Abstract
The conservation ecology of the European nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus) was investigated in a complex heathland-plantation landscape in eastern England. Using radio telemetry, 31 nightjars were tracked in 2009 and 2010. The breeding behaviour of males was found to have potential implications for nightjar survey methods. While surveyors should be aware of the possibility of song territory overlap between male birds, results suggest that the occurrence of roaming unpaired males would not lead to an over-estimate in population. Home range 95% kernels for females, paired and unpaired males were an order of magnitude larger than song territories, highlighting the importance of foraging habitat in the broader landscape. Compositional analysis showed that foraging nightjars selected open canopy plantation forest (aged 5-10 years) and newly planted coupes (aged 0-4 years), with grazed grass-heath also used when available within 2km of the territory centre. Open ungrazed and un-planted habitat within the forest was avoided by birds, relative to availability. Moth trapping indicated that birds may choose foraging habitat based on the ease of prey capture rather than prey abundance. Dissection of nightjar faecal pellets demonstrated that moths and beetles were key components of the diet and that variation in diet during the breeding season may be due to changes in resource abundance and varying chick requirements. Comparison of the diets of birds nesting or roosting at varying distances from grass-heath suggested that forest and heathland habitats provide similar foraging resources for the nightjar. Behavioural data from nest camera footage indicated that the factors influencing the duration and frequency of adult non-attendance at the nest were incubation stage, temperature and chick requirements. This thesis combines investigations of nightjar breeding behaviour, home range, habitat use and diet, which can be used as an evidence base to inform conservation management.


Small and medium sized enterprises in the IT / consulting industry who rapidly have undergone significant growth often experience that the maintenance process of existing systems have become even more complex. A significant amount of resources destined for development are instead devoted to maintenance in order to meet this increasing complexity. Lack of standardized maintenance management, and that the organization's employees usually have multiple tasks hampers clarification of the perceived resource loss. The purpose of the study is to identify this type of organization's requirements on systems intended for maintenance and define the difficulties that this type of organization experience in maintenance management. The purpose is also to create an understanding of DevOps, which intends to, among other things, raise operational issues when applied early in the development process. The main purpose of this early focus on operational issues is to reduce the distance between developers (dev) and operators (ops). Finally, the aim of this study is to investigate which timesaving effects DevOps can have in small and medium sized companies where employees often have multiple roles, but where the problem is perceived similar to the problems DevOps claims to solve. The study's empirical data is collected through a case study containing semistructured interviews, various types of observations, and development of a maintenance system. The maintenance system was developed partly to answer the study's questions, and partly to improve the company's maintenance of existing systems. The study's result was provided through a qualitative and quantitative analysis in which the study's empirical data met existing theory. As a result, the purpose of this study can be considered fulfilled. The study's artifact, the maintenance system, was deployed in a production environment, and handed over to the company, which today uses and continuously improves on the system. The study clearly shows the potential for improvements in terms of handling the maintenance of existing systems in small and medium sized organization in the IT / consulting industry. Among the requirements that this type of company has on systems designed for maintenance are standardization, centralization, automation and security perceived as being the most important. The study also shows that the difficulties this type of organization experience in maintenance management clearly coincide with DevOps. The study is not carried out implementing a full version of DevOps in the company. The research result demonstrates nonetheless that an implementation of DevOps can lead to a more effective management of maintenance and that DevOps is suitable even in organizations where employees have multiple roles.


In this article, we take issue with the claim by Sunstein and others that online discussion takes place in echo chambers, and suggest that the dynamics of online debates could be more aptly described by the logic of 'trench warfare', in which opinions are reinforced through contradiction as well as confirmation. We use a unique online survey and an experimental approach to investigate and test echo chamber and trench warfare dynamics in online debates. The results show that people do indeed claim to discuss with those who hold opposite views from themselves. Furthermore, our survey experiments suggest that both confirming and contradicting arguments have similar effects on attitude reinforcement. Together, this indicates that both echo chamber and trench warfare dynamics – a situation where attitudes are reinforced through both confirmation and disconfirmation biases – characterize online debates. However, we also find that two-sided neutral arguments have weaker effects on reinforcement than one-sided confirming and contradicting arguments, suggesting that online debates could contribute to collective learning and qualification of arguments.


Abstract. Interactive 3D cartography has evolved substantially in the last years. New tools allow cartographers and mapping enthusiasts to create 3D web maps with a minimum effort. Technological advancements allow users to interact with 3D maps on a variety of devices, including their mobile phones or virtual reality glasses. As a result, many interactive 3D maps have been created, from which many insights on their design principles and creation process can be obtained. In this talk I will provide an overview of what is currently possible in 3D cartography and what are the current challenges and possible solutions when creating such maps. More precisely, the specifics of 3D symbology and rendering styles ranging from realistic to abstract will be discussed. In addition, 3D cartography is evolving with a heavy influence from different fields like games industry, art, data visualization or architecture, just to name a few. Hence, examples from some non-conventional 3D maps will be given that allow detecting features that come from such different fields and enhance the maps.


It has been proposed that increasing levels of pCO(2) in the surface ocean will lead to more partitioning of the organic carbon fixed by marine primary production into the dissolved rather than the particulate fraction. This process may result in enhanced accumulation of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in the surface ocean and/or concurrent accumulation of transparent exopolymer particles (TEPs), with important implications for the functioning of the marine carbon cycle. We investigated this in shipboard bioassay experiments that considered the effect of four different pCO(2) scenarios (ambient, 550, 750 and 1000 mu atm) on unamended natural phytoplankton communities from a range of locations in the northwest European shelf seas. The environmental settings, in terms of nutrient availability, phytoplankton community structure and growth conditions, varied considerably between locations. We did not observe any strong or consistent effect of pCO(2) on DOC production. There was a significant but highly variable effect of pCO(2) on the production of TEPs. In three of the five experiments, variation of TEP production between pCO(2) treatments was caused by the effect of pCO(2) on phytoplankton growth rather than a direct effect on TEP production. In one of the five experiments, there was evidence of enhanced TEP production at high pCO(2) (twice as much production over the 96 h incubation period in the 750 mu atm treatment compared with the ambient treatment) independent of indirect effects, as hypothesised by previous studies. Our results suggest that the environmental setting of experiments (community structure, nutrient availability and occurrence of phytoplankton growth) is a key factor determining the TEP response to pCO(2) perturbations.


The article focuses on theories, definitions, interests, possibilities and barriers in practice research in social work. It points out that both practice and research will be influenced by participating in and developing practice research. – and that both parts must and will learn from the process. To elaborate and define practice research in social work, it is necessary to consider connected approaches and theories. The article will show that practice research is both connected to and can use the theoretical frames of Actual science and Mode 2 knowledge production. To understand and develop research closely connected to practice it is necessary to define it in three different ways: practice research, practitioner research and user-controlled research. Examples from different Nordic approaches connected to these definitions will be presented. Although practice and research both need to develop practice research they do at the same time have different interests which will challenge both parts. Practice research must be looked upon as both an area of collaboration and a meeting point for different stakeholders: users, social workers, administrative management/organizers, politicians and researchers. It is stated that practice research at the same time need to break down barriers between the stakeholders, and to be aware not to combine them totally as differencies and dilemmas are a part of practice research and should remain so .


In this study the reproductive organs of adult and apparently healthy female Azarbaijan buffaloes were collected after slaughter from abattoir. Through observation of the ovaries, the luteal and follicular phases of each buffalo were specified. A total number of 36 oviducts at follicular phase and 36 oviducts at luteal phase were collected and 3 tissue samples were taken from 3 regions of infundibulum, ampulla and isthmus of each oviduct. Sections were stained through the use of H&E, PAS, verhoffe and toluidine blue methods. Histological observations revealed that the oviduct consists of 4 layers of mucosa, submucosa, tunica muscularis and serosa. The primary and secondary folds decreased both in number and in height from infundibulum to isthmus. Epithelium of folds was composed of simple columnar, although seems pseudostratified in some areas, and contains ciliated and secretory cells. Histomorphometric examinations of three regions demonstrated that the mean height of primary folds increase and the mean thickness of tunica muscularis decrease at follicular phase. The mean thickness of mucosa-submucosa at follicular phase was slightly similar to luteal phase. More visibility of the ciliated cells and mucosal folds in infundibulum and the increase of their height at follicular phase facilitate the capture of the oocyte; the thick tunica muscularis in isthmus transports sperm cells up; and both require promoting fertilization to occur in ampulla.


The Uganda Family Planning Costed Implementation Plan 2015–2020 published by the Ministry of Health was launched by the government in November 2014. Its objective is to reduce unmet need for family planning to 10 percent and to increase the modern contraceptive prevalence rate among married women to 50 percent by 2020. The plan includes strategies to improve demand creation; service delivery and access; contraceptive security; policy and enabling environment; financing; and stewardship management and accountability. The cost of the total plan is $235 million USD between 2015 and 2020 which will increase the number of women in Uganda currently using modern contraception from approximately 1.7 million users currently in 2014 to 3.7 million in 2020. Ugandas gap analysis found a total financial gap of about $113 million for all six years of the FP-CIP. As the total cost for the FP-CIP is $235.8 million less than half of the activity costs in the CIP are covered by currently planned funding between 2015 and 2020. The size of the gap in Uganda differs by year; the largest gap is in 2019 with a gap of $21.8 million. The larger gaps in the later years are due to a steady increase in reach of activities within Uganda in line with projected scale-up of demand and services for FP in line with the country's goal to reach a 50% modern contraceptive prevalence rate among married women by 2020. In addition government and development and implementing partners often have insufficient knowledge of what would be funded past the initial first few years of the FP-CIP due to funding cycles and programme timelines. The gap analysis provides clear evidence that the Ugandan government and in-country development partners are focusing significant effort on financing the purchase of contraceptives. However evidence has shown that for family planning interventions to be effective financial support and efforts need to be dedicated to providing a holistic rights-based FP programme that includes demand generation efforts improvement in the quality of service provision supply chain improvements strong policies and financing and coordinated planning management and supervision at national and decentralized levels.


Coronary artery disease is a condition that results in the partial or complete occlusion of coronary arteries. There are a number of treatments available for the condition and stenting has become the prevailing technique adopted. Drug eluting stents are coated with drugs that inhibit the vessels over aggressive healing response to the introduction of the stent. This reduces the need for repeat procedures. The purpose of this paper was to examine the progressive development of mass transport patterns in idealistic drug eluting stent models.

A qualitative and quantitative analysis was carried out on 4 idealistic artery sections. The position of the strut in the models develops from a bar in cross flow to a circumferential stent strut and finally successive embedded stent struts. A transient analysis was carried out on each of the models in this study. The numerical solution of the governing equations used the finite volume method. Confidence in the mesh was achieved with a grid independence study. The effect of flow recirculation on the mass transport downstream of the stent struts is investigated. An increase in vessel wall concentration was observed as the model complexity increases.


Gnathiid isopods (peracarida: Isopoda: Gnathiidae) are marine ectoparasites, in which the juvenile stages associate with fishes for several hours to days to feed on blood, plasma and tissue fluids, in order to complete their intricate life cycles. These cycles each include two juvenile moults and a final metamorphosis into non-feeding, adult stages. The blood meal ingested provides resources for adult survival, reproduction and embryological development.

In the model gnathiid species Paragnathia formica, embryological development occurs in internal uterine sacs of the adult female, rather than in a brood pouch, as in most Peracarida. In this study, by means of traditional histology, nuclear staining and scanning electron microscopy, changes occurring throughout embryological development to the pre-hatching juvenile stages were examined, including gastrulation and three post-gastrulation stages. Loss of the egg shell/membrane as well as an intra-uterine moult were observed, and conversion of the yolk mass into larval tissues and organs was recorded. The internal morphology of the digestive tract was examined in third stage juveniles to track changes in cells lining the digestive glands with blood meal digestion. Dark, sub-cuticular cells were also detected prior to the metamorphosis into adult stages, which may function in the moulting process. The final moult accompanied dramatic tissue re-arrangement in the male cephalosome, during which the small head of praniza 3 juveniles adapted for feeding, transformed into an enlarged cephalon with prominent mandibles.

The structural trait of the mandibles with other morphological male characteristics, form the basis of the taxonomic classification and identification of individuals within the Family Gnathiidae. The parasitic juvenile stages, if caught separately from males, are difficult to identify due to intra-specific polymorphisms. Thus attempts were made to link adult and juvenile stages of a variety of species including P.formica, using two approaches, namely telson morphometries and molecular typing. However, adult and juvenile telsons varied within a single species, and were often too conserved between species to be used as identification tools morphometric ally. On the other hand, molecular typing methods were more successful in identifying the host fishes on which juveniles had fed, rather than identifying the ectoparasite species themselves. This anomaly was possibly due to the long-lasting storage of nucleated fish red blood cells in the anterior hindgut of P.formica juveniles before being processed.

Blood meal digestion was studied using in situ histochemistry and spectrophotometric proteinase assays on fed (praniza 3) juveniles, with unfed (zuphea 3) stages used as controls. It demonstrated predominantly protein breakdown by cathepsin-like cysteine proteases within the digestive glands during early, mid- and late digestion, with only limited activity in the anterior hindgut and rectal vesicle. Furthermore, serine protease inhibitors were partially purified, from first stage (zuphea 1) unfed P.formica juveniles using chromatographic techniques. These partially purified inhibitors were shown to display anticoagulant activities, possibly to facilitate feeding of the ectoparasite by preventing the host haemostatic reactions.

This project succeeded in complementing information previously gathered on the developmental biology of Pi formica, with novel observations made of intra-uterine moults during embryological development in females, of dark, sub-cuticular cells growing as digestion progressed in fed final stage juveniles, and of tissue re-arrangement occurring in the cephalosome during the final juvenile metamorphosis into males. Furthermore, a potentially novel species of Gnathia was discovered after microscopy observations of telsons, and discriminant function analysis was applied to gnathiid telson measurements for the first time to separate different species statistically. Finally, both biochemical investigations, namely on digestive proteinases and anticoagulant compounds in P.formica, were original, with new fmdings including protein digestion by cathepsin-like enzymes in the digestive glands offed fmal stage juveniles, and trypsin inhibitors displaying anticoagulant properties in unfed first stage juveniles.


Immunological memory is a hallmark of B and T lymphocytes that have undergone a previous encounter with a given antigen. It is assumed that memory cells mediate better protection of the host upon re-infection because of improved effector functions such as antibody production, cytotoxic activity and cytokine secretion. In contrast to cells of the adaptive immune system, innate immune cells are believed to exhibit a comparable functional effector response each time the same pathogen is encountered. Here, using mice infected by the intracellular bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, we show that during a recall bacterial infection, the chemokine CCL3 secreted by memory CD8+ T cells drives drastic modifications of the functional properties of several populations of phagocytes. We found that inflammatory ly6C+ monocytes and neutrophils largely mediated memory CD8+ T cell bacteriocidal activity by producing increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), augmenting the pH of their phagosomes and inducing antimicrobial autophagy. These events allowed an extremely rapid control of bacterial growth in vivo and accounted for protective immunity. Therefore, our results provide evidence that cytotoxic memory CD8+ T cells can license distinct antimicrobial effector mechanisms of innate cells to efficiently clear pathogens.


Increasing demand for cost-efficiency and customer-orientation leads to the need for professionalization in all stages of the information systems' lifecycle. Standardization and automatization of provision and delivery processes are commonly adequate means to reach a higher level of maturity in the operations and maintenance stage. A prerequisite is that corresponding processes are also designed in the development stage of information systems and reused – if possible. Commonly, IT services encapsulate these processes. Reusability of IT services is often achieved by decomposing them in modular IT service components. But customer-orientation and individualization decrease reusability of each IT service component. Hence, the complexity in the design stage rises due to the variety and the enormous amount of IT service components. Besides, permanent changes of the customer's needs also reinforce this situation. To assure the reusability of former created IT service components we suggest implementing a repository for these components. An efficient retrieval in the repository strongly relies on well-defined specifications of these components. In this paper we contribute to a reference data model to structure the repository of IT service components.


The research aims to explore ways of improving adaptability of international first-year university students based on the experience of making the transition from face-to-face learning to various online platforms during the nationwide pandemic lockdown in Russia in spring 2020. The research purpose is to analyze various sociocultural, technical and other challenges faced by international students after the one-day seamless transition to remote learning and their impact on the attendance record, motivation, academic performance and other quantitative and qualitative data. The research topic relevance  is determined  by the substantial rise in popularity of online learning, which had been demonstrating exponential growth even prior to the events of 2020, which further accelerated its expansion. The research methods integrate theoretical analysis of the current trends in online learning and its evolution as well as the strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities analysis. Statistical data  was collected  and processed using the University's digital ecosystem. The research data includes the results of the survey consisting of multiple-choice, single-choice and open-end questions, interviews with the students as well as the faculty and the background material. The research sample includes international first-year students from 12 countries with CEFR levels of the Russian language proficiency ranging from A1 to B1. The research findings show that the speed of adaptation to online learning depends on various psychological and technological factors as well as the students' learning abilities. The findings lead to the conclusion that despite the efforts of the faculty to make this process a seamless one, some factors lie beyond its reach, which makes neutralizing the disadvantages of remote teaching time-consuming. The research results demonstrate the potential ways of improving online learning for all parties concerned by implementing such features as risk management plans, knowledge bases, focusing on making the content user-friendly and introducing other various quality-of-life improvements.


BACKGROUND
Leprosy was the first disease classified according to the thymus derived T-cell in the 1960s and the first disease classified by the cytokine profile as intact interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and interleukin-2 (IL2) or TH1 (tuberculoid) and deficient IFN-γ and IL2 or TH2 (lepromatous), in the 1980s.

OBJECTIVE
In the present study, we set out to explore the T helper 17 (TH17) lymphocyte subset, the hallmark of T-cell plasticity, in skin biopsies from patients with erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL) who were treated with thalidomide.

METHOD
RNA was extracted from paraffin embedded tissue before and after thalidomide treatment of ENL and RT-PCR was performed.

RESULTS
IL17A, the hallmark of TH17, was consistently seen before and after thalidomide treatment, confirming the TH17 subset to be involved in ENL and potentially up-regulated by thalidomide.

CONCLUSION
A reduction in CD70, GARP, IDO, IL17B (IL-20), and IL17E (IL-25), coupled with increases in RORγT, ARNT, FoxP3, and IL17C (IL-21) following thalidomide treatment, opens the door to understanding the complexity of the immunomodulatory drug thalidomide, which can operate as an anti-inflammatory while simultaneously stimulating cell-mediated immunity (CMI). We conclude that TH17 is involved in the immunopathogenesis of ENL and that thalidomide suppresses inflammatory components of TH17, while enhancing other components of TH17 that are potentially involved in CMI.


Security is one of the main challenges of service oriented computing. Services need to be loosely coupled, easily accessible and yet provide tight security guarantees enforced by cryptographic protocols. In this paper, we address how to automatically synthesize an orchestrator process able to guarantee the secure composition of electronic services, supporting different communication and cryptographic protocols. We present a theoretical model based on process algebra, partial model checking and logical satisfiability, plus an automated tool implementing the proposed theory.


Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and factors influencing alcohol consumption behavior of migrant workers. Method: A community-based analytical cross-sectional study was carried out on 559 samples drawn from 15 communities of the lower northern region of Thailand through a multistage random sampling technique. Descriptive statistics were used to describe basic socio-demographic characteristics, Chi-square tests were used for the univariate analyses to determine the relationship between the study outcome and other demographic characteristics. A binary logistic regression was used for the multivariate analyses to investigate factors associated with the research outcome. Result: The results revealed a 65.5% prevalence of alcohol consumption. Being male, above 30 years, in permanent employment, Agriculture-related jobs, living in a factory dormitory, having no relatives in Thailand, and earning between 5,000-10,000 Baht monthly were significant risk factors for alcohol consumption. However, being married, with over 5 years of work experience, and living in a comfortable condition were mitigating factors for alcohol consumption. Conclusion: Given the exceedingly high prevalence of alcohol consumption in the migrant workers' communities, it is, therefore, imperative to enforce and continuously reinforce alcohol control laws, with the provision of specially designed health promotion and education programs in order to achieve a long-lasting reduction in alcohol consumption.


This article collects and interprets social science research on sex and trust and uses this work to shed new light on the emerging case for gender diversity on corporate boards. Specifically, the article describes social science research findings indicating (1) that men and women trust and are trustworthy on different bases and (2) that there is a bias against women in chief executive officer (and potentially other corporate leadership) positions. Based on this research, the nature of corporate management and control, and current legal scholarship on corporate governance, the article asserts that gender diversity on corporate boards may be desirable but difficult to attain. Ultimately, the article calls for more targeted research on the links among sex, trusting behavior, trustworthiness, and corporate board membership and also recommends that boards of directors pursue gender diversification in filling vacancies and new board slots as a means of diversifying trust in the corporation.


A technique characterizing the distribution of cir- rus cloud-top occurrences from the Optical Spectrograph and Infrared Imaging System (OSIRIS) limb-scattering radiance profiles is presented. The technique involves computing scat- tering residual profiles by comparing normalized measured radiance and modelled molecular radiance profiles where en- hancements in the measured radiance indicate the presence of clouds. Probability density functions of scattering residuals show the distribution is not a continuum measurement; there is a distinction between the cloudy and cloud-free conditions. Observations show high cloud-top occurrences in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere region above Indonesia and Central America. Results obtained using this technique with OSIRIS measurements are compared to those obtained by Sassen et al. (2008) with Cloud-Aerosol Lidar Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) nadir measurements and to those obtained by Wang et al. (1996) with Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) II solar occultation measurements.


If a field g(x,z) satisfies the diffusion equation ∂2g/∂x2 + 2j k(∂g/∂z) = 0, then its ambiguity function χ(x,ν,z)=∫-∞∞g(η+x/2,z)g*(η-x/2,z)e-jνηd η satisfies the wave equation ν2(∂2χ/∂x2) − k2(∂2χ/∂z2) = 0. A theory of Fresnel diffraction and Fourier optics results, involving merely coordinate transformations of the independent variables of the aperture ambiguity function. As an application, a simple expression for the width of the diffracted beam is derived in terms of certain moments of the amplitude of the incident wave. The analysis is extended to signals crossing a layer of a random medium. At the exit plane, the field is partially coherent and it spreads as it propagates. The broadening of beam width due to the loss in coherence is related to the statistical properties of the layer.


The purpose of this mixed methods dissertation was to comparatively explore the impact of the film industry in three Rust Belt cities. In doing so, this study creates a regional composite of the film industry as an engine of economic development in the Rust Belt. Additionally, it assesses the effect of state sponsored film production incentives on regional economies. Qualitative analysis of interviews with regional film commissioners was synthesized with Geographic Information Systems analysis of the regional film industry to evaluate the need for, and effectiveness of, film production incentives. The qualitative data consisted of five interview transcripts that resulted from interviews conducted using the phenomenological method. The primary quantitative data was drawn from public databases made available by the United States Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. Secondary sources included governmental and non-governmental economic impact studies of the film industry and film production incentives. Three primary themes emerged from this study: Film production has an impact on economic development, in the context of employment and infrastructure; regions hoping to incorporate media production as part of an economic development strategy need to cultivate a positive experience for media producers who have myriad location options; and production incentives play a critical role in fostering film-friendly environments in nascent media producing communities. Finally, this dissertation allowed the researcher to analyze three media producing communities at various stages of maturity, which resulted in the creation of a media production matrix that outlines a framework for non-traditional media locales to develop stable cultures of media production.


The management of invasive mechanical ventilation, and the regulation of sedation and analgesia during ventilation, constitutes a major part of the care of patients admitted to intensive care units. Both prolonged dependence on mechanical ventilation and premature extubation are associated with increased risk of complications and higher hospital costs, but clinical opinion on the best protocol for weaning patients off of a ventilator varies. This work aims to develop a decision support tool that uses available patient information to predict time-to-extubation readiness and to recommend a personalized regime of sedation dosage and ventilator support. To this end, we use off-policy reinforcement learning algorithms to determine the best action at a given patient state from sub-optimal historical ICU data. We compare treatment policies from fitted Q-iteration with extremely randomized trees and with feedforward neural networks, and demonstrate that the policies learnt show promise in recommending weaning protocols with improved outcomes, in terms of minimizing rates of reintubation and regulating physiological stability.


Physical Education (PE) can foster regular physical activity (PA) in children. However, children engage in insufficient moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA) during PE. This study objectively investigated MVPA of children during a single, compared with double PE-period. In 294 children (7.1 ± 0.7 years) PA was objectively assessed. PE periods were determined and PA was individually calculated. Children spent 8.5 ± 7.3 minutes of each 45 minutes PE lesson in MVPA. Boys were significantly more active than girls (p ≤ .01). All children participated in 135 minutes PE/week, 32.7% were scheduled one double and one single PE-period. Children, with a double PE-period and one single lesson engaged in significantly less MVPA than children, who had three single periods of PE (6.7 ± 6.9 minutes/45 minutes vs. 9.4 ± 7.4 minutes/45 minutes, respectively; p ≤ .01) In conclusion, single periods of PE seem to be more effective in getting primary school children to engage in more MVPA than one double period per week.


Despite the macroeconomic and fiscal bonanza experienced by the region from 2003 until mid-2008, the spread of the international crisis necessitated a fiscal response to the challenges it created. This situation has put the increased fiscal-policy space achieved in previous years to the test. An important aspect to consider in this context is the limited flexibility of public budgets in the region.The emergence of fiscal rigidities (which affect budget flexibility) cannot be explained by any single factor, but is rather a reflection of societal decisions about the role of the State, numerous public-policy priorities and their means of financing. This paper proposes that determining the degree of budget flexibility is less critical than understanding the type of rigidity inherent in a given budget, its origin and the reasons behind it.The paper begins with a conceptual overview and comparative analysis of the cases studied. First, there is an analysis and review of the theoretical justifications and arguments used in the political debate which underlies the emergence and persistence of rigidities in countries of the region, following a typology which allows for the classification of the reasons for rigidities.Based on the case studies, which include countries in Central America (Costa Rica, Guatemala and Honduras) and the Andean Region (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and the Plurinational State of Bolivia), the potential effects of fiscal rigidities on public budgets and their impact on fiscal-policy management are evaluated. The ultimate goal of this comparative study is to provide a set of recommendations to help guide future improvements in the management of public budgets.


The people of Africville, Nova Scotia were removed from their homes and had their community razed in the 1960s during an era of urban renewal. Africville, Nova Scotia will be explored as an example of forced resettlement in Canada. Specifically, this case study will display the extreme racism Black people in Nova Scotia have endured upon settlement and onward. This paper will trace their migration, while highlighting the exclusion from the dominant society – by the colonial government of Nova Scotia, through lack of access to quality land, hence denial of their livelihoods. The racialization of space and the dominance of whiteness theories will be applied to the case of Africville and Blacks in Nova Scotia. The migration of Black people to Nova Scotia is unique, in that they arrived in Canada during the same time as the early European settlers, yet are still treated as the Other.


The results achieved by Victoria's approach to road safety over the last ten years have been recognised and applauded locally, nationally and internationally. The integration of high levels of enforcement combined with high levels of public awareness via mass media campaigns has seen significant changes in road user behaviour. Supporting the enforcement and public awareness campaigns with targeted education and road safety engineering, combined with effective and transparent evaluation of all aspects of the strategy, make up Victoria's road safety program - Safety First. But how relevant is the Safety First model in third world and developing nations? Since 1996, Victoria has been involved in introducing the principals of Safety First into the Province of KwaZulu-Natal in the Republic of South Africa. Asiphephe (Zulu for "Let Us Be Safe") is the KwaZulu-Natal Road Safety Project that is based on Safety First. What became apparent during the post-program development phases was that significant adaption to the existing model was needed to ensure the required road safety outcomes. The road safety project changed to one that was technology-based and community-orientated. This paper examines the economic, cultural, demographic and geographic differences between Victoria and KwaZulu-Natal and the changes that were required to make the Victoria model an effective application in the South African context. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see IRRD abstract no. E202589.


This study had several aims; first, to examine the phonological awareness skills of 6 and 7-year-old children; second, to identify students who appear to be at risk for difficulty in acquiring reading skills; third, to ascertain whether a teacher aide-instructed reading programme, which included systematic training in phonological processing strategies and letter-sound relationships, would be effective in enhancing the literary skills of those children. Twenty-four out of 64 7-year-olds were identified as scoring the lowest on a test of context-free word recognition. They were then given a battery of tests that measured skills in phoneme awareness, decoding skills, reading connected-text and reading comprehension. The 24 children were then matched on the basis of his or her raw scores on a context-free word recognition test. Twelve children received an intervention under teacher aide instruction, while 12 children received no intervention. After 24 weeks on the programme, the intervention and control children were tested using the same pretest battery. Follow-up testing was also conducted after two years using the context-free word recognition test and a test of reading accuracy. Results suggested that the teacher aide-instructed intervention programme was a particularly effective procedure for those children deficient in phoneme awareness, decoding ability and context-free word recognition skills, and that improvements in those skills led to improvements in overall reading. Teacher aide assistance in reading for those children identified as at risk may not be including direct, systematic instruction of letter-sound relationships and phonological processing skills; the skills which children need in order to become successful readers. This issue is discussed, as well as appropriate identification of children at risk, the use of teacher aides in instructional settings, and educational implications when planning intervention programmes in general.


Educational neuroscience is an emerging effort to integrate neuroscience methods, particularly functional neuroimaging, with behavioral methods to address issues of learning and instruction. This article consolidates common concerns about connecting education and neuroscience. One set of concerns is scientific: in-principle differences in methods, data, theory, and philosophy. The other set of concerns is pragmatic: considerations of costs, timing, locus of control, and likely payoffs. The authors first articulate the concerns and then revisit them, reinterpreting them as potential opportunities. They also provide instances of neuroscience findings and methods that are relevant to education. The goal is to offer education researchers a window into contemporary neuroscience to prepare them to think more specifically about the prospects of educational neuroscience.


The main objective of this study was to determine the effects of reward system on employee performance in National Water Conservation and Pipeline Corporation. In line with this, the study sougbU!.0 achieve the following specific objectives: To establish the impact of extrinsic rewards on employee performance, to determine the influence of intrinsic rewards on employee performance and to examine the effects of monetary rewards on employee performance. In order to collect data necessary for the realization of the research objectives, a descriptive study design was adopted. The target population consisted of 206 employees. However, due to some limitations especially associated with time and cost, a sample size of 103 elements representing 50 per cent of the sample frame was used. Data collection was done using a standard self-administered questionnaire which was distributed to the respondents. The data was analyzed using the Statistical Program for Social Scientists (SPSS) to obtain descriptive statistics in terms of the mean, mode, median and frequencies. Data presentation was in form of frequency tables, mean, charts, and graphs. The study findings on the existence of a reward system in NWC&PC indicated that indeed there exists a reward system in the organization, although not a comprehensive one. This is because only 56 per cent of the respondents supported this opinion. At the same time salary and wages, annual performance bonuses as well as monthly target based incentive schemes were all ranked highly as proof of the existence of a reward system in the organization. The findings on the relationship between reward system and the organization performance showed that indeed there exists a relationship between the two as confirmed by a majority of respondents, who shared similar opinion. It was further revealed that the majority of the respondents were of the opinion that the reward system impacts on the overall performance of the organization. In light of these findings, the study concluded that Employees at NWC&PC value monetary rewards, such as salary and wages, annual company performance bonuses and monthly target based incentive schemes as important for good performance. At the same time they regard the following as valuable non-monetary rewards for good performance: informal praise from superior (thank you); formal praise from superior (certificate); symbolic gifts (caps, t-shirts); mention in monthly magazine. It can be concluded that non-monetary rewards playas important a role in reward schemes as monetary rewards. Remuneration packages should integrate monetary rewards to satisfy the basic needs of employees. These basic needs include food, clothing shelter, transport, and medical cover. It is imperative that the basic needs are first satisfied with monetary rewards. The study further recommends that the needs of employees, should be seriously considered when designing and implementing a reward system to motivate staff to perform at their best. From the conclusions of this study it is clear that non-monetary rewards should be included in reward schemes. Secondly the study recommends that it is important for NWC&PC to involve the employees when determining the performance standards.


This paper outlines the race-based, neighbourhood projection hypothesis which holds that, in choosing neighbourhoods, households care less about present racial composition than they do about expectations about future neighbourhood conditions, such as school quality, property values and crime. Race remains relevant, however, since households tend to associate a growing minority presence with structural decline. Using a unique data-set that links households to their neighbourhoods, this paper estimates both exit and entry models and then constructs a simple simulation model that predicts the course of racial change in different communities. Doing so, the paper concludes that the empirical evidence is more consistent with the race-based projection hypothesis than with other common explanations for neighbourhood racial transition.


Academic advances of AI models in high-precision domains, like healthcare, need to be made explainable in order to enhance real-world adoption. Our past studies and ongoing interactions indicate that medical experts can use AI systems with greater trust if there are ways to connect the model inferences about patients to explanations that are tied back to the context of use. Specifically, risk prediction is a complex problem of diagnostic and interventional importance to clinicians wherein they consult different sources to make decisions. To enable the adoption of the ever improving AI risk prediction models in practice, we have begun to explore techniques to contextualize such models along three dimensions of interest: the patients' clinical state, AI predictions about their risk of complications, and algorithmic explanations supporting the predictions. We validate the importance of these dimensions by implementing a proof-of-concept (POC) in type-2 diabetes (T2DM) use case where we assess the risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) - a common T2DM comorbidity. Within the POC, we include risk prediction models for CKD, post-hoc explainers of the predictions, and other natural-language modules which operationalize domain knowledge and CPGs to provide context. With primary care physicians (PCP) as our end-users, we present our initial results and clinician feedback in this paper. Our POC approach covers multiple knowledge sources and clinical scenarios, blends knowledge to explain data and predictions to PCPs, and received an enthusiastic response from our medical expert.


Blast-induced traumatic brain injury has dramatically increased in combat troops in today's military operations. We previously reported that antioxidant treatment can provide protection to the peripheral auditory end organ, the cochlea. In the present study, we examined biomarker expression in the brains of rats at different time points (3 hours to 21 days) after three successive 14 psi blast overpressure exposures to evaluate antioxidant treatment effects on blast-induced brain injury. Rats in the treatment groups received a combination of antioxidants (2,4-disulfonyl α-phenyl tertiary butyl nitrone and N-acetylcysteine) one hour after blast exposure and then twice a day for the following two days. The biomarkers examined included an oxidative stress marker (4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, 4-HNE), an immediate early gene (c-fos), a neural injury marker (glial fibrillary acidic protein, GFAP) and two axonal injury markers [amyloid beta (A4) precursor protein, APP, and 68 kDa neurofilament, NF-68]. The results demonstrate that blast exposure induced or up-regulated the following: 4-HNE production in the dorsal hippocampus commissure and the forceps major corpus callosum near the lateral ventricle; c-fos and GFAP expression in most regions of the brain, including the retrosplenial cortex, the hippocampus, the cochlear nucleus, and the inferior colliculus; and NF-68 and APP expression in the hippocampus, the auditory cortex, and the medial geniculate nucleus (MGN). Antioxidant treatment reduced the following: 4-HNE in the hippocampus and the forceps major corpus callosum, c-fos expression in the retrosplenial cortex, GFAP expression in the dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN), and APP and NF-68 expression in the hippocampus, auditory cortex, and MGN. This preliminary study indicates that antioxidant treatment may provide therapeutic protection to the central auditory pathway (the DCN and MGN) and the non-auditory central nervous system (hippocampus and retrosplenial cortex), suggesting that these compounds have the potential to simultaneously treat blast-induced injuries in the brain and auditory system.


This paper proposes a new method for maximum power point tracking (MPPT) of the photovoltaic (PV) system while using a DC-DC boost converter. The conventional perturb and observe (P&O) method has a fast tracking response, but it presents oscillation around the maximum power point (MPP) in steady state. Therefore, to satisfy transient and steady-state responses, this paper presents a MPPT method using support vector machines (SVMs). The use of SVM will help to improve the tracking speed of maximum power point of the PV system without oscillations near MPP. A boost converter is used to implement the MPPT method, where the input voltage of the DC-DC converter is regulated using a double loop where the inner loop is a current control that is based on passivity. The MPPT structure is validated by hardware in the loop, a real time and high-speed simulator (PLECS RT Box 1), and a digital signal controller (DSC) are used to model the PV system and implement the control strategies, respectively. The proposed strategy presents low complexity and it is implemented in a commercial low-cost DSC (TI 28069M). The performance of the MPPT proposed is presented under challenging experimental profiles with solar irradiance and temperature variations across the panel. In addition, the performance of the proposed method is compared with the P&O method, which is traditionally most often used in MPPT under demanding tests, in order to demonstrate the superiority of the strategy presented.


Resonant ultrasound has found multiple applications, ranging from medical imaging to a variety of nondestructive testing techniques. Here focus is placed on nested cylinders. A series of ultrasonic measurements has been carried out in a geometry with an outer hollow steel cylinder, and a smaller, solid inner steel cylinder. In the interspace were placed several liquids. Ultrasound was introduced by a narrow contact transducer. A second set of narrow transducers was used as pickups and placed at angles ranging from 10 to 150 deg. The frequency of the ultrasound was varied from 1 to 5 MHz and showed a sequence of eight composite and sharp resonances spaced at about 0.5 MHz. The composite resonances showed a strongly skewed behavior as a function of frequency. The velocity potential has been modeled by using combinations of Hankel functions of complex argument. Convergence was achieved by using angular m's up to 150. These showed that the asymmetry of the composite resonance peaks is primarily a phase or geometrical optics effect.


Placed in the specific context of contemporary historical debates about the construction of memory and group/national identities, Maguire's work examines the construction of a state-sponsored version of British history developed in order to propagate alleged cultural and commercial values for foreign consumption through the medium of overseas exhibitions, trade fairs and other promotional vehicles. Building on his earlier research initiatives, published in the Journal of Design History and elsewhere, Maguire explores, in some detail, a little considered and previously ignored area of the state's ideological construction of national identity. Utilising a wide range of prime government, and other, archival papers, this contribution examines the nature of the influences on the portrayals of 'Britishness' in the immediate post-war period (see also Woodham, output 4). In particular, it
focuses on the uses of 'tradition' in promoting conceptions of historical continuity and dependence, whilst also examining the rival demands of promoting images of 'modernity' and industrial efficiency in overseas promotional activities. Through an analysis of a range of official overseas promotions during the period, this paper analyses contemporary and subsequent evaluations of the 'official history' of Britain as promoted through such events as exhibitions, trade fairs, 'British weeks' and
other similar activities. Maguire's focus on the official constructions of national characteristics - and the overseas projection thereof - raises significant interpretative issues in reassessing not just the dominant cultural assumptions of an elite of policy makers in the state apparatus, but also the significance of previously un- or under-utilised sources for historians of design and culture in the immediate post-war period.


Making conclusions about the functional neuroanatomical organization of the human brain requires methods for relating the functional anatomy of an individual's brain to population variability. We have developed a method for aligning the functional neuroanatomy of individual brains based on the patterns of neural activity that are elicited by viewing a movie. Instead of basing alignment on functionally defined areas, whose location is defined as the center of mass or the local maximum response, the alignment is based on patterns of response as they are distributed spatially both within and across cortical areas. The method is implemented in the two-dimensional manifold of an inflated, spherical cortical surface. The method, although developed using movie data, generalizes successfully to data obtained with another cognitive activation paradigm—viewing static images of objects and faces—and improves group statistics in that experiment as measured by a standard general linear model (GLM) analysis.


Abstract To achieve good separation between gas and liquid mixtures from the crude oil production system and to maximize hydrocarbon liquid recovery, it is necessary to use several separation processes at decreasing pressures and to adjust the pressure set points to improve product separation and recovery at minimum cost. This study presents a simple methodology for optimizing separator pressures in the crude oil production unit. The new proposed methodology determines the optimum pressures of separators in different stages of separation and, consequently, optimizes the operating conditions. In this study, the optimum pressures of separators in a 3896 Kgmole/hr oil production unit were determined. As a result, the oil recovery was increased about 6 Kgmole/hr (80 bbl/day), and the quality of total produced oil was improved by 0.3 °API.


The randomized response technique (RRT) attempts to reduce social desirability bias in self-reports by creating a probabilistic relationship between the response given and the question posed. The multi-item RRT extends the RRT procedure to scales composed of multiple items. The multi-item RRT reduces the added variability contributed by the procedure and affords more accurate estimates of parameters than does a single-item RRT. Formulas are presented for correcting the mean, standard deviation, and correlation coefficient for the procedure. Data are presented from a study (Jarman 1996) of male date rape to illustrate the application of the multi-item RRT. Those data show higher reports of rape-supportive attitudes, beliefs, and sexual aggression under RRT conditions.


Political Parties, Enfranchisement, and Citizenship: Debates on Voting Rights for Expatriate Citizens and Resident Aliens in the Swedish Parliament after 1921.The question of how voting rights should be designed in relation to national citizenship has gained attention in modern, academic debates. However, there are few empirical studies on the political agents actually involved in efforts to promote or oppose enfranchisement of expatriate citizens or resident aliens, or the arguments they have used. This essay therefore analyses debates on voting rights and citizenship in the Swedish parliament from 1921 (when Sweden adopted general suffrage) and until 2019. Initiatives promoting enfranchisement for expatriate citizens were taken by conservatives and liberals, and were opposed by socialists. Initiatives promoting enfranchisement for resident aliens were taken by socialist and green parties, and often opposed by conservatives and nationalists. The arguments used were sometimes very instrumental, and quite different from the theoretical arguments used in modern academic, normative discussions. For example, Sweden's local enfranchisement of resident aliens in 1975 was seen as an effort to promote integration and prevent segregation. (Less)


Background Although observational data show social characteristics such as gender or socio-economic status to be strong predictors of health, their impact is seldom investigated in randomised controlled studies (RCTs). Objective & design Using a random sample of recent RCTs from high-impact journals, we examined how the most often recorded social characteristic, sex/gender, is considered in design, analysis, and interpretation. Of 712 RCTs published from September 2008 to 31 December 2013 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, British Medical Journal, Lancet, Canadian Medical Association Journal, or New England Journal of Medicine, we randomly selected 57 to analyse funding, methods, number of centres, documentation of social circumstances, inclusion/exclusion criteria, proportions of women/men, and reporting about sex/gender in analyses and discussion. Results Participants' sex was recorded in most studies (52/57). Thirty-nine percent included men and women approximately equally. Overrepresentation of men in 43% of studies without explicit exclusions for women suggested interference in selection processes. The minority of studies that did analyse sex/gender differences (22%) did not discuss or reflect upon these, or dismissed significant findings. Two studies reinforced traditional beliefs about women's roles, finding no impact of breastfeeding on infant health but nevertheless reporting possible benefits. Questionable methods such as changing protocols mid-study, having undefined exclusion criteria, allowing local researchers to remove participants from studies, and suggesting possible benefit where none was found were evident, particularly in industry-funded research. Conclusions Social characteristics like sex/gender remain hidden from analyses and interpretation in RCTs, with loss of information and embedding of error all along the path from design to interpretation, and therefore, to uptake in clinical practice. Our results suggest that to broaden external validity, in particular, more refined trial designs and analyses that account for sex/gender and other social characteristics are needed.


The history of communication theory for social change has tended to adopt a Westernizing and colonial perspective when describing its origin, evolution and main paradigm shifts, as a US and European contribution complemented with peripheral ideas from other world regions – Latin America and, to a much lesser extent, Asia and Africa. All of the ideas from the periphery were underestimated, if not considered ideological or political disputes and, consequently, non‐scientific. Despite this lack of recognition, the Latin American legacy to communication for development and social change constitutes one of the main theoretical frameworks for building a more complex, participatory and democratic communication paradigm. Some of the first proposals of Latin American communication scholars in the 1970s and 1980s shared similar ethical/political aims. These involved a grassroots and critical basis and, above all, a constant a constant attention to praxis as the core of a new way of thinking, researching and planning communication.


Background: Knowledge of the relationship of the palmar arches to anatomical landmarks would decrease iatrogenic injuries, facilitate treatment of vascular occlusive disease, and ease interpretation of abnormal arteriograms. The purpose of this study was to identify the location of the palmar arches in relation to surface and bony landmarks. Methods: The palmar arches in 48 cadavers were identified through dissection. The most distal points of the palmar arches were measured in relation to Kaplan's cardinal line, the distal wrist crease, and the carpometacarpal joint of the ring finger. The distances of the palmar arches to the radiocarpal joint were measured on 30 arteriograms. Results: The superficial palmar arch and deep palmar arch were found to be on average 15.3 ± 8.60 mm and 6.70 ± 4.82 mm distal to Kaplan's cardinal line, respectively. The superficial palmar arch was found to be on average 51.8 ± 7.56 mm distal to the distal wrist crease, while the deep palmar arch was only 40.1 ± 7.92 mm from the distal wrist crease. The average distances from the superficial palmar arch and deep palmar arch to the carpometacarpal joint of the ring finger were 32.2 ± 6.33 mm and 18.3 ± 4.64 mm, respectively. On arteriography, the superficial palmar arch and deep palmar arch were on average 50.3 ± 8.61 mm and 44.89 ± 4.77 mm, respectively, from the radiocarpal joint. Conclusions: The superficial and deep palmar arches were located at consistent distances from easily identifiable surface and bony landmarks. Knowledge of these predictable anatomical relations would aid clinicians in surgical dissection, treatment of vascular occlusive disease, and interpretation of abnormal arteriograms when only one arch is present.


This thesis uses the philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas to examine the narrative structures of two literary works: William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying and James Agee's Let Us Now Praise Famous Men. Both texts feature dense interaction with the notion of the "poor Southern white"; this is of particular interest to me because of the American literary canon's habitual ontological categorization of this figure as lazy and shiftless; even the term "poor white" linguistically traps these people as 1. poor and 2. white. My aim is to explore the ways in which these texts' narrative ethics free the characters ethically damaged by the "poor white" cognitive category and allow them to transcend caricature into humanity.


Disclosure of executive directors' remuneration especially on their individual pay continues to be a sensitive issue especially in a country like Malaysia where ownership is tightly held and potential rent extractions are significant. The objective of this paper is to provide a critical review on the existing Malaysian disclosure framework on executive directors' remuneration. It outlines and assesses the current disclosure frameworks in ensuring high level of disclosure on executive directors' remuneration, covering the Malaysian Corporate Governance Code, the Bursa Malaysia Listing Rule and the Malaysian Financial Reporting Standards. The review shows that there are weaknesses in the overall framework and offer suggestions on how to close the loops in order to improve the level of disclosure of executive directors' remuneration. It is suggested that the Malaysian regulators adopt a mandatory and prescriptive approach in dealing with the disclosure of executive directors' remuneration and to step up their enforcement to ensure full compliance to the disclosure framework. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n6p410


The circulatory system consists of blood and lymphatic vessels. Both vessel types act in concert but differ significantly from each other in several structural and functional aspects. In addition, the mechanisms orchestrating their development are different. The blood vasculature transports oxygen, nutrients and cells to tissues whereas the lymphatic vessels collect extravasated fluid, macromolecules and cells of the immune system and return them back to the blood circulation. In comparison to what is known on the molecular mechanisms behind the developmental and functional regulation of blood vasculature, the lymphatic system yet remains behind. However, several markers specific for the lymphatic endothelium have been identified and key factors controlling the development and function of the lymphatic vessels have been discovered. Recently, the crucial importance of lymphatic vessels in certain pathological conditions such as lymphedema, inflammation and tumor metastasis has been recognized, thus increasing the interest in the biology of this vessel type. For quite a long time, it was believed that teleost fishes do not have a lymphatic system. However, in 2006 this long-standing controversy in developmental vascular biology was resolved. Importantly, mechanisms of the early development of the lymphatic vasculature in zebrafish show a high degree of conservation with higher vertebrates. Today, only a few genes (Prox-1, Flt-4, Vegf-C and Sox18) have been reported so far to be important for lymphangiogenesis. Zebrafish constitute a powerful genetic tool to discover new genes involved in lymphangiogenesis. For that purpose, forward genetic screens can be set up to identify mutants that either lack or have abnormal lymphatic vessels. In 2009, Hogan et al reported ccbe-1 gene to have a regulatory function in zebrafish lymphangiogenesis. Shortly after that, Alders et al reported that mutations in CCBE1 cause generalized lymph vessel dysplasia in humans, one of the hallmarks of lymphedema-lymphangiectasia-mental retardation or otherwise designated as the Hennekam syndrome. Taken together, these data demonstrate that this novel gene function, initially discovered to be essential for zebrafish lymphangiogenesis is also relevant for human lymphatic vessel formation and/or function. These findings have given new insight into the regulation of normal lymphatic development, as well as into the pathogenesis of diseases involving the lymphatic vasculature. Several interesting questions were posed that still need to be addressed. Ccbe-1 is an otherwise completely uncharacterized protein with an essential role in lymphangiogenesis. Therefore, investigating the role of CCBE-1 in more detail not only in zebrafish but also in the mouse model might provide crucial insights into the biological activity of the CCBE- 1 protein during development of the lymphatic system.


Background Partial Achilles tendon ruptures are not always easy to diagnose. A history including a sudden onset of pain and/or relative weakness in plantar flexion force is an indicator. The most loaded side of the Achilles tendon is the dorsal side (skin side). Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the ultrasound (US) and colour Doppler (CD) findings in patients with a suspected partial rupture in the Achilles tendon. Materials and Methods Seventeen patients (16 men and 1 woman) with a mean age of 36 years (range 23–71 years) were examined clinically and by US+CD because of mid-portion Achilles tendon pain. There was an acute onset in 14 of 17 patients, and all had painful weakness during tendon loading activity. Results In all patients, the US examination showed a partial Achilles tendon rupture, presented as a disrupted dorsal (skin side) tendon line and an irregular tendon structure mainly located in the dorsal and mid-tendon. The size of the rupture varied from 1/3 to 2/3 of the tendon thickness. In the dorsal part of the tendon, corresponding to the region with disrupted tendon line and irregular structure, CD examination showed high blood flow—most often of a longitudinal character. Six of the patients were surgically treated, and macroscopical examination verified the US findings showing disruption on the dorsal side and a partial rupture in the dorsal and mid-tendon. Conclusions US and Doppler examination can be helpful tools to diagnose partial mid-portion Achilles tendon ruptures. The characteristic findings of a disrupted dorsal tendon line and high blood flow in the structurally abnormal dorsal tendon indicate a partial rupture.


Perchance first enjoyed around flickering campfires in the preliterate times of the oral tradition, tales of mysterious doubles have thrilled and enthralled since the beginnings of storytelling, for they seek, through means subtle or overt, to illumine "the troubled and divided soul of man" (Herdman 161). When the written word was developed, these primeval narratives migrated into the stone, clay, and paper literature of almost all cultures. Variform incarnations of the strange and ghostly double-goer grew to be especially popular in western lore and legend where, according to Robert Rogers in The Double in Literature, "Despite occasional surface" differences, the phantasmal other "is always, in some basic way, an opposing self" (62). In nineteenth-century fiction--a genre "in which doubles roam in abundance" (Herdman xi)--there are many memorable renderings of the doppelganger theme and "the seductive power of psychological fragmentation" that it represents (Skarda and Jaffe, Introduction xx). For instance, Edgar Allan Poe's "William Wilson" tells of a troubled Englishman who manages to stab himself to death while attempting to dispatch his eldritch reflection who has, for years on end, shadowed him to the very brink of madness. One of Joseph Conrad's most widely admired short stories, "The Secret Sharer," offers a similar theme about one man's obsession with his inscrutable double-goer. Henry James, throughout his entire career, was intrigued by the siren trope of what Millicent Bell describes as "the rival reality of the unlived life" (27); and in several of James's best known works, conflicted protagonists obsess over that "unlived life," that beckoning and unrealized alternative destiny. In "The Jolly Corner," for example, an expatriate American returns to his native New York City after an unbroken absence of three decades only to become preoccupied with the ghostly manifestation of the man he would have become had he remained in Manhattan for those many missing years. James also addresses the theme of the mysterious other self in the frequently anthologized "Sir Edmund Orme," which, of course, has a somewhat less than subtle doppelganger pun in the title character's surname: "Or Me." Edith Wharton's last published story, "All Souls," is a wonderfully dark narrative about a self-satisfied female protagonist's jarring Halloween encounter with a muffled and disguised other who brings terror and insecurity to an isolated New England manor house. Surely the most famous treatment of the double theme in the western canon is Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde. In this nightmare-inspired novella, "the duality of good and evil is so carefully drawn that the characters have become familiar abbreviations for the divided self," literary shorthand for the eternal human struggle between darkness and light (Skarda and Jaffe, Note 329). In like fashion, "Markheim," one of Stevenson's most popular tales, supernatural or otherwise, is revered as among the foremost renderings of the "universal and inevitable" theme of the double-goer, that ghostly and diaphanous other who dwells in the dim netherworld just beyond the ken of mortal senses (329). Celebrated as one of the most prolific and erudite authors of his generation, Algernon Blackwood, a "writer of great subtlety and skill," composed short stories, novels, poems, plays, a well-received autobiography (Episodes Before Thirty), several children's books, and even early radio and television scripts (Keiting 51). But despite the depth and breadth of his accomplishments, it is for his many original and memorable supernatural tales that Blackwood--"particularly successful at conveying the mystery and terror of a strange world" (Wise and Fraser 785)--has achieved a lasting literary cachet. Rare indeed is the anthology of the spectral that does not include at least one of his tales, usually "The Willows," "The Wendigo," or "The Empty House." According to E. …


Nanofibers (NFs) of Ga-doped ZnO (GZO) were prepared by electrospinning of polymer–salts solution. Sintering profiles reported in the literature led to loss of the fibrous structure. Hence, the morphology, thermal stability, and phase composition of green and sintered fibers were investigated as function of sintering conditions to elucidate this degradation process. Optimal results were obtained at 400 °C for 30 min. This low temperature sintering of GZO fibers has not been previously reported. The fibers were porous with a significant surface area, making it possible to test their sensitivity to environmental changes. In particular, the response of the GZO NFs to changes in humidity was demonstrated for the first time. The electrical and sensing properties of single NFs prepared at these conditions were studied using a field-effect transistor mode.


A novel bacteriophage lambda vector system was used to express in Escherichia coli a combinatorial library of Fab fragments of the mouse antibody repertoire. The system allows rapid and easy identification of monoclonal Fab fragments in a form suitable for genetic manipulation. It was possible to generate, in 2 weeks, large numbers of monoclonal Fab fragments against a transition state analog hapten. The methods described may supersede present-day hybridoma technology and facilitate the production of catalytic and other antibodies.


Hybrid 2D-3D heterostructures are a very promising way for waveguiding light in 3D photonic structures. Single-mode waveguiding of light has been demonstrated in heterostructures where a 2D photonic crystal consisting of a triangular lattice of silicon rods in air was intercalated between two silicon inverse opals. In this paper, we show that by using a graphite lattice of rods instead of a triangular one, it is possible to enlarge the maximal single-mode waveguiding bandwidth by more than 70 %, i.e. up to 129 nm centered on 1.55 mum. The sensibility to the 2D layer structure parameters is lower, offering enhanced experimental flexibility in the design of the structure.


© 2017 Proceedings of the 25th European Conference on Information Systems, ECIS 2017. All rights reserved. E-commerce adoption has been extensive but for some specialized areas it is still in the early stages. One such area is health-related websites where the sensitive issues around the consumer's health extenuate the similar challenges faced in other areas of e-commerce. Disclosing personal information is necessary to fully utilize such health-related websites but consumer trust is required for this. This research proposes a model of the role of trust in personal information disclosure on health-related websites. This model identifies 10 factors grouped in three categories. The first category is dispositional factors including faith in humanity, trusting stance and privacy concern. the second category is situational factors including reputation and perceived risk. Lastly the third category is institutional factors including the perceived effectiveness of the privacy statement, third party certification, legal and regulation and security infrastructure. Low risk, reputation, effective privacy statement and privacy seals were found to facilitate trust. While institutional factors like the legal framework and regulation have an elevated role to keep the consumer safe in this context, lack of clarity on what they are leads to a weak perception of their value. Trust in the health-related website was found to positively influence the intention to disclose information.


The physical mapping is a crucial tool in the analysis of the genomic sequences. Algorithms for the mapping process are based on NP-complete combinatorial optimizations. The problem of reconstructing the probe order is equivalent to the Consecutive Ones problem. PQ-trees have been extensively used as a suitable data structure to test the Consecutive Ones Property (COP) in the hybridization matrix. This paper presents PQR-trees, an extension of PQ-trees. PQR-trees can advantageously handle partial order information on probes. Moreover, we embed PQR-trees in the more general framework of Constraint Programming (CP). CP is an emergent software technology for declarative description and effective solving of large, particularly combinatorial, problems. We introduce Sequences a new data structure in CP and present filtering algorithms for checking the consistency of sequence constraints based on PQR-trees. We present a canonical form that characterizes a family of sequential arrangements of a given set. The relations we are dealing with are classical sets relations ∈, ⊂, ≠, = besides sequencing relations such as group, order, and metric constraints. The filtering algorithms are based on incremental consistency techniques used to reduce the PQR-trees and hence, prune the inconsistencies before the labeling phase. We claim that the sequence structure introduces a flexibility criterion on CP which renders it a suitable tool for solving NP-complete combinatorial optimizations such as physical mapping problem.


A dual-beam FT-IR instrument with optical null has been developed for the study of polymers adsorbed on low-surface-area solids. By the use of narrow-bandpass filters coupled with the dual-beam FT-IR, a sensitivity of 2 × 10−5 absorption units per scan has been achieved. Transmission infrared spectra are shown for poly(ethylene oxide-b-styrene) and didodecyl dimethyl ammonium bromide (DODAB) adsorbed on silicon.


Abstract We investigated movement patterns in a high-density population of Eurasian badgers (Meles meles) to explore how the costs and benefits of dispersal and other forms of movement differed among individuals in the population. We analyzed a 17-year data set comprising 5,255 trapping events for members of a population of Eurasian badgers at Wytham Woods, Oxford, United Kingdom. For a subset of badgers with a sufficient trapping history, we were able to identify dispersal events. Permanent dispersal was not common. Of 267 badgers 1st trapped as young and caught on a minimum of 4 occasions spanning 400 days or more, the majority (75.8%) were never captured at more than 2 social groups. Only 51 (19.1%) of these animals satisfied our definition of dispersal; 96 (35.8%) were never captured outside of their natal social group. Male badgers moved between groups more than did females and accumulated more wounds in the process. Dispersing males tended to move to larger groups and to groups with a preponderance of females, but dispersal rate did not change as the density of the population increased. However, evidence of extraterritorial matings suggests that inbreeding may be alleviated without dispersal. We consider the implications of these findings for the mating system and social behavior of the badger.


Obesity is the epidemic of the twenty first century. In India the incidence of obesity continues to increase and prevalence among adolescents varies between 10% and 30%.The prevalence of metabolic syndrome which is a group of atherosclerotic risk factors is rising at an alarming rate among young adults of urban India. Central obesity which represents the visceral adipose tissue depots is the most prevalent manifestation of metabolic syndrome. Adipose tissue , a dynamic endocrine organ secretes pro-inflammatory factors called adipokines which causes meta inflammation thereby contributing to insulin resistance. We have undertaken a pilot study with ninety healthy MBBS students aged between 17 and 22 years from our Institution. These ninety students were further divided into non-obese, group I (n=63 ) and obese , group II (n=27) based on their waist circumference. We estimated fasting blood sugar(FBS), post prandial blood sugar(PPBS),lipid profile and serum insulin in both the groups.Insulin resistance (IR) was calculated using the Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA) equation. In this study we found that 3.3% of the study population of ninety students and 11.1% of the obese group had metabolic syndrome. 70.4% of the obese group had insulin resistance(IR) suggesting a strong correlation between obesity and IR.The increasing prevalence of childhood and adolescent metabolic syndrome implies a future global health burden. So we emphasize the urgent need for focus on prevention and treatment of metabolic syndrome in this age group through intensive health education and awareness programmes.


Musical hallucinations are complex auditory hallucinations characterized by repetitive and usually uncontrollable musical patterns, unrelated to external stimuli. They are rare and can be induced by medications. Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) can experience different types of hallucinations, mostly visual, which can be related to the therapy or not. We report a patient with PD who developed musical hallucinations immediately after started taking amantadine. Part of this description has been reported in abstract form elsewhere. A 77-year-old woman presented with mild bradykinesia and left-side resting tremor, slowly progressive over 6 months. Neurological examination revealed normal, symmetric deep tendon reflexes, mild bradykinesia on finger tapping, rest tremor in the left hand, and a Mini Mental Status Exam score of 27/30. A head CT revealed mild atrophy. Early PD was diagnosed, but she refused to start medications. Three months later, after tremor worsening, she was started on pramipexole 0.125 mg BID, but developed gastric discomfort and vomiting, and was started on levodopa (100 mg) 1 benserazide (25 mg) TID. She had good control during 1 year, but experienced slight clinical worsening and was started on amantadine 100 mg TID. Two days later, she started to hear a sequence of four musical pieces (The Brazilian National Anthem, ''Silent Night,'' ''Boi-da-Cara-Preta''—an old Brazilian lullaby song, and ''Olhos Verdes''—a popular Brazilian musical piece from the mid XX Century). She denied psychiatric disease and previous episode of visual or auditory hallucination. She suffered from presbyacusis with occasional use of a hearing aid. She constantly heard this sequence of four musical pieces day and night, except during sleep. The Brazilian National Anthem and two other musical pieces were sung but she does not recall whether ''Silent Night'' was sung or played on an instrument. She was fully aware of the hallucinatory nature of the events and informed her family. She reported that the music was being played ''inside her head,'' not coming from the right or left ear. She could not interrupt the musical pieces by voluntary will or distraction. She did not try to interrupt the ongoing musical sequence by concentrating on another tune. One day after the hallucination onset, she quit amantadine. She continued to hear the same musical sequence for 3 days until spontaneous disappearance. A few days later, a follow-up EEG was normal. Amantadine was initially used in the treatment of respiratory infections caused by influenza A virus. It was subsequently found to exhibit antiparkinsonian effects. There is evidence that amantadine can rarely cause visual hallucinations and confusional state in elderly patients. To our knowledge, this is the first description of short-lived, transient, isolated musical hallucinations induced by amantadine. We observed a clear temporal relationship between the onset and disappearance of the hallucinations and amantadine administration. Although she was also taking levodopa, she was kept on the same dose for almost 1 year, without side effects. Although one cannot exclude a synergetic effect of levodopa 1 amantadine, the clinical course of the musical hallucinations (starting 2 days after amantadine initiation and disappearing 3 days after discontinuation) favors the hypothesis of amantadine induction. At any given time, about 25% of the patients with PD at different disease stages experience some form of auditory or visual hallucination, predominantly the latter. Most commonly, they are side effects of the antiparkinsonian treatment. However, musical hallucinations are much rarer than visual or pure auditory hallucinations in patients with PD. The etiology of musical hallucinations is unclear and different mechanisms are involved. Some medications are known triggers: benzodiazepines, propanolol, amphetamine, carbamazepine, salicylates, general anesthesia. There are several other risk factors reported: female gender, hearing impairment, advanced age, psychiatric conditions, cognitive disorders, and neurological conditions (e.g., seizure disorders, stroke, tumor, central nervous systems infections, and brain lesions in the dorsal pons, temporal lobes, and frontal lobes). Therefore, in addition to PD, our patient had other potential risk factors for musical hallucinations: presbyacusis, older age, female gender. Similar to other patients from the literature, the type of music heard during the hallucinations was patriotic or lyrical, and may be related to her childhood experiences. In summary, our findings suggest that musical hallucinations can be transiently induced by amantadine treatment in PD.


In data mining approaches, classification is a major task. Various modern applications have adopted this. Recently Cascaded Fuzzy Relevance Vector Machine (FRVM) are developed to classify datasets. However single classifier will not give higher accuracy rather than the multiple classifiers. For solving this issue, ensemble learning is introduced in this work for the classification of samples. It is a way of combining various classifiers such as Enhanced Adaptive Neuro Fuzzy Inference System (EANFIS) and Modified Convolutional Neural Network (MCNN) from which a novel classifier is formulated which performs better than any constituent classifier. This work consists of four major steps. First step consists of parallel operation data samples for classification. Second feature selection is performed by using Filter based functions are chi-squared filter, Euclidean Distance, Pearson correlation coefficient, Correlation Based Feature Selection (CFS), Fast Correlation Based Filter (FCBF), and Information Gain (IG). Thirdly outliers are removed by Fuzzy C means (FCM) clustering algorithm. Further in classification model, virtual pair is selected automatically by using Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) method and then Stacking Ensemble Learning (SEL) has been developed for classification reducing error rate and for improving accuracy. SEL is a technique in which two classifiers are trained using a single training dataset. Using k-fold validation, further divided the training set and formed the resultant model. Performance comparison results of various classifiers under two benchmark datasets such as Wisconsin Diagnostic Breast Cancer (WDBC) and PD600.


The human‐restricted pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes (Group A Streptococcus, GAS) is responsible for wide‐ranging pathologies at numerous sites in the body but has the proclivity to proliferate in individuals asymptomatically. The ability to survive in diverse tissues is undoubtedly benefited by sensory pathways that recognize environmental cues corresponding to stress and nutrient availability and thereby trigger adaptive responses. We investigated the impact that environmental signals contribute to cell‐to‐cell chemical communication [quorum sensing (QS)] by monitoring activity of the Rgg2/Rgg3 and SHP‐pheromone system in GAS. We identified metal limitation and the alternate carbon source mannose as two environmental indicators likely to be encountered by GAS in the host that significantly induced the Rgg‐SHP system. Disruption of the metal regulator MtsR partially accounted for the response to metal depletion, whereas ptsABCD was primarily responsible for QS induction due to mannose, but each sensory system induced Rgg‐SHP signaling apparently by different mechanisms. Significantly, we found that induction of QS, regardless of the GAS serotype tested, led to enhanced resistance to the antimicrobial agent lysozyme. These results indicate the benefits for GAS to integrate environmental signals with intercellular communication pathways in protection from host defenses.


Gender stereotypes are well established also among women. Yet, a recent literature suggests that learning from other women experience about the effects of maternal employment on children outcomes may increase female labor force participation. To further explore this channel, we design a randomized survey experiment, in which 1500 Italian women aged 20 to 40 are exposed to two informational treatments on the positive consequences of formal childcare on children future educational attainments. Surprisingly, we find that women reduce their intended labor supply. However, this result hides strong heterogenous effects: high educated non-mothers are persuaded by the informational treatments to increase their intended use of formal child care (and to pay more); whereas low educated non-mothers to reduce their intended labor supply. These findings are consistent with women responding to monetary incentive and/or having different preferences for maternal care. These heterogenous responses across women send a warning signal about the true effectiveness — in terms of take up rates — of often advocated public policies regarding formal child care.


An updated version of the nested-grid GEOSChem model is developed allowing for higher horizontal (0.5×0.667) resolution as compared to global models. CO transport over a heavily polluted region, the Beijing-TianjinHebei (BTH) city cluster in China, and the pattern of outflow from East China in summertime are investigated. Comparison of the nested-grid with global models indicates that the fine-resolution nested-grid model is capable of resolving individual cities with high associated emission intensities. The nested-grid model indicates the presence of a high CO column density over the Sichuan Basin in summer, attributable to the low-level stationary vortex associated with the Basin's topographical features. The nested-grid model provides good agreement also with measurements from a suburban monitoring site in Beijing during summer 2005. Tagged CO simulation results suggest that regional emissions make significant contributions to elevated CO levels over Beijing on polluted days and that the southeastward moving cyclones bringing northwest winds to Beijing are the key meteorological mechanisms responsible for dispersion of pollution over Beijing in summer. Overall CO fluxes to the NW Pacific from Asia are found to decrease by a factor of 3–4 from spring to summer. Much of the seasonal change is driven by decreasing fluxes from India and Southeast Asia in summer, while fluxes from East China are only 30% lower in summer than in spring. Compared to spring, summertime outflow from Chinese source regions is strongest at higher latitudes (north of 35 N). The deeper convection in summer transporting CO to higher altitudes where export is more efficient is largely responsible for enhanced export in summer. Correspondence to: K. He (email@example.com)


This paper presents an approach to evaluate the performance of an optical switch equipped with both limited-range wavelength conversion and Fiber Delay Lines to resolve contention. We propose an analytical model that allows a general behavior for the packet size distribution while the inter-arrival times are assumed to be of Phase-Type and can easily be relaxed to be generally distributed if needed. As the set of reachable wavelengths is a major issue in limited-range wavelength conversion, we first focus on a simple wavelength set configuration that allows the comparison of different policies and their effect on the loss rate of the system. In addition, a linear association between the loss rate of the simple and a more complex set configuration is identified. Using this association and the results from the analytical model, we derive an approximation for the more complex case, where the interactions among adjacent wavelengths play an important role. The approximation works well for different parameter instances and is particularly useful for the mid load case, when simulations become computationally prohibitive.


Purpose of reviewAs the HIV/AIDS pandemic continues, the development of new prevention technologies is urgently needed. Microbicides, products applied to genital mucosal surfaces, are being developed to reduce the transmission of HIV during sexual intercourse. Microbicides have been designed to inhibit HIV from the time the virus enters the genital tract to any of the multiple steps in local virus replication. Recent findingsPreclinical research and development of microbicides has led to the advancement of many candidates into human clinical trials. This research has shown that cervicovaginal irritation is an important safety concern and needs to be evaluated carefully and early. New approaches to measuring local irritation are currently under investigation. SummaryFive broad-spectrum microbicides are now being tested in large-scale effectiveness trials to measure their effects on the reduction of HIV incidence. Next-generation candidates, based on highly active antiretroviral drugs, are currently undergoing safety studies. This paper reviews the findings from trials of these products and discusses several challenges that are encountered in the clinical development of microbicides. Although complex and resource intensive, the successful completion of ongoing studies and the initiation of efficacy trials of next-generation candidates are critical to the successful development of a microbicide.


This article discusses the need to change education due to global changes to keep its status as a human right and public good and introduces Open Education as a theory to fulfil these requirements. First, a brief history and definition of Open Education are provided. It is argued that Open Education is improving learning quality through the facilitation of innovative learning designs and processes. Hence, sources of learning quality and dimensions of quality development are discussed. Arguably, nine dimensions of openness can be distinguished and defined for the learning quality and design of Open Education and the development of supporting instruments, services and tools. As an example for one of the nine dimensions (i.e., open standards), the reference process model of ISO/IEC 40180 (former ISO/IEC 19796-1) is modified for Open Education. The article defines and analyses Open Education following the three adapted quality dimensions and applying the macro, meso and micro levels. As a result, the OpenEd Framework is developed which combines and integrates the different quality perspectives mapped to the learning design and processes. This article illustrates the potential adaptations and benefits of the OpenEd Framework. The OpenEd Framework can be used in combination with other tools such as the EFI and IDEA(L) frameworks to address the complexity and to increase the impact of Open Education. To summarize, the OpenEd Framework can facilitate and foster the future improvement of the learning quality and design of Open Education.


Bone lead levels for 367 active and 14 retired lead smelter workers were measured in vivo by X-ray fluorescence in May-June 1994. The bone sites of study were the tibia and calcaneus; magnitudes of concentration were used to gauge lead body burden. Whole blood lead readings from the workers generated a cumulative blood lead index (CBLI) that approximated the level of lead exposure over time. Blood lead values for 204 of the 381 workers were gathered from workers returning from a 10-month work interruption that ended in 1991; their blood level values were compared to their tibia and calcaneus lead levels. The resulting relations allowed constraints to be placed on the endogenous release of lead from bone in smelter works. Calcaneus lead levels were found to correlate strongly with those for tibia lead, and in a manner consistent with observations from other lead industry workers. Relations between bone lead concentration and CBLI demonstrated a distinctly nonlinear appearance. When the active population was divided by date of hire, a significant difference in the bone lead-CBLI slope emerged. After a correction to include the component of CBLI existing before the workers' employment at the smelter was made, this difference persisted. This implies that the transfer of lead from blood to bone in the workers has changed over time, possibly as a consequence of varying exposure conditions. ImagesFigure 1. AFigure 1. BFigure 2. AFigure 2. BFigure 3. AFigure 3. BFigure 4. AFigure 4. BFigure 5.Figure 6. AFigure 6. BFigure 7.Figure 8.Figure 9. AFigure 9. B


Mites constitute an old cosmopolitan group, abundant in various terrestrial and aquatic habitats of considerable environmental variations. The majority of mites are free-living, whereas some have evolved parasitic relationships with a variety of animals either as endo- or ectoparasites. The ectoparasitic and skin burrowing  Sarcoptes scabiei  and  Notoedres cati , cause sarcoptic and notoedric mange among a variety of mammalian species, including humans. In a non-adequate host these mites lead to pseudo-scabies which is often self-curable. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of recent knowledge on the taxonomy, life cycles and pathology of these two mites, which are of relevance to Fennoscandian wildlife, by considering knowledge on transmission vectors, host immunology, and some documented outbreaks. These mites affect the health and survival of mammals in four ways; 1) skin tissue damages, 2) loss of body fluids, 3) allergic reactions and 4) secondary bacterial infections. A short-term effect of outbreaks is usually high mortality, and long-term effects vary from extinction to biased population structure to no effect at all. Red foxes are generalist predators that are important end-hosts for mites that develop disease depending on their immunity status, and transmit mites to other hosts. Outbreaks of mange may possibly have ecological consequences on a wider scale. In an endangered species, like the arctic fox or Eurasian lynx, loss of only a few individuals can be critical. It might be wise for management authorities to develop emergency plans to minimize consequences of outbreaks of sarcoptic or notoedric mange in threatened species such as the arctic fox and the lynx.