Purpose: This study compared the effect of music and noise blocking on the vital signs, postoperative pain, analgesic use, length of stay in the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) and satisfaction after a laparoscopic colectomy. Methods: This randomized controlled trial was performed in a 555-bed National Cancer Center, from February 13 through May 31, 2012. Subjects consisted of 69 patients who underwent a laparoscopic colectomy under general anesthesia, and were recruited by informed notices. The inclusion criteria were patients between the ages of 35-75, with an American Society Anesthesiologist physical classification I or II. The subjects were randomly allocated to three groups; music therapy group (MTG), noise blocking group (NBG) and control group (CG). Collected data were analyzed using Repeated measures ANOVA, one-way ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis test through IBM SPSS (Version 19.0). Results: There were no significant differences in vital signs among the three groups. Postoperative pain in MTG (p < .05) and NBG (p < .05) was significantly decreased compared to CG. The amount of analgesics (p = .030) and length of stay at PACU (p = .021) in MTG was significantly decreased compared to NBG or CG; satisfaction in MTG and NBG was significantly higher compared to CG. Conclusion: Music seems to reduce postoperative pain, the amount of analgesics, and the length of stay at PACU. Therefore, music therapy is considered to be included in nursing intervention for postoperative patients at PACU.


Research on the social implications of technological developments is highly relevant. However, a broader comprehension of current innovations and their underlying theoretical frameworks is limited by their rapid evolution, as well as a plethora of different terms and definitions. The terminology used to describe current innovations varies significantly among disciplines, such as social sciences and computer sciences. This article contributes to systematic and cross-disciplinary research on current technological applications in everyday life by identifying the most relevant concepts (i.e., Ubiquitous Computing, Internet of Things, Smart Objects and Environments, Ambient Environments and Artificial Intelligence) and relating them to each other. Key questions, core aspects, similarities and differences are identified. Theoretically disentangling terminology results in four distinct analytical dimensions (connectivity, invisibility, awareness, and agency) that facilitate and address social implications. This article provides a basis for a deeper understanding, precise operationalisations, and an increased anticipation of impending developments.


INTRODUCTION
Periarthritis (PA) shoulder characterised by pain and restricted range of motion has a plethora of treatment options with inconclusive evidence. Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) is an emerging treatment option and its efficacy needs to be examined and compared with other routine interventions.

AIM
To assess the efficacy of PRP injection and compare it with corticosteroid injection and ultrasonic therapy in the treatment of PA shoulder.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Patients with PA shoulder (n=195) were randomised to receive single injection of PRP (2 ml) or corticosteroid (80 mg of methylprednisolone) or ultrasonic therapy (seven sittings in two weeks; 1.5 W/cm2, 1 MHz, continuous mode). All participants were also advised to perform a home based 10 minute exercise therapy. The primary outcome measure was active range of motion of the shoulder. Secondary outcome measures used were Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain and a shortened version of Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (QuickDASH) for function. Participants were evaluated at 0, 3, 6 and 12 weeks. Chi-square test, one way and repeated measures of ANOVA tests were used to determine significant differences.

RESULTS
PRP treatment resulted in statistically significant improvements over corticosteroid and ultrasonic therapy in active as well as passive range of motion of shoulder, VAS and QuickDASH at 12 weeks. At six weeks, PRP treatment resulted in statistically significant improvements over ultrasonic therapy in VAS and QuickDASH. No major adverse effects were observed.

CONCLUSION
This study demonstrates that single injection of PRP is effective and better than corticosteroid injection or ultrasonic therapy in treatment of PA shoulder.


The nine-city SSI Stud) followed 1,764 randomly sampled recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for Drug Addiction and Alcoholism (DA&A) for two years after program termination in January 1997. About one-third of respondents requalified for SSI benefits, and about half of those who lost benefits replaced 50% or more of their baseline income with public assistance, wages, or help from family or friends. We examined the effects of loss of benefits and income replacement on six hardship indicators. Material hardship rates were high even at baseline. Over the follow-up period, hardships were 60%–70% more likely among those who lost SSI benefits and were unable to replace half of baseline income. Alcohol, drug, social, and legal problems also increased the odds of housing and food-related hardships. Physical and mental health problems increased hunger but not housing problems. Those who did not replace half their income were 10 times more likely than those who retained SSI to double-up in housing during the follow-up.


A multiple convolution (e.g., an image formed by convolving several individual components) is automatically deconvolvable, provided that its dimension (i.e., the number of variables of which it is a function) is greater than unity. This follows because the Fourier transform of a K-dimensional function (having compact support) is zero on continuous surfaces (here called zero sheets) of dimension (2K − 2) in a space that effectively has 2K dimensions. A number of important practical applications are transfigured by the concept of the zero sheet. Image restoration can be effected without prior knowledge of the point-spread function, i.e., blind deconvolution is possible even when only a single blurred image is given. It is in principle possible to remove some of the additive noise when the form of the point-spread function is known. Fourier phase can be retrieved directly, and, unlike for readily implementable iterative techniques, complex images can be handled as straightforwardly as real images.


This paper provides an overview of poverty levels, hydrology, agricultural production systems and water productivity in the Nile Basin. There are opportunities to manage water better in the basin for use in agriculture to improve food security, livelihoods and economic growth by taking into account not only the water in the river, but also by improving management of the rain water. Crops, livestock, fisheries and aquaculture have long been important in the Nile but do not feature in the water discourse.


Create real-time, highly interactive apps quickly with the powerful XMPP protocol XMPP is a robust protocol used for a wide range of applications, including instant messaging, multi-user chat, voice and video conferencing, collaborative spaces, real-time gaming, data synchronization, and search. This book teaches you how to harness the power of XMPP in your own apps and presents you with all the tools you need to build the next generation of apps using XMPP or add new features to your current apps. Featuring the JavaScript language throughout and making use of the jQuery library, the book contains several XMPP apps of increasing complexity that serve as ideal learning tools. Coverage Includes: Getting to Know XMPP Designing XMPP Applications Saying Hello: The First Application Exploring the XMPP Protocol: A Debugging Console Microblogging in Real Time: An Identica Client Talking with Friends: One-on-One Chat Exploring Services: Service Discovery and Browsing Group Chatting: A Multi-User Chat Client Publishing and Subscribing: A Shared Sketch Pad Introduction Writing with Friends: A Collaborative Text Editor Playing Games: Head to Head Tic-Tac-Toe Getting Attached: Bootstrapping BOSH Deploying XMPP Applications Writing Strophe Plug-ins Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.


In both the US and the EU, the antitrust category of "sham litigation" (in the US) or "vexatious litigation" (in the EU) enables a plaintiff, or a defendant in case this action forms part of a counterclaim, to argue that the introduction of litigation may constitute, under certain conditions, an infringement of competition law. This naturally leads to the question of what is a workable standard for establishing the existence of sham litigation, and how it is possible to distinguish between the legitimate use of the regulatory/litigation process and strategic attempts to use the process in order to restrict competition. Legal and economic literature, as well as the courts, have struggled to define operational tests enabling them to determine the boundaries of the "sham"/"vexatious" litigation antitrust category. The paper examines the intellectual underpinnings of this form of abusive/anticompetitive conduct and puts forward a "mechanism design approach" with the aim to reduce the occurrence of sham litigation.


We analyze the ultraviolet emission during two explosive events (EEI and EEII) recorded by SUMER aboard SOHO in the wavelength range from 749 A to 789 A. The events occurred near the centre of the solar disk on 17 November 1996. An attempt is made to separate the emission of the primary energy release from that of the accelerated plasma. We want to establish the characteristics of the sources, in particular, how large they are and how they are spatially distributed with respect to each other. Gaussian fits were calculated to estimate the radiances of the brightest emissions in our wavelength range for the core of the lines and their blue and red wings. The maximum of each Gaussian approximation was used to define the spatial distributions of the components. The electron densities were obtained with the help of the O v line ratio. The relationship between the densities and the spatial distribution of the radiances is then analyzed. The distributions of EEI are more extended than those of EEII, probably due to the different geometries of the observations. In both events, there is an offset in the locations of red and blue components but the offset is greater at EEI than at EEII. The Doppler velocities of the components of EEI were smaller than those of EEII. Also, in both events the density of the red component attained the highest values (≥4 × 10 10 cm −3 ). In EEI the electron density distributions of the three components were considerably narrower than the radiance distributions. The peak densities were observed centred with respect to the radiance distributions, suggesting that the sources of the first energy release of this event were near these locations. Both the electron density and the radiance distributions of EEI suggest a jet direction close to the line of sight.


Recovery curves were run following 1- and 5-min adaptation to wavelengths ranging from 595 to 670 mμ taken at 15-mμ intervals at a luminance of 100 ft-L. The effects of near-monochromatic and broad bandwidths were investigated. Recovery curves are in terms of time necessary to return to a predetermined dark-adapted threshold and to stated values above that threshold.After one minute of adaptation to a light of 610 mμ, recovery is faster than after exposure to an equally bright light of 595 mμ. Lengthening the wavelength causes no further reduction in recovery time. After five minutes of similar adaptation, recovery time is progressively shortened by lengthening the wavelength to 640 mμ. Further increases in wavelength result in recovery times equivalent to those of the 640-mμ adaptation. Spreading the bandwidth from near monochromatic to 30 mμ has no effect on subsequent recovery, although further broadening the bandwidth to include the shorter wavelengths results in reduced sensitivity for the 595-mμ setting. These findings are consistent with luminosity theory.


Research on diet selection is limited by inadequate techniques for determining botanical composition of diets. Our objective was to determine if near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) of fecal material could be used to quantify the percentage leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula L.) in the diets of sheep (Ovis aries) and goats (Capra hircus). Fecal material representing diets of known percentage leafy spurge was obtained from feeding trials conducted in 1992 and 1994. In 1992, diets containing 87.5, 75, 60, 45, 30, and 15% leafy spurge were fed to 20 sheep and 20 goats. In 1994 10 sheep and 10 goats were fed alfalfa hay (Medicago sativa L.) at 0.5% of their body weight and ad libitum access to leafy spurge hay. Thus, the percent leafy spurge in the diet varied daily. Microhistological analysis was performed on fecal samples from the 1992 trial for comparison with NIRS predictions. Near infrared reflectance spectroscopy evaluations were performed with a scanning reflectance monochromator. Calibrations were done separately for sheep and goats. Samples were divided into calibration and validation sets. Data from the 1994 feeding trial were analyzed to determine the appropriate lag time between diet consumption and fecal spectral characteristics that provided the best prediction. The average of the diet composition 48 and 72 hours prior to the fecal sample provided the best predictions for the 1994 trial. The effect of spectral outliers on prediction accuracy was also evaluated. Spectral outliers were predicted with equal or better accuracy compared to samples that were spectrally similar to the ones from which calibration equations were derived. The NIRS predictions were more accurate than microhistological estimation of leafy spurge in the diet. The final calibration equation had coefficients of simple correlation for validation samples of 0.91 and 0.93 and standard errors of prediction of 4.6 and 4.8 for goats and sheep, respectively. The results of this study showed that NIRS of fecal material can be used to screen large numbers of animals for phenotypic differences in diet selection and for making treatment comparisons.


Internal migration is a important element of population redistribution and equilibrium. Human mobility within the national boundary is receiving considerable attention in recent decades. The main objective of the study is to explain the changing pattern of internal migration in India over the period 1971 to 2001. Further, an attempt has been made to find out the various determinants causing the changing pattern of migration. The rate of migration among major states of India in last two decades is also worked out through transition probabilities using a stochastic model. In all the four censuses, rural-rural migration was found the dominant migration stream in India. Employment for male and marriage for female were found to be the main reasons for migration respectively. Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh lead among all in-migrating states, while the states Utter Pradesh and Bihar occupied top place among out-migrating states.


This report synthesises findings from four scoping studies of policy, practice and evidence on school-related gender-based violence (SRGBV) in Zambia, Togo, Ethiopia and Cote d'Ivoire carried out in 2016-2017.This work forms part of End Gender Violence in Schools (EGVS), an initiative led by UNICEF, with support from Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and UNGEI, which aims to strengthen the production and use of high quality evidence in order to build effective approaches to address SRGBV. Data were collected through stakeholder interviews, workshops and analyses of research, policy and programme texts. The research design offers a valuable framework through which to evaluate and strengthen national action on SRGBV through collecting evidence on: prevalence and patterns of SRGBV; laws, policies and plans; structures and partnerships; responses in and around schools; prevention through teaching and learning; and systems for data collection.Overall, these findings point to the need for using an evidence-based, multi-dimensional approach when analysing, developing and enacting policy and practice on SRGBV. The analysis generates an Action Map on SRGBV through legislation, policy and structures; work in schools; and through partnerships and communities.


ABSTRACT Aim: In the past few decades, both doctors and patients have gradually increased awareness of the importance of quality of life (QOL) assessment during treatment. Endocrine therapy is widely used as adjuvant therapy for HR+ early breast cancer. Some studies suggest that treatment with AIs may improve QOL for those patients. To enable Chinese doctors and patients to more clearly understand the relationship AI therapy and QOL, the study was to evaluate QOL of postmenopausal patients with hormone receptor-positive early breast cancer treated with AIs. Methods: The current study was prospective, multicenter, and observational. There was no intent to intervene in current medical practice of the recruited patients. Eligible patients were recruited within seven days of beginning adjuvant treatment with AIs. We used The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Breast (FACT-B) scale to evaluate QOL of the patients. Data were collected every six months for a total of five times (at baseline and at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months). Results: Patient characteristics Between June 2010 and October 2013, 494 HR+ EBC patients participated in the study. Patients were recruited form 21 centers and the study end date was October 22, 2013. TOI changes in FACT-B total scores from baseline to 24 months There was a 7.51-point increase in patients' mean FACT-B total scores from 90.69 at baseline to 98.72 at 24 months. TOI, EWB and SWB scores at baseline, 6, 12, and 18 months Patients' mean FACT-B total scores at baseline, 6 months, 12 months, and 18 months were 90.69, 94.36, 97.71, and 96.75, respectively. Patients' mean (FACT-B) EWB subscale scores at baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, and 24 months were 16.32, 16.55, 17.34, 17.47, and 17.85, respectively. Patients' mean (FACT-B) SWB scores at baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, and 24 months were 18.61, 19.14, 19.35, 18.32, and 18.40, respectively. Conclusions: The study demonstrated significant improvements in long-term QOL of postmenopausal early breast cancer patients at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after starting AIs treatment. Disclosure: A. Cao and J. Zhang:: The study was sponsored by Astrazeneca. The sponsor has no role in study design, data, collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.


A measurement of the production of three isolated photons in proton–proton collisions at a centre-of- mass energy √ s = 8 TeV is reported. The results are based on an integrated luminosity of 20.2 fb − 1 collected with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The differential cross sections are measured as functions of the transverse energy of each photon, the difference in azimuthal angle and in pseudorapidity between pairs of photons, the invariant mass of pairs of photons, and the invariant mass of the triphoton system. A measurement of the inclusive fiducial cross section is also reported. Next-to-leading-order perturbative QCD predictions are compared to the cross-section measurements. The predictions underestimate the measurement of the inclusive fiducial cross section and the differential measurements at low photon transverse energies and invariant masses. They provide adequate descriptions of the measurements at high values of the photon transverse energies, invariant mass of pairs of photons, and invariant mass of the triphoton system. © 2018 The 3 .


Social media channels become more and more important for serviceproviders in contacting customers. Given the variety of offers it is important tounderstand the contribution of social media channels to knowledge exchangewith customers. We analyse the requirements of customer contact in service provisionand develop a framework how different social media channels can be usedfor knowledge exchange. In particular, we show from the perspective of serviceproviders how these organisations may apply different social media channels indifferent stages of service processes.


This paper addresses the emergence of diasporic networked publics as a result of changing patterns of international migration on the one hand, and the configuration of transnational social spaces challenging traditional notions of the public sphere on the other hand. Drawing on a three-year online ethnography seeking to explore how Italian migrants in London use and consume digitally networked technologies, it will be argued that migrant networks can be interpreted as constituting a transnational social field created by a network of networks, where new reconfigurations of the idea of public space are taking place. In particular, the paper addresses the following questions: how is connectivity transforming the way diasporic identities and communities are formed? How and to what extent do digital media affect and facilitate the formation of transnational online publics, while supporting adaptation to the host society and an on-going dialogic bridge with home? What can digital diasporas tell us about the transformation of public space in the Digital Age? Preliminary findings suggest that online diasporic spaces act as: - Polycentric and polycephalic webs of solidarity and support where specific nodes (long term migrants) exercise more influence than others; - Spaces where emotional connections are established among migrants, with the purpose of overcoming social isolation and of coping with a sense of de-territorialisation; - Spaces where traditional notions of public and private blur as users share personal experiences and private information (e.g. home address) in a fundamentally public space, as membership is not required to read users' conversations.


Nowadays, process monitoring and fault diagnosis techniques are becoming a critical component of modern automatic control systems. One of the most crucial issues for the design of automatic control systems is reliability and dependability. Traditional ways to achieve these goals are through designing adaptive and robust controllers to eliminate any influence of faults on an output. Using these approaches, faults are managed but they could ultimately lead to failures; after which no controller could repair such effects. In order to minimize such damages, it is necessary to diagnose and rectify faults as soon as possible. In a fault detection system, residual generation is the first step in detecting faults, but residuals are not the only element of a dependable fault detection system. A fault detection system is reliable when an appropriate residual evaluation method is used along with a suitable residual generation technique.

The problem of fault detection and identification in a nonlinear system with applications to mobile robots is addressed in this thesis. For this purpose, first a new simulator for mobile robots containing kinematic and dynamic equations of a mobile robot and its actuators is designed. To detect faults in the system, a linear velocity of the mobile robot is chosen and modeled with computationally intelligent techniques. Locally linear models (LLM) as a neuro-fuzzy technique and radial basis function (RBF) as a powerful neural network are used to estimate the linear velocity of a mobile robot and generate residuals by comparing these with the system measurements. Subsequently, residuals are evaluated by using fixed and adaptive threshold bands. Adaptive threshold bands are generated using locally model thresholds (LMT) and model error modeling (MEM) technique in order to reduce the fault detection delay and false alarms. Finally, fault identification of a mobile robot by using multiple model technique is presented with the two proposed methods of modeling and threshold generation. The fault identification task consists of determining the occurrence of the fault as well as its location and magnitude. This is accomplished on four different types of faults with different magnitudes that are divided in ten different classes. For each scenario, simulation results are presented to demonstrate and illustrate the advantages and disadvantages of each methodology.

The main contributions of this thesis can be stated as follows: (a) the development and design of a new fault diagnosis method and a residual evaluation scheme by using an adaptive threshold band that is accomplished by using locally linear models of the system, (b) development of a fault detection approach based on computational intelligent algorithms for mobile robots using the MEM algorithm to generate adaptive threshold bands, (c) development of two fault identification approaches based on the concept of multiple models for a mobile robot, and (d) the resulting improvements of the proposed adaptive threshold bands are shown through extensive simulation results.


Jean ESTEVE,

he is a forestry scientist and consultant who has been with the Centre Technique Forestier Tropical (CTFT) for the past 25 years. CTFT is the forestry department of Centre de Cooperation Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Developpement (CIRAD) .

The people who exploit forest resources, even on a relatively small scale, have a poor reputation in the eyes of ecologists. It is they who are held responsible for the disappearance of 16-20 million hectares of tropical forest each year. Now a recent scientific study of the African rainforest has been completed by the CTFT. This has gone a long way towards determining how this responsibility is shared among forest users, pastoralists, farmers and policy-makers. This research amounts to a plea from Jean Esteve for a global policy on the management of this resource.

What exactly constitutes rational and sound forestry management? And what effect would it have on conserving the tropical forest ecosystem? These are questions of prime importance which need to be answered objectively. Well-intentioned ecologists who, unfortunately, are frequently misin-formed tend to blame both those who exploit the forest, whether on a small or large scale, and also the countries them-selves for the current deforestation of the tropical zones. But, in Africa these groups cannot be held solely responsible for the disappearance of the forests.

Such a view completely disregards other more important causes of deforestation, which are often irreversible: for example extensive grazing, slash-and-burn or shifting agriculture, and the pressing need for clearing land for agriculture in areas of high population growth.

For most African countries with forests it is an economic necessity to exploit their resources: often it constitutes one of their principal means of earning convertible currency. However, research shows that often this may be the first and only sylvicultural activity carried out on a mature forest. CTFT's long-term research and other studies demonstrate that when the plant cover is opened up in this way the forest environment reacts swiftly, bringing about a far higher growth rate than that of virgin forest. Furthermore, since forest land utilized in this way generates income for the country concerned, it will be better protected from agriculture than unmanaged forest. But development must be rationalized in order to protect the future of the forest and to conserve its biological diversity.

The dense African forest is heterogenous, containing hundreds of different species. This means that the exploitation of forest stands is progressive and selective. There are 300-600 tree species, but only a hundred or so have any recognized technical value, either currently or in the future, and of these only 30 to 50 are habitually exploited for profit. Therefore the forestry worker tries to stay selective in the way he chooses trees for felling, according to various factors: type, height, circumference, or defects of trees; distance from towns and market forces. Usually only an average of 0.5 to 3 trees per hectare are cut, thus exploiting only 4 to 25 cubic metres (though more usually 5 to 15 cubic metres) out of a potential 200 cubic metres, when trees of more than 10cm diameter are taken into account.

Felling should be based on carefully compiled and updated forest inventories and should remain moderate. The annual quota felled per ha should not exceed annual growth rate. Extraction methods must also be improved: fellers and loaders must be better trained, and the road network developed to take into account rich potential forest areas. At present, a forest road network destroys about 5 to 6% of tree cover. Damage caused by felling to surrounding trees also is about 5%, but usually considerably less. And in a forest holding of between 50,000 and 200,000 ha the clearance needed to create living and processing areas for the forestry workers does not generally exceed 0.3 to 0.6% of the forest area.

Globally, timber logging would destroy no more than 6 - 9 % of the forest canopy if extraction were restricted to 10-15 m3/ ha. So this is further evidence that destruction of forest canopy is directly linked to logging intensity. Extraction of more than 40 m3/ha would mean canopy loss closer to 10%.

In my opinion, the management of forests in Africa is both rational and has no long-term deleterious effect on the forest masses and ecosystems. But although multidisciplinary research will be needed to discern the exact nature of its effect on the environment, current general opinion suggest that this is neither out of hand nor irreversible. However, in the densely populated areas, the forest must be protected against extensive agriculture. Care must be taken that the forest road network does not open up the forest and allow access to slash and burn agriculture which will ultimately destroy it.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of CTA.


ASCE's Daniel W. Mead Prize for Younger Members and Students-established and endowed in 1939 by Daniel W. Mead, a former president and honorary member of ASCE-are awarded annually to the authors of papers that explore the topic of professional ethics in civil engineering. This year contestants were challenged to consider whether it is ethical to profit from engineering work arising from natural or man-made disasters. The essay presented here, by David P. Devine, P.E., an assistant professor at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, won in the younger member category. Only one paper from each section may be submitted for this national contest. The submissions are sent to the executive director by the section or branch secretary and must reach the executive director by February 1 each year. The papers, which may not exceed 2,000 words, cannot have more than one author and must not have been previously published. Papers submitted in the younger member category are judged by the Committee on Younger Members and passed along to the Council Vice Presidents for final action during the latter's meeting in July. The winning paper has traditionally been published in Civil Engineering magazine.


Title: CHARACTERIZATION OF TATA BOX BINDING PROTEIN INTERACTION WITH MINICIRCLE DNA Jung Shin Byun, Ph.D., 2005 Directed By: Associate Professor Jason D. Kahn, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Protein-induced bending of DNA plays an important role in regulating its transcription, replication, recombination, and packaging into nucleosomes. In particular, many general and gene-specific transcription factors bend DNA. The TATA box-binding protein (TBP) is essential to promoter recognition, and it provides an especially interesting example of dramatic DNA bending. Previous work in our laboratory has shown that TBP bound to strained DNA can induce negative supercoiling, proposed to be the result of untwisting without the compensating writhe provided by the Phe stirrups. The structural proposal makes the clear predictions that TBP lacking the Phe stirrups will induce negative supercoiling under all conditions, and that the mutant may require negative supercoiling in order to bind at all. To test this prediction, we have made the F99A-F116A and F99A-F116A-F190AF207A site-directed TBP mutants that lack the N and C-terminal stirrups. We have characterized the binding of wild type and mutant TBP to linear DNA and to negatively supercoiled minicircles using quantitative hydroxyl radical footprinting, which is the first application for circular DNA, and electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA). The results of the quantitative hydroxyl radical footprinting and EMSA suggest that mutant TBP binds better to the negatively supercoiled minicircle than to the linear DNA. We also observed quite different footprinting patterns for circular versus linear DNA at the TATA box. This indicates that the structure of TBP bound to minicircles may be different than the linear DNA. The equilibrium dissociation constants (Kd) of wild type TBP derived from hydroxyl radical footprinting titrations for the linear DNA and the -1 topoisomers of 203 bp are 11 nM and 3 nM respectively. This suggests that pre-bending of the TATA box enhanced DNA binding. From these observations, we propose that TBP binding to promoters upon gene activation may be enhanced by the topological strain induced in the DNA upon chromatin remodeling. CHARACTERIZATION OF TATA BOX BINDING PROTEIN INTERACTION WITH MINICIRCLE DNA


In the 1990s, the success of the ENERSIS conglomerate in Latin America captured the attention of world electric conglomerates like ENDESA Spain (ES) and DUKE Energy from the USA. ES tried in 1997 to take over ENERSIS, which ended with a colossal commitment of investments. The friendly tender offer lasting for more than 100 days implied significant Cumulative Abnormal Returns (CAR) that favour minority shareholders, contrasting with the subsequent hostile ES takeover that implied the realisation of CAR on ENERSIS conglomerate stocks that vanished before 60 days. This paper describes the strategies and results of the takeover.


Generics are statements that are not explicitly quantified and that express generalizations, such as 'ducks lay eggs'. Intuitively, the generic (non-quantified) form of such statements seems to be true. Furthermore, people seem to be prone to an interesting error: treating the universal form of characteristic generic assertions (e.g., 'all ducks lay eggs') as true, even though they are, upon a moment's reflection, patently false. How would people interpret generic assertions when they are used as premises in a syllogistic reasoning task? Although the normative strategy to optimize production of valid conclusions would be to treat generics as existential assertions, people displayed a strong tendency to assimilate generics to universal assertions. As in prior comprehension studies, generics behave as the prototypical default form for expressing generalizations about the world.


We experimentally measure and theoretically model the light transmission characteristics of subwavelength apertures. The characterization consists of translating a point source at varying vertical height and lateral displacement from the aperture and measuring the resulting transmission. We define the variation of the transmission with lateral source displacement as the collection mode point spread function (CPSF). This transmission geometry is particularly relevant to subwavelength aperture based imaging devices and enables determination of their resolution. This study shows that the achieved resolutions degrade as a function of sample height and that the behavior of sensor devices based on the use of apertures for detection is different from those devices where the apertures are used as light sources. In addition, we find that the measured CPSF is dependent on the collection numerical aperture (NA). Finally, we establish that resolution beyond the diffraction limit for a nominal optical wavelength of 650 nm and nominal medium refractive index of 1.5 is achievable with subwavelength aperture based devices when the aperture size is smaller than 225 nm.


Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to critically review the relevant literature on transparency, provide a comprehensive definition of transparency, and present a new framework for facilitating the adoption of transparency as an ethical cornerstone and pragmatic strategy for organizational responsible business management.

Design/methodology/approach

– A systematic literature review – a methodology adopted from medical sciences to eliminate research bias – was conducted. In doing so, the definitions, antecedents, and consequences of transparency are accessed and synthesized.

Findings

– Based upon this process transparency is defined as the extent to which a stakeholder perceives an organization provides learning opportunities about itself. A conceptual framework emerged from the data. It describes when transparency is especially important, what organizations can do to be more transparent, and the potential benefits of transparency.

Practical implications

– The transparency framework can be used as a guide for organizations attempting to change their behavior, image, and performance by adopting transparency as a value in their organization. In addition, the framework can be used to create and adopt a universal (i.e. industry-wide or even societal-wide) code of conduct. Furthermore, this review, definition, and framework provide a template for academics to advance transparency theory, and empirically test the construct's application.

Originality/value

– As a new research field, transparency has lacked a concise definition as well as a conceptual framework. This is the first comprehensive summary of transparency. In addition, this study contributes to the methodology of evaluating construct definitions to advance empirical research.


We prove that balanced loss-gain distributions provide an elegant path towards realizing loss-free unidirectional cloaks for objects much larger than the wavelength. By coating a scatterer with an ultrathin metasurface with balanced loss and gain, such as a parity-time (PT)-symmetric metasurface in the special case of a symmetric scatterer, we show that it is possible to ideally cloak the scatterer from a particular direction. The passive portion of the cloak ensures that the incident power on the illuminated side of the object is fully absorbed, while the active portion radiates the required pattern on the opposite side, automatically synchronized with the impinging signal, eliminating shadows and making the object invisible. The proposed approach substitutes complex metamaterial cloaks and achieves cloaking with relaxed limitations on size, and in an ultrathin, loss-free, and stable design. Beyond introducing a new venue to cloaking of large objects, our paper shows the unique potential for scattering manipulation introduced by structures with balanced loss and gain, pointing to a new direction in the field of PT-symmetric systems.


The existence of a game-based mobile application in the field of education has largely helped students to be more interested and motivated to learn due to the presence of game elements in the apps which makes learning more interesting. The Jawi script is one of the subjects that is difficult to learn by younger generation since they do not apply the use of Jawi in their private lives. The inclusion of creative features such as game elements should attract students to explore the Jawi script. A pre- experimental one- group pre- test and post- test study was conducted in which a game-based mobile application for learning Jawi subject named G- Jawi was developed and tested among 20 primary school students in order to observe how the elements of the game in the mobile app impacted their Jawi spelling skills. The apps were also evaluated by 5 teachers and the findings shows that the game-based mobile application was able to improve the students' performance. This finding was supported by positive results amongst the students which revealed a mean value for the post- test was higher than the pre- test of 89.00. In conclusion, the mobile games app has successfully enhanced student's understanding of Jawi subjects compared to the traditional learning methods.


In today's complex and digital business landscape, innovation is typically not an effort of a lonely genius or an activity confined to a single corporate R&D lab. Instead, the innovation process often involves open innovation, technology trade, and intellectual property (IP) licensing between multiple firms in what is sometimes referred to as an innovation ecosystem. While this interaction is conducive to value creation, it also creates a pressing need for better methods and principles for fairly capturing and sharing value among contributors. The purpose of this paper is to shed light on the plurality and specificity of fairness principles, how they appear in IP negotiation experiments with 105 participants, and what outcomes they generate compared to competitive behavior. The paper especially highlights how investments and the structure of innovation actors, artifacts (such as patents), and activities impact fairness.


The search for new energy resources is a crucial task nowadays. Research on the use of solar energy is growing every year. The aim is the design of devices that can produce a considerable amount of energy using the Sun's radiation. The modeling of solar cells (SCs) is based on the estimation of the intrinsic parameters of electrical circuits that simulate their behavior based on the current vs. voltage characteristics. The problem of SC design is defined by highly nonlinear and multimodal objective functions. Most of the algorithms proposed to find the best solutions become trapped into local solutions. This paper introduces the Chaotic Improved Artificial Bee Colony (CIABC) algorithm for the estimation of SC parameters. It combines the use of chaotic maps instead random variables with the search capabilities of the Artificial Bee Colony approach. CIABC has also been modified to avoid the generation of new random solutions, preserving the information of previous iterations. In comparison with similar optimization methods, CIABC is able to find the global solution of complex and multimodal objective functions. Experimental results and comparisons prove that the proposed technique can design SCs, even with the presence of noise.


Abstract Life is full of stressors, which have to be confronted efficiently to grow up. However, reaction to stressors is personalized, complex and coordinated. Vulnerable persons adjust poorly to stressors and express inappropriate responses, while resilient persons practice adaptive physiological and psychological responses. Promotion of resiliency is an intricated issue, which demands strategies at both macro and micro-level. Microlevel strategies are focused on the community, family and individual level, while macrolevel strategies formulate the principles. Nevertheless, prediction of vulnerability and resiliency is really a challenge, as different persons facing same stressors react differently. Some are growing as resilient and others as vulnerable. We aimed to discuss resiliency, vulnerability, importance in relation to health outcome, promotion of resiliency and controversies of vulnerability and resiliency.


In the 2 years chlorothiazide has been available, it has been demonstrated to have many of the characteristics of the ideal diuretic agent. It has become an important drug in the treatment of patients with edema and hypertension. Experience has indicated that the side effects and toxic reactions are not severe nor do they prohibit long-term use of the drug. In the vast majority of patients, clinical effectiveness has persisted for the duration of the study, up to 2 years in some and more than a year in many. Chlorothiazide is a new type of powerful diuretic agent. Surely other similar compounds will be introduced. For these reasons, it is especially important that we understand its mechanism of action and shortcomings. Interest in the pharmacology of chlorothiazide already has brought us new information about certain fundamental problems of kidney function and systemic arterial hypertension.


This paper presents results from three studies in 25 custodial facilities in three Australian states, including nutrient analyses of menus and focus groups exploring inmate attitudes.

Both cook-fresh and cook-chill production systems are used. Non-selective cycle menus of 4-6 weeks are common but inmates can supplement meals by purchase of additional food items ('buy-ups'). Menus included adequate variety and met most nutritional standards, with the possible exception of fruit. The sodium content of menus is above recommended levels. Protein, fibre, vitamins A, C, thiamin, riboflavin, calcium, iron and zinc were more than adequate, and the percentage energy from fat is close to or meets national recommendations.

Focus groups identified 16 themes, including meal quality, food available at 'buy-ups', cooking facilities, and concerns about possible food safety risks associated with inmates storing food in cells. Many complaints were about factors not under the control of the foodservice manager.


Seventeen adults who experienced a life-threatening situation were interviewed to ascertain what they had learned about life from their confrontation with death. Interview questions focused on participants' philosophies of life, their personal regrets and priorities, and their advice to others. Interviews were analyzed using qualitative grounded theory and discovery-oriented techniques. Among the most common themes, the participants advocated less materialism, more spirituality, and more caring for and serving of others. After their confrontation with death they worried less about mundane issues and became more optimistic about the future of humankind. Implications for research and practice are discussed.


Modern transradial access (TRA) has evolved from a niche procedure undertaken by a few enthusiastic proponents to the default access site adopted across most of Europe and Asia, with data from the British Cardiovascular Interventional Society suggesting that over 75% of all primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures in the UK in 2014 were undertaken through the radial artery.1 TRA has been shown to be associated with a reduction in mortality, major adverse cardiac events (MACE) and major access site related bleeding complications in both randomised controlled trials and national registries in patients undergoing PCI at high risk from bleeding complications, particularly those in the setting of acute coronary syndromes (ACS), which has led to a Class IA recommendation for its use in the setting of ACS in the latest European Society of Cardiology Guidelines for ACS.2 Throughout this evolution, concerns about the generalisability of the transition from a default femoral to radial approach have been raised both from the question of learning curve, feasibility and access site failure rate. Confounding much of the earlier literature has been variable and heterogeneous operator experience between femoral and radial techniques resulting in uncertainty in interpretation, particularly around the feasibility and success rates of procedures undertaken through the radial approach.

Abdelaal et al 3 from the Quebec Heart–Lung Institute have provided some insight into this question in patients referred for primary PCI. Their facility was one of the earliest adaptors of transradial approaches to catheterisation and provides a practice environment with extensive expertise in both radial and femoral techniques. From their experience in primary PCI, the investigators examined the outcome from a period of 2006–2011 corresponding to a time that reflected greater than a decade of prior institutional transradial experience. Out of 2020 patients who underwent primary PCI, 95% were attempted …


Cities around the world are struggling to access additional water supplies to support their continued growth because their freshwater sources are becoming exhausted. Half of all cities with populations greater than 100,000 are located in water-scarce basins, and in these basins agricultural water consumption accounts for more than 90% of all freshwater depletions. In this paper we review the water development histories of four major cities: Adelaide, Phoenix, San Antonio and San Diego. We identify a similar pattern of water development in these cities, which begins with the exhaustion of local surface and groundwater supplies, continues with importation of water from other basins, and then turns to recycling of wastewater or stormwater, or desalination of either seawater or brackish groundwater. Demand management through water conservation has mitigated, to varying degrees, the timing of water-system expansions and the extent to which cities rely on new sources of supply. This typical water development pattern in cities is undesirable from a sustainability perspective, as it is usually associated with serious ecological and social impacts as well as sub-optimal cost effectiveness. We highlight case examples and opportunities to invest in water conservation measures, particularly through urban–rural partnerships under which cities work with farmers to implement irrigation conservation measures, thereby freeing up water for ecological restoration and use by cities.


The arrangement of nonzero entries of a matrix, described by the graph of the matrix, limits the possible geometric multiplicities of the eigenvalues, which are far more limited by this information than are algebraic multiplicities or the numerical values of the eigenvalues. This book gives a uniied development of how the graph of a symmetric matrix inluences the possible multiplicities of its eigenvalues. While the theory is richest in cases where the graph is a tree, work on eigenvalues, multiplicities and graphs has provided the opportunity to identify which ideas have analogs for non-trees, and those for which trees are essential. It gathers and organizes the fundamental ideas to allow students and researchers to easily access and investigate the many interesting questions in the subject.


Folk wisdom holds that incorporating a part-of-speech tagger into a system that performs deep linguistic analysis will improve the speed and accuracy of the system. Previous studies of tagging have tested this belief by incorporating an existing tagger into a parsing system and observing the effect on the speed of the parser and accuracy of the results. However, not much work has been done to determine in a fine-grained manner exactly how much tagging can help to disambiguate or reduce ambiguity in parser output. We take a new approach to this issue by examining the full parse-forest output of a large-scale LFG-based English grammar (Riezler et al. (2002)) running on the XLE grammar development platform (Maxwell and Kaplan (1993); Maxwell and Kaplan (1996)); and partitioning the parse outputs into equivalence classes based on the tag sequences for each parse. If we find a large number of tag-sequence equivalence classes for each sentence, we can conclude that different parses tend to be distinguished by their tags; a small number means that tagging would not help much in reducing ambiguity. In this way, we can determine how much tagging would help us in the best case, if we had the "perfect tagger" to give us the correct tag sequence for each sentence. We show that if a perfect tagger were available, a reduction in ambiguity of about 50% would be available. Somewhat surprisingly, about 30% of the sentences in the corpus that was examined would not be disambiguated, even by the perfect tagger, since all of the parses for these sentences shared the same tag sequence. Our study also helps to inform research on tagging by providing a targeted determination of exactly which tags can help the most in disambiguation.


The ease with which information can be shared on social media has opened it up to abuse and manipulation. One example of a manipulation campaign that has garnered much attention recently was the alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections, with Russia accused of, among other things, using trolls and malicious accounts to spread misinformation and politically biased information. To take an in-depth look at this manipulation campaign, we collected a dataset of 13 million election-related posts shared on Twitter in 2016 by over a million distinct users. This dataset includes accounts associated with the identified Russian trolls as well as users sharing posts in the same time period on a variety of topics around the 2016 elections. To study how these trolls attempted to manipulate public opinion, we identified 49 theoretically grounded linguistic markers of deception and measured their use by troll and non-troll accounts. We show that deceptive language cues can help to accurately identify trolls, with average F1 score of 82% and recall 88%.


In this paper we present a comparison of statistical and spatial distributions between Pb, Cu and Zn concentration data and clr-transformed data of 3669 topsoil samples from the Campanian Region. Results show that both approaches, the classical univariate analysis and the compositional data analysis, are necessary to understand the real structure of the data and shed light on different aspects. In particular, the spatial distributions of concentration ('raw') data and clr-transformed data of the three elements differ completely. Raw data essentially represent a high anthropogenic impact, requiring an additional human health risk assessment for the three investigated elements. The information obtained by the clr-coefficient maps reveals the geogenic contribution to the element distribution. To better constrain the degree of contamination due to these potentially toxic elements and their impact on human health, we present an RGB composite map of Pb, Cu and Zn. This map unravels potential sources of contamination and locates the areas where concentrations exceed thresholds established by the Italian legislation.


Abstract Green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh.) dominates many deciduous woodlands at the western margin of its range in eastern Montana. Evidence suggests that the majority of green ash woodlands are in degraded condition with declining tree canopies and ground layers dominated by exotic grasses. The dense sod formed by these perennial grasses was hypothesized to interfere with green ash regeneration from seed. The purpose of this study was to test potential methods of restoring green ash regeneration in these declining woodlands. The effects of preseeding grazing and herbicide treatment and postgermination fertilizer on the recruitment, survival, and growth of green ash seedlings at each of four study sites typical of declining green ash woodlands in southeastern Montana were assessed. Six green ash trees at each of three sites were cut to examine the relationship of age, size, and health to sprouting ability and growth. Herbicide application had a positive effect on green ash recruitment and survival of green ash seedlings in woodlands with a dense sod of exotic grasses; seedling survival after 3–4 yr was ca. 10 times greater in herbicide-treated plots compared to controls or grazed plots. Seedlings grew slowly although fertilizer had a small positive effect on growth at one site. All coppiced trees produced basal sprouts, but sprout growth was severely curtailed at two of the three sites by deer browsing, suggesting that coppicing could increase tree canopy cover by replacing weakened trees with new and more vigorous boles and branches, but only where browsing by cattle and deer is reduced. Maintaining eastern Montana green ash woodlands in good condition should be given priority because restoration will be difficult.


There is little consensus among scholars on whether targeted killings of members of terrorist and militant groups work, though some have argued that they do, at least under certain circumstances. Most of the work so far has focused on the ability of targeted killings to disrupt targeted groups' ability to function. In many cases, work has centered on whether they work and not addressed how they work if they do. There has been insufficient study of the coercive effects of targeted killings and these studies have often produced mixed results, with violence sometimes increasing and sometimes decreasing after targeted strikes. This article argues that the focus on disruption and a failure to differentiate between deterrence and compellence and properly to account for the timing of attacks may be at least partly to blame for the mixed record observed from the use of targeted killings. It asserts that targeted killings are inherently compellent and can therefore only be used to change a status quo and potentially establish new "rules of the game." They cannot be used to deter (i.e. to maintain current rules). Taking this into account could shed new light on discussions of the appropriateness of targeted killings in given situations and their effectiveness overall.


Abstract. Accurate models of planetary boundary layer (PBL) processes are important for forecasting weather and climate. The present study compares seven methods of calculating PBL depth in the GEOS-5 atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) over land. These methods depend on the eddy diffusion coefficients, bulk and local Richardson numbers, and the turbulent kinetic energy. The computed PBL depths are aggregated to the Koppen–Geiger climate classes, and some limited comparisons are made using radiosonde profiles. Most methods produce similar midday PBL depths, although in the warm, moist climate classes the bulk Richardson number method gives midday results that are lower than those given by the eddy diffusion coefficient methods. Additional analysis revealed that methods sensitive to turbulence driven by radiative cooling produce greater PBL depths, this effect being most significant during the evening transition. Nocturnal PBLs based on Richardson number methods are generally shallower than eddy diffusion coefficient based estimates. The bulk Richardson number estimate is recommended as the PBL height to inform the choice of the turbulent length scale, based on the similarity to other methods during the day, and the improved nighttime behavior.


This article focuses on a linked pair of "documents" from midseventeenth-century coastal Peru. The analysis first examines a revisita (an administrative "revisit") carried out in 1670 in settlements around the town of San Pedro de Corongo, in the lower Santa River Valley. The revisit describes a census of the population of what are described as six pachacas ("onehundreds") administrative/census units that usually coincided with ayllus (the Andean clanlike sociopolitical groups). The document identifies 132 tributaries distributed across the six ayllus, all but two of whom are identified by name. Tribute is assessed on this new census count. The information in the revisit is then compared to the organization of a group of six khipus (knotted-string recording devices) that were said to have been recovered from a burial in the Santa Valley. The six khipus are organized into a total of 133 color-coded groups of six cords. The knot values on the first cords of the six-cord groups total the same value as the tribute assessed in the revisit document, and it is argued on these grounds that the khipus and the revisit document pertain to the same administrative procedure. The attachment knots of the first cords of the six-cord groups vary in a binary fashion by attachment type (i.e., tied either "verso" or "recto"). It is argued that this construction feature divides the tributaries identified in the revisit into moieties; therefore, the khipus constitute a gloss on the social organization of the population identified in the revisit document. It is suggested that the names of the tributaries may be signed by color coding in the khipus.


The identification of groundwater contaminant sources is a primary step in designing and implementing a remediation strategy. The work presented here was undertaken to develop an efficient strategy that addresses the unknown multiple contaminant sources problem, and that could identify the number, location, and magnitude of the groundwater contaminant sources and select optimal sampling locations. A Monte Carlo approach was used first to obtain the statistical characteristics of groundwater flow and transport model. Then the linear Kalman filter and a modified comparison method were utilized to update the estimation of concentration values and source weights, which represent the similarity between the estimated composite plume and each individual plume. Moreover, an optimization method was employed to identify the magnitude of contamination and the optimal sampling location. All of these steps were repeated until the weights stabilized and converged. A synthetic example was used to test the strategy and a further uncertainty analysis was conducted. The evaluation demonstrated that the strategy effectively addresses unknown multiple-sources problems, under the condition that the error of concentration measurement value was controlled to less than 10%, and the time error was controlled to less than 6%.


There are three major advantages for coherent optical orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (CO-OFDM) transmission using digital signal processing. First, coherent detection is realized by digital phase estimation without the need for optical phase-locked loop. Second, OFDM modulation and demodulation are realized by the well-established computation-efficient fast Fourier transform (FFT) and inverse FFT. Third, adaptive data rates can be supported as different quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) constellations are software-defined, without any hardware change in transmitter and receiver. However, it is well-known that coherent detection, OFDM, and QAM are all susceptible to phase noise. In this paper, theoretical, numerical, and experimental investigations are carried out for phase noise effects on high spectral efficiency CO-OFDM transmission. A transmission model in the presence of phase noise is presented. By using simulation, the bit error rate floors from finite laser linewidth are presented for CO-OFDM systems with high-order QAM constellations. In the experiments, the phase noise effects from both laser linewidth and nonlinear fiber transmission are investigated. The fiber nonlinearity mitigation based on receiver digital signal processing is also discussed.


As new technology becomes incorporated into everyday life, more children are surfing the Internet, playing virtual games, interacting with cyberspace, then interchanging these experiences with the more easily interpretable and observable settings of home, school and neighbourhood. What kind of skills are required for children to navigate these experiences? Do they have or need a cohesive view of the world? How can educators provide order (if that is what is required) to their experiences and promote learning for the future? Perhaps more fundamentally, where and how do their private and public worlds intersect?

By conceiving of the child's world as one of lived experiences and diverse spaces, it seeks a theory of education that can be translated to the practice of the classroom across disciplines and year levels. The Child's World: Triggers for Learning brings together the international voices of Mathematics, Social Science, Philosophy and Information Science educators and it has a cross-cultural perspective.


Negative markers are not a uniform category. They come in various types and, depending on their type, they take scope over a clause, a phrase, or just a word. Low scope negative markers (LSN) like de-, dis-, un-, iN-, non-, -less are bound morphemes and have therefore been mainly studied within morphology, focusing on the semantics of these markers (contradiction vs. contrariety), issues related to their productivity, and their combinability with certain categories. Wide scope negative markers (WSN), like not are often free morphemes and are usually treated within syntax. Thus there is a morphology-syntax divide when it comes to the treatment of negative markers.
 However, there are reasons to give up this divide and to uniformly treat negative markers within one module of the grammar. First, from a typological point of view, the bound-free divide of negative markers does not correlate with their scope. For instance, agglutinative languages have WSN markers that are bound morphemes attaching to the verbal base. Second, morphological processes, like suppletion or other types of allomorphy, can be observed in markers that show properties of WSN markers. Third, independent negative particles, like for instance the Dutch free morpheme weinig 'little, few', shares stacking properties with other LSN markers like un- and iN-. Fourth, both LSN and WSN markers are subject to the same constraint concerning stacking scopally identical negative markers. Fifth, syncretisms have been found across languages between WSN and LSN, allowing negative markers to be ordered in such a way that no ABA patterns arise, suggesting that the morphology of negative markers reflects the natural scope of negation and that there is a continuum between LSN and WSN markers.


OBJECTIVE
To address the paradox that phenytoin- and carbamazepine-treated patients have decreased serum free thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) concentrations but appear clinically euthyroid and have normal serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) concentrations.

DESIGN
In vitro studies comparing measurements of total and free T4 and T3 by ultrafiltration assay (undiluted serum) and a commercial free T4 estimate kit in control serum samples or serum samples containing added therapeutic levels of phenytoin or carbamazepine. These measurements were made in serum samples diluted 1:5 with either identical serum or phospate buffer, pH 7.4, and in serum samples from patients with seizure disorders who were treated with phenytoin or carbamazepine.

SETTING
A 650-bed teaching hospital.

PATIENTS
Selected patients (n=19) who were in good health except for seizure disorder, with stable anticonvulsant drug levels in the upper half of the therapeutic range, and were not taking any other drugs that could affect thyroid parameters.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE
Serum concentrations of free T4 and free T3 in patients taking phenytoin or carbamazepine vs normal controls.

RESULTS
Addition of phenytoin or carbamazepine to normal human serum in vitro resulted in a significant increase in free T4 fraction and free T4 (P<.001). In patients taking phenytoin or carbamazepine, serum total T4 decreased significantly to 60% and 74%, respectively, of the control serum concentration (P<.001 for both phenytoin and carbamazepine); free T4 fraction (by ultrafiltration assay) increased 65% and 44%, respectively (P<.001 for phenytoin, P<.01 for carbamazepine); and free T4 remained unchanged. Free T4 concentration measured by a commercial kit (1:5 serum dilution) was significantly lower than the control concentration in both phenytoin- and carbamazepine-treated patients. Serum free T3 and serum TSH were also normal in phenytoin- and carbamazepine-treated patients.

CONCLUSIONS
Therapeutic levels of phenytoin and carbamazepine displace T4 and T3 from serum binding proteins. When added to serum, the drugs effect an increase in free hormone fractions and free T4 and T3. In drug-treated patients, increased free T4 and T3 fractions offset the significant decrease in serum T4 and T3, resulting in normal free T4 and free T3 concentrations. Since currently available clinical tests will continue to show decreased free T4 concentrations in patients taking phenytoin or carbamazepine, clinicians should rely on serum TSH measurements to confirm the euthyroid status of these patients.


A multimode network consists of heterogeneous types of actors with various interactions occurring between them. Identifying communities in a multimode network can help understand the structural properties of the network, address the data shortage and unbalanced problems, and assist tasks like targeted marketing and finding influential actors within or between groups. In general, a network and its group structure often evolve unevenly. In a dynamic multimode network, both group membership and interactions can evolve, posing a challenging problem of identifying these evolving communities. In this work, we try to address this problem by employing the temporal information to analyze a multimode network. A temporally regularized framework and its convergence property are carefully studied. We show that the algorithm can be interpreted as an iterative latent semantic analysis process, which allows for extensions to handle networks with actor attributes and within-mode interactions. Experiments on both synthetic data and real-world networks demonstrate the efficacy of our approach and suggest its generality in capturing evolving groups in networks with heterogeneous entities and complex relationships.


The performance of bifunctional hybrid catalysts based on phosphotungstic acid (H3PW12O40, HPW) supported on TiO2 combined with Cu-ZnO(Al) catalyst in the direct synthesis of dimethyl ether (DME) from syngas has been investigated. We studied the effect of the HPW loading on TiO2 (from 1.4 to 2.7 monolayers) on the dispersion and acid characteristics of the HPW clusters. When the concentration of the heteropoliacid is slightly higher than the monolayer (1.4 monolayers) the acidity of the clusters is perturbed by the surface of titania, while for concentration higher than 1.7 monolayers results in the formation of three-dimensional HPW nanocrystals with acidity similar to the bulk heteropolyacid. Physical hybridization of supported heteropolyacids with the Cu-ZnO(Al) catalyst modifies both the acid characteristics of the supported heteropolyacids and the copper surface area of the Cu-ZnO(Al) catalyst. Hybridization gives rise to a decrease in the copper surface area and the disappearance of the strong acidic sites typical of HPW nanocrystals, showing all hybrids similar acid sites of weak or medium strength. The activity of the hybrids was tested for direct DME synthesis from syngas at 30 bar and 250 °C; only the hybrids with HPW loading higher than 1.4 monolayers showed activity for the direct synthesis of DME, showing that the sample loaded with 2.7 monolayers of heteropolyacid had higher activity than the reference hybrid representative of the most widely applied catalysts based on the combination of Cu-ZnO(Al) with HZSM-5. In spite of the high activity of the hybrids, they show a moderate loss in the DME production with TOS that denotes some kind of deactivation of the acidity function under reaction conditions.


For all the billions of dollars the sports industry generates, its labor laws and negotiations are still relatively new, and their impact is only beginning to be felt. Labor Relations in Professional Sports offers a step-by-step examination of how these new management-player relationships have come about and what they may portend for the future. In an engaging style that is rich in sports history and anecdotes, the authors examine the background of the major team sports--baseball, football, basketball, and hockey--and analyze how business and legal considerations have affected each sport's development. They also probe current unresolved issues and predictable future problems, such as the relationships of broadcast networks and sports leagues. Surprisingly, this book with so formidable a title is not only readable but even difficult to put down. Explanations of complex legal decisions are reduced to brief, lucid passages. Extensive footnotes are provided in each chapter for readers who wish greater detail. Choice ...a comprehensive treatment of labor relations in sports...Overall, the book is a slam-dunk success. Journal of Law and Commerce


During migration, Common and King Eiders ( Somateria mollissima and S. spectabilis ) cross the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas of Arctic Alaska. Because they may become attracted to lights, eiders are susceptible to collision with structures, including offshore oil facilities. We used ornithological radar in 2001 – 04 to characterize the behavior of eiders migrating past Northstar Island, an oil-production island near Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, and to assess the effects of a hazing-light system on migrating eiders. "Eider" radar targets exhibited pulsed, irregular periods of movement; movement rates were higher when sea ice was present, without precipitation, and during tailwinds and crosswinds but were not affected by lights. Velocities (ground speeds) were higher when ice was present and with strong tailwinds. They were lower at night when the lights were on, but higher during the day when the lights were on. Radar targets exhibited little variation in flight behavior as they passed the island; the proportion of non-directional behavior was larger when ice was present, with tailwinds, with weak winds, and near the full moon when it was not visible. Lights had no effect on flight behavior. Birds tended to exhibit more course changes as they approached the island, greater angular changes when they changed course, and larger net increases in passing distance as a result of those course changes when the lights were on; however, none of these differences were statistically significant. Overall, the hazing lights at Northstar did not disrupt the birds' migratory movements but resulted in increased avoidance of the island.


This study proposes a conceptual model for customer experience quality and its impact on customer relationship outcomes. Customer experience is conceptualized as the customer's subjective response to the holistic direct and indirect encounter with the firm, and customer experience quality as its perceived excellence or superiority. Using the repertory grid technique in 40 interviews in B2B and B2C contexts, the authors find that customer experience quality is judged with respect to its contribution to value-in-use, and hence propose that value-in-use mediates between experience quality and relationship outcomes. Experience quality includes evaluations not just of the firm's products and services but also of peer-to-peer and complementary supplier encounters. In assessing experience quality in B2B contexts, customers place a greater emphasis on firm practices that focus on understanding and delivering value-in-use than is generally the case in B2C contexts. Implications for practitioners' customer insight processes and future research directions are suggested.


A substantial body of research emphasizes the importance of humor in teaching/learning processes; however, research on the reasons for non-use of humor in academic contexts has enjoyed scant attention. Addressing this gap, this study examines the reasons for instructors' humor avoidance taking into account student perceived benefits of using humor in academic ESL classrooms. Data were collected through an open-response questionnaire. Participants in a university in Malaysia were asked to provide their views on: (a) the reasons some instructors avoid using humor, and (b) the benefits of using humor in L2 classes. Responses were grouped into relating categories and content analyzed. "Humor is not in their personality," "they lack competence to create humor in L2," and "they are more syllabus-oriented" were the most frequently cited reasons for the non-use of instructor humor. Perceived benefits of instructor humor were placed into three major categories: psychological, social and instructional. Implications of these findings are explored within the content of second language education.


In spite of the overwhelming success of free/open source software (F/OSS) like Apache and GNU/Linux, there is a limited understanding of the processes and methodologies that specify this form of software development. In this paper, we examine the process of patch reviews as a proxy for the extent of code-review in F/OSS projects. While existing descriptions of patch review processes are mostly narrative and based on individual experiences, we systematically analyze the email archives of five F/OSS projects to characterize this process. While doing so, we make a distinction between contributions (patches or review comments) by core members and casual contributors to grasp the role of core members in this process. Our results show that while the patch review processes are not exactly identical across various F/OSS projects, the core members across all projects play the vital role of gate-keepers to ensure a high level of review for submitted patches


This paper attempts to show that while environmental shocks can lead to major
institutional change, typically this change is not radical. Even in situations of
institutional breakdown, due to violent and disruptive events such as disasters, it is
possible to find institutional persistence which constraints and shapes the process of
change. In this sense, the paper portrays institutional change and institutional
persistence more as coexisting than as contrasting.
Focusing on the nuclear accident at Three Mile Island (1979), which "ended the first
nuclear era in the U.S. ( Weinberg, 1985: 1) "divided nuclear power history in two
parts--before and after Three Mile Island (Rees, 1994: l), the paper examines forms
of major institutional change that originated from it, but have also revealed themselves
as consistent with institutional persistence. A new path in nuclear safety regulation
developed near the accident at Three Mile Island (TMI). Yet, this new path has been
consistent with an old path in nuclear safety regulation that TMI did not break down,
and to a certain extent strengthened. Emphasizing institutional persistence, the paper takes a historical perspective, paying
attention both to the long-term institutional implications of the nuclear plant accident
at TMI, and to its historical roots. History represents a basic framework for
understanding the kind of institutional transformation developed in nuclear safety
regulation after TMI. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is the main institution we
investigate in this paper. The NRC is a case of institutional continuity in itself. It was
established in 1974, but it inherited its structure, staff and regulatory system from its
predecessor, the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) established in 1946. The paper
looks at the process of the NRC's transformation that developed because of TMI.
That transformation has been constrained and mediated by the AEC's institutional
legacy.
A second institution we focus on is nuclear safety regulation. The whole concept of nuclear safety, its culture and approach have changed because of TMI. The main institutional breakdown that TMI produced was precisely in the body of assumptions,
values, rules and procedures which had guided nuclear safety regulation until then.
The paper then describes and analyzes the main changes which took place in the institutional
environment of the NRC as a result of TMI. More specifically, the paper focuses on the
Institute for Nuclear Power Operations (INPO), the private regulatory agency set up by the
nuclear industry in the afermath of TMI, and on its partnership with the NRC. The INPO
itself, and especially the partnership between INPO and NRC, represent a major
institutional change in nuclear safety regulation. This change also built upon persistent
institutional arrangements which originated in the early days of nuclear power development.


The analysis of psychological networks in previous research has been limited to the inspection of centrality measures and the quantification of specific global network features. The main idea of this paper is that a psychological network entails more potentially useful and interesting information that can be reaped by other methods widely used in network science. Specifically, we suggest methods that provide clearer picture about hierarchical arrangement of nodes in the network, address heterogeneity of nodes in the network, and look more closely at network's local structure. We explore the potential value of minimum spanning trees, participation coefficients, and motif analyses and demonstrate the relevant analyses using a network of 26 psychological attributes. Using these techniques, we investigate how the network of different psychological concepts is organized, which attribute is most central, and what the role of intelligence in the network is relative to other psychological variables. Applying the three methods, we arrive at several tentative conclusions. Trait Empathy is the most "central" attribute in the network. Intelligence, although peripheral, is weakly but equally related to different kinds of attributes present in the network. Analysis of triadic configurations additionally shows that the network is characterized by relatively strong open triads and an unusually frequent occurrence of negative triangles. We discuss these and other findings in the light of possible theoretical explanations, methodological limitations, and future research.


Delegated portfolio managers, such as hedge funds, mutual funds and pension funds, play a crucial role in financial markets. While it is well-known that their incentives are misaligned with those of their clients, the consequences of this misalignment are understudied. This thesis studies the effects of delegated portfolio managers' incentives in the real economy, in corporate governance and in portfolio allocation. In the first paper, 'Do institutional investors improve capital allocation?', I show that delegated portfolio managers' misalignment of incentives - which I model as their career-concerns - has real and positive economic effects. I find that delegated portfolio
managers allocate capital more efficiently than other investors who do not face similar incentives; this promotes investment, fosters �firms' growth, and enriches shareholders. In the second paper, 'The Wall Street walk when investors compete for flows"', Amil Dasgupta and I show a negative side of delegated portfolio managers' career concerns. When delegated portfolio managers hold blocks of shares in �firms, the more they care about their careers, the less effectively their exit threats discipline �firm managers. Our result generates testable implications across different classes of funds: only those funds who have relatively high-powered incentives will be effective in using exit as a governance mechanism. Finally, the third paper, 'Investment mandates and the downside of precise credit ratings', co-authored with Jason Roderick Donaldson, studies whether the misalignment of incentives between delegated portfolio managers and their investors are tempered with contracts based on precise credit ratings. Surprisingly, we find that while, at equilibrium, portfolio managers write contracts making reference to credit ratings, this is inefficient; in particular, as the rating's precision increases everyone is worse off.


This thesis explores whether environmental justice can attenuate the burdens attributed to the operation of the E.B. Campbell Dam experienced by downstream Indigenous communities in the Saskatchewan River Delta. Environmental justice for Indigenous people who are affected by dam management is important for three reasons. First, Indigenous people often experience environmental burdens of dam management disproportionately. Second, Indigenous people are often excluded from dam decision-making. Third, when Indigenous people are included in dam decision-making, their rights and values are sometimes misrecognized within decision-making processes.

While exploring environmental justice for Indigenous people in the context of dam management, this thesis contributes to a recommendation that empirical studies of environmental justice should describe the underlying causes of environmental injustice. This thesis contributes to this recommendation by documenting how power relations challenge environmental justice for Indigenous people in dam decision-making. A place-based, interdisciplinary methodology was taken to clarify an environmental justice pathway for downstream Indigenous communities in the Saskatchewan River Delta. This methodology involved analyses of hydrometric data, interview data and legal and policy documents. The findings of this thesis include that Indigenous people, through their meaningful participation in dam decision-making, could help government representatives recognize the environmental burdens of dam management. However, imbalances in power between Indigenous people and government representatives could constrain Indigenous people's meaningful participation. The implication of these findings is that if power relations are accounted for in decision-making, the meaningful participation of Indigenous people can facilitate the recognition and remediation of environmental burdens attributed to dam management.


A novel control method is presented in this paper which utilizes the concept of capacitor charge balance to achieve optimal dynamic response for buck converters undergoing a rapid load change. The proposed charge balance method is implemented with analog components and is cheaper and more effective than its digital counterparts since complex arithmetic and sampling delay is eliminated. The proposed controller will consistently cause the buck converter to recover from an arbitrary load transient with the smallest possible voltage deviation in the shortest possible settling time. Since the controller is nonlinear during transient conditions, it is not limited by bandwidth/switching frequency. Unlike conventional linear controllers, the dynamic response (voltage deviation, settling time) of the proposed controller can be estimated using a set of equations. This greatly simplifies the design process of the output filter. Simulation and experimental results show the functionality of the controller and demonstrate the superior dynamic response over that of a conventional linear controller.


The problem of actively isolating the periodic vibrations of a rigid machine mounted on a supporting flexible structure is usually approached by applying the active inputs in parallel or series with the passive inputs. This has a number of disadvantages which are related to the development of a high power, compact yet stiff/active isolation unit. In this experimental work, a new approach in which the receiving structure is considered to have adaptive properties is studied. The aim is to control the transmitted vibrations by distributed arrays of piezoelectric transducers bonded to the receiving structure. The experimental rig consists of a rigid thick plate (the machine) supported at the corners by four elastic springs mounted on a thin clamped‐free elastic steel plate (the receiving structure). The thick plate is driven by a harmonic force input. Response in the receiving panel is measured with a scanning laser vibrometer. Active inputs to the receiving structure are induced by three pairs of piezoceramic actuators bonded to the surface and configured to induce bending. The error sensors consist of up to two polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) strips attached to the panel surface in various positions. The control approach uses a two channel feedforward adaptive LMS algorithm implemented on a TMS320C25. The results show that the first three modes of the system can be controlled efficiently when driven ''on resonance,'' thus effectively isolating the vibrating structure from the ''machine'' raft input. However, when the system is driven ''off resonance,'' the vibrations of the receiving structure proved more difficult to reduce effectively. The paper presents vibration distribution of the receiving plate with and without control for a number of input frequencies as well as a variety of control transducer configurations.


ABSTRACTThe aim of this research was to design a framework for integrating e-learning in Higher Education Institutions in developing countries. Data were collected from 266 university students and staff of five universities in Uganda using a questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The requirements for e-learning integration were identified as; use of projection equipment; use of e-learning methods to teach and face-to-face method to administer tests and exams; harmonization of course content for e-learning and face-to-face during design phase; incorporation of 3D pictures, audio and videos in classrooms among others. The developed framework was validated for applicability using case studies in all the participating universities. Validation results indicate that the proposed framework, if well implemented can help improve e-learning integration in Higher Education Institutions operating in developing countries. This is because the framework provides a step by step approach to be used during e-learning integration and also identifies the key stakeholders and their roles for successful e-learning integration.Keywords: e-learning integration, e-learning framework, e-learning, blended learning, developing countriesINTRODUCTIONDeveloping countries face a number of challenges in their efforts to provide basic needs such as education. For example, there is limited infrastructure (Kituyi & Kyeyune, 2012), limited space and number of facilitators (Aguti, 2002) among others. The recent developments in the Ugandan education system that saw many children of school going age accessing free education at all levels except tertiary and university level have led to surging numbers of students enrolling to study in higher education institutions (Kituyi & Kyeyune, 2012; Aguti, 2002). This has made it very difficult for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to sustainably teach and manage students on the available infrastructure. The alternative option has been distance education. In 2005 for example, Makerere University Business School (MUBS) opened upcountry teaching centers in Jinja, Mbarara and Arua, where students could learn under the coordination of the staff at the main campus in Kampala. This system was praised by the populists. It achieved the object of bringing education services nearer to upcountry students. However, this system turned out to be very costly. For example, MUBS has employed staff to manage the activities conducted at study centers in addition to paying rent and transport costs. This therefore would not be sustainable in the long run, considering the fact that upcountry students pay lower tuition fees.The advent of e-learning presented a cheaper and more cost effective approach to teaching at HEIs. Subsequently, Ugandan universities have adopted the technology. MUBS for example explored the possibilities of using e-learning to improve learning at the study centers in 2006. However, this did not succeed in the initial stages. The rationality of adopting e-learning for MUBS study centers has largely relied on integration of traditional teaching methods on ground and appropriately using web-based learning management systems, without compromising the university's quality standards of teaching. As Tusubira and Mulira (2006) rightly argue, the introduction of e-learning needs strategies to respond to three major challenges of cost, quality, and demographics. Therefore, one can assume MUBS has failed to implement e-learning across study centers with a fear of compromising the quality of education given to the students. The situation at MUBS is common to most educational institutions in developing countries where there are low levels of computer availability, access, familiarity and Internet penetration. This leads to skepticism about the feasibility of most e-learning projects (Abdon & Ninomiya, 2007) hence failure.According to Kanovsky and Or-Bach (2001), integrating e-learning in HEIs should be done gradually because it involves several groups of interest like students, lecturers, technicians, policy makers among others. …


This work attempt to trace the development of criminal law in Jamaica from 1655 when the English captured the Island, up to 1900. In tracing this development emphasis is placed more on legislative enactments and their policies than on judicial decisions, for it was in the field of penal legislation the Jamaican law tended to differ from English law.
In chapter 1, the introduction of English law into the Island is outline, and a theory as to Jamaica's status is proposed.
In Chapters 2 and 3 the background in which the penal legislation was enacted and administered in the 18th and 19th centuries is related. This necessitates an examination of the inhabitants, the legislators, the judiciary and the legal institutions.
In Chapters 4 and 5 the penal legislation relating to slaves is discussed. The various legislative devices aimed at preventing rebellions and at protecting the slave owners' property are related.
In Chapters 6, 7 and 8 the laws to protect the State, Persons and Property respectively are outlined.
In Chapter 9, four problems of particular importance to Jamaica are examined. These problems are Piracy, Obeah, Praedial larceny and Vagrancy.
In Chapter 10 the attempt to codify the criminal law is related. Reasons for the failure at codification are suggested.
In Chapter 11 a brief look is taken at certain trends in penal legislation in the 20th century.
In Chapter 12, conclusions are drawn on the data provided in the preceding Chapters and certain proposals relative to the criminal law of Jamaica are put forward.


ABSTRACT Evacuation decisions by people at risk are dependent on a variety of social factors that can define the success and failure of such practices. Many previous studies have identified the role of these social factors in decision making on an individual basis, which has helped us understand evacuation. In reality, however, these factors act jointly to influence decisions. Thus, measuring the roles of individual factors and combining them can help detect areas most in need of evacuation assistance by the emergency managers. This research identified those areas of high evacuation assistance need for Pinellas County, Florida, based on indexes of accepted social vulnerability factors derived from census block data. From a final index that combined nine variables, four particularly vulnerable areas were identified. Census blocks in Largo were vulnerable primarily due to demographics, structural conditions, and limited accessibility to resources. The blocks in South St. Petersburg were vulnerable because of groups of concern. The blocks of Safety Harbor and Pinellas Park were vulnerable because of demographic and structural conditions, and limited accessibility to resources influenced the blocks in Pinellas Park. These results can be used by emergency managers in resource allocation, risk reduction, and providing special services. Further research should test the validity of the combined index in effecting efficient evacuation.