Heterozius rotundifrons and Cyclograpsus lavauxi are crabs of similar size, whose intertidal habitats overlap. They differ in the number and size of their eggs. A 2 g ovigerous H. rotundifrons incubates 675 large yolky eggs (mean single-egg mass 269 microg; egg clutch 9.15 % of mass of female crab; increasing to 435 microg and 13.4 % at hatching). The egg clutch of a 2 g C. lavauxi is larger (15.4 % of crab mass increasing to 18.9 % at hatching) and contains more numerous (28 000), smaller (10.9 microg increasing to 20.3 microg) eggs. The longer development time of the larger eggs (194 days versus 56 days at 15 degrees C) results from a delayed increase in metabolic rate (diapause) and not metabolic scaling. On the basis of the total mass of single eggs, the mass-specific metabolic rates of early embryonic stages of H. rotundifrons (0.72 micromol g(-1 )h(-1) for the blastula stage at 15 degrees C) and C. lavauxi (1.13 micromol g(-1 )h(-1)) were similar to those of the adult female crabs (0.70 micromol g(-1 )h(-1) for H. rotundifrons and 0.91 micromol g(-1 )h(-1) for C. lavauxi) and increased 13- and 10-fold, respectively, by the time of hatching. Thus, early embryonic metabolic rates were much lower than expected from their mass, but the metabolic rates of pre-hatching embryos were consistent with the allometry of juveniles and adults. Possible interpretations of this apparently anomalous scaling of embryonic metabolic rates are discussed. Mass-specific rates of oxygen consumption by ovigerous females (including the eggs) of both species were higher than for non-ovigerous crabs, in water and in air, and increased greatly during the development of the eggs. This difference was attributable mainly to the increasing metabolic rates of the attached embryos, but early ovigerous crabs (blastula stage) of both species also demonstrated a small elevation in metabolic rate by the crab itself, i.e. a metabolic cost of egg-bearing. In contrast, the elevation of the rate of oxygen consumption by late ovigerous females of C. lavauxi was less than predicted from the metabolic rate of eggs in a stirred respirometer. This suggests that, towards the end of development in C. lavauxi, the oxygen supply to the eggs in situ may be diffusion-limited by unstirred layers, an effect not observed for the larger eggs and more open egg clutch of H. rotundifrons. The cost of development, in terms of total oxygen consumption of single eggs, from extrusion to hatching, was 3.34 micromol O2 (approximately 1.5 J) for H. rotundifrons and 0.105 micromol O2 (approximately 0.05 J) for C. lavauxi. This 30-fold ratio approximates the ratios of their initial masses and yolk contents but represents only approximately one-third of the initial energy contents of the eggs.


Mokken (1971) developed a scaling procedure for both dichotomous and polytomous items that was later coined Mokken scale analysis (MSA). MSA has been developed ever since, and the developments until 2000 have been implemented in the software package MSP (Molenaar and Sijtsma 2000) and the R package mokken (Van der Ark 2007). This paper describes the new developments in MSA since 2000 that have been implemented in mokken since its first release in 2007. These new developments pertain to invariant item ordering, a new automated item selection procedure based on a genetic algorithm, inclusion of reliability coefficients, and the computation of standard errors for the scalability coefficients. We demonstrate all new applications using data obtained with a transitive reasoning test and a personality test.


Abstract. Estimates of CO2 fluxes that are based on atmospheric measurements rely upon a meteorology model to simulate atmospheric transport. These models provide a quantitative link between the surface fluxes and CO2 measurements taken downwind. Errors in the meteorology can therefore cause errors in the estimated CO2 fluxes. Meteorology errors that correlate or covary across time and/or space are particularly worrisome; they can cause biases in modeled atmospheric CO2 that are easily confused with the CO2 signal from surface fluxes, and they are difficult to characterize. In this paper, we leverage an ensemble of global meteorology model outputs combined with a data assimilation system to estimate these biases in modeled atmospheric CO2. In one case study, we estimate the magnitude of month-long CO2 biases relative to CO2 boundary layer enhancements and quantify how that answer changes if we either include or remove error correlations or covariances. In a second case study, we investigate which meteorological conditions are associated with these CO2 biases. In the first case study, we estimate uncertainties of 0.5–7 ppm in monthly-averaged CO2 concentrations, depending upon location (95% confidence interval). These uncertainties correspond to 13–150% of the mean afternoon CO2 boundary layer enhancement at individual observation sites. When we remove error covariances, however, this range drops to 2–22%. Top-down studies that ignore these covariances could therefore underestimate the uncertainties and/or propagate transport errors into the flux estimate. In the second case study, we find that these month-long errors in atmospheric transport are anti-correlated with temperature and planetary boundary layer (PBL) height over terrestrial regions. In marine environments, by contrast, these errors are more strongly associated with weak zonal winds. Many errors, however, are not correlated with a single meteorological parameter, suggesting that a single meteorological proxy is not sufficient to characterize uncertainties in atmospheric CO2. Together, these two case studies provide information to improve the setup of future top-down inverse modeling studies, preventing unforeseen biases in estimated CO2 fluxes.


Basic criteria are given for the design and use of a diffusion cell for a Rayleigh interferometer for membrane-transport studies. The effect of wave-front deflection on the fringe pattern is presented, as well as a numerical technique that allows the data to be corrected for deflection effects. A completely new type of diffusion cell is discussed that allows transport through membranes to be observed.


Background Children with cancer undergo intensive and long treatment periods that expose them and their families to a number of difficult physical, mental, and social challenges. Empowering children by actively involving them in their care can help them to cope with these challenges. It can, however, be difficult for children to be involved and talk about their illness experiences in a "traditional" conversation with health care professionals, especially for younger children. Sisom (Norwegian acronym "Si det som det er" or "Tell it how it is") is an interactive computer-based assessment and communication tool to give children (aged 6-12 years) with cancer a "voice" in their care. Because of technological advances and widespread use of mobile devices Sisom had to be redesigned to better meet the needs of children of today. Objective To redesign Sisom for use on mobile devices and to validate and adapt it for use in a Swedish population of children with cancer. Methods A user-experience design was used. Content adaptation included forward-backward translation by Swedish and Norwegian translators. Healthy children (n=5), children with experiences of cancer treatment (n=5) and their parents (n=5), and pediatric nurses (n=2) were then involved in culturally adapting Sisom to the Swedish context. The iterative low- and high-fidelity evaluation was supported by a think aloud method, semistructured interviews, and drawings to capture children's views of Sisom. The redesign and evaluation continued until no further changes or improvements were identified by the participants or the researchers. Results Children, parents, and pediatric nurses offered many suggestions for improvements to the original version in terms of content, aesthetics, and usability of Sisom. The most significant change that emerged through user input was a modification that entailed not using problem-focused statements in the assessment items. The parents and pediatric nurses considered the revised assessment items to be general and less diagnosis specific. The evaluation of aesthetics resulted in brighter colors and more positive and exciting details in the animations. The evaluation of usability included improvements of the verbal instructions on how to navigate in Sisom 2, and also that the answers to assessment items in Sisom 2 should be saved to provide the children with the option to pause and to continue answering the remaining assessment items at a later stage. Conclusions Overall, this paper describes the process of using user-experience design with children in order to redesign and validate an interactive assessment and communication tool and how the outcomes of this process resulted in a new version, Sisom 2. All participants confirmed the usability and qualities of using the final version. Future research should be directed toward the implementation of Sisom 2 in clinical practice and to evaluate outcomes from individual and organizational levels.


The present study summarizes the current knowledge of the heat and cold stress which might significantly affect military activities and might also occur among travellers who are not well adapted to weather variations during their journey. The selection of the best clothing is a very important factor in preserving thermal comfort. Our experiences with thermal manikin are also represented in this paper.


Transforming growth factor- β (TGF- β ) is a multifunctional cytokine that regulates cell growth, differentiation, and apoptosis of various types of cells. Autophagy is emerging as a critical response of normal and cancer cells to environmental changes, but the relationship between TGF- β signaling and autophagy has been poorly understood. Here, we showed that TGF- β activates autophagy in human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines. TGF- β induced accumulation of autophagosomes and conversion of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 and enhanced the degradation rate of long-lived proteins. TGF- β increased the mRNA expression levels of BECLIN1, ATG5, ATG7, and death-associated protein kinase (DAPK). Knockdown of Smad2/3, Smad4, or DAPK, or inhibition of c-Jun NH 2 -terminal kinase, attenuated TGF- β – induced autophagy, indicating the involvement of both Smad and non-Smad pathway(s). TGF- β activated autophagy earlier than execution of apoptosis (6-12 versus 48 h), and reduction of autophagy genes by small interfering RNA attenuated TGF- β – mediated growth inhibition and induction of proapoptotic genes Bim and Bmf, suggesting the contribution of autophagy pathway to the growth-inhibitory effect of TGF- β . Additionally, TGF- β also induced autophagy in some mammary carcinoma cells, including MDA-MB-231 cells. These findings show that TGF- β signaling pathway activates autophagy in certain human cancer cells and that induction of autophagy is a novel aspect of biological functions of TGF- β . [Cancer Res 2009;69(23): anti – poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (Cell


In this contribution, past process activity is reconstructed on seven landslide bodies of the Riou Bourdoux catchment (southeastern French Alps). Based on an unusually dense data set of 3036 tree-ring series extracted from 759 conifers, we provide evidence for 61 landslide reactivations since A.D. 1898. Based on logistic regressions and threshold analyses of monthly rainfall data and temperature anomalies, we determine that the combination of snow-rich winters and positive temperature anomalies in spring (enhanced snowmelt) seems to have driven landslide reactivations in the past. Since the early 1990s, however, landslide reactivations clearly have been on the rise and thereby exhibit excessive and unprecedented rates of activity (12.5 events per 10 yr) at the scale of the Riou Bourdoux catchment. From the data, evidence exists for a shift from snowmelt-induced landslides (controlled by winter precipitation) to reactivations controlled by spring temperatures. Therefore, this contribution also adds evidence to the hypothesis that climate change (and related warmer springs) could further enhance landslide activity in the course of the 21 st century.


This paper builds upon on my 2000 article, Change of Control Board: Federal Preemption of the Law Governing a Target's Directors (2000 COCB Article). In that article I propose that Congress address the conflicts of interest that can arise in the acquisition of a publicly held target corporation in various types of hostile and consensual merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions by requiring the independent appointment of a disinterested Change of Control Board. Under this proposal, unless the shareholders elect-out, once a public corporation becomes a target of a bona fide M&A offer, a federal Change of Control Official would appoint for the target a three-person Change of Control Board, which would have complete authority over the acquisition process. This concept would override all state takeover laws, and because of the obvious independence of the Change of Control Board, a Federal uniform standard of review, the business judgment rule, would apply in determining if the board acted properly. Thus, this concept would eliminate the several confusing standards of review applicable to the actions of a target's directors in M&A transactions under Delaware law. Many features of the Change of Control Board concept are similar to those provided for audit committees in the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX). The audit committee is directly responsible for dealing with the firm's CPA, each member of the audit committee must be independent, and the audit committee has the authority to hire its own advisors. Also, the U.S. stock exchanges have promulgated rules requiring that the boards of directors of each listed company consist of a majority of independent directors. Although these independence requirements move in the right direction, they do not properly address issues that can arise when a publicly held corporation engages in a M&A transaction. The continuing problem with the acquisition of publicly held targets is illustrated most recently in two 2007 cases in the Delaware Chancery Court: Caremark and Netsmart, and the problem with acquirors is illustrated in the 2006 decision of this Court in J.P. Morgan Chase. This article first explains how the audit committee provisions of SOX and the independent director requirement of the exchanges build upon a previous proposal for federalization of certain aspects of corporate law. The article then discusses (1) the manner in which current state law deals inadequately with various types of conflicts of interest that can arise in mergers and acquisitions, and (2) the bizarre structure of state anti-takeover law under which some states provide boards with virtually unlimited power to block a hostile acquisition. After explaining why the Change of Control Board concept should also apply to major acquisitions made by acquiring corporations, the article then elaborates on the essential features of the concept. Finally, the article discusses how many of the principles could be implemented by the SEC through its rulemaking authority under the audit committee provisions of SOX.


At a WHO consensus conference on Early Diagnosis and Prognostic Parameters in Localized Prostate Cancer, a working group discussed the clinical utility of DNA measurements in stages T2 and T3 prostate carcinoma. Incidentally discovered prostate cancer of stage T1 was excluded. The members of the working group, representing various clinical and laboratory disciplines, discussed technical considerations of DNA measurements by flow and image analysis, pretreatment prediction of prognosis, and posttreatment clinical relevance. The group agreed to subdivide tumors into diploid, tetraploid and non-tetraploid aneuploid, expressing various degrees of aggressiveness and gave guidance for the definition of limits of these groups. The panel agreed that knowledge on DNA ploidy prior to treatment is of value in treatment decisions, particularly when surveillance is a treatment option. Aneuploid tumors can be expected to respond very poorly to either irradiation or endocrine therapy, and the presence of aneuploid tumor, either on pretreatment biopsies or in radical prostatectomy specimens, is an ominous sign. The identification of a group of patients with a uniformly poor prognosis should encourage medical oncologists and basic scientists to develop adequate treatment options for this particular group. The panel expressed a strong opinion that DNA ploidy should be uniformly studied in clinical trials, particularly in patients with localized prostate cancer.


Abstract Can the rise of populism be explained by the growing chasm between rich and poor? With regard to Germany, such a causal relationship must be rejected. Income distribution in Germany has been very stable since 2005, and people's knowledge on actual inequality and economic development is limited: inequality and unemployment are massively overestimated. At the same time, a persistently isolationist and xenophobic group with diverse concerns and preferences has emerged within the middle classes of society that riggers support for populist parties. This mood is based on welfare chauvinism against immigration rather than on a general criticism of distribution. Since the immigration of recent years will inevitably affect the relevant indicators concerning distribution, an open, cautious but less heated approach is needed in the debate on the future of the welfare state. In order to address and take the local concerns of citizens seriously, an increased exchange with public officials on the ground is needed.


The Human capital plays a vital role in success of any organization. The contended and committed employee is a key to achieve organizational objective. There are several researches conducted to understand the function of worker's satisfaction and commitment towards job but this area of study is remain unexposed. The purpose of this study is to discuss and examine the forces which lead to private and govt sector workers Job satisfaction and organizational commitment. A theoretical model was anticipated and tested and findings indicates various challenges for HRM  that the factors which contributes to job satisfaction does not necessarily makes the employee committed. This research is a cross sectional study. A sample of 170 respondents was taken from the Public and Private sector Professional around Pakistan. The data was collected through a self-administered questionnaire, using the earlier conventional scales and the results demonstrated that Relationship with coworkers, workplace environment, empowerment, pay and promotion have a significant positive relationship with job satisfaction while in turn only the job satisfaction and empowerment leads to organizational commitment. Relationship with coworkers, pay and promotion and workplace environment have insignificant relation with organizational commitment.


Nitric oxide is a potent signaling molecule in various physiological systems. Normally, its abundance is thought to be controlled through control of NO synthase (NOS) enzymes that produce NO. NO appears to serve several functions in the pancreas, but the literature contains conflicting reports on whether NOS is present in pancreatic acinar cells and whether NO generation is sensitive to changes in intracellular concentrations of free Ca2+. Chvanov et al. used fluorescent NO-sensitive dyes administered by patch clamping in cultured mouse pancreatic cells to explore NO signaling. They propose that the aforementioned confusion may arise in part because, to their surprise, NOS isn't the key source of NO signals in these cells. The authors could detect increased Ca2+-dependent production of NO in response to acetylcholine. Although pharmacological inhibitors of NOS did affect the later phase of this response (after about 600 seconds), the initial response (about 200 seconds after stimulation) was not affected. Chvanov et al. propose that this rapidly formed NO may come from previously bound cellular NO in the form of S-nitrosothiols. In keeping with this idea, treatment of cells with an NO donor (to increase intracellular S-nitrosothiol content) increased the generation of NO in response to high doses of acetylcholine. The authors estimate that release from S-nitrosothiols in these cells may provide about a 100-nM increase in NO concentration. Further studies with pharmacological inhibitors showed that the Ca2+ dependence of the NO response was not mediated by calmodulin or protein kinase C, but rather was sensitive to inhibitors of the Ca2+-sensitive protease calpain. The authors therefore speculate that this novel form of NO generation might result from partial proteolysis of S-nitrosylated proteins that reduces the stability of the S-NO bond and allows denitrosylation of thiol groups. Similar results in other mouse and bovine cell types indicated that the phenomenon is not restricted to pancreatic cells. M. Chvanov, O. V. Gerasimenko, O. H. Petersen, A. V. Tepikin, Calcium-dependent release of NO from intracellular S-nitrosothiols. EMBO J. 25, 3024-3032 (2006). [PubMed]


Background: Studies report that monoterpenes and their synthetic derivatives have diverse biological and pharmacological properties. Among these compounds, isopulegone present in the essential oil of various aromatic plants have been used in the production of cosmetics. Objectives: evaluated the antioxidant properties of (-)-isopulegone in vitro against the formation of reactive species using the tests thiobarbituric acid (TBARS), hydroxyl radical and nitric oxide production. Materials and Methods: The (-)-isopulegone was tested at different concentrations (0.9, 1.8, 3.6, 5.4, 7.2 μg/mL), and compared with trolox (positive control). We evaluated the level of lipid peroxidation induced by 2,2'-azobis-2-methyl-propanimidamide dihydrochloride (AAPH) by the amount of TBARS formed. We evaluated the in vitro effects of (-)-isopulegone against hydroxyl radical formation from Fenton reaction. In assessing production of nitric oxide, was used sodium nitroprusside on decomposition. Results: (-)-Isopulegone in the concentrations tested, was capable of preventing lipid peroxidation induced by AAPH, reducing the amount of TBARS formed. The hydroxyl radical formation was inhibited, suggesting a possible antioxidant action of this monoterpene. In the evaluation of the production of nitric oxide isopulegone decreased the formation of such Compound, showing a shield in vitro profile of biomolecules such as lipids of the cell membranes from damage caused by free radicals generated. The (-)-isopulegone demonstrated strong antioxidant potential in vitro, by removal capacity against hydroxyl radicals and nitric oxide, and prevented the formation of TBARS, similarly to trolox (positive control). Conclusion: However, further studies are needed to better characterize the antioxidant properties of (-)-isopulegone, especially prominently in vitro.


Traditionally, psychologists and linguists have assumed that phonological speech errors result from the substitution of well-formed segments. However, there is growing evidence from acoustic and articulatory analyses of these errors which suggests activation from competing phonological representations can cascade to articulation. This thesis assumes a cascading model, and investigates further constraints for psycholinguistic models of speech production. Two major questions are addressed: whether such a cascading model should include feedback; and whether phonological representations are still required if articulation is not well-formed. In order to investigate these questions a new method is introduced for the analysis of articulatory data, and its application for analysing EPG and ultrasound recordings is demonstrated. A speech error elicitation experiment is presented in which acoustic and electropalatography (EPG) signals were recorded. A transcription analysis of both data sets tentatively supports a feedback account for the lexical bias effect. Crucially, however, the EPG data in conjunction with a perceptual experiment highlight that categorising speech errors is problematic for a cascaded view of production. Therefore, the new analysis technique is used for a reanalysis of the EPG data. This allows us to abandon a view in which each utterance is an error or not. We demonstrate that articulation is more similar to a competing phonological representation when the competitor yields a real word. This pattern firmly establishes evidence for feedback in speech production. Two additional experiments investigate whether phonological representations, in addition to lower-level representations (e.g., features), are required to account for ill-formed speech. In two tongue-twister experiments we demonstrate with both EPG and ultrasound, that articulation is most variable when there is one competing feature, but not when there are two competing features. This pattern is best accounted for in a feedback framework in which feature representations feedback to reinforce phonological representations.


Considering the current water resources problems and rapid increase in its demand, the importance of effective utilization of water resources cannot be underestimated if India has to remain self reliant in food production. Point ETc (crop evapotranspiration) can be calculated by multiplying point ETo (reference evapotranspiration with appropriate kc (crop coefficient) values on a monthly temporal scale. Subtracting the monthly point effective rainfall values from corresponding monthly cumulative point ETc, the point net monthly irrigation requirements can be estimated. Spatially interpolating the point net monthly irrigation requirements by kriging, monthly net irrigation requirement (NIR) maps can be generated. Such maps, although readily available for most of the developed countries, have not yet been developed for developing countries like India. This kind of readily available standard net irrigation requirement maps can be very useful in obtaining reliable irrigation demands in new areas. Therefore, in this paper, an attempt has been made to develop monthly net irrigation requirement maps for India. To grasp the spatial distribution characteristics of the net irrigation requirement for the dominant crop of the season and agroecological region (AER), geostatistical analysis was performed on the normal monthly NIR derived from 32 years (1971-2002) data of 133 IMD (India Meteorological Department) stations uniformly distributed over the country. It was observed that ordinary kriging produced best results and hence was used to produce the final net monthly irrigation requirement surfaces for all the months.


The aim of this paper is twofold. First, it attempts to demonstrate that Arabic utterances involving euphemisms, tautologies and ironies (henceforth Arabic implicatures) lend themselves readily to a Gricean interpretation and, second, it shows how Arabic implicatures in their immediate, social context of use exhibit pragmatic failures when rendered into English. The study examines and analyzes ten Arabic utterances involving implicatures in their original contexts of situation taken from Mahfouz's (1947) Ziqāq al-Midaq which was translated by LeGassick (1966) into 'Midaq Alley', and Ṭayib Ṣaleḥ's (1966) Mawsimu al-Hijra ila ashShamāl , which was rendered by Davies (1969) into 'the Season of Migration to the North'. The study argues that to avoid pragmatic failure when translating Arabic implicatures into English, emphasis should be placed on conveying the pragmatic import of these utterances by the employment of various translation strategies ranging from those capturing the form and/or function to those capturing the communicative sense independently.


In germinating oilseeds peroxisomal fatty acid β-oxidation is responsible for the mobilization of storage lipids. This pathway also occurs in other tissues where it has a variety of additional physiological functions. The central enzymatic steps of peroxisomal β-oxidation are performed by acyl-CoA oxidase (ACOX), the multifunctional protein (MFP) and 3-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase (thiolase). In order to investigate the function and regulation of β-oxidation in plants it is first necessary to identify and characterize genes encoding the relevant enzymes in a single model species. Recently we and others have reported on the cloning and characterization of genes encoding four ACOXs and a thiolase from the oilseed Arabidopsis thaliana. Here we identify a gene encoding an Arabidopsis MFP ( AtMFP2 ) that is induced transiently during germination. The pattern of AtMFP2 expression closely reflects changes in the activities of 2- trans -enoyl-CoA hydratase and l-3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase. Similar patterns of expression have previously been reported for ACOX and thiolase genes. We conclude that genes encoding the three main proteins responsible for β-oxidation are co-ordinately expressed during oilseed germination and may share a common mechanism of regulation.


In the past decades, nutrient enrichment in African water bodies has been frequently reported and lead to water security challenges, such as unsafe drinking water and compromised local livelihood. Meanwhile, rapid population growth and land-use change towards intensified food production are projected in Africa. Substantial increases in anthropogenic nutrient inputs (e.g. human waste and fertilizer) to the terrestrial and aquatic environments are therefore expected. This may further deteriorate African water bodies and threaten water security.

As part of the Integrated Solution for Water, Land and Energy (IS-WEL) project funded by Global Environmental Facility and IIASA, this study aims to assess the status and projected changes of nitrogen (N) sources, associated inputs to rivers and export to sea. The study focuses on the Zambezi river basin, the 4th largest transboundary basin in Africa draining through 8 countries. N inputs to rivers and export to sea are estimated using the MARINA model (Model to Assess River Inputs of Nutrients to seAs) under current conditions and future climate, land use and socio-economic scenarios towards 2050. In addition to global climate (Representative Concentration Pathways) and socioeconomic (Shared Socioeconomic Pathways) scenarios, the study co-developed regional scenarios through stakeholder engagement in cooperation with the Zambezi Watercourse Commission. The regional scenarios, especially for sanitation and agricultural development, will later be incorporated in the model.

Preliminary results show that for the current period (2010), N input to rivers and export to sea are mainly from natural sources, namely N fixation by the natural ecosystems and organic N leaching from non-agricultural areas. By 2050, N sources in the basin will be more than doubled due to anthropogenic inputs based on the global scenarios. Consequently, the fraction of human-induced N export is projected to increase considerably. Additionally, N export to sea is strongly influenced by the intra- and inter-annual climate variabilities in the region. The study highlights the need to simultaneously consider source control and climate adaptation in the regional contexts to minimize further N-induced deterioration of water bodies and ensure regional water security.


Over the last decade, design for behaviour change has become increasingly recognised as a strategy for enabling social change. Despite this, we are far from understanding its implementation, especially through the private and public sectors. This study has surveyed private and public sector stakeholders with regard to their current knowledge of, and approach to, design for behaviour change. The aim was to identify the challenges for professional stakeholders in understanding, accessing and implementing design for behaviour change. Underpinned by a literature review of design for behaviour change theories and approaches, an online survey and two focus groups with private and public sector stakeholders were conducted with particular focus on small and medium size enterprises (SMEs). The results identified that there is a significant disconnect between available theoretical knowledge of design for behaviour change and its practical implementation. Reasons for this include a lack of awareness and common language, of evidence based examples, and of evaluation methods and inter-sector collaborations. In response, a set of recommendations has been developed to propose ways forward for the wider understanding and application of design for behaviour change.


OBJECTIVE To review the efficacy and safety of pregabalin, an alpha(2)-delta (alpha(2)-delta) ligand, for the management of fibromyalgia (FM). METHODS Review of 2 pivotal phase 3 trials that evaluated the efficacy and safety of pregabalin for the management of FM. RESULTS FM is a chronic condition that is characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain and has a greater prevalence in women than in men. In a 14-week, randomized, double-blind trial, pregabalin at all 3 doses (300, 450, and 600 mg daily) resulted in significantly greater improvements in pain and function relative to placebo. Parallel with these improvements, greater proportions of patients in the pregabalin groups reported improvement in global disease status compared with placebo. In a second study designed to evaluate the durability of response, patients were randomized to up to 6 months of treatment with pregabalin or placebo after a 6-week, open-label, dose-optimization treatment phase. Based on predefined criteria for loss of therapeutic response, patients treated with pregabalin were observed to maintain a therapeutic response for a significantly longer duration than patients treated with placebo. Pregabalin was tolerated by most patients in both trials; the incidence of the most commonly reported adverse events (dizziness, somnolence, weight gain, headache, dry mouth) appeared to be dose-related. CONCLUSION Pregabalin has been demonstrated to be efficacious and well-tolerated for the management of FM.


We examine the role of the vegetation cover and the associated hydrological cycle on the deep ocean circulation during the Late Miocene (~10 million years ago). In our simulations, an open Central American gateway and exchange with fresh Pacific waters leads to a weak and shallow thermohaline circulation in the North Atlantic Ocean which is consistent with most other modeling studies for this time period. Here, we estimate the effect of a changed vegetation cover on the ocean general circulation using atmospheric circulation model simulations for the late Miocene climate with 353 ppmv CO2 level. The Late Miocene land surface cover reduces the albedo, the net evaporation in the North Atlantic catchment is affected and the North Atlantic water becomes more saline leading to a more vigorous North Atlantic Deep Water circulation. These effects reveal potentially important feedbacks between the ocean circulation, the hydrological cycle and the land surface cover for Cenozoic climate evolution.


This study aims to explore the state of teaching tourism geography in Taiwan based on a content analysis of 60 syllabi. The paper investigates institutes and faculties, students, teaching methods, teaching content, and assessment methods in teaching tourism geography in Taiwan. The following conclusions were reached. (1) Tourism geography curricula are primarily implemented in tourism and recreation rather than geography departments. The faculty members with doctoral degrees from geography institutes are increasingly staffed in tourism and recreation departments, while more and more faculty members in forestry, biology, and geology are teaching in the sub-discipline of geography. (2) Geography departments provide diverse and systematic education in the sub-discipline ranging from bachelor's to doctoral degree programs, while only junior college and bachelor's degrees are offered in tourism and recreation departments. (3) Teaching methods such as lecturing, group reports, and discussions are more popular among junior college and bachelor's degree programs, while lecturing, discussion, academic literature reading, and group reports are more common among master's and doctoral degrees in the sub-discipline. The teaching methods appear to be more diverse at higher degree levels. (4) Regional tourism geography is more readily available in junior college curricula, while general tourism geography is taught more in the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree curricula. (5) Subject work, mid-term exam, and final exam are more popular assessment tools among junior college and bachelor's degree education, while subject work, reports, attendance, and discussion are more common among master's and doctoral degree education. This paper will help the international academia of tourism geography to gain a better understanding of tourism geography education in Greater China.


Conventional ray-tracing methods fail for non-Lambertian sources. To address this deficiency, we introduce a radiometric ray-tracing (R2T) method, applicable to quasi-homogeneous sources of arbitrary spatial coherence. Based on Fourier optics, applied to physical radiometry in the radiance transfer function second-order approximation, the R2T method retains the standard ray-tracing codes but modifies them to include phase-space weighting factors attached to conventional geometric rays.


Although the relative sizes of pulp cavities in teeth are used frequently to identify various age classes of carnivores, validation of the technique has received little attention. We measured the pulp cavities and tooth widths based on radiographs of canine and premolar teeth from a large sample of known-age, pen-reared coyotes (Canis latrans) and from samples of wild-caught coyotes of unknown age. The ratio of pulp cavity to tooth width decreased rapidly through the first year of life. Although canine tooth ratios of juvenile, yearling, and adult coyotes differed, variations within yearling and adult groups precluded accurate assignment of individual coyotes to other than juvenile and mature age categories. A value of 0.45 in this ratio appeared to reasonably delineate the 2 groups among wi ld coyotes from northern Utah between November and February. Pulp cavity-tooth width ratios of upper canines and premolars were larger than ratios from lower canines and premolars from the same coyotes. Females had slightly smaller tooth ratios than males of the same age.


"Once officially abolished, slavery was transformed: adopted as an illicit enterprise, it has mirrored changes in the general economy. No longer viewed as property, people today are seen merely as disposable inputs into production." Slavery continues around the world, but not in the way that most of us think of it. Since its wide abolition in the late 19th century, slavery has slipped easily into the shadow economy. Having done so, it began to change and develop in ways much more fluid and less visible than when it was legally regulated. In this article, I will illuminate the current state of slavery in the world. I will also demonstrate how new forms of slavery have evolved rapidly into a globalized economic pursuit since the Second World War. I will then examine two case studies of slavery as it is practiced in Mauritania and Sudan, addressing the difficult question of slave `redemption' in Sudan and shedding light on this problem by contextualising it historically and socially Finally, I will look at some possible approaches to confronting slavery in this century. The history of slavery spans most of human history and has taken many forms. While slavery continues today in a much-changed way, our understanding of it tends to be stuck in the 19th century The common perception of slavery as the ownership of people has led to confusion about what constitutes slavery today. To add to this confusion, none of the 300 laws and international agreements written since 181S to combat this phenomenon have defined it in exactly the same way. This has resulted in a hodgepodge of terms and definitions covering chattel slavery, debt bondage and forced prostitution, as well as such divergent conditions as incest, organ harvesting and prison labor. I define slavery as the complete control of a person for economic exploitation by violence or the threat of violence. The remarkable variety of human exploitation discussed below suggests, however, that there are gray areas even in this strict definition. My aim is to discuss only the social and economic relationships that constitute enslavement, even if this means excluding a discussion of prison labor, child labor or terribly exploited workers who are still free to leave their employers. Using this definition of slavery as a guideline, my best estimate of the number of slaves in the world today is 27 million. Where are all these slaves? An estimated 15 to 20 million are bonded laborers in India, Pakistan, and Nepal. The remainder is concentrated in Southeast Asia, Northern and Western Africa, and parts of South America, though slavery can be found in almost every country in the world including the United States, Japan, and many European countries. Today's total slave population is greater than the population of Canada and nearly five times greater than the population of Israel. Most slaves tend to be used in simple, non-technological and traditional work. The largest proportion works in agriculture. Slaves are also used in many other kinds of work: brick making, mining and quarrying, textiles, leather working, prostitution, gem and jewelry making, cloth and carpet making, domestic servitude, forest-clearing, charcoal making and working in shops. While much of their work is aimed at local sale and consumption, slave-made goods filter throughout the global economy. For example, carpets, fireworks, jewelry, metal goods, steel (made with slave-produced charcoal), and foods such as grains, rice and sugar are exported directly to North America and Europe after being produced using slave labor. In countries where slavery and industry co-exist, cheap slave-made goods and food keep factory wages low and help make everything from toys to computers less expensive. In addition, transnational companies, acting through subsidiaries in the developing world, take advantage (often unwittingly) of slave labor to increase dividends to their shareholders. Slavery, like many illegal activities, adapts rapidly to changing legal, economic and social conditions. …


A hydraulic data center is an important infrastructure for in-depth development and utilization of hydraulic information and information share. Hydraulic database access middleware is capable of integrating various heterogeneous hydraulic data sources and providing efficient, transparent data access for users. Nowadays it has become a hot research topic to study data access middleware technology, that can adapt to open, dynamic, and changing Internet environment to guarantee the quality of system service. Reflection enables programs to be accessible, dynamic, detect and modify their own status or behaviors. The paper proposes a reflective database middleware object model with the integration of reflection and database access middleware technology. The reflection is realized by creating an interactive mechanism between base-level functional entities and meta-level. A reflected Middleware Model (ReMM) is also created based on J2EE architecture. Finally the dynamic re-configuration is implemented according to quality parameter changes of service.


Inflation expectations are a key determinant of actual and future inflation and thus matter for the conduct of monetary policy. We study how firms form their inflation expectations using quarterly firm-level data from the Bank of Canada's Business Outlook Survey, spanning the 2001 to 2015 period. The data are aggregated to construct an inflation expectations index. Results based on the index suggest that expectations are not consistent with the rationality assumption but are, still, more complex than purely adaptive expectations. Firms' own unique experiences, such as the dynamics of the prices they expect to pay (wages/inputs), significantly influence aggregate expectations. Expectations are also found to be significantly and positively correlated with movements in oil prices. Most of the preceding results hold at the firm level. The estimation of structural shift specifications suggests that inflation expectations in Canada have drifted downward since the Great Recession. However, the data do not suggest that Canadian businesses' expectations have become unanchored.


This article analyses how the present system for the integration of asylum seekers in Canada, as seen in policies and in actual practice, either facilitates or impedes the integration of asylum seekers right from the moment of their arrival in Quebec. The authors examine how advocates from community organizations perceive the obstacles inherent to the temporary status of asylum seekers. The article further analyses the political dynamics that are entangled in social activities where asylum seekers and members of the host community interact. The study is based on data and results from a literature review and interviews conducted with advocacy groups and representatives of the various levels of government.


The past couple of decades have witnessed an expanding interest in the work of the French twentieth century philosopher Gilles Deleuze, inside and outside philosophy. Interpretations and applications of Deleuzian philosophy have been pursued by scholars across the humanities and the social sciences, including cultural studies, film studies, literary theory, women's studies, social theory, and more recently, certain areas of organization theory and management studies. Though Deleuze is often considered an obscure thinker, more elusive than contemporaries such as Foucault and Derrida, his contribution to Western thought has been extraordinary. From a sophisticated thinking of becoming and the virtual (Deleuze 1991, 1994), and through intense involvement with controversial thinkers such as Nietzsche (Deleuze, 1983), Bergson (Deleuze, 1991) and Spinoza (Deleuze, 1988, 1992), Deleuze has been a significant interlocutor in the critical rewriting and "buggery" of the history of metaphysics in ways that challenge the philosophical canon (see Deleuze, 1995), open up the world and expand Western philosophy's understanding of the world beyond being and the real. Reflecting both a biophilosophical and a methodological concern, Deleuze has sought to rethink the task of philosophy as the creative invention of concepts (Deleuze, 1994; Deleuze & Guattari, 1994) and problematize the relationship between thought and life, theory and practice (e.g. Foucault & Deleuze, 1977; Deleuze, 1995). As this has made Deleuze a controversial figure inside philosophy, it may seem that his work has been more palatable outside philosophy. In his sole-authored works as well as in his joint work with the psychologist Felix Guattari, Deleuze speaks directly to nonphilosopers through powerful notions such as the body without organs, nomadology and becoming-other, radically proposing a life to be lived differently from the established habits, norms and traditions of Western modern society (e.g. Deleuze, 1988, 1995; Deleuze & Guattari, 1984, 1988). And on a more concrete level akin to the agenda of organization theory, Deleuze has offered thought-provoking commentaries on the nature and workings of capitalism, bureaucracy and the State, juxtaposing these phenomena with schizophrenia. Interestingly, Deleuze seems to have spurred more interest in organization theory than in many other social science disciplines (see e.g. Cooper, 1998; Chia, 1999; Bougen & Young 2000; Linstead, 2000; Carter & Jackson, 2002; Fuglsang & Sorensen, forthcoming), possibly because organization theory's strong interdisciplinary roots have made it relatively open to intellectual communication and exchange across disciplinary boundaries. Of course, intellectual openness and excess is by no means representative of the entire field, and what may be seen as a lack of scholarly discipline and a failure of disciplinary containment remains a rusty nail in the eye of the mainstream establishment that still aspires to turn organization theory into a distinct, united discipline by tightly regulating and severely restricting cross-disciplinary communication (see e.g. Donaldson, 1985, 1996; McKelvey, 2003). Thus, the recent arrival of Deleuze at the margins of organization theory is no less important, as it effectively interrupts the striving for unity, homogeneity and discipline by working to sustain organization theory as an open field[1]. Deleuze's commitment to the openness of philosophy, the openness of the concept and the openness of life itself may help organization theorists open up the understanding of organizations, organizational life and the concept of organization. It is therefore with great joy that I introduce this special issue on Deleuze and organization theory, which, like Deleuze's own writings, is an effect of some exciting and surprising encounters between a variety of events and ideas. Viewing the Danish Employment Service as an expression of what Deleuze (1992) termed societies of control, Bent Meier Sorensen both extends and challenges previous work in Human Resource Management on the constitution of subjectivity. …


Existing building codes legislated to set minimum standards for construction state dangerously little about stone used to clad buildings. Without standards, failures have proliferated from the use of new materials in unproven applications and familiar materials in new systems. In response, the American National Standards Institute called upon the industry to develop standards that could be adopted into code. Past reliance on judgment without adequate experience must be replaced by uniform standards that include fundamental principles for the design and installation of contemporary systems to protect the public. To improve responsible use of stone as cladding, building codes must address differences from other veneers. Masonry veneers are more homogenous in production, erection, and behavior than stone, yet stone is presently governed by the same provisions of the building code. The in-progress Code Requirements will include parts of the present ASTM C1242 Standard Guide for Design and ASTM C1528 Standard Guide for Selection. The contents will address minimum material properties by stone type, engineering evaluation, attachment types, safety factors, joint design, and weather barrier integration. This is the status of the document's development, which upon completion, is intended to be incorporated into the building code. ASTM Committee C18 on Dimension Stone has compiled the industry practice on behalf of producers, engineers, architects, contractors, and owners for over 80 years. While its standard test methods, material specifications, and guides are invoked by many projects' construction documents, the documented knowledge is not currently incorporated into any of the model building codes, including the International Building Code. To develop the new standard Code Requirements for ANSI, professionals representing all interests of the stone building process are compiling the fundamental aspects of recommended stone cladding practice that should be mandatory.


Brucellosis is a public health problem in most countries in the Mediterranean. Involvement of the central nervous system is seen in 4-13% of patients with brucellosis. A 13-year-old girl was admitted because of gait disturbance, diplopia, and dizziness. Her complaints began about 1.5 years ago. The second symptomatic episode repeated about three months ago and the third two months ago. In total, attacks repeated 3 times over 1.5 years. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and the clinical features mimicked multiple sclerosis. The patient was given pulse steroid treatments. After steroid treatment, her gait disturbance and diplopia improved over the short term. Following positive developments, her symptoms recurred. The tests were repeated; the MRI showed increasingly high signal abnormalities, and Brucella melitensis was grown in cerebrospinal fluid. The patient was started on an oral combination of rifampin, doxycycline, and ciprofloxacin. MRI findings improved markedly after nine months of treatment. Although neurobrucellosis is associated rarely with demyelination in adults, this finding has not been reported previously in children or adolescents. Additionally, this case is the first in terms of involvement of the corpus callosum in neurobrucellosis. In this article, we present an unusual case of neurobrucellosis.


The aim of this paper is to examine the spatial distribution of socioeconomic inequalities in the municipal territories of Italy's three most populous metropolitan cities, Roma, Milan and Napoli, by means of economic and social indicators and with data aggregated at the sub-municipal subdivisions of the cities and the municipalities in their provinces. These metropolitan areas are coming out of the worst crisis Italy has ever experienced, with a new class of poor people found not only in the outskirts and in the less well-off social groups but also among the middle class. Local and national governments cannot ignore this situation; the weakest sections of society have been unable to reap the benefits of the growth in the quaternary sector that has characterized Milan, Rome and Naples after the last decade, albeit to differing degrees.


Abstract. The Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS) method is used extensively to retrieve total column amounts of trace gases based on UV-visible measurements of satellite spectrometers, such as ERS-2 GOME. In practice the sensitivity of the instrument to the tracer density is strongly height dependent, especially in the troposphere. The resulting tracer profile dependence may introduce large systematic errors in the retrieved columns that are difficult to quantify without proper additional information, as provided by the averaging kernel (AK). In this paper we discuss the DOAS retrieval method in the context of the general retrieval theory as developed by Rodgers. An expression is derived for the DOAS AK for optically thin absorbers. It is shown that the comparison with 3D chemistry-transport models and independent profile measurements, based on averaging kernels, is no longer influenced by errors resulting from a priori profile assumptions. The availability of averaging kernel information as part of the total column retrieval product is important for the interpretation of the observations, and for applications like chemical data assimilation and detailed satellite validation studies.


Copyright 2012 Jon Stiles, Michael Hout & Henry Brady, all rights reserved. ABSTRACT The ongoing budget crisis in California raises many questions about the most effective ways to allocate resources in ways which sustain future investments. In this paper, we consider two questions: What are the benefits to the state for investing in higher education? And, how do current educational investments create an environment which supports future needs? Drawing on current and historic data on returns to education for individuals, income tax regimes, state investments in higher education, progress and completion patterns, and mechanisms which translate individual impacts into date revenues and expenditures, we conclude that the benefits of higher education extend well beyond the direct payoff for students and include substantial gains to the state.


Many health professionals feel ill-equipped to deal with the complex needs of asylum-seekers and refugees. This article offers an overview of the literature, and reviews the demography, epidemiology and causes of mental illness in refugee and asylum-seeker groups. It discusses the types of service configurations and service response that would be appropriate. It highlights the findings of the Royal College of Psychiatrists' consensus team and their position statement on the treatment of refugees and asylum-seekers. It finishes with some thoughts about what clinicians can do to improve their treatment. Clearly, there is a need for more training, education and service development.


Using the Ebola outbreak of 2014/2015 in Liberia as a case study, this article demonstrates that by converting 'private activities and resources' for public health service delivery, Liberian domestic and diasporic non-government actors effectively broadcasted public authority at meso- and micro-levels previously assumed to be the exclusive domain of government and international institutions. Moving beyond the structural violence and state-building frameworks, I argue that while Liberia's pursuit of a vertical state-building agenda at the behest of international donors unravelled during Ebola, the public health measures employed by non-government Liberian actors were constituted by horizontal nation-building objectives. This refashioned how we think about public authority in post-war states and beyond. The article provides a systematic documentation of how and why Liberians 'inside' and 'outside' the geographic territory of the post-war state used their individual and collective agency to eradicate Ebola, and why their interventions are important for a larger discussion about the trajectory of post-Ebola recovery. Though it is difficult to prove a causal relationship between the interventions of non-government Liberian actors and the gradual decline in Ebola incidence rates, I underscore important correlations between their public health measures and Ebola eradication.


The paper describes a combined tribodynamics analysis (dynamics and contact tribology) of cylindrical roller bearings of a heavy duty truck transmission under high applied loads. The dynamic analysis provides the transient variations in contact load. It also determines the vibration spectrum of the bearing as well as that of contact dynamics. It is shown that with sufficient preloading and/or interference fitting a widely spread loaded region results, which reduces bearing-induced vibration. The transient tribological analysis, including thermal analysis with a novel and realistic lubricant inlet boundary condition demonstrates that non-Newtonian mixed elastohydrodynamic regime of lubrication is prevalent, but with reduced friction compared with unrealistic dry Coulombic friction, which is often assumed in literature.


It has recently been discovered that 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, the active
form of vitamin D, in addition to its important role in calcium transport activity
in bone, intestine and kidney, it is also found to be capable of suppressing cell
proliferation and inducing cell differentiation of certain tumour cells such as
malignant melanoma, breast cancer, and myeloid leukemia. The utility of 1,25-
dihydroxyvitainin D3 and other vitamin D analogues as drugs in the treatment
of these cancers has been restricted in part due to their potent calcemic effects.
As a consequence, there has been enhanced interest in the development of
structurally modified analogues of vitamin D with high cell differentiating
ability and low calcemic effects. Selected hydroxylated anthrasteroids were
designed to bind to the vitamin D receptors present in certain cancers, thereby
inducing cell differentiation and inhibiting cell proliferation with reduction
and/ or even elimination of the potent calcemic effects of vitamin D. Following a proposed scheme, the 1 (10-6) abeo-ergosta-5, 7, 9, 22-
tetraen-3-one (6), a key intermediate in the synthesis of the target molecule, was
synthesized starting with ergosterol. Acetylation of ergosterol gave the acetate,
which was protected with 4-phenyl-l,2,4-triazoline-3,5-dione (PTAD).
Rearrangement of the adduct with BF3-ether gave the anthrasteroid-3-acetate.
Hydrolysis of the acetate gave the alcohol. Oxidation of the alcohol gave
1 (10-6) abeo-ergosta-5,7,9,22-tetraen-3-one (6). The overall yield obtained
over the 5-steps was 50%. After a number of unsuccessful attempts to functionalise at C-2, we were
able to prepare 1(10-6) abeo-2-carbomethoxyergosta-5,7,9,22-tetraen-3-one
(39), that had allowed access to our target molecules (59). Aromatisation of (39)
with pyrrolidone hydrotribromide (PHT) gave the phenolic ester, followed by
methylation with methyl iodide gave the methoxy ester in good yield.
Reduction with lithium aluminium hydride gave the methoxy alcohol.
Oxidation of the alcohol with tetra-n-propylammonium perruthenate (TPAP)
gave the aldehyde in good yield. A 2-C extention via a Homer-Wadsworth- S
Emmons reaction with triethylphosphonoicetate gave the side chain
unsaturated ethoxy ester in moderate yield. Catalytic hydrogenation of the
ester with Pd/ C gave the saturated ester in quantitative yield. Lastly, reduction
of the saturated ester with lithium aluminium hydride gave 3-[1 (10-6) abeo-3-
methoxyergosta-l,3,5,7,9-pentaen-2-yIJ-l-propanol (59), our target molecule in
good yield.
The target molecule (59) was synthesized over 14- steps with an overall
yield of 10%.


Defamation is the legal remedy for damage to reputation. Automated systems can take action against humans that includes damage to their honor and dignity, as in the "No Fly" example, or damage to their market reputation. The damage can occur to an individual's reputation with society as a whole or to an individual's reputation with the automated system itself. The variety of reputation interests affected by the operation of automated systems is large, and to perform its reputation-protective function in an increasingly automated society, defamation law must expand to recognize that a publication to an automated system can serve as the basis for legal action.


More than five centuries of native peoples' artistry. Native Americans crafted beautiful clothing out of skins, pigment, quills and sinew. The collection of photographs in this outstanding reference celebrates this decorative genius. Many of the 300 photographs from more than 60 leading museums and private collections have never been published previously. The book describes the clothing in fascinating detail, from moccasins and tunics to sashes, bags and ceremonial and burial costumes. Theodore Brasser explains who made what and how, as well as the meanings of the different kinds of decoration, such as beadwork, embroidery, applique, patchwork, weaving and dyeing. There are also many examples of native pottery and other historic artifacts that depict themes used in the clothes. "Native American Clothing" provides a thorough historical background of the many influences on this clothing, including: Mythology Social status Political standing Wealth Climate Geography Contact with European settlers. The book covers the entire North American continent and is organized by tribal groups and regions: Southeast Northern east coast Eastern Great Lakes Eastern sub-Arctic Great Lakes Plains Southwest Plateau/desert California Northwest coast Western sub-Arctic Arctic. Numerous maps show the ranges of the tribes and convey how trade and travel spread cultural themes. With authoritative text and art-quality color reproductions, "Native American Clothing" will be important to collectors and historians and will also appeal to general readers.


Abstract This paper presents a set of principles and operational guidelines for research and development (R&D) to better address natural resource management problems distilled in a series of workshops with more than 150 experts and practitioners. The principles and guidelines, a number of which relate to scaling issues, are illustrated with case studies from Zimbabwe and Indonesia. The former included research on watershed management for improved small-scale irrigation, while the latter focused on work with communities that had confronted logging companies, partly because of the negative impact of logging on water quality. The principles are grouped as follows: (a) learning approaches; (b) systems approaches, and (c) organisational models. Eleven operational guidelines for implementing the approach are suggested, arranged in three clusters: (a) working together; (b) establishing the institutional and organisational framework; and (c) improving the approaches to suit the task. The elements and strategies for two of these cornerstones (collaborative partnerships and scaling-up and scaling-out) are illustrated to indicate the quality needed to achieve appropriate implementation of the R&D approach.


Character segmentation has long been a critical area of the OCR process. The higher recognition rates for isolated characters vs. those obtained for words and connected character strings well illustrate this fact. A good part of recent progress in reading unconstrained printed and written text may be ascribed to more insightful handling of segmentation. This paper provides a review of these advances. The aim is to provide an appreciation for the range of techniques that have been developed, rather than to simply list sources. Segmentation methods are listed under four main headings. What may be termed the "classical" approach consists of methods that partition the input image into subimages, which are then classified. The operation of attempting to decompose the image into classifiable units is called "dissection." The second class of methods avoids dissection, and segments the image either explicitly, by classification of prespecified windows, or implicitly by classification of subsets of spatial features collected from the image as a whole. The third strategy is a hybrid of the first two, employing dissection together with recombination rules to define potential segments, but using classification to select from the range of admissible segmentation possibilities offered by these subimages. Finally, holistic approaches that avoid segmentation by recognizing entire character strings as units are described.


Context

When our involvement in OTLA began it was an already existing and successful programme, with versions having been delivered by The Learning Consortium across Essex/Kent, AoC London in the London area, and emfec in the East Midlands.

OTLA2 was a strand of activity that came to include us in the South West, and The Learning Consortium in Yorkshire.

Using learnings from the previous programmes we developed a smaller scale, 'solutions focussed' approach with a larger number of smaller projects. There were no preset 'themes' and we encouraged providers to focus on areas of concern within their existing improvement planning so that project delivery would have a direct impact on standards.

The project focussed on FE providers in 6 counties: Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, and Gloucestershire.

Delivery team

Our delivery team comprised of our Partnership Mentors (Rosemarie D'ambrosio-Winter and Paul Stych) and our Research Mentor (Jim Crawley). These were supported by the Project Manager (Tom Hesmondhalgh), Education Director (Kevin Piper), and the rest of the project team at Creative Education.

Partnership Mentors were the first point of contact and engagement with providers. They supported the initial promotion of the opportunity, assisted providers as they made their applications, and provided support and challenge right through the project delivery.

The Research Mentor's role was to provide projects with access to research based approaches they may wish to include in their proposal, train on research methods, and assist with final reporting.


This cross-sectional survey was conducted countrywide from 15 January to 01 March 2004 to explore the potentials of health care service providers (physicians, nurses, paramedics etc.) for using distance-based learning materials. Face-to-face in-depth interview was taken from 99 randomly selected direct service providers, 45 midlevel clinic mangers/physicians and 06 administrators or policy planners. Quasi-open questionnaire was developed for three different levels. Pre-trained interviewer team assisted data collection at field level. Total procedure was stringently monitored for completeness and consistency to ensure quality data. SPSS software was used to process and analyze both univariate and multivariate multiple responses. Identified need for training areas were- STD/HIV, tuberculosis updates, family planning, treatment of locally endemic diseases, behavioral change communication & marketing and quality management system for managers. About 76.7% clinic managers and 89.1% service providers had primary information about distance-based learning in spite showed interest. About 51.5% desired monthly, 20.6% biweekly and 26.8% wanted bimonthly circulation of the distance-based study materials. About 35.1% expected print materials with regular facilitators while 58.8% demanded stand-by facilitators. The study suggested wide acceptance of distance-based learning methods as supplementary to the continuing medical education among the countrywide health service providers.


The columnar jointed basalts of the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland are a localized group of flows, the Causeway Tholeiite Member within the Tertiary Antrim Lava Group. Major and trace element analyses, including rare-earth element (REE) data, are presented which show a range of compositions from hy-normative tholeiites with mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) characteristics, to qz-normative examples with SiO2 > 54% and K2O > 1.0%. Within the Causeway tholeiites are three well defined chemical sub-groups which can be correlated stratigraphically across the area. Zr/Nb data suggest a single mantle source for the lavas with the range of composition the result of variable degrees of partial melting of a progressively depleted mantle, followed by fractional crystallization of the magmas at higher crustal levels. Mass balance calculations are used to model the fractionation processes involved. The lavas of the Causeway result from tectonically controlled decompression melting with magma equilibration in ephemeral chambers at high crustal levels followed by eruption as sheet flows. Disruption of the contemporaneous drainage system and the subsequent flooding of hot flow surfaces modified the cooling regime and formed the characteristic multi-tiered flows with colonnade and entablature development.


Background

Historically, the Australian medical internship was "intended to be a period of apprenticeship" (Geffen, 2014, p. S20). However, the 21st Century is far more technological, with many tasks previously carried out manually now replaced with some type of automation or digital processing and medical care is not immune to this change. This raises the question of whether the 'apprenticeship' model of learning is still valid or, as Van Der Weyden suggested in a Medical Journal of Australia editorial (2006, p. 313), whether the "learning environment is less personal, …. and captive to self-directed learning".

Aims

The purpose of this study was to investigate how medical interns learn in the 21st Century and what drives interns to learn the way they do. The sub-questions were:

1. From whom or from what do interns learn and what specifically do they learn via these encounters?

2. To what degree do interns still learn via an apprenticeship model, if at all, and how much of an interns' learning is self-directed?

3. What drives interns' learning in these directions?

Methods

This study explored 'apprenticeship' learning in medicine. It utilized a concurrent mixed methods design consisting of a combination of embedded and convergent parallel mixed method study designs. Firstly, a qualitative data collection strand was embedded within a quantitative survey to allow participants to elaborate on learning experiences identified in their quantitative responses. This collective data strand was analyzed. Secondly, using a convergent parallel design, this collective strand was then merged with analyzed qualitative interview response data to allow triangulation of data and interpretation of merged results.

This study was conducted within the Townsville Hospital and Health Service which consists of a large regional hospital, four small rural hospitals and a number of small community-based units. Interns from the 2012 cohort volunteered time to the study; one intern acted as a research assistant to develop the online survey tool; 18 interns assisted in refining the online tool; 16 interns participated in a pilot study which was conducted in Term 5 of 2012. Semi-structured interview pilots were also conducted in 2012 with the assistance of three interns and three supervisors.

Study participants included 61 interns from the 2013 and 2014 intern cohorts. Participants agreed to provide anonymous reflections on the learning they experienced whilst managing the first case of each shift in the first week of each internship term. Additionally, twenty of these interns volunteered time to be interviewed for the qualitative part of the study. Eighteen of the 2013 and 2014 supervisors of interns also agreed to be part of the study by volunteering time to be interviewed.

Results

Learning medicine is complex because human illnesses do not necessarily mirror what was described in textbooks. Interns must learn on the job, learn by doing. Medical interns' self-reported learning reflections indicated that 52.7% of their learning occurred via the apprenticeship learning relationships they had with their supervisors. The other 45.9% of their learning occurred via self-directed modes. This was as it should be in a cognitive apprenticeship where supervisors incrementally decreased their level of supervision and teaching as the intern increased their knowledge and skills towards being an independent practitioner. Interns valued the interactions they had with knowledgeable supervisors but needed to be adaptive learners to recognize and take advantage of both apprenticeship and self-directed learning opportunities if and when they arose.

Learning during the internship was iterative in that it was rarely a straight forward construction of new knowledge and skills. To further complicate learning, interns had to negotiate a number of tensions, for example service-provision versus learning, administrative processes versus opportunities for clinical/practical experiences and the desire to be independent versus the requirement to be supervised.

Proportionally more content was learnt by interns in non-core rotations (65.7%) than in core rotations (56.6%) and there was proportionally less administration (18.7%) and professional identity items (15.7%) in non-core rotations than in core rotations, (24.5% and 18.9% respectively). Interaction with supervisors was especially important for interns to learn the aspects of medicine that were difficult, if not impossible, to teach such as the tacit knowledge and skills the interns need to be accepted members of the medical fraternity.

Intern interviews indicated that their motivations to learn included a desire to be deemed competent. However, fear of failure or doing patients harm were the most common drivers of interns' learning. Interns were also striving to get in to college training programs.

Conclusion

Learning during a medical internship is multimodal. Learning occurs via a cognitive apprenticeship which consists of learning through 'apprenticeship' relationships with supervisors and by self-directed learning. The cognitive apprenticeship requires incremental decreases in the level of supervision with a corresponding increase in clinical responsibilities over time as the intern works towards becoming an independent practitioner. Interaction with supervisors is especially important for interns to learn the aspects of medicine that are difficult, if not impossible to teach. This includes learning the tacit knowledge and skills that enables them to be accepted members of the medical fraternity.

In time-poor learning environments, interns reported taking every advantage of apprenticeship relationships with knowledgeable supervisors; however, because service provision was often prioritized over learning, they supplemented this with self-directed learning. Interns therefore must have been adaptive learners, able to recognize learning opportunities if and when they arose.

The learning of medicine is complex and an iterative process. Interns learnt aspects of content, administration and professional identity during their internship year, however the details of what was learnt differs from rotation to rotation. It was therefore important that interns were provided a range of different clinical experiences. Interns' motivations to learn included a desire to be deemed competent, fear of doing patients harm and working towards getting in to college training programs.

Evidence collected during this study in North Queensland indicates that the current medical interns' learning environment is dominated more by the personal learning relationships they have with their supervisors (consultants and registrars) than it is by self-directed learning.


Security and safety-critical remote applications such as e-voting, online banking, industrial control systems and medical devices rely upon user interaction that is typically performed through web applications. Trusted path to such remote systems is critical in the presence of an attacker that controls the user's computer. Such an attacker can observe and modify any IO data without being detected by the user or the server. We investigate the security of previous research proposals and observe several drawbacks that make them vulnerable. Based on these observations we identify novel requirements for secure IO operation in the presence of a compromised host. As a solution, we propose PROTECTION, a system that ensures IO integrity using a trusted low-TCB device that sits between the attacker-controlled host and the IO devices. PROTECTION intercepts the display signal and user inputs from the keyboard and mouse, and overlays secure UI on top of the HDMI frames generated by the untrusted host. The guiding design principles of PROTECTION are: (i) integrity of user input and output cannot be considered separately, (ii) all user input modalities need to be protected simultaneously, and (iii) integrity protection should not rely on error prone user tasks like checking the presence of security indicators. By following these guidelines, PROTECTION achieves strong protection for IO integrity. We also propose an extension of PROTECTION for IO confidentiality, implement a plug-and-play prototype, and evaluate its performance.


Natural language serves as important information source in all areas of human activity. The presence of a huge amount of texts on the Internet actualizes the problem of efficient information search; visual scanning of all the textual information is difficult and time-consuming. There is a need for efficient, high-quality systems that extract the relevant information from texts. The paper presents the architecture of an experimental system for automatic text understanding and information extraction, which has originally been developed for the domain of news reports. The possibility of adapting the methodology for the purpose of bioinformatics is discussed, and the similarities and differences between texts in the two different domains are discussed and exemplified.


Based on the author's more than two decades of managing core facets of emergency planning and response, this book enables readers to minimize the possibility of a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) disaster or a hazardous material (hazmat) incident at public events. Moreover, it sets forth the tools needed to quickly respond to an incident in order to avoid or minimize casualties and damages. With its comprehensive approach, the book equips readers to plan for and manage a multi-disciplinary safety and emergency response team, including police, security, medical, military, and fire and civil protection personnel.


Abstract. This paper presents a comparative assessment of ultraviolet nadir-backscatter and infrared limb-emission ozone profile assimilation. The Meteorological Operational Satellite A (MetOp-A) Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment 2 (GOME-2) nadir and the ENVISAT Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding (MIPAS) limb profiles, generated by the ozone consortium of the European Space Agency Climate Change Initiative (ESA O3-CCI), were individually added to a reference set of ozone observations and assimilated in the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) data assimilation system (DAS). The two sets of resulting analyses were compared with that from a control experiment, only constrained by the reference dataset, and independent, unassimilated observations. Comparisons with independent observations show that both datasets improve the stratospheric ozone distribution. The changes inferred by the limb-based observations are more localized and, in places, more important than those implied by the nadir profiles, albeit they have a much lower number of observations. A small degradation (up to 0.25 mg kg−1 for GOME-2 and 0.5 mg kg−1 for MIPAS in the mass mixing ratio) is found in the tropics between 20 and 30 hPa. In the lowermost troposphere below its vertical coverage, the limb data are found to be able to modify the ozone distribution with changes as large as 60 %. Comparisons of the ozone analyses with sonde data show that at those levels the assimilation of GOME-2 leads to about 1 Dobson Unit (DU) smaller root mean square error (RMSE) than that of MIPAS. However, the assimilation of MIPAS can still improve the quality of the ozone analyses and – with a reduction in the RMSE of up to about 2 DU – outperform the control experiment thanks to its synergistic assimilation with total-column ozone data within the DAS. High vertical resolution ozone profile observations are essential to accurately monitor and forecast ozone concentrations in a DAS. This study demonstrates the potential and limitations of each dataset and instrument type, as well as the need for a balanced future availability of nadir and limb sensors and long-term plans for limb-viewing instruments.


The legal rights of children who enter a country without their parents or other guardians, including the right to legal representation in immigration proceedings, differ vastly across the globe. This Article is the first to show that unaccompanied minors lie at the nexus of international and regional human rights standards governing the treatment of immigrants, children, and civil counsel and to show how the development of human rights standards in these three areas underscores the importance of and the need for counsel for unaccompanied minors. Part I illustrates why unaccompanied minors in the United States need legal representation by focusing on the complexity of immigration proceedings, the likelihood that children will be deprived of their liberty at some point in the process, and the law and practice relating to representation. Part II analyzes how developing regional and international legal standards for children's rights, refugee rights, and the right to free civil counsel support the right to free legal counsel for unaccompanied children in immigration proceedings. Part III identifies the differing approaches to legal representation for unaccompanied minors around the world, and Part IV endorses a model for representation for unaccompanied minors based on developing human rights law as well as best practices and ethical standards in the United States. The Article concludes that the recommended model should be at the forefront of U.S. legislative consideration so that the United States does not continue to run afoul of well-developed principals of human rights law affecting unaccompanied minors.


There is little evidence on how the large market for credit score improvement products affects consumers or credit market efficiency. A randomized encouragement design on a standard credit builder loan (CBL) identifies null average effects on whether consumers have a credit score and the score itself, with important heterogeneity: those with loans outstanding at baseline fare worse, those without fare better. Selection, treatment effect, and prediction models indicate the CBL reveals valuable information to markets, inducing positive selection and making credit histories more precise, while keeping credit scores' predictive power intact. With modest targeting changes, CBLs could work as intended.


This article reviews the results of four years of negotiations of the parties to the UNFCCC, from the Kyoto Protocol signed in 1997 to the Marrakech Accords in 2001. This process was intended to provide the details and operational rules needed for parties to make decisions on whether to ratify and how to implement the Kyoto Protocol in time for the start of the first commitment period in 2008. The author analyzes the Marrakech Accords with respect to the Kyoto Mechanisms, reporting, verification, compliance, and developing country issues, and concludes that the Kyoto Protocol in itself is a negligible step forward in terms of both the environmental and equity goals of the UNFCCC. It does provide, however, the best chance for international progress on these issues, in that it should serve as a pilot phase to address some of the fears and concerns preventing parties from taking more meaningful action. It has the potential to serve as a basis for separating useful tools from those that should not become part of the long term international response to climate change. Perhaps most importantly, it should serve as a mechanism to focus negotiations on the major unresolved issues, such as how to fairly distribute emissions of greenhouse gases at levels that do not threaten the global climate system.


This paper studies the characteristics of the curvilinear motion and trajectory instability of a rigid projectile in deep penetration. In order to identify the influences of non-axisymmetrical disturbance, impact velocity and mass centre location on penetration trajectory, the curvilinear motion and instability of rigid projectiles with different mass centre locations are analysed. It is shown that both sudden (instable) and gradual (curvilinear) changes of the projectile trajectory may happen under certain conditions of projectile geometry, impact velocity and other attacking parameters. A criterion is introduced to determine the occurrence of trajectory instability. Two characteristic velocities are identified, i.e. (a) the critical impact velocity, beyond which trajectory instability happens, and (b) the characteristic convergent velocity, at which the projectile trajectory turns to straight line from the curvilinear motion. The two characteristic velocities are linearly dependent on the relative mass centre location and independent of disturbance and impact velocity.


This study employs state-level panel data to explore the relationship between inward foreign direct investment (FDI) and income inequality in the United States. Using panel cointegration techniques that allow for cross-sectional heterogeneity, cross-sectional dependence, and endogenous regressors, we find that the short-run effects of FDI on income inequality are insignificant or weakly significant and negative. In the long run, however, FDI exerts a significant and robust negative effect on income inequality in the United States. This result for the United States as a whole does not imply that FDI narrows income gaps in the long run in each individual state. There is considerable heterogeneity in the long-run effects of FDI on income inequality across states, with some states (21 out of 48 cases) exhibiting a positive relationship between FDI in income inequality.


In the surface acoustic wave quantum computer, the spin state of an electron trapped in a moving quantum dot comprises the physical qubit of the scheme. Via detailed analytic and numerical modeling of the qubit dynamics, we discuss the effect of excitations into higher-energy orbital states of the quantum dot that occur when the qubits pass through magnetic fields. We describe how single-qubit quantum operations, such as single-qubit rotations and single-qubit measurements, can be performed using only localized static magnetic fields. The models provide useful parameter regimes to be explored experimentally when the requirements on semiconductor gate fabrication and the nanomagnetics technology are met in the future.


Over the last decade various optical fiber sensing schemes have been proposed based on local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). LSPR are interacting with the evanescent field from light propagating in the fiber core or by interacting with the light at the fiber end face. Sensor designs utilizing the fiber end face is strongly preferred from a manufacturing point of view. However, the different techniques available to immobilize metallic nanostructures on the fiber end face for LSPR sensing is limited to essentially a monolayer, either by photolithographic structuring of metal film, thermal nucleation of metal film, or by random immobilization of nanoparticles (NP). In this paper, we report on a novel LSPR based optical fiber sensor architecture. The sensor is prepared by immobilizing gold NP's in a hydrogel droplet polymerized on the fiber end face. This design has several advantages over earlier designs. It dramatically increase the number of NP's available for sensing, it offers precise control over the NP density, and the NPs are position in a true 3D aqueous environment. The sensor design is also compatible with low cost manufacturing. The sensor design can measure volumetric changes in a stimuli-responsive hydrogel or measure binding to receptors on the NP surface. It can also be used as a two-parameter sensor by utilizing both effects. We present results from proof-of-concept experiments demonstrating a pH sensor based on LSPR sensing in a poly(acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) hydrogel embedding gold nanoparticles.


The experiments were designed to use photochemically cross-linked plastically compressed collagen (PCPCC) gel to support corneal epithelial cells. A plastically compressed collagen (PCC) scaffold was photo cross-linked by UVA in the presence of riboflavin to form a biomaterial with optimal mechanical properties. The breaking force, rheology, surgical suture strength, transparency, ultrastructure, and cell-based biocompatibility were compared between PCPCC and PCC gels. The breaking force increased proportionally with an increased concentration of riboflavin. The stress required to reach breaking point of the PCPCC scaffolds was over two times higher compared to the stress necessary to break PCC scaffolds in the presence of 0.1% riboflavin. Rheology results indicated that the structural properties of PCC remain unaltered after UVA cross-linking. The PCC gels were more easily broken than PCPCC gels when sutured on to bovine corneas. The optical density values of PCPCC and PCC showed no significant differences (p > 0.05). SEM analyses showed that the collagen fibres within the PCPCC gels were similar in morphology to PCC gels. No difference in cell-based biocompatibility was seen between the PCPCC and PCC scaffolds in terms of their ability to support the ex vivo expansion of corneal epithelial cells or their subsequent differentiation evidenced by similar levels of cytokeratin 14. In conclusion, PCPCC scaffold is an optimal biomaterial for use in therapeutic tissue engineering of the cornea.


A Middle Ordovician submarine-channel deposit in the southern Appalachians is capped by an interval of fine-grained, predominantly cross-laminated sandstones that are interpreted as internal-tide deposits. Two facies are recognized: (1) bidirectional cross-laminated, very fine grained sandstones, and (2) unidirectional cross-bedded and cross-laminated, medium- to fine grained sandstones. Facies 1 is dominated by bidirectional cross-laminations that dip both landward and seaward parallel to the paleochannel axis. This facies is related to up-channel and down-channel currents caused by internal tides. Facies 2 has both low-angle, tabular cross-beds and cross-laminations that dip landward. The formative up-channel currents are attributed to superimposition of internal waves on internal tides. The vertical transition from high-concentration gravity-flow deposits to intercalated low-concentration turbidites and internal-tide deposits is related to a rise in sea level that resulted in storage of coarse debris landward of the submarine channel.


Several potential, mainly medical applications of quantum dots (QDs), including nanodiagnostics, imaging, targeted drug delivery, and photodynamic therapy have been investigated to date. These fluorescent semiconductor nanocrystals are exceptionally suitable for immunolabeling, cell motility assays, in situ hybridization, as live cell markers due to their high photostability. QDs are adapted to the desired application by conjugation to a recognition moiety, e.g., antibodies, peptides, oligonucleotides or aptamers, or by coating with streptavidin. QDs are applied with other techniques, including polymerase chain reaction (PCR), fluorescence resonance-energy transfer (FRET) analysis, fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) and western blot analysis.


Cancer patients with an aberrant regulation of the protein phosphorylation networks are often treated with the tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Response rates approaching 85% are common. Unfortunately, patients often become refractory to the treatment by altering their signal transduction pathways. An implementation of the expression profiling with microarrays can identify the overall mRNA-level changes, and proteomics can identify the overall changes in protein levels or can identify the proteins involved, but the activity of the signal transduction pathways can only be established by interrogating post-translational modifications of the proteins. As a result, the ability to identify whether a drug treatment is successful or whether resistance arose, or the ability to characterize any alterations in the signaling pathways, is an important clinical challenge. Here, we provide a detailed explanation of antibody arrays as a tool which can identify system-wide alterations in various post-translational modifications (e.g., phosphorylation). One of the advantages of using antibody arrays includes their accessibility (an array does not require either an expert in proteomics or costly equipment) and speed. The availability of arrays targeting a combination of post-translational modifications is the primary limitation. In addition, unbiased approaches (phosphoproteomics) may be more suitable for the novel discovery, whereas antibody arrays are ideal for the most widely characterized targets.


We study the sedimentation of an initially inhomogeneous distribution of binary colloidal mixtures confined to a slit using a coarse-grained hybrid molecular dynamics and stochastic rotation dynamics simulation technique. This technique allows us to take into account the Brownian motion and hydrodynamic interactions between colloidal particles in suspensions. The sedimentation of such systems results in the formation of Rayleigh-Taylor-like hydrodynamic instabilities, and here we examine both the process of the formation and the evolution of the instability, as well as the structural organization of the colloids, depending on the properties of the binary mixture. We find that the structural properties of the swirls that form as a consequence of the instability depend greatly on the relative magnitudes of the Peclet numbers, and much less on the composition of the mixture. We also calculate the spatial colloid velocity correlation functions which allow us to follow the time evolution of the instability and the time dependence of the characteristic correlation length. Finally, we calculate the growth rates of the unstable modes both directly from our simulation data, and also using a theoretical approach, finding good agreement.


CHOTINSKY, D., 2015. The use of enzymes to improve utilization of nutrient in poultry diets. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 21: 429–435 Substitution of corn and wheat with barley, rye, triticale and oats has been associated with its variable energy content and detrimental effect on litter quality. The amount of available energy is infl uenced by fi ber content and the amount and composition of cell wall polysaccharides. The predominant Non Starch Polysaccharides (NSP) in barley and oats are the mixed-linked β-glucans, while in rye, wheat and triticale they are the pentosans (arabinixylans). It is now established that the soluble β -1-3, 1-4 D-glucan and soluble arabinoxylan exert antinutritive activity when high concentrations of these cereals are present in broiler diets. Both nonstarch polysaccharides create a viscous environment in the gastrointestinal tract of broiler chickens thereby interfering with the digestion and absorption of nutrients. The increased viscosity of the intestinal contents slow the rate of mixing of digestive enzymes with the substrate and the thickened unstirred water layer at the mucosal surface of the intestine impede the absorption of amino acids and glucose across the microvilous membrane. The ability of dietary fi ber to bind bile acids and the ability of microbiota to deconjugate them can cause bile acid insuffi ciency within the intestine. Whether the formations of β-glucan and arabinoxylan gels in the intestine exert their adverse effect on growth through food intake depression or through impaired effi ciency of digestion is unresolved. Corn alone does not contain soluble NSP in amounts to produce depression of performance Soybean cell walls contain pectic polysaccharides (galacturonans and arabinogalactans), which are half of the NSP. Dietary supplementation of cereal containing diets for broiler chickens with microbial and fungal β-glucanase and pentosanase activity improved feeding value of barley, oats, rye, wheat and triticale resulting in improved growth, feed conversion and reduction in sticky droppings. The improved performance has been attributed to the viscosity reduction and a breakdown of β-glucans and pentosans. Enzyme supplementation of chicken cerals based diets has resulted in improved starch and nitrogen digestability as well as improved absorption of starch, amino acids and lipids. The deleterious effects of β-glucans and pentosans, and the response to dietary β-glucanase or pentosanase are also affected by the age of the chickens.