology and/or not having access to equipment; the preference for face-to-face interaction and the cost. Finally, for YouTube the factors
were lack of training, lack of Departmental support, lack of access to equipment, and lack of time. The overall themes that emerged regarding the factors that discouraged
adoption of the new technologies were lack of training on how to use the new technology, end-users not being receptive to it, lack of departmental support and/or
policy, and lack of access to equipment.

The benefits derived from the use of these modern technologies were also identified, and for web conferencing these were saving travel time, saving travel money, better
engaging with clients and/or colleagues, being more innovative and being more responsive to the needs of clients and/or colleagues. The benefits derived from the
use of eSurveys were being more efficient by saving time and effort when gathering feedback from clients, being more responsive to the needs of clients, being more
innovative, making better informed decisions, and more efficiently gathering feedback after an event. The main benefit derived from YouTube videos was an efficient means of communication without the use of paper.

A new model for the adoption and use of Web 2.0 technologies, the User benefits model, was developed for an organisational setting. It comprises four factors related
to user benefits: contagious benefits, supporting benefits, working smarter benefits and noticeable, trialable benefits.


Trafficking of the facilitative glucose transporter GLUT4 is regulated by insulin in fat and muscle cells. Under basal conditions, GLUT4 is retained intracellularly by continually cycling through the endosomal system, but translocates to the plasma membrane in response to insulin stimulation. Intracellular GLUT4-containing vesicles fall into two categories: cellugyrin-positive (sortilin-free) and sortilin-positive (cellugyrin-negative). The former are the source of GLUT4 that cycles through the plasma membrane under basal conditions while the latter are the source of GLUT4 that translocates to the cell surface upon insulin stimulation. Fusion of GLUT4-containing vesicles with the plasma membrane is mediated by formation of SNARE complexes including the plasma membrane localized t-SNAREs Syntaxin 4 and SNAP23, and the v-SNARE VAMP2 present in the GLUT4-containing vesicles. The Sec1/Munc18 (SM) protein Munc18c also plays a key role in insulin-stimulated GLUT4 translocation, although its precise role remains controversial. Munc18c binds directly to both Syntaxin 4 and VAMP2 as well as to the assembled SNARE complex through a series of different binding modes. It has been suggested that SM/Syntaxin interactions facilitate SNARE complex formation by bringing about a conformational switch to release an inhibitory effect of syntaxins' Habc domain.
In this study I have used in situ Proximity Ligation Assay (PLA) to visualize the effects of insulin stimulation on interactions between Syntaxin 4, SNAP23, VAMP2 and Munc18c in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and fibroblasts. I find that insulin treatment results in an increase of the formation of assembled Syntaxin 4/SNAP23/VAMP2 SNARE complexes as well as recruitment of Munc18c to these complexes. These studies also reveal the existence of two pools of Syntaxin 4 under basal conditions: one in complex with SNAP23 (lacking VAMP2 and Munc18c); the other in complex with Munc18c and VAMP2 (lacking SNAP23). Additionally I have used in vitro binding studies to demonstrate that Syntaxin 4 binds directly to VAMP2 in a SNARE motif related manner and that this interaction is inhibitory to the rate of Syntaxin 4/SNAP23/VAMP2 SNARE complex assembly. Syntaxin 4 also binds directly to SNAP23, an interaction that enhances SNARE complex formation.
Munc18c is phosphorylated on Tyr-521 in response to insulin-stimulation of 3T3-L1 adipocytes. I report here, that wild-type Munc18c inhibits SNARE complex formation, whereas a phosphomimetic version facilitates this process. Finally PLA studies reveal that the Syntaxin 4 pool in complex with VAMP2 and Munc18c associates with sortilin-positive vesicles, and that it is this pool which facilitates fusion of GLUT4 carrying vesicles upon insulin-stimulation. These studies also demonstrate the other Syntaxin 4 pool, that in complex with SNAP23, associates with cellugyrin-positive vesicles, and likely regulates the basal cycling of GLUT4 through the plasma membrane.
I have used the data presented in this thesis to formulate a model whereby the two pools of Syntaxin 4 described are functionally distinct, and differ in their ability to mediate delivery of GLUT4 to the plasma membrane in response to insulin through the function of Munc18c.


Traditional exams typically assess general achievement by testing procedural knowledge across a sample of mathematical domains. Here we explore whether achievement can be assessed by testing conceptual understanding across domains.
This follows previous work in which we showed that comparative judgement, based on pairwise expert judgements of students' work rather than rubrics and scoring, can be used to measure understanding of a specific concept (e.g. fractions). In the present study, school students (N = 197) sat open-ended tests sampling a range of concepts, and their responses were comparatively judged. Analysis supported the validity of the approach for assessing general achievement. We conclude that comparative judgement could help improve the assessment of mathematics.


The US is facing a retirement crisis. Almost half of all American families have no retirement savings. A disturbingly large number of investors think they are on a path toward a comfortable retirement, but they are unlikely to reach their destination due to their unrealistically optimistic growth forecasts for their retirement savings. This article examines the sources of this unwarranted optimism. First, some investors forecast savings growth rates that assume they will reinvest dividends, but they do not. Second, investors earn lower rates of returns than the mutual funds they invest in. Third, they fail to properly account for the costs associated with investing—inflation, expense ratios, and taxes. Investment professionals are very familiar with how these factors work against accumulating savings. Much less attention, however, has been directed at how overly optimistic forecasts of these factors threaten retirement security. This article examines these issues. In addition, the article shows how properly incorporating the factors into retirement plans enables retirement savers and financial advisors to make the timely changes needed to prevent a retirement nightmare. TOPICS: Wealth management, retirement, pension funds, portfolio theory Key Findings • A majority of polled workers express optimism about their ability to finance a comfortable retirement, but those who forecast an overly optimistic savings growth rates are unlikely to reach their retirement goal. • The principal sources of overly optimistic savings growth rate forecasts include bullish market return forecasts, failure to reinvest dividends, underperforming the equity funds that the investors invest in, and a failure to properly account for inflation, expense ratios, and taxes. • Prospects for achieving retirement savings targets improve with a combination of better forecasts of the factors affecting the savings growth rate, avoiding poor market timing, and lowering expense ratios with low-cost index funds.


ABSTRACT
 Formulations of compounds repellent to honey bees may be useful tools to keep bees away from areas recently treated with toxic insecticides. Here, we report the activity of a previously unknown honey bee repellent, an essential oil from the flower of Swertia densifolia (Gentianaceae), which has activity toward Indian honey bees Apis florea F. The essential oil was obtained by hydrodistillation and was subjected to a rotating table bioassay with foragers of the honey bee A. florea. Repellency was dose-dependent up to 12 mg/ml and remained constant thereafter. The chemical constitution of the essential oil was examined by gas chromatography—mass spectrometry analyses, which identified 19 constituent compounds. The major constituents (>10% of the oil) were linalool and octadecanoic acid. The constituents of intermediate concentration (5–10%) were &agr;-terpeniol, nerol, n-octadecyl acetate, and spirostan-3-ol. Besides these, five minor constituents (1–5%) and six of the eight trace components present (<1%) have also been identified. The response of A. florea foragers to mixtures of the major and intermediate constituents was studied. Screening of formulations of linalool and &agr;-terpeniol showed repellent properties toward A. florea, behavior which has already been reported by us in earlier studies. The compound n-octadecyl acetate was found to be an attractant, while octadecanoic acid and spirostan-3-ol were neither attractants nor repellents. Nerol, however, elicited dose-dependent effects involving both attraction and repellency. The effects of the constituents of this essential oil were not merely additive, possibly due to synergistic effects. These results establish the previously unknown chemical constitution and dose-dependent repellent nature of the essential oil isolated from flower of S. densifolia toward A. florea and may be used to improve bee management.


There are existing studies on data curation programs in library science education and studies on data services in libraries. However, there is not much insight into how educational programs have prepared data professionals for practice. This study asked 105 practicing professionals how well they thought their education prepared them for professional experience. It also asked supervisors about their perceptions of how well employees performed. After analyzing the results, the investigators of this study found that changing the educational model may lead to improvements in future library data services.


In order to identify structural shocks that affect economic variables, restrictions need to be imposed on the parameters of structural vector autoregressive (SVAR) models. Economic theory is the primary source of such restrictions. However, only over-identifying restrictions can be tested with statistical methods which limits the statistical validation of many just-identified SVAR models. In this study, Bayesian inference is developed for SVAR models in which the structural parameters are identified via Markov-switching heteroskedasticity. In such a model, restrictions that are just-identifying in the homoskedastic case, become over-identifying and can be tested. A set of parametric restrictions is derived under which the structural matrix is globally identified and a Savage-Dickey density ratio is used to assess the validity of the identification conditions. For that purpose, a new probability distribution is defined that generalizes the beta, F, and compound gamma distributions. As an empirical example, monetary models are compared using heteroskedasticity as an additional device for identification. The empirical results support models with money in the interest rate reaction function.