Hamiltonian Monte Carlo (HMC) is a popular sampling method in Bayesian inference. Recently, Heng&Jacob (2019) studied Metropolis HMC with couplings for unbiased Monte Carlo estimation, establishing a generic parallelizable scheme for HMC. However, in practice a different HMC method, multinomial HMC, is considered as the go-to method, e.g. as part of the no-U-turn sampler. In multinomial HMC, proposed states are not limited to end-points as in Metropolis HMC; instead points along the entire trajectory can be proposed. In this paper, we establish couplings for multinomial HMC, based on optimal transport for multinomial sampling in its transition. We prove an upper bound for the meeting time - the time it takes for the coupled chains to meet - based on the notion of local contractivity. We evaluate our methods using three targets: 1,000 dimensional Gaussians, logistic regression and log-Gaussian Cox point processes. Compared to Heng&Jacob (2019), coupled multinomial HMC generally attains a smaller meeting time, and is more robust to choices of step sizes and trajectory lengths, which allows re-use of existing adaptation methods for HMC. These improvements together paves the way for a wider and more practical use of coupled HMC methods.


XML Encryption and XML Signature are fundamental security standards forming the core for many applications which require to process XML-based data. Due to the increased usage of XML in distributed systems and platforms such as in SOA and Cloud settings, the demand for robust and effective security mechanisms increased as well. Recent research work discovered, however, substantial vulnerabilities in these standards as well as in the vast majority of the available implementations. Amongst them, the so-called XML Signature Wrapping attack belongs to the most relevant ones. With the many possible instances of this attack type, it is feasible to annul security systems relying on XML Signature and to gain access to protected resources as has been successfully demonstrated lately for various Cloud infrastructures and services. This paper contributes a comprehensive approach to robust and effective XML Signatures for SOAP-based Web Services. An architecture is proposed, which integrates the required enhancements to ensure a fail-safe and robust signature generation and verification. Following this architecture, a hardened XML Signature library has been implemented. The obtained evaluation results show that the developed concept and library provide the targeted robustness against all kinds of known XML Signature Wrapping attacks. Furthermore the empirical results underline, that these security merits are obtained at low efficiency and performance costs as well as remain compliant with the underlying standards.


BACKGROUND
To reduce breast cancer mortality, ways to promote the use of mammography screening among women age 50 and above are needed. Community organization may be a useful approach.

METHODS
The Washington State Community Breast Cancer Screening Project involved implementation of promotional activities initiated by physician and lay community boards in two communities. Two comparable communities served as controls for evaluation purposes. Random-digit-dial telephone interviews were used to assess recent use of mammography at baseline and follow-up in independent samples of women ages 50 to 75 from the four communities. The extent of exposure to intervention activities and the relationship between exposure to intervention activities and mammography use were estimated from data collected at follow-up.

RESULTS
Exposure to patient reminders from physicians, wallet reminder cards, and newspaper advertisements were consistently related to mammography use. Physician office staff encouragement and a display board were significantly related to mammography use only in Intervention Communities A and B, respectively. Neither exposure to promotional activities nor the change in prevalence of mammography use was significantly higher in the intervention communities than in the comparison communities at follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS
Although several activities were useful in promoting mammography use, organization of the community did not enhance efforts undertaken spontaneously by comparable communities.


We introduce a novel measure for quantifying the error in input predictions. The error is based on a minimum-cost hyperedge cover in a suitably defined hypergraph and provides a general template which we apply to online graph problems. The measure captures errors due to absent predicted requests as well as unpredicted actual requests; hence, predicted and actual inputs can be of arbitrary size. We achieve refined performance guarantees for previously studied network design problems in the online-list model, such as Steiner tree and facility location. Further, we initiate the study of learning-augmented algorithms for online routing problems, such as the online traveling salesperson problem and the online dial-a-ride problem, where (transportation) requests arrive over time (online-time model). We provide a general algorithmic framework and we give error-dependent performance bounds that improve upon known worst-case barriers, when given accurate predictions, at the cost of slightly increased worst-case bounds when given predictions of arbitrary quality.


Abstract

Objective – To explore the current state of information literacy (IL) training in Canadian public libraries, and to identify strategies used for improving IL training skills for staff and patrons.

Design – Mixed-methods approach, including document analysis, observations, and focus group interviews.

Setting – Two libraries of a large public library system in Canada: the central library and one branch library.

Subjects – Six staff members (manager, administrator, training coordinator, instructor, and computer technician) who have been involved in designing and teaching information literacy courses for library patrons and staff.
Methods – The researcher analyzed internal and external library documents related to information literacy, including, but not limited to, reports, posters, lesson plans, newsletters, and training scripts. He also observed interactions and behaviours of patrons during IL training sessions. Finally, he conducted a focus group with people involved in IL training, asking questions about facilities and resources, programs, patron reaction, librarian knowledge of IL theory, and impediments and benefits of IL training programs in public libraries.

Main Results – Staff were aware of the importance of IL training in the library. Attracting more library patrons (including building partnerships with other organizations), improving staff IL and training skills, employing effective strategies for running training programs, and dealing with financial issues were all concerns about running IL training that were highlighted.

Conclusion – Canadian public libraries are well aware of their role as IL training providers, but they still face several challenges in order to improve their effectiveness.


This article briefly discusses certain historical events, situations, and processes within our health care system that preceded the Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act. It will describe some prominent goals, features, and possible outcomes of PPACA, with an eye toward elucidating four contexts: substantive due process and equal protection attacks against PPACA provisions (1) prohibiting undocumented immigrants from purchasing healthcare insurance in Act's exchanges; (2) allowing states to bar abortion coverage from the exchanges and mandating that any abortion coverage therein be accompanied by separate funds, accounting, and paperwork for abortion and non-abortion segments of premiums paid; (3) excluding undocumented immigrants from programs states are allowed to create, using contractors, for provision of health care or healthcare insurance to relatively poor persons who nevertheless are not needy enough to qualify for Medicaid; and (4) mandating, most importantly, that individuals purchase healthcare insurance. The article will explain (a) the elements necessary to state a due process or equal protection claim against a provision of a government-created health care plan, (b) the general decision-making approaches and standards of review courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, would probably use to decide such claims, and (c) apply this body of law to each of the four contexts. It concludes that contexts (1) to (3) present constitutional infirmities, while context (4) does not. The claims in context 4, even to the extent that they implicate fundamental rights to medical decision-making and informational privacy, should fail under United States Supreme Court precedents, including Whalen v. Roe, 429 U.S. 589 (1977).


It is well known that non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a heterogeneous group of diseases. Previous studies have demonstrated genetic variation among different ethnic groups in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in NSCLC. Research by our group and others has recently shown a lower frequency of EGFR mutations in African Americans with NSCLC, as compared to their White counterparts. In this study, we use our original study data of EGFR pathway genetics in African American NSCLC as an example to illustrate that univariate analyses based on aggregation versus partition of data leads to contradictory results, in order to emphasize the importance of controlling statistical confounding. We further investigate analytic approaches in logistic regression for data with separation, as is the case in our example data set, and apply appropriate methods to identify predictors of EGFR mutation. Our simulation shows that with separated or nearly separated data, penalized maximum likelihood (PML) produces estimates with smallest bias and approximately maintains the nominal value with statistical power equal to or better than that from maximum likelihood and exact conditional likelihood methods. Application of the PML method in our example data set shows that race and EGFR-FISH are independently significant predictors of EGFR mutation.


Following censure by the European Court of Justice on 09 June 2011 (Case C-383/09) for failing to provide sufficient protection for the common hamster ( Cricetus cricetus , Linn. 1758) on its territory, the French government, in concert with local  stakeholders, has endeavoured to enact measures to prevent the localised extinction of this species in France. Although the common hamster has a wide distribution in Europe, in France it is restricted to a tiny pocket west of the Rhine in Alsace (representing the westernmost tip of its range). With an uncommitted official administration, saving a species with a history of causing significant agricultural damage was always going to prove challenging. However, as a species strongly tied to agriculture, the common hamster has the potential to highlight the problems of intensive farming practices for biodiversity in this region and thereby promote more sustainable alternatives. The story of the conservation effort for common hamsters in Alsace has lessons for other species and areas, perhaps not in terms of the approach used, but with regard to the difficulties that must be overcome. Download the complete issue.


Properties of the polymer metal complexes can be explained up to certain extent by the molecular structure of the complexes, but this area has not been well studied in the case of the chitosan metal complexes. In this work, we are proposing that chitosan is bonded through the 4 nitrogen to copper by means of square planar geometry. The polymer requires some structural modifications in order to be arranged in that geometry. Two sites in the chitin were detected, one similar to chitosan and the other in a square planar tetrahedrically distorted arrangement, with three atoms of nitrogen and one of oxygen or two atoms of nitrogen and two of oxygen. ESR studies of the copper complexes by means of chlorine and nitrate as ion counter were carried out. Nitrate exhibits one type of retention site and, on the other hand, chlorine presents two types of retention sites.


This pioneering study of the fate of Buddhism during the communist period in Cambodia puts a human face on a dark period in Cambodia's history. It is the first sustained analysis of the widely held assumption that the Khmer Rouge under Pol Pot had a centralized plan to liquidate the entire monastic order. Based on a thorough analysis of interview transcripts and a large body of contemporary manuscript material, it offers a nuanced view that attempts to move beyond the horrific monastic death toll and fully evaluate the damage to the Buddhist sangha under Democratic Kampuchea.

Compelling evidence exists to suggest that Khmer Rouge leaders were determined to hunt down senior members of the pre-1975 ecclesiastical hierarchy, but other factors also worked against the Buddhist order. Buddhism in a Dark Age outlines a three-phase process in the Khmer Rouge treatment of Buddhism: bureaucratic interference and obstruction, explicit harassment, and finally the elimination of the obdurate and those close to the previous Lon Nol regime. The establishment of a separate revolutionary form of sangha administration constituted the bureaucratic phase. The harassment of monks, both individually and en masse, was partially due to the uprooting of the traditional monastic economy in which lay people were discouraged from feeding economically unproductive monks. Younger members of the order were disrobed and forced into marriage or military service. The final act in the tragedy of Buddhism under the Khmer Rouge was the execution of those monks and senior ecclesiastics who resisted.

It was difficult for institutional Buddhism to survive the conditions encountered during the decade under study here. Prince Sihanouk's overthrow in 1970 marked the end of Buddhism as the central axis around which all other aspects of Cambodian existence revolved and made sense. And under Pol Pot the lay population was strongly discouraged from providing its necessary material support. The book concludes with a discussion of the slow re-establishment and official supervision of the Buddhist order during the People's Republic of Kampuchea period.


Background: Little is known about the protective effect of spirituality on the association between known risk factors such as depression and quality of life (QOL) in stroke survivor-care partner dyads. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the moderating role of spirituality on the association between depressive symptomatology and QOL in stroke survivor–care partner dyads. Methods and Results: Longitudinal design with 223 stroke survivor–care partner dyads enrolled at survivor discharge from rehabilitation hospitals. Data collection was performed over 12 months. We measured survivors' and care partners' depression, quality of life, and spirituality. Examining the moderating role of spirituality on the association between depressive symptoms and QOL within survivor-care partner dyads, we used a traditional Actor-Partner-Interdependence Model and a basic Actor-Partner-Interdependence Model moderation model for a mixed variable. Survivors (51% male) and care partners (66% female) were 70.7 and 52.3 years old, respectively. The survivor's spirituality significantly moderated the association between care partner depressive symptomatology and survivor psychological QOL (B=0.03, P<0.05) and moderated the association between care partner depressive symptoms and care partner physical (B=0.05, P<0.001) and psychological (B=0.04, P<0.001) QOL. The care partner's own level of spirituality was significantly positively associated with their physical QOL (B=0.28, P<0.001). Conclusions: The findings from this study have broad implications for the role of spirituality in relation to QOL in medical-health contexts and the importance of examining such concepts within a dyadic framework. Greater awareness of the importance of spirituality among clinicians and nurses may improve cultural competence in healthcare services.


PHILADELPHIA Years after a single traumatic brain injury (TBI), survivors still show changes in their brains. In a new study, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania suggest that Alzheimer's diseaselike neurodegeneration may be initiated or accelerated following a single traumatic brain injury, even in young adults. Over 1.7 million Americans suffer a traumatic brain injury each year, and beyond the immediate effects, growing evidence demonstrates that a single TBI may initiate long-term processes that further damage the brain. TBI is an established risk factor for later development of cognitive impairments, such as Alzheimer's disease. ''A single traumatic brain injury is very serious, both initially, and as we're now learning, even later in life,'' said Douglas Smith, MD, professor of Neurosurgery and director of the Center for Brain Injury and Repair at Penn's Perelman School of Medicine, the study's co-senior author. ''Plaques and tangles are appearing abnormally early in life, apparently initiated or accelerated by a single TBI.'' The study appears online in Brain Pathology, and was done in conjunction with neuropathologist Dr. William Stewart, from the University of Glasgow and Southern General Hospital in Glasgow, UK. The researchers found both tau tangles and amyloid-beta plaques in survivors, years after a single moderate-to-severe TBI. In repetitive head injury, previous studies have shown a tau accumulation as the signature pathology of a condition called chronic traumatic encephalopathy. In studies of people less than 4 weeks after dying from a single TBI, no similar tau pathology was found. In addition, while widespread amyloidbeta plaques have been found in about 30 percent of people shortly after injury, previous work showed that plaques disappeared within months. In this study, researchers examined post-mortem brains from 39 long-term survivors of a single TBI, extending the survival time from 1-47 years survival after TBI, and compared them to uninjured, age-matched controls. TBI survivors showed a high density and wide distribution of neurofibrillary tau tangles and amyloid-beta plaque pathology far beyond what was found in controls. Specifically, about a third of the cases showed tangle pathology years after a single TBI, similar in appearance to the tangles found after repetitive TBI and in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. Moreover, the amyloid-beta plaques were not only found years after TBI, but the majority of cases displayed diffuse as well as ''neuritic'' plaques with the same character as ''senile'' plaques also found in Alzheimer's disease. This suggests that years after a single TBI, amyloid-beta plaques may return and become neuritic. The present findings, showing that two hallmark pathologies of Alzheimer's disease can be found years after a single TBI, may provide a pathological link with the epidemiological observation of an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Moreover, future research to better understand this long-term neurodegenerative process after a single TBI may reveal important targets for treatment with emerging anti-tau and antiamyloid therapies. (Source: EurekAlert! A service of AAAS and The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine).


Abstract Providing a secure airway management during general anesthesia could be problematic in some medical cases, especially when there is a risk of regurgitation and aspiration of the gastric content due to increased intragastric pressure. The current study aimed to test the applicability of two types of LMA in several animal species and to compare its effectiveness to the endotracheal intubation method in securing sealed airway respiration as an alternative to using endotracheal tubes. The study was conducted in dogs (n=33), cats (n=9), swine (n=9), rabbits (n=5), sheep (n=7) and roe deer (n=1). One or both types of laryngeal masks were used for each animal species: LMA Classic™-cLMA and LMA ProSeal™-PLMA. The assessment of each laryngeal mask was performed by determining the insertion technique, the possibilities of first-attempt insertion and malposition, the compliance with various animal species, ventilation time, cuff pressure, and sealing capacity. The highest LMA size compatility in dogs (23,87±14,30 kg) was size-3 in six and size-4 in forteen subjects; In swine (43,22±12,32 kg), size-4; In rabbits (3,84±0,36 kg) size-1; and in sheep (48,29±4,65 kg) size-3 and size-4. Ventilation time was highest in swine and roe deer (121,11±42,85 min and 300,00 min, respectively) and lowest in cat (28,33±16,96 min). First-attempt LMA insertion success was lowest in rabbits (60%), and highest in sheep and roe deer (100%). Malposition was with highest rate in rabbits (40%) and lowest in cat, sheep and roe deer (0%). Gastric reflux was most frequently observed in sheep (71,4%) and roe deer (100%). The usage of LMA in the veterinary anesthetic practice significantly improves airway management in animals during general anesthesia. The inflated LMA cuff does not prevent its disposition. Therefore, both the drain and respiratory tubes must be fixed. The usage of LMA in rabbits was associated with higher incidence of malposition and other complications. Our findings suggest that LMA designed for humans can be used for airway management in veterinary medicine.


Four brands of membrane filters were examined for total and fecal coliform recovery performance by two experimental approaches. Using diluted EC broth cultures of water samples, Johns-Manville filters were superior to Sartorius filters for fecal coliform but equivalent for total coliform recovery. Using river water samples, Johns-Manville filters were superior to Sartorius filters for total coliform but equivalent for fecal coliform recovery. No differences were observed between Johns-Manville and Millipore or Millipore and Sartorius filters for total or fecal coliform recoveries using either approach, nor was any difference observed between Millipore and Gelman filters for fecal coliform recovery from river water samples. These results indicate that the source of the coliform bacteria has an important influence on the conclusions of membrane filter evaluation studies.


Background Current ambulance service policy requires paramedics in certain parts of the UK to transport children aged 0–2 years to hospital, regardless of their presenting complaint. A number of Paediatric Early Warning Scores (PEWS) exist to detect deterioration in the hospitalised child. This study aims to evaluate and understand the potential utility of PEWS in an ambulance service setting. Method This study is a retrospective analysis of patient reports over a 12 month period (June 2013–June 2014). PEWS are calculated using ambulance vital signs and compared against the following ED discharge outcomes: admission to hospital, GP referral and discharge home. Data analysis consisted of the variables of sensitivity; specificity; positive and negative predictive values; positive and negative likelihood ratios; and ROC curve for the PEWS values against the three main outcomes. Results From a randomised sample of 300 patient records, 131 were excluded based on the exclusion criteria listed above, leaving 169 complete data sets that were included for analysis. Of the 169 record analysed, 100 (59.2%) were discharged to home, 30 (17.8%) referred to their GP, and 18 (10.7%) were admitted following assessment in the ED. PEWS for admission showed low sensitivity (6.8%–10.12%). PEWS for GP referral also demonstrated low sensitivity (15.53%–18.12%). PEWS for discharge to home showed higher sensitivity and specificity than other outcomes. Discussion Overall, PEWS has some degree of high specificity in all outcome measures, but often with wide confidence intervals. PEWS is weakly sensitive across all outcomes, and this is demonstrated in the AUCs for each outcome measure. As a potential diagnostic test to predict ED outcome, in this study PEWS is shown to perform poorly. Further work is therefore required to determine the utility of PEWS, or other early warning scores, for use in an out-of-hospital setting.


Results of the health risk (HR) assessment are needed to support decisions on safety of nanotechnologies and practical use of nanomaterials/nanoparticles (NMs/NPs), including establishment of health safety standards (HSSs). To meet these needs HR assessment' tools are developed using the great experience in the development and application of such tools for other sources of harm (ionizing radiation, chemicals, etc.), accumulated during the last decades. The tools include methodology, computer data bases and calculation codes.Three-level' scheme of development and application of HR assessment methodology is roposed: general, specific and simplified methods. The general method serves as a basis for development of specific methods, applicable to the concrete harm sources, for development and justification of simplified methods. In this approach the specific method consists of two parts: 1) the general HR assessment method, 2) exposure – response dependences for the harm source considered in the form of age-cause-specific death or diseases coefficients. Such structure of HR assessment methodology in its full development makes specific methods being more transparent and comparable as well as safety decisions based on HR assessment for different harm sources.The proposal is made concerning the special risk index for the risk standardization and comparison. The unified approach is developed to the establishment of the HSSs and other levels of decision-making on people safety with the use of HR risk assessment in different spheres of human activity including nanotechnology and use of NPs/NMs.


Purpose: Liver tolerance to multiple doses of Y90-microspheres is not known. Many patients (pts) are surviving long enough to be considered for a second and third liver treatments with internal radiation. Materials and Methods: The experience of a single center treating liver tumors with resin Y90-microspheres. Pts that received liver radiation prior to or after resin microsphere therapy were studied. Endpoints were toxicity, tumor response, shunting to lung, and effects on liver volume and function. The delivery activity of microspheres selected was not reduced below BSA dose calculation for patients without prior treatment. All patients received bilobar single session delivery. Results: A total of 38 pts; 14 women, 24 men, treated 6∕2003 to 9∕2006, with 33 pts receiving 2 courses and 5 pts with 3 courses of liver radiation. Retreatment with resin microspheres 26 pts, prior external beam radiation in 7 pts, prior glass microspheres in 2 pts, prior systemic radiotherapy in 2 pts, and prior stereotactic liver radiation in 1 pt. Liver function was stable and adequate in all patients after additional liver radiation, and no pts developed radiation-induced liver dysfunction (RILD) or veno-occlusive disease (VOD). The percentage of shunting to the lung decreased with retreatment. Conclusions: Repeated implantation in the liver with Y90-microspheres is safe in patients that have sufficient liver function and reserve based on known and accepted laboratory parameters already used for selection of microsphere therapy. No acute life-threatening, fatal, or late liver damage was observed, RILD or VOD. No specific dose reduction is recommended for retreatment of the liver.


ABSTRACT
 New remains of the early Eocene hyaenodontid Indohyaenodon raoi are described from the Vastan Lignite Mine in Gujarat, western India, including the first known rostrum, upper dentition, and postcrania, substantially expanding our knowledge of the species and providing insights into its functional morphology and relationships. Craniodental morphology suggests that I. raoi had a broad diet, including non-vertebrate material as well as flesh of a diversity of prey species. Postcranial morphology is broadly similar to that of other early hyaenodontids and suggests a scansorial locomotor repertoire. Dental morphology indicates that I. raoi is closely related to other South Asian hyaenodontids, with shared features including strong cingula, narrow premolars, and a reduced P4 protocone. We present the most comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of Hyaenodontidae to date, which corroborates this relationship but finds South Asian hyaenodontids to be the stem of a group that includes most African hyaenodontids. This and other higher-level relationships within Hyaenodontidae are, however, weakly supported, and substantially different alternative hypotheses of relationships are not significantly less parsimonious, reflecting strong character conflict. Factors contributing to this conflict include the isolation of hyaenodontid faunas on different continents during much of the Eocene, canalization and simplification of carnivorous dentitions, and a lack of non-dental material for critical hyaenodontid groups. The new phylogeny is consistent with either an African or an Asian origin for the group.


One method in solving the VLSI layout problems is a library of standard cells which are used as standard building blocks. Therefore, the design problem is partitioned into two subproblems: (a) decomposition of design into standard cells and (b) placement and routing of standard cells used in the design. The first problem of standard-cell methodology is that library has to be maintained and updated because each cell is usually needed in many different versions. All of them have the same functionality but slightly different in electrical charateristics (time delay, power consumption), geometrical characteristics (height, width) and the position of each input/output. The solution to this problem is a library of parametrized cells.
The second problem with standard cell approach is the extensive area of the chip used by routing. We lay very dense cells and then lose all that gain by extensive routing between the cells. Through-the-cell routing provides the solution.
This dissertation introduces a new direction of layout design based on PLA structure and, also, proposed new and practical solutions to the problems of this new direction. The dissertation discusses the problems of cell compilation with constraints and proposes the practical algorithms for those problems. The main constraints are (1) 4-directional I/O. Any I/O can be specified on the boundary of the cell at any given position in the term of lambda. The compilier is able to handle multi-terminal nets. (2) Through-the-cell Routing. All routes are superimposed on a cell. Routing information is considered to be a part of the functional description. (3) Resizable Device. The entire cell is decomposed symbolically into subcells called parametrized layout macros such as contact, transistor. Each layout macro can be sized according to its delay time and power consumption. (4) No Limitation of Number of Logic Levels. The cell description is able to describe more than two levels (AND-OR) of logic. (5) Pass-transistor term description is included in the language so that precharge, high impedance and dynamic register can be practically implemented in the layout by the designer.
The layout architecture is based on a PLA structure with two layers of metal and one layer of polysilicon and diffusion. The proposed structure of PLA in this dissertation is different from other conventional PLA structures as follows: (1) AND and OR planes are not physically separated but interleaved. (2) Folding is performed by clustering all variables together according to their weights. The weight of any variable depends on the number of terms having that variable. (3) Pull-up transistors are folded by moving them into the unused holes inside a cell. (4) Routing is considered as a part of term layout and is processed simultaneously with the term layout.


Synchronized measurements of shear stresses at the bed and velocities both within and above a simulated plant canopy in an open-channel flow are presented. Traditional (hot-film sensors) and relatively new (acoustic Doppler anemometer) technologies were employed, and wooden dowels have been used to simulate non-emergent, rigid vegetation in a laboratory flume. Results reveal the existence of highly correlated interactions between coherent motions above and within the simulated plants, and the particular relationship between the structures that dominate the turbulent transport of momentum in the fluid and the momentum absorbed by the bed of the channel through skin friction. Cross-correlation analysis allow the determination of geometric as well as kinematic properties of the organized motions responsible for the generation and transport of turbulence. Comparisons are provided with observations in smooth-bed open channels without vegetation.


The concept of weapons of mass destruction-free zones (WMDFZs) has the potential to contribute to global nonproliferation efforts. The comprehensive weapon of mass destruction (WMD) approach adds value compared to the 'limited' nuclear weapon-free zone (NWFZ) approach. The five existing NWFZs have varying, yet similar, objectives, modalities and achievements. There have also been regional efforts to establish norms concerning chemical and biological weapons. As a synergy of all these regional initiatives, the overall concept of a WMDFZ emerged as a political construct to deal with the specific circumstances of the Middle East. A more comprehensive approach is required in the Middle East and incentives exist to create a WMDFZ there. From these real and counterfactual examples, it is possible to distil the value which enhancement of the zone concept beyond nuclear weapons might add. Notably, this includes synergies in confidence building, verification, compliance procedures and civilian technology cooperation. Conversely, WMDFZs might have an impact on the separate global regimes.


Objectives: Some studies have recognized factors that are effective on academic achievement. The aim of the present study was to determine the relationship among personality factors, motivational strategies and achievement goals in predicting academic achievement of 2nd grade high school intellectually disabled students in Tehran Province. Methods and Materials: In present correlation study, 200 intellectually disabled students (126 females and 74 males) in 2nd grade high school selected randomly by stratified sampling method from Tehran Province. Subjects completed Big Five Factor Personality Inventory (NEO-FFI), Motivational Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) and Achievement Goals Questionnaire-Revised (AGQ-R). Data analysis was based on stepwise regression analysis method. Results: As personality factors, openness and being conscientiousness were correlated positively. In motivational strategies, effort regulation, help seeking and self-efficacy correlated positively, also mastery-approach and performance-avoidance goals in achievement goals orientation showed positive correlation (p<0.05). Neuroticism, test-anxiety and academic achievement were correlated negatively (p<0.01). It can be explained that 44% of variations in academic achievement are due to self-efficacy, Being conscientiousness, mastery-approach goal and neuroticism (p<0.05). Self-efficacy had the most contribution in predicting academic achievement of students (p<0.01). Conclusion: Paying attention to the variables such as: personality (being conscientiousness and neuroticism), motivational (self-efficacy) and achievement goals orientation (mastery-approach goal) have crucial role in predicting academic achievement in students with intellectual disability.


Increasing both the service life and the wear resistance of the tool by surface hardening is an urgent issue. Its solution contributes to a significant increase in the performance of products. Available methods of surface hardening of tools, based on coating or changing the surface condition, are becoming increasingly important due to the complexity of the operation of products. Plates made of the T5K10 (85%WC–6%TiC–9%Co) and T15K6 (79%WC–15%TiC–6%Co) hard alloys as well as cylindrical samples made of the W6Mo5Cr4V2 and W18Cr4V high-speed steels are used for the study. Studies have shown that, after processing the T15K6 alloy plates with a pulsed magnetic field, the cutting tool life improved by more than 200% as compared to the untreated ones. The proposed method will increase the strength of carbide plates and stabilize the physical and mechanical properties of the cutting tool. For tools made of alloy steels, the hardening treatment is carried out by the boron method in pastes with nanodisperse powders. As shown, the thickness of the boride layer for high-speed steels increases with the duration of the process; however, its growth rate depends on the composition of the steel. An increase in the holding time of the chemical and thermal treatment leads to the growth of boride layers. The layer thickness changes quadratically (as a second-degree polynomial) with duration time. A feature of formation of diffusion layers is revealed. The dependences of both the surface hardness and the thickness of boride layer on the borating time for high-speed steels are also shown. Studies have shown that boriding in a nanodisperse medium can significantly increase the wear resistance of steels. The method of expert assessments of the maximum values of the surface properties of the studied steels is carried out. As shown, it is more rational to use W6Mo5Cr4V2 steel as a cutting tool after hardening the surface layer by boriding in a nanodisperse boron-containing powder. The proposed processing method demonstrates the prospects of using it to improve the performance of products. In addition, this method of hardening can significantly increase the wear resistance of materials (by ≈3.38–3.75 times) as compared to steels without processing.


Involvement of the mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) pore in early stages of lipotoxic stress in the pancreatic β-cell lines MIN6 and INS-1 was the focus of this study. Both long term (indirect) and acute (direct) effects of fatty acid (FA) application on β-cell susceptibility to Ca2+-induced MPT induction were examined using both permeabilized and intact β-cells. Long term exposure to moderate (i.e. below cytotoxic) levels of the saturated FA palmitate sensitized β-cell mitochondria to MPT induced by Ca2+. Long term exposure to palmitate was significantly a more efficient inducer of MPT than the unsaturated FA oleate, although upon acute application both caused similar MPT activation. Application of antioxidants, inhibitors of the ceramide pathway, or modifiers of membrane fluidity did not protect β-cell mitochondria from FA exposure. However, significant protection was provided by co-application of the unsaturated FA oleate in a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-dependent manner. Characterization of MPT pore opening in response to moderate palmitate treatment revealed the opening of a unique form of MPT in β-cells as it encompassed features of both low and high conductance MPT states. Specifically, this MPT showed solute selectivity, characteristic of a low conductance MPT; however, it affected mitochondrial respiration and membrane potential in a way typical of a high conductance MPT. Activation of the full-size/high conductance form of MPT required application of high levels of FA that reduced growth and initiated apoptosis. These findings suggest that in the β-cell, MPTs can act as both initiators of cell death and as versatile modulators of cell metabolism, depending on the mode of the MPT pore induced.


In South Africa, there is still no clear policy of internationalisation of higher education, partly due to limited research. So far, only two efforts – at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) in 2004 and Rhodes University in 2005 – have been made to determine the expenditure and foreign revenue impact of international students on South Africa. Each of these papers sampled only a single university, so they are of limited use for national impact analysis. To build on these studies, this research was conducted at six South African universities that admit the largest number of international students and also included the economic effects of spending items hitherto neglected. We show that international students (mainly from Africa) contribute significantly to South African GDP and balance of payments, but that South Africa still lags behind in exploiting and enhancing these benefits.


The major design challenges of ASIC design, like power dissipation, timing, voltage-drop, interconnect and reliability are tackled during the Physical Design phase of any flow. The placement procedure can significantly modify parts of the design and consequently metrics relevant to the aforementioned challenges. Text reports cannot always generate useful insight based solely on these metrics. Design visualization can be of utmost importance in deciding if the placement strategy followed is leading to fruition. In this paper we present a placement visualizer/analyzer that helps capture the most critical aspects of a placed design and empowers the user to draw safer conclusions concerning the quality of the final result.


The acceptor properties of some halogenated organophosphorus (V) compounds towards chloride, pyridine, 2,2'-bipyridine and 1,10-phenanthroline have been investigated by means of (^31)P n.m.r. spectroscopy. It was found that C(_6)F(_5)PCl(_4) forms a six-coordinate anionic species C(_6)F(_5)PCl(_5)(^-) with R(_4)NCl which dissociates in solution. CCl(_3)PCl(_4) also show acceptor properties towards R(_4)NCl, but a stable adduct was only formed with Pr(_4)NCl in PhN0(_2), where no dissociation was observed. In CH(_2)CI(_2), decomposition occurred in which CCI(_3)PCI(_2) was detected. In contrast, C(_2)C1(_5)PC1(_4) only showed temporary formation of the adduct with Et(_4)NCl in CH(_2)CI(_2), followed by decomposition, but it did not do so with R(_4)NCl (R=n-Pr, n-Bu or n-Pe) either in CH(_2)Cl(_2) or PhN0(_2), where only decomposition products were observed. As expected, the higher members of the series R(_2)PCl(_2) (R=C(_6)F(_5) or CCl(_3_)) and (C(_6)F(_5))(_3)PCl(_2) did not form adducts with R(_4)NCl, either in CH(_2)CI(_2) or PhN0(_2). RPCl(_4) (R=C(_6)F(_5) or CCl(_3)) react with pyridine to give RPCl(_4).py, but no adduct was found with bidentate ligands (L). In contrast, the complexes [C(_2)Cl(_5)PCl(_3)L](^+)Cl(^-) were isolated. RPCl(_3)(^+)x(^-) (R=C(_6)F(_5) and CCl(_3)(_i) X=SbCl(_6) and BCl(_4)) also form adducts with L, giving six-coordinate cationic species [RPCl(_3)L](^+)X(^-) which exist in two isomeric forms in solution but only one isomer is dominant when the solid is isolated. The ionic compound [C(_6)F(_5)PBr_3)][BBr(_4)] was isolated, but attempts to establish the chemical shift for the six-coordinate species with bidentate ligands L failed.Organophosphorus (111) halides (C(_6)F(_5))(_n)PC1(_3-n)(X=C1, Br, n=l, 2) and pseudohalides (C(_6)F(_5) (_n)PX(_3-n) (X=NCS, n=l; X=CN, n=2) show acceptor properties towards Y(^-) (Y=C1, Br, I and NCS) to form four-coordinate phosphoranides [(C(_6)F(_5))(_n)PX(_3-n)Y](^-), which all proved to be very unstable. Substitution reactions occurred with CN(^-) or NCS(^-) for (C_6)F(_5))(_N)PX(_3-n) (X=C1, Br) and with CN(^-) for C(_6)F(_5)P(NCS)(_2). No acceptor properties were observed towards Cl(^-), Br(^-), I(^-), CN(^-)or NCS(^-) ions for CCI(_3)PC1(_2) and (C(_6)F(_5))(_2)PNCS, whereas the compounds RP(NCS)(_2), (R=Me, Et or Ph) are thermally unstable and their Lewis acid behaviour could not be investigated. Substitution reactions occurred between AgNCS and RPC1(_3)(^+)X(^-) (R=Me or Ph, X=SbCl(_6); R=C(_6)F(_5), X=SbC1(_6) or BC1(-4)), giving [ RPCl(_3-n) (NCS )(_n)](^+) (l<n<3), but with AgCN only MePCl(_3-n)(CN)(_n)(^+) (2<n<3)) were detected in solution. Reaction of C(_6)F(_5)PCl(_3)(^+)x(^) (X=SbCl(_6) or BCl(_4)) with LiN(_3) gave [C(_6)F(_5)PCl(_3-n) (N(_3)(_n)](^+)X(^-) which were detected in solution only. In the C(_6)F(_5)PCl(_3)BCl(_4)/NCS(^-), CN(^-) and N(_3)(^-) systems, substitution also occurred at the BCl(_4)(^-) anion, and the BCl (_4-n) Y (_n)(^-) species were detected in solution by means of (^11)B n.m.r.-) Decomposition occurred on addition of M(^+) NCS(^-) (M=Ag,Li or Et(_4)N) to RPCl(_4)( or RPC1(_5)(^-) (R=Me, Ph or Et) solutions to give RPC1(_2), RPSC1(_2) and RPS(NCS)(_2), while substitution occurred with [C(_6)F(_5)PCl(_5)](^-) giving [C(_6)F(_5)PCl(_5-n(NCS)(_n)](^-) (n = 1 and 2), followed by decomposition to C(_6)F(_5)PC1(_2), C(_6)F(_5)P- (NCS)(_2), C(_6)F(_5)PS(NCS)(_2) and C(_6)F(_5)PS(CN)(_2). Conversely, the cyano-derivatives RPC1(_5-n)(CN)(_n)(^-) (R=Et, l<n<5; R=C(_6)F(_5), 1<n<4 and R=CC1(_3), 1<n<3) were detected in solution and the complexes [Pr(_4)N][EtP(CN)(_5)], [R(_4)N][C(_6)F(_5)PCl(CN)(_4)] (R=Et or Pr) and [Pr(_4)N][CCl(_3)PCl(_5-n)(CN)(_n)] (n=2 and 3) were isolated .


A primary cloning technique has been employed for the isolation of nine spontaneously transformed cell lines from mouse skeletal muscle. Four of these lines were isolated after selection for partial resistance to the purine (adenine) analog 2′6′diaminopurine and five were isolated from non‐selected control dishes. Four of the nonselected lines and three of the selected lines demonstrated a fibroblastoid morphology in vitro. The other two cell lines (one from each group) were epithelioid. Two of the three selected fibroblastoid lines were found to contain significant quantities of the enzyme 5′nucleotidase (EC188.8.131.52), whereas the four nonselected fibroblastlike lines, one selected fibroblastlike line, and the two epithelioid lines did not. In the two cell lines expressing 5′nucleotidase activity, this expression was stable in the absence of selective pressure. Histochemical staining of mouse skeletal muscle for 5′nucleotidase activity demonstrated positive staining in the cells of small blood vessels and in a subset of the connective tissue cells. The bulk of the skeletal muscle tissue, however, had no detectable 5′nucleotidase activity. We propose that the two cultivatable types of fibroblastoid cell lines represent distinct classes of fibroblastlike cells in vivo, reflecting alternative states of stable cellular differentiation involving 5′nucleotidase expression.


 Respect for careful use of language 1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. 2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively. 3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others. 4. Model with mathematics. 5. Use appropriate tools strategically. 6. Attend to precision. 7. Look for and make use of structure. 8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning. What Learning Proof Teaches


Regulation of the Myostatin Protein in Overload-Induced Hypertrophied Rat Skeletal Muscle Paige A. Affleck Department of Exercise Sciences, BYU Master of Science Myostatin (GDF-8) is the chief chalone in skeletal muscle and negatively controls adult skeletal muscle growth. The role of myostatin during overload-induced hypertrophy of adult muscle is unclear. We tested the hypothesis that overloaded adult rodent skeletal muscle would result in reduced myostatin protein levels. Overload-induced hypertrophy was accomplished by unilateral tenotomy of the gastrocnemius tendon in male adult Sprague-Dawley rats followed by a two-week period of compensatory overload of the plantaris and soleus muscles. Western blot analysis was performed to evaluate changes in active, latent and precursor myostatin protein levels. Significant hypertrophy was noted in the plantaris (494 ± 29 vs. 405 ± 15 mg, p < 0.05) and soleus (289 ± 12 vs. 179 ± 37 mg, p < 0.05) muscles following overload. Overloaded soleus muscle decreased the concentration of active myostatin protein by 32.7 ± 9.4% (p < 0.01) while the myostatin precursor protein was unchanged. Overloaded plantaris muscle decreased the concentration of active myostatin protein by 28.5 ± 8.5% (p < 0.01) while myostatin precursor levels were reduced by 17.5 ± 5.9% (p < 0.05). Myostatin latent complex concentration decreased in the overloaded soleus and plantaris muscle by 15.0 ± 5.9% and 70.0 ± 2.3% (p < 0.05), respectively. These data support the hypothesis that the myostatin signaling pathway in overloaded muscles is generally downregulated and contributes to muscle hypertrophy. Plasma concentrations of total and active myostatin proteins were similar in overloaded and control animals and averaged 8865 ± 526 pg/ml and 569 ± 28 pg/ml, respectively. Tissue levels of BMP1, an extracellular proteinase that converts myostatin to its active form, also decreased in overloaded soleus and plantaris muscles by 40.4 ± 12.9% and 32.9 ± 6.9% (p < 0.01), respectively. These data support the hypothesis that local, rather than systemic, regulation of myostatin contributes to the growth of individual muscles, and that an association exists between the extracellular matrix proteinase BMP-1 and the amount of active myostatin in overloaded muscles.


Over the past 20 years, China has experienced a steady decline in bicycle use. To address this trend, China's central and local government for urban transportation created Public Transit Priority to encourage public transport initiatives. As part of this effort, the government of the city of Hangzhou launched Hangzhou Public Bicycle in 2008. This service allows members to access a shared fleet of bicycles. As of March 2011, Hangzhou Public Bicycle operated 60,600 bicycles with 2,416 fixed stations in eight core districts. To understand factors leading to bikesharing adoption and barriers to adoption, the authors conducted an intercept survey in Hangzhou between January and March 2010. Two separate questionnaires were issued to bikesharing members and nonmembers to identify key differences and similarities between these groups. In total, 806 surveys were completed by 666 members and 140 nonmembers. The authors found that bikesharing was capturing modal share from bus transit, walking, autos, and taxis. Approximately 30% of members had incorporated bikesharing into their most common commute. Members indicated that they most frequently used a bikesharing station closest to either home (40%) or work (40%). These modal shifts suggested that bikesharing acted as both a competitor and a complement to existing public transit. Members exhibited a higher rate of auto ownership than nonmembers. This finding suggested that bikesharing was attractive to car owners. Recommendations for improving bikesharing in Hangzhou included adding stations and real-time bike and parking availability technologies, improving bike maintenance and locking mechanisms, and extending operational hours.


Purpose:In the past decade, retinal prostheses emerged as promising technology to restore a primitive, although clinically useful, form of vision. However, fighting blindness with retinal prostheses require challenges not yet achieved. From a clinical perspective, sight restoration requires to reach two main goals: enlarging the visual field of the patient and improving its visual acuity. From the engineering point of view, these needs demand the overcoming of two major issues: implanting a prosthesis (i) large enough to cover the retinal surface and (ii) embedding a high number of highly dense stimulatory elements. Our goal is the development of an injectable, self-opening, and freestanding retinal prosthesis restoring at least 40° of visual field, therefore covering at least a retinal surface of 12 mm in diameter. Moreover, the prosthesis must have a hemispherical shape in order to minimize the distance from the targeted cells over its entire surface, it should operate according to a photovoltaic stimulation principle and it must be injected trough a minimal scleral incision. Methods:Using solution processes and micro-fabrication techniques, we designed a retinal prosthesis based on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as shell material, embedding photovoltaic pixels made of conjugated polymers. The prosthesis is shaped with a molding technique. Results:The prosthesis consists in a photovoltaic PDMS-interface, embedding 2345 organic stimulating pixels (100 µm and 150 µm in diameter, density 54.34 px/mm2) with a biomimetic distribution in an active area of 13 mm (44° of visual field). Our results indicate that those photovoltaic pixels can deliver up to 54.22±10.55 mA/cm2 and generate an electrode potential of 182.22±6.72 mV when illuminated with a pulse light of 10 ms, 32.47 µW/mm2, at 530 nm. Sample tested n = 20. Accelerated aging tests and experiments with explanted retinas are currently under evaluation. Conclusions:These preliminary results show the potential of organic photovoltaic technology in the fabrication of a retinal prosthesis with large surface area and high stimulation efficiency. The biocompatibility and mechanical compliance of the materials represent an additional step forward in building advanced photovoltaic retinal prostheses.


Background Governments wish to compare their performance in preventing serious injury. International comparisons based on hospital inpatient records are typically contaminated by variations in health services utilisation. To reduce these effects, a serious injury case definition has been proposed based on diagnoses with a high probability of inpatient admission (PrA). The aim of this paper was to identify diagnoses with estimated high PrA for selected developed countries. Methods The study population was injured persons of all ages who attended emergency department (ED) for their injury in regions of Canada, Denmark, Greece, Spain and the USA. International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-9 or ICD-10 4-digit/character injury diagnosis-specific ED attendance and inpatient admission counts were provided, based on a common protocol. Diagnosis-specific and region-specific PrAs with 95% CIs were calculated. Results The results confirmed that femoral fractures have high PrA across all countries studied. Strong evidence for high PrA also exists for fracture of base of skull with cerebral laceration and contusion; intracranial haemorrhage; open fracture of radius, ulna, tibia and fibula; pneumohaemothorax and injury to the liver and spleen. Slightly weaker evidence exists for cerebellar or brain stem laceration; closed fracture of the tibia and fibula; open and closed fracture of the ankle; haemothorax and injury to the heart and lung. Conclusions Using a large study size, we identified injury diagnoses with high estimated PrAs. These diagnoses can be used as the basis for more valid international comparisons of life-threatening injury, based on hospital discharge data, for countries with well-developed healthcare and data collection systems.


This report is based on the results obtained from two questionnaire studies carried out during 1999 and 2007. The aim of the studies is to increase our knowledge about the attitudes and approach of the police to traffic safety work and how these attitudes have changed with time. In the first study 729 randomly chosen police officers completed the questionnaire and in the second 1,022. The results show that the basic attitude among the police towards traffic surveillance has become more positive. The attitudes towards the directives from the governing bodies and their ability to participate in decision making have improved slightly from the first measurement to the second measurement. However, it is characteristic that a fairly large proportion still is dissatisfied with the same. The attitude of the police towards their own reporting of accidents has not changed appreciably at all. On the other hand, the understanding that a certain amount of statistics shall be reported is slightly greater in 2007 than in 1999. The attitudes towards automatic surveillance have strongly improved although a well-visible policeman is still advocated. The need to reinforce the surveillance of professional traffic is considered to be greater in 2007 than in 1999. According to the police, the attitude amongst the public towards speeding offences has become more negative than it was before. Nevertheless, a relatively high proportion still believes that it is a relatively minor offence. In 2006, the tolerance level for speeding offences was lowered at the same time as the fines for traffic offences were raised markedly. The results of the questionnaire show that the police are neutral towards whether or not these measures will influence the public's acceptance of the traffic safety work, which could indicate that they have not yet defined their attitude regarding the question. More than half of all police officers in 2007 do not believe that the public are aware of the possibility of having a time for consideration with respect to the acceptance of a fine for a breach of regulations. Finally the results show that in 2007, more controls were carried out than before. The most important conclusions that can be drawn from these results are that the police have developed a more positive attitude towards the traffic safety work and that, at the same time, more traffic controls are being carried out. But there are also many who still do not feel that they are able to influence their work. Furthermore, many are dissatisfied with the governing body's directives regarding traffic safety work. Such a dissatisfaction can influence the psycho-social work environment and the motivation for carrying out good work, but concretely the results show that such a dissatisfaction influences, both directly and indirectly, how many traffic controls one carries out.


Sphingolipid microdomains are thought to result from the organization of plasma membrane sphingolipids and cholesterol into a liquid ordered phase, wherein the glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins are enriched. These domains, resistant to extraction by cold Triton X-100, can be isolated as buoyant membrane complexes (detergent-resistant membranes) in isopycnic density gradients. Here the effects of methyl-beta-cyclodextrin (MBCD), a specific cholesterol-binding agent that neither binds nor inserts into the plasma membrane, were investigated on the sphingolipid microdomains of lymphocytes. MBCD released substantial quantities of GPI-anchored Thy-1 and glycosphingolipid GM1, and also other surface proteins including CD45, and intracellular Lck and Fyn kinases. From endothelial cells, MBCD released GPI-anchored CD59, and CD44, but only a negligible amount of caveolin. Most MBCD-released Thy-1 and CD59 were not sedimentable and thus differed from Thy-1 released by membrane-active cholesterol-binding agents such as saponin and streptolysin O, or Triton X-100. Unlike that released by Triton X-100, only part of the Thy-1 molecules released by MBCD was buoyant in density gradients and co-isolated with GM1. Finally, treatment of Triton X-100-isolated detergent-resistant membranes with MBCD extracted most of the cholesterol without affecting the buoyant properties of Thy-1 or GM1. We suggest that (1) MBCD preferentially extracts cholesterol from outside, rather than within the sphingolipid microdomains and (2) this partly solubilizes GPI-anchored and transmembrane proteins from the glycerophospholipid-rich membrane and releases sphingolipid microdomains in both vesicular and non-vesicular form.


Aim: Formulation and evaluation of floating tablets of ciprofloxacin hydrochloride. Materials and Methods: In the present study the formulations were prepared by wet granulation technique using different proportions of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) K100M, HPMC K15M and Carbopol 934 as Swellable polymers. Citric acid has stabilizing effect and sodium bicarbonate is used as buoyancy-imparting agent. Results and Discussion: The prepared formulations were evaluated for different parameters during its pre-compression and Post-compression stages. The release characteristics of the formulations were studied in in-vitro conditions. The in-vitro dissolution study of formulation F4 was 99.12% within 12 h for good release and was fitted to kinetics of drug release for R2 value of korsmeyer-peppas model is 0.9854. The drug release was diffusion mediated and from the peppa's plot, it is confirmed that it is of non-fickian type. Conclusion: As an extension of this work for formulation F4, bioavailability, pharmacokinetic, and in vivo studies can be done in future to develop as suitable candidate for a novel drug delivery system.


The aim of this study to investigate the effect of an immunonutritional (IN) oral formula enriched with arginine, omega-3 fatty acids and nucleotides in methotrexate (MTX)-induced experimental intestinal mucositis model. In the study, 32 rats were divided into four groups consisting eight animals in each. Control group fed for 5 days with only saline with gavage, IN group fed for 5 days with an oral IN formula three times a day, MTX group with an intraperitoneal single dose MTX (20 mg/kg), followed by saline with gavage, MTX-IN group with a single dose of MTX, followed by an oral IN formula three times a day. The blood and jejunal tissue sample were collected and then the rats were sacrificed on the sixth day of the study. The level of TNF-α, IL-1β in serum, luminol, lusigenin, glutathione, myeloperoxidase, malondialdehyde and Na-K+ATPase in the jejunal tissue samples were analyzed. Histopathological examination was performed in the jejunal tissue samples. In the MTX group, TNF-α, IL-1β levels in serum, and luminol, lusigenin, malondialdehyde levels, and myeloperoxidase activity in tissue samples were found significantly higher than the control group. Glutathione and Na-K+ATPase levels were lower in the jejunal tissue of the MTX group compared to control group. However, the supplementation of IN with the MTX resulted in a significant increase in glutathione and Na-K+ATPase levels. Severe epithelium loss and inflammatory cell increase were observed in the MTX group on histological examination, whereas these parameters were regressed in the MTX-IN group. Increasing in the mitosis rate of enterocytes and inflammatory cell density decreased with the IN. In conclusion, this study shows that chemotherapy has adverse effects on intestinal mucosa and the IN formula has a protective effect of on MTX-associated intestinal damage.


Purpose

Developing and implementing strategies to maximize profitability is a fundamental challenge facing manufacturers. The complexity of orchestrating resources in practice has been overlooked in the operations field and it is now necessary to go beyond the direct effects of individual resources and uncover different resource configurations that maximize profitability. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on a sample of US manufacturing firms, multiple regression analysis (MRA) and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) are performed to examine the effects of resource orchestration on firm profitability over time. By comparing the findings between analyses, the study represents a move away from examining the net effects of resource levers on performance alone.

Findings

The findings characterize the resource conditions for manufacturers' high performance, and also for absence of high performance. Pension and retirement expense is a core resource condition with R&D and SG&A as consistent peripheral conditions for profitability. Moreover, although workforce size was found to have a significant negative effect under MRA, this plays a role in manufacturers' performance as a peripheral resource condition under fsQCA.

Originality/value

Accounting for different resource deployment configurations, this study deepens knowledge of resource orchestration and presents findings that enable manufacturers to maximize profitability. An empirical contribution is offered by the introduction of a new method for examining manufacturing strategy configurations: fsQCA.


Photosensitive molecules such as quinones in drugs may become activated by exposure to UV-A light (320–400 nm) of the solar spectrum and cause damages to biological materials such as amino acids, nucleic acids, lipids, etc.. 9,10-anthraquinone (AQ) and 1,4-naphthoquinone (NQ), based drugs are commonly used as antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antitumor and antimalarial. Synephrine (SY) is used in traditional Chinese medicine, mainly for anti-hypotensive, nasal and ophthalmic decongestant. Currently it has been used in treatment of digestive disorders, in emergency treatment of asthma, and more importantly used as anti-depressant. The study of photo induced interactions of the excited quinones and drug molecules having electron donating ability is expected to have some relevance in physical pharmacy. In this in-vitro study, our aim is to understand the photo induced reaction when the quinones AQ and NQ coexisted with SY in an organic medium and exposed to UVA light. The photo induced interaction between SY and above quinones in their triplet states has been studied using nanosecond laser flash photolysis in organic medium, ethanol. The triplet excited states of the above quinones, AQT and NQT were produced by excitation with 355 nm, 5 ns laser pulse, in the presence of SY and under both deoxygenated and oxygenated conditions. In this wavelength only the quinones can be excited to triplets but not the SY, leaving it always in its ground state. Transient absorbance of the products formed was monitored in the 300–700 nm wavelength range. Both quinones, in their triplet excited state have revealed similar reactivity towards the ground state SY. Kinetics probed at the characteristic wavelengths of the triplets and ion radicals show that the formation of the quinone radical anion and the decay of the corresponding triplet are synchronous. This confirms that the photo-induced excited triplets, AQT and NQT have been quenched by SY through electron transfer process forming AQ•–, SY•+ ion pair. The lifetime of the decay of the triplets of the quinones and the growth lifetime of the radical anion of the same quinones are about 3 μs under deoxygenated condition. The presence of oxygen in the medium influences the decay of the triplet and anion radicals of the AQ, but does not affect the decay of the triplet or anion of NQ. In the presence of oxygen, AQ•– radical anion interacts with oxygen and forms superoxide anion radicals, O2•–. The overall result from the current investigation is an evidence for the controversial role of SY in oxidative stress. The ability of SY to quench the photo excited quinones could give some insight to mitigate the drug induced photosensitivity and also could broaden the clinical usage of SY in other therapeutic areas.


The diffusion of markets and democracy around the world was a defining feature of the late twentieth century. Many social scientists view this economic and political liberalization as the product of independent choices by national governments. This book argues that policy and political changes were influenced heavily by prior actions of external actors: not just other governments, but international organizations and communities of experts. Drawing together insights from economics, sociology, political science and international relations, the contributors focus on four mechanisms by which markets and democracy have diffused through interdependent decision-making: coercion and the impact of powerful countries and international actors; economic competition for markets and investment; learning from experiences of other countries; and emulation among countries. These mechanisms are tested empirically using sophisticated quantitative techniques in areas as diverse as capital account and investment policy, human rights and democratization, and government downsizing, privatization and taxation.


By way of a case study of one of the oldest French book agencies, Agence Hoffman, this book analyzes the role played by French literary agents in the importation of US fiction and literature into France in the years following World War II. It sheds light on the material conditions of the circulation of texts across the Atlantic between 1944 and 1955, exploring the fine mechanisms of agents' negotiations which allowed texts, and ideas, to cross borders. While providing comparative insights into the history of publishing in France and in the United States in the immediate aftermath of the war, this book aims at foregrounding the role of the book agent, an all-too often neglected intermediary in the field of book history. Grounded in archival work conducted both in France and the United States, this study is based on previously unexamined correspondence. Considering the concept of mediation as central in the field of print culture, this book addresses the dearth of scholarship on literary agents on both sides of the Atlantic, and intersects with the current scholarship on transatlantic, international and transnational cultural and trade networks, as evidenced by the recently emerged field of sociology of translation in Europe.


The launch of the 'Respect Task Force', on 2 September 2005, signals the New Labour government's ongoing electoral preoccupation with the behaviour of young people. Reflecting on how the 'respect' agenda fits into New Labour's overall youth justice project, in England and Wales, this paper argues that the government's willingness to define, legislate and sanction with regard to those responsibilities it deems essential to the membership rights of 'law-abiding' society is unlikely to engender positive outcomes. Rather it is contended that the continuing commitment to authoritarian penal populism within youth justice rhetoric and policy is likely to prove alienating, damaging and ultimately counterproductive.


The Eringen's strain-driven nonlocal differential model is well-established to exhibit inconsistencies when applied to bounded continua of applicative interest. The stress-driven nonlocal theory leads instead to well-posed nonlocal elastic formulations demonstrating stiffening structural responses. In the present article, using the stress-driven nonlocal model, a comprehensive analysis is conducted to explore the vibrational characteristics and critical divergence velocity of a hybrid-nanotube constructed by carbon (C) and boron nitride (BN) nanotubes conveying magnetic fluid. The impact of size-dependence, magnetic field and thermal medium on the dynamic behavior of the systems is included in the proposed model. The obtained governing equations of two-segment nanotubes are then examined using the finite element method. It is interestingly showed that the threshold of the divergence/flutter instability of the system would be enhanced by employing a hetero-nanotube instead of a nanotube composed of a uniform material. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that the configuration of the mode shapes may be dramatically changed for a nanotube conveying fluid. Therefore, the classical modes do no longer exist, and should not be considered in the dynamics of the system. It is also shown that by assuming a low temperature medium, the critical velocity increases by increasing the temperature and decreases in the case of high temperature.


Tuberculosis (TB) caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis remains one of the major global health threats. The disease is responsible for significant morbidity and mortality, with an estimated one third of the world's population having latent TB infections (LTBI). Reactivation of LTBI occurs in immunocompromised individuals. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a condition that impairs host defence, leading to higher morbidity and mortality in individuals with TB. The global burden of DM is unprecedented with 425 million people living with diabetes in 2017 and 4 million diabetes-associated deaths. Type 2 diabetes (T2D) comprises more than 90% of the global diabetes incidence and is attributed to genetic, environment and life style factors. Obesity, caused mostly by a combination of sedentary life style and consumption of an energy-dense diet rich in refined carbohydrate and fat, is considered a leading cause of the global increase of T2D. The resurgent interest in TB-T2D co-morbidity is due to the slow reduction in global TB incidence and the rapid escalation of T2D particularly in TB endemic areas. Epidemiological studies have found a strong correlation of T2D with increased TB susceptibility, reactivation of LTBI and treatment failure, however the underlying mechanisms for this are unclear. Non-tuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infections are also increasing in individuals with diabetes in comparison to the general population. Among the NTM species, Mycobacterium fortuitum is a leading cause of skin and soft tissue infections and capable of causing severe pulmonary infections. There is no data available on T2D-M. fortuitum co-morbid conditions.

A few studies have investigated the reason for increased TB susceptibility in diabetics although the findings are often contradictory. Animal model studies designed to investigate immune dysregulation in diabetes/mycobacterium co-morbidity have typically used streptozotocin induced type 1 diabetic murine models rather than models of T2D. Hence, characterisation of a T2D murine model that incorporates the Western diet and accurately models the clinical features of human T2D is highly desirable. Such a model is also required to investigate the immunological dysfunction in host-mycobacterial co-morbid infections and thus allow the development of therapeutic and preventative strategies.

The first Aim of this study was to characterise a diet-induced diabetic mouse model of T2D for subsequent mycobacterial infection studies. Male C57BL/6 mice were used for all experiments with groups receiving either an energy-dense diet (EDD) for a period of 30 weeks to induce diabetes or a standard rodent diet (SRD) for the same time period. The metabolic and biochemical parameters including body weight, fasting blood glucose (FBG) level, glucose tolerance test (GTT), glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) level, urine albumin, creatinine and albumin creatinine ratio (ACR) were assessed after 25 and 30 weeks. Visceral adipose tissue, liver, pancreas and kidney from mice were analysed using a variety of histological stains and image analysis techniques. Body weight gain was increased in EDD fed mice compared to SRD fed control animals. After both 25 and 30 weeks, EDD fed mice had a significantly higher FBG levels, glucose intolerance and HbA1c levels compared to controls. Analysis of urine biochemical parameters demonstrated higher microalbumin, lower creatinine and higher ACR in EDD fed mice compared to controls. Histological examination of visceral adipose tissue, liver and pancreas revealed adipocyte hypertrophy, hepatic steatosis and a compensatory pancreatic islet hyperplasia, respectively in mice fed the EDD compared to controls. Mesangial matrix thickening within the glomeruli, thickening of the Bowman's capsules and glomerular size were increased in the kidneys of EDD fed mice compared to controls. These results suggested that feeding an EDD for 30 weeks can induce a T2D phenotype in mice. The metabolic, biochemical and histological findings demonstrated a chronic hyperglycaemic state due to insulin resistance. The urine biochemical parameters together with histological observations also confirmed renal damage which is one of the common complications of diabetes in humans.

The second Aim of this research was to investigate macrophage phagocytic function in vitro. In initial experiments, peritoneal exudate macrophages (PEM), resident peritoneal macrophages (RPM) and alveolar macrophages (AM) isolated from diabetic and control mice were assessed for the respective abilities to phagocytose mycolic acid coated beads and induce cytokines. Subsequently, the phagocytic uptake, bacterial killing capacity and cytokine secretion of these macrophages was assessed by co-culture with M. fortuitum, M. bovis (BCG) and M. tuberculosis (H37Rv). Results demonstrated that uptake of the mycolic acid coated beads was reduced significantly in PEM, RPM and AM from diabetic mice compared to controls. There were no significant differences in the production of cytokines from these cells following co-culture with the beads. However, there was a significant reduction in mycobacterial uptake and killing in both RPM and AM from the diabetic mice compared to controls. Furthermore, there was a reduction in TNF-α, MCP-1, IL-6 and IL-1β production by both RPM and AM from diabetic mice compared to controls during co-culture. These findings indicated that the uptake, killing and cytokine production were impaired in macrophages from diabetic mice compared to controls.

The final Aim of this study was to investigate the susceptibility of diabetic and control mice to M. fortuitum, M. bovis (BCG) and M. tuberculosis (H37Rv) infections by evaluating animal survival, organ bacterial loads, tissue pathology and organ cytokine levels during the course of high- or low-dose intravenous infections. Diabetic mice showed higher mortality compared to controls following challenge with a high-dose of all mycobacteria. Following low-dose challenge with all mycobacteria species, the bacillary burden was higher in spleen, liver and lungs of diabetic mice compared to controls at 14 and 30/35 days post infection. Estimation of the number and size of inflammatory granuloma-like lesions in the liver, revealed increased inflammation, with higher loads of acid-fast bacilli in diabetic mice compared to controls. Furthermore, the total area of inflammation observed in the lungs of diabetic mice was significantly higher than controls. Assessment of tissue cytokines demonstrated an overall lower production of TNF-α, MCP-1, IL-6 and IL-1β in the liver and lungs of diabetic mice compared to controls although an opposite trend was observed in the spleen. The overall production of IL-12, IL-2 and IFN-γ was reduced in the spleen, liver and lungs of diabetic mice compared to controls.

In summary, this thesis describes the influence of an EDD on the induction of diabetes in a mouse model and the increased susceptibility of these diabetic animals to mycobacterial infection. It was found that the EDD has the potential to induce overt clinical features of T2D in mice that closely mirror the pathology observed in human T2D patients. Investigation of antimycobacterial immune responses (in vitro and in vivo) showed that the uptake, killing and cytokine production (TNF-α, MCP-1, IL-6 and IL-1β) by macrophages was impaired in T2D. A higher bacterial load and high numbers of inflammatory lesions were observed in the organs of diabetic mice which is also indicative of impairment of macrophage phagocytic function. Decreased production of pro-inflammatory cytokines including IL-12, IL-2 and IFN-γ in diabetic mice indicated that T helper 1 cells mediated responses in mycobacterial infections maybe delayed or impaired. This immune defect in diabetics may ultimately lead to delayed or defective granuloma formation. Our results also suggest the possibility of a breakdown of the granuloma due to the persistent hyperglycaemia that occurs in diabetes. The current study has demonstrated that antimycobacterial immunity was dysregulated in T2D mice which is one of the key reasons for increased mycobacterial susceptibility. Moreover, the diet-induced murine model of T2D that we have developed can be used for future in depth studies of host-mycobacterial susceptibility. The model can also be used to investigate other infections that are exacerbated by diabetes.


Objectives: The precise causes of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) are as yet not well known. Some consider CRPS type 1 without apparent nerve injury to arise due to a prolonged inflammatory state after initial trauma and its underlying pathophysiology indicates Nociceptive/Inflammatory Pain (NocP) components. Yet others have shown clear direct evidence of nerve injury in CRPS type 1-affected limbs, and they consider CRPS type 1to be Neuropathic Pain (NeP). The McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) has the potential to diagnose pain disorders as well as suggest the underlying pathophysiology.
 Methods: We investigated pain characteristics of 165 NeP and 66 NocP patients, by using the 78 words of the MPQ, and thereby developed a discriminant function which efficiently discriminates NocP from NeP. We then applied this function to 36 CRPS type 1 patients' complaints and classified their pain into either NocP or NeP.
Results: The discriminant probability of the function was 81.0% (chi-square, p=0.24) and this function revealed 47.2% of CRPS type 1 patients' complaints were classified as NocP and 52.8% as NeP. These subgroups showed almost comparable demographic data.
Considerations: Our results indicate that CRPS type 1 cannot be classified as NeP or NocP dichotomously according to pain descriptions. This raises the possibility that CRPS type 1 represents a "mixed" pain mechanism comprised of both NeP and NocP.


This investigation focused on the influence of exposure to and interaction with gay persons on heterosexual self-reported attitudes of comfort with homosexuality. A group-administered questionnaire, including a 25-item scale by Hudson and Ricketts to measure the perceived degree of dread or discomfort of contact with homosexuals, was used in human sexuality classes at a southeastern metropolitan university during 1983. Findings taking into account the total scale scores, as well as the 25 individual item scores. suggested that exposure to and interaction with homosexuals results in a self-reported attitude of reduction in discomfort with homosexuals.


The brainstem nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) is the key integrating relay in the central processing of sensory information from the thoracic and from most subdiaphragmatic viscera. Modulation of neuronal excitability and synaptic activity in the NTS by nicotinic agents can have potent effects on vital physiological functions, such as feeding, digestion, respiration, and blood circulation. Caudal NTS neurons demonstrate considerable heterogeneity in projection targets, synaptic properties, and expression of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). However, despite its heterogeneity, the caudal NTS may contain discrete subsets of neurons with unique projection target‐specific properties. To test this hypothesis, we used in vivo fluorescent tracing and ex vivo patch‐clamp electrophysiology to evaluate responsiveness to nicotine of anatomically identified caudal NTS neurons that project to the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and the brainstem caudal ventrolateral medulla (CVLM). The results of this study demonstrate that responsiveness to nicotine correlates with where the neurons project. Specifically, PVN‐projecting caudal NTS neurons respond to nicotine only presynaptically (i.e., via activation of presynaptic nAChRs and potentiation of synaptic release of glutamate), suggesting indirect, glutamate‐dependent effects of nicotine on the PVN‐projecting NTS circuitry. By contrast, CVLM‐projecting caudal NTS neurons exhibit only limited presynaptic, but dominant somatodendritic, responsiveness to nicotine, suggesting that the effects of nicotine on the CVLM‐projecting NTS circuitry are direct and largely glutamate independent. Understanding the relationships among function‐specific brainstem/hypothalamic neuronal networks, nuclei, and individual neurons could help develop therapies targeting identifiable neuronal circuits to offset impaired autonomic homeostasis. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


Natural resources have played a major role in Africa's public arena, defining power politics, resource distribution and gerrymandering strategies in much of the public administration domain. They have also fuelled armed conflicts in Africa, which has proven to be a hurdle in effective statecraft, while being a hindrance to peace processes.
From another perspective, climate change can be viewed as an additional burden for the continent on top of its many other problems. It expands the purviews of environmental security, threatens the very basis of national security and escalates social conflicts. However, it is important to note that the phenomenon of natural resources conflict is quite intricate and a mono-causal link between natural resources conflicts and climate change would not provide the basis for either a thorough conflict analysis or a proper understanding of natural resources conflict management.
This paper seeks to provide a link between natural resources and social conflicts, situate the debate within the nexus between natural resources management and conflict management, and argue for the use of a multi-actor and multi-level approach in dealing with natural resources conflicts in the context of conflict management and peace building.


High performance computing systems are often inhibited by the performance of their storage system and their ability to deliver data. In stream processing of data, Active Storage Networks (ASN) provide an opportunity to optimize storage system and computational performance by offloading some computation to the network switch. Data processing in a distributed system often requires the data to be aggregated at a single client before performing the data operation. An implementation of this processing in the interconnection network which has the global view of the data could speed up the application. An ASN is based around an intelligent network switch that allows data processing to occur on data as it flows through the storage area network from storage nodes to client nodes. We propose an approach to perform transformation and reduction data operations in an intelligent network switch comprised of FPGAs. A low cost non blocking 2-dilated flattened butterfly interconnection network is chosen for prototype implementation of ASN. Common data processing applications, namely data sort, data search, k-min/max and K-means clustering applications have been implemented on the switching elements of this network. The scalability of the ASN in performing data processing applications is evaluated by applying functional and data parallel techniques to the K-means clustering problem. The implementations show that the in-network processing in an ASN greatly improves performance.
In the other part of our work, we focus on providing operating system support for dynamic reconfiguration of FPGA to provide support for task offloading to FPGA. Operating system support for HW/SW co-design is in its infancy and faces several challenges before it could provide achievable benefits. Some of the issues surrounding hybrid computing are resource management across heterogeneous multi-cores, data communication, recovery from errors etc. We have built a prototype reconfigurable system that can offload tasks from a processor to the reconfigurable core. We also developed several scheduling algorithms for resource allocation among HW and SW computing kernels and analyze the performance trade-offs of these algorithms.


Purpose – This editorial aims to discuss how technology has transformed the cultural map for libraries so that experiences in Taiwan, Iran, India, Greece, or New Zealand are relevant anywhere in the developed world.Design/methodology/approach – The methodology draws heavily on cultural anthropology in looking at the cultural context and its changes over time.Findings – Four sets of shared problems emerge in these articles: technology applications to solve specific library problems, user studies, cataloging issues, and electronic publishing. These are topics that librarians discuss around the world.Originality/value – It is a commonplace today that technology has tended to equalize widely separated parts of the world. This is obviously true in terms of consumer goods, but appears to be less well accepted in terms of scholarly endeavor. The international and intellectual breadth of this issue can be seen as something to celebrate.


Doing public bioethics involves analyzing and assessing actual and proposed public policies regarding biomedicine, healthcare, and public health. "Public bioethics" also refers to commissions, councils, task forces, and the like, that are governmentally established, sponsored, or funded for the purpose of deliberating collectively about bioethical issues, again with a primary goal of recommending public policies. Most chapters in this book grow out of, some reflect on, and all are profoundly shaped by the author's experiences as a participant in several public bioethics bodies, especially at the national level in the United States. The processes of publicly deliberating in such bodies about bioethical issues and appropriate policies and of publicly justifying collective recommendations have profoundly shaped this book. After examining respect for autonomy—both thin and thick conceptions—and paternalistic policies and practices, as well as the tensions between particular case judgments and general principles and rules, this book next examines the appropriate role of religious convictions in public bioethics and in public policy and in conscientious claims to exemptions from expectations to provide certain health-related services. The third section of the book focuses on public policies and practices in organ transplantation, particularly difficulties in determining death, in obtaining first-person consent for deceased organ donation, and in fairly allocating donated organs. The final section maps the terrain of public health ethics, argues for a presumptivist approach to justifying public health interventions that infringe civil liberties, proposes a framework of triage for public health crises, and recasts John Stuart Mill's misunderstood legacy for public health ethics.


Key variables required for aerosol direct radiative forcing estimates are aerosol optical thickness (AOT), Ångström Exponent (AE) and single scattering albedo (SSA), which are determined not only by aerosol amount but also by physical and optical parameters such as size distribution, hygroscopicity, mixing state of the particles, and refractive index especially of absorbing particles such as black carbon (BC) and dust. As the values of these parameters are often assumed in climate models, we investigate how the variations in these prescribed parameters can explain the differences in AOT, AE and SSA between the simulation by an aerosol global model and the ground‐based remote sensing observation, AERONET. We conclude that the differences between our simulations and AERONET observations of AOT, AE and SSA are larger than sampling errors but can be generally explained by the uncertainty of the assumed parameters, although some simulations have clear biases that may be caused by errors in both emission and transport by the model. The uncertainty of sulfate sizes significantly dominates the uncertainty of AOT, AE and SSA, whereas the uncertainty of dust refractive indices and mixing states of organic carbon and BC is dominates the uncertainty of SSA.


Context The documentary film about U.S. education reform, Waiting for "Superman," was met with acclaim and controversy when released to theaters in 2010, and again when launching its grassroots "host a screening" campaign in 2011. The campaign ran concurrent with 2011 state legislative sessions, during which several states (e.g., Ohio, Indiana, New Jersey, and Wisconsin) voted on education reform bills regarding teacher merit pay, probationary teacher contracts, school vouchers, changes to the school funding formula, charter school funding, and limiting teachers' (and public workers') collective bargaining rights—all issues touched on in the film. Purpose To shed light on the relationship between popular media, public opinion, and social action regarding education, I examine responses to Waiting for "Superman" across different viewer demographics and relate responses to educational policy stances. The following research questions are considered: 1. Why did people watch Waiting for "Superman"? 2. How did different education stakeholders (preservice teachers, current teachers, academics, community members, etc.) react to the film? Were some groups more likely to accept, negotiate with, or oppose the film's message? 3. What role, if any, did the film play in viewers' stances on education reform or intention to take social action in the education reform movement? Participants Participants include 168 self-selected audience members attending free public film screenings at a midwestern university. Research Design Mixed methods research design compares audiences' descriptive statistics alongside open-ended survey responses and interview data. Results Viewers were majority young and female. Most attended because they were interested in the topic, wanted to learn more, or came with a friend. Audience responses were complex and nuanced, i.e., 38% volunteered positive reactions to the film and 30% criticized it in some way (not mutually exclusive). Emotional reactions were common (38%). Audience members tended to respond to the film based on their direct prior experience (or lack thereof) with the U.S. public education system. The majority of current teachers in the audience chose not to participate in the study, perhaps because of the contentious political climate. Fifteen percent of audience members were "inspired" to act after viewing, and half of those were preservice teachers, but none were current teachers. Conclusions In vilifying teachers' unions, thereby marginalizing some great teachers, the film's producers may have missed the chance to effect lasting change in the education system. While potentially polarizing, popular film may be an effective way to engage preservice teachers in complex education topics. Contextualizing discussion with a multiperspective panel afterward is recommended.


The Dyos Prize has been awarded annually since 1992 for the best article submitted to the Urban History Journal in each calendar year. The articles are judged by the journal editors and two independent adjudicators. The prize is named after H.J. Dyos (1921–78) to commemorate his innovative contribution to the development of the field of urban history. To reflect the catholicity and interdisciplinarity which Dyos encouraged, no temporal, geographical or thematic restrictions exist, except that the paper must make a significant contribution to the study of urban history. The prize consists of a cash sum and the publication of the paper in Urban History. Previous prize winners have included


Cross-governmental planning and coordinating policies are among the main challenges for sustainable, low carbon development. Why is sustainable development planning so ineffective? How can governments plan and coordinate public policy interventions more effectively? What can we learn from theory and experience in other democracies about effective cross-governmental planning? Answering these questions is necessary to improve sustainable development planning processes. This paper reviews the literature on sustainable development planning and analyzes the South Africa's recent national planning efforts. Evidence shows that recent efforts emphasize repeated planning and strategizing with difficulties in the actual implementation. The reason for this is a combination of lack of information in policy to overcome uncertainties in the planning process and a lack of political commitment and equivalent institutions. South Africa has a number of development plans and sectorial strategies for sustainable development. The first integrated framework for sustainable development emerged after the Johannesburg Summit in 2002. An independent National Planning Commission presented the latest development plan in 2011. Furthermore, the departments produce their own development plans and strategies. These efforts have had no major positive impacts on reducing poverty, emissions and inequality. Income inequality remains among the highest in the world. 39% of the population lives below the national income poverty line. South Africa's greenhouse gas emissions constitute around 1% of global emissions. For a developing country, South Africa's annual per capita emissions are high, at 9.2 tons per capita, whereas its GDP per capita is closer to developing countries with far lower emissions per capita. The emissions-intensity of the South African economy is one of the highest in the world. This paper serves as a background document for a research project that informs sustainable development planning through the analysis of developmental impacts of mitigation action.


The integration of economics and psychology has created a vibrant and fruitful emerging field of study. The essays in Economics and Psychology take a broad view of the interface between these two disciplines, going beyond the usual focus on "behavioral economics." As documented in this volume, the influence of psychology on economics has been responsible for a view of human behavior that calls into question the assumption of complete rationality (and raises the possibility of altruistic acts), the acceptance of experiments as a valid method of economic research, and the idea that utility or well-being can be measured. The contributors, all leading researchers in the field, offer state-of-the-art discussions of such topics as pro-social behavior and the role of conditional cooperation and trust, happiness research as an empirical tool, the potential of neuroeconomics as a way to deepen understanding of individual decision making, and procedural utility as a concept that captures the well-being people derive directly from the processes and conditions leading to outcomes. Taken together, the essays in Economics and Psychology offer an assessment of where this new interdisciplinary field stands and what directions are most promising for future research, providing a useful guide for economists, psychologists, and social scientists.