Background Developing better measures of quality and performance are key priorities for ambulance services. Using multi-stage, multi-stakeholder consensus studies, we developed eight new indicators of ambulance service quality and performance. We present here a new indicator to measure rates of survival to 7 days post incident in people with a serious emergency condition. Methods We linked six months patient level Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) and electronic Patient Report Form (ePRF) data from one ambulance service with Hospital Episode Statistics (HES A and E/admitted patient data), and national mortality (ONS) information We identified a cohort of people with one of 16 serious emergency conditions, defined as conditions 'where death could potentially be prevented by a good emergency system'. We created age and condition adjusted models to calculate two survival measures. 1) Survival to hospital admission, within 7 days of the ambulance call; 2) For patients admitted to hospital, survival to 7 days from admission. Results 11 264 patients met the inclusion criteria. 1) 10 647 survived to admission and 617 (5.5%) died pre-admission. Most pre-admission deaths were in older people (42%>80 years) and occurred within 1 day of the ambulance call (87.8%). People with ruptured aortic aneurysm and asphyxiation were more likely to die pre-admission than those with other conditions. 2) Of the 10 647 patients admitted to hospital, 94% survived. Survival rates decreased with age: 100% of children under 11 years compared whereas 84% of those aged over 90 years survived to 7 days. People with cardiac arrest, septic shock and ruptured aortic aneurysm were also more likely to die in hospital. Conclusions These two indicators relate to people with a serious emergency condition who survive. Further work is being done to develop predictive models that can be used to assess trends over time. For example, survival may improve through taking the right patients to the right specialist care.


Studying ontogeny in both extant and extinct species can unravel the mechanisms underlying mammal diversification and specialization. Among mammalian clades, Cetartiodactyla encompass species with a wide range of adaptations, and ontogenetic evidence could clarify longstanding debates on the origins of modern specialized families. Here, we study the evolution of dental eruption patterns in early diverging cetartiodactyls to assess the ecological and biological significance of this character and shed new light on phylogenetic issues. After investigation of the ontogenetic dental series of 63 extinct genera, our parsimony reconstructions of eruption state evolution suggest that the eruption of molars before permanent premolars represents a plesiomorphic condition within Cetartiodactyla. This result substantially differs from a previous study based on modern species only. As a result, the presence of this pattern in most ruminants might represent an ancestral condition contributing to their specialized herbivory, rather than an original adaptation. In contrast, the late eruption of molars in hippopotamoids is more likely related to biological aspects, such as increases in body mass and slower pace of life. Our study mainly shows that eruption sequences reliably characterize higher level cetartiodactyl taxa and could represent a new source of phylogenetic characters, especially to disentangle the origin of hippopotamoids and cetaceans.


The paper describes an analysis based on data published on November 1, 2021, by the Israeli Ministry of Health (MOH) on its control dashboard about returning Israelis through the national airport. The data include the respective numbers of Vaccinated and Unvaccinated individuals and the number of positive COVID-19 cases identified in each group. These reflect the modified definitions of Vaccinated and Unvaccinated status after the Pfizer booster vaccination campaign in Israel (August-October). In particular, to maintain a Vaccinated status and specifically the "Green Pass", individuals who received the initial 2 doses more than 6 months ago were required to receive the booster vaccine.

Israel national airport is a unique setting, where the Vaccinated and Unvaccinated individuals all have to test, which allows a more objective assessment of both the booster and Green Pass efficacy in preventing infections. The analysis suggests that the positivity rate (number of cases divided by number of tests) among the Vaccinated cohort throughout August-October is only 1.54-fold smaller than the one among the Unvaccinated cohort (about 35% relative protection). More specifically, compared to the Unvaccinated group, the Vaccinated group has a significantly higher positivity rate during the month of August, then in September it shows a 3.45-fold smaller positivity rate (71% relative protection), and this protection decreases to 2.66-fold (62% protection) during October. The analysis suggests that the relative protection of the booster shot against infection is likely to be significantly smaller than the initial estimates of 10-11-fold (over 90%) reported by the MOH, probably around 60% at best. This also implies that the absolute number of infected individuals in the Vaccinated group is likely to be at least as high as in the Unvaccinated, raising serious concerns that the new Green Pass is inefficient in preventing infection spread, and could expose high risk individuals to risk.


In July 2008, the Final Version of the Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines (SSAG) was released by the federal Department of Justice, after three years of intensive feedback from spouses, lawyers, mediators and judges across the country. The B.C. SSAG cases in the year since the release of the Final Version show the courts struggling with many complex issues of spousal support law: the use of the SSAG on variation and review, the impact of high property awards upon spousal support, competing theories of entitlement, spousal support in shared custody cases, cases involving payor incomes over $350,000, post-separation income increases for payors, the effect of remarriage or repartnering by the recipient, self-sufficiency, time limits. These issues require a sophisticated support analysis and are the focus of this paper.The first part of the paper reviews "the basics" of the Advisory Guidelines, to ensure that mistakes are not made in typical cases and flags some common errors. We then review the major spousal support decisions of the B.C. Court of Appeal in the past two years, focusing primarily on four of the 17 decisions: Beninger, Chutter, Mann, and Shellito v. Bensimhon. In the next two sections, we analyze in detail the trial decision from the past year, first those under the without child support formula and then those under the with child support formula. In the concluding section, we offer some gratuitous advice, our own "top ten" list, of what to do, and what not to do, in using the Advisory Guidelines in British Columbia in the future.


In an earlier issue of this journal, Craft (2001) explored Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP) in relation to a classification of learning theories. Craft also offered various observations on, and criticisms of, aspects of NLP such as its theoretical coherence, modelling, Dilts's 'logical levels' and possible dissonance of NLP's espousal of individuality in learning with its experiential emphasis. This article offers a response to Craft's article. It describes the origins and nature of NLP, and explores its theoretical identity. NLP is portrayed here as based primarily on the cybernetic epistemology of Gregory Bateson (1972, 1979). The article offers a critique of many of the views put across in Craft's article, and builds on her attempt to position NLP theoretically. The broad aims of this article are to offer an informed perspective on the nature of NLP; to extend the academic literature on NLP; and to develop debate about its relevance to the theory and practice of education.


Although several interleukin-3 (IL-3)-dependent cell lines proliferate in response to IL-4 or insulin, the 32D line does not. Insulin and IL-4 sensitivity was restored to 32D cells by expression of IRS-1, the principal substrate of the insulin receptor. Although 32D cells possessed receptors for both factors, they lacked the IRS-1--related protein, 4PS, which becomes phosphorylated by tyrosine in insulin- or IL-4--responsive lines after stimulation. These results indicate that factors that bind unrelated receptors can use similar mitogenic signaling pathways in hematopoietic cells and that 4PS and IRS-1 are functionally similar proteins that are essential for insulin- and IL-4--induced proliferation.


Explore the great state of New Jersey, from the capital of Trenton to the Crossroads, from the Pine Barrens to the Watchungs, from the Lower Delaware to the popular shore. New Jersey has it all—history, culture, nature, industry, and fun! Children and their families will love learning about the amazing past and present of America's third state. They can even use it as a guide for trips to all the great sites in New Jersey. Stand on the spot where George Washington stood after crossing the Delaware to fight for American independence. Visit the Cowtown Rodeo in Woodstown for a whoop and a holler. Grab a hammer and mine for your own minerals at the Franklin Mineral Museum. Travel north to south, east to west–—you'll never run out of amazing things to see and do in New Jersey.


Abstract : Humans have been adapting to the vagaries of weather for millennia, sometimes successfully sometimes not. Today, the myriad of important federal laws that regulate the impacts of human activity in our natural environment not only complicates plans for climate change adaptation, but also act as a strong justification for proactive planning, engagement and action. The challenge of adaptation will result in increased opportunities for more effective interaction with other federal agencies, communities and scientific organizations to better meet needs of the community at large and the readiness goals of the constantly evolving military mission.


The Authors' reply In the interim since our editorial was published,1 the Copenhagen City Heart Study focusing on longevity in joggers, has been published in a prestigious peer-reviewed journal.2 This large prospective longitudinal observational study followed 1878 joggers and 10 158 non-joggers for up to 35 years. They found that joggers, as compared with the non-joggers, had a remarkable 44% lower risk of mortality during follow-up for both men and women. The age-adjusted increase in survival was about 6 years in both genders. However, U-shaped curves were apparent for mortality with respect to quantity of jogging (figure 1), estimated running speed (figure 2), and frequency of jogging (figure 3). These curves suggest that the benefits of jogging are most robust for those who jog between 1 and 2.5 h per week, at a slow to moderate pace, at a frequency of about 2 or 3 times per week. In those joggers who were doing a higher volume, higher-intensity running, the long-term mortality rates were not significantly different from non-joggers. In other words, overdoing the running substantially diminishes the remarkable gains in longevity conferred by moderate jogging.

Figure 1
Quantity of jogging and mortality. Green bars: significantly different than non-joggers (referent).

Figure 2
Jogging pace (running speed as estimated by the jogger) and mortality. Green bars: significantly different than non-joggers (referent).

Figure 3
Frequency …


This report describes the work carried out to scope the potential for BGS to develop an Underground Asset Management tool. This work was funded through both a NERC innovation grant and Science budget funding from the Information Products Theme.
The objective of asset management is 'to ensure that assets deliver the required function and level of performance in terms of service, in a sustainable manner, at optimum whole life cost without compromising health, safety, environmental performance or the organisation's reputation'. It is in this context that this report discusses the data available within BGS that could be provided to external organisations and how to communicate this information to potential clients.
STRUCTURE OF REPORT
The introduction explains the background to the project and looks into why an asset management tool may be required. The second chapter discusses customer need and likely uptake if such a tool were developed. This leads into the third chapter where current tools already on the market in the UK and their limitations are discussed. In the forth and fifth chapters an outline is given of the availability of data critical to the creation of an asset management system and how this could be developed into a tool. Finally we describe a pilot system developed for the Humber–Trent region. The final chapter attempts to summarise the key findings.


Abstract A combination of new surface and subsurface structural data, new stratigraphic data on conventional provenance, facies and palaeocurrents, low-temperature thermochronology and detrital zircon U–Pb provenance data provides a comprehensive account of the timing of deformation in the intermountane Middle Magdalena basin of the Central Colombian Andes, and allows evaluation of the style of foreland basin deformation associated with tectonic inversion. This robust dataset enabled documentation of focused tectonic activity in two competing low-relief basement structures to the east and west of the present Middle Magdalena Valley during the Palaeogene, earlier than previously recognized. Cenozoic sediment accumulation of a sedimentary pile up to 7 km thick in the Middle Magdalena Basin created a large original taper angle in this part of the north Andes. At that time, when the detachment rocks were deeply buried, the original larger taper angle facilitated the forelandward advance of deformation instead of promoting its stagnation. Supplementary material: Raw data results from geochronometrial analyses are available at: http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18627


Combined targeting of the receptors HER2 and VEGFR delays the growth of HER2-positive breast cancer metastases in mouse brain. About 50% of patients with breast cancer characterized as human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)–positive develop brain metastases. Although patients with extracranial disease generally respond to treatment with HER2 inhibitors, such as the antibody trastuzumab, brain metastases often fail to respond; thus, alternative therapies are required. Given the importance of angiogenesis to breast cancer development and metastasis, Kodack et al. developed a xenograft-based mouse model of HER2-dependent breast cancer and investigated a role for signaling by vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR), which promotes angiogenesis, in brain metastases. Brain imaging of tumor cells, which expressed a fluorescent protein and luciferase to enable their identification, showed that, whereas tumor cells in the mammary fat pad responded to anti-HER2 therapy, those in the brain did not, demonstrating that the mouse model recapitulated critical aspects of the human disease. Combined antibody-mediated inhibition of both HER2 and VEGFR delayed brain metastatic growth and increased survival compared to that in mice treated with anti-HER2 therapy alone. Western blotting analysis of Akt and mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling showed that the addition of VEGFR-targeted antibody did not enhance the effects of the HER2 inhibitor on HER2 signaling. Instead, combined therapy led to necrotic death of tumor cells, which was accompanied by a reduction in the microvascular density in the tumors, as assessed by staining for endothelial cell markers. Triple therapy, in which two HER2 inhibitors were combined with the VEGFR-targeted antibody, resulted in the greatest reduction in brain tumor growth and increase in mouse survival, which was more than twofold longer than those that received anti-VEGFR therapy with a single HER2 inhibitor. Thus, targeting both HER2 and VEGFR should be investigated in clinical trials. D. P. Kodack, E. Chung, H. Yamashita, J. Incio, A. M. M. J. Duyverman, Y. Song, C. T. Farrar, Y. Huang, E. Ager, W. Kamoun, S. Goel, M. Snuderl, A. Lussiez, L. Hiddingh, S. Mahmood, B. A. Tannous, A. F. Eichler, D. Fukumura, J. A. Engelman, R. K. Jain, Combined targeting of HER2 and VEGFR2 for effective treatment of HER2-amplified breast cancer brain metastases. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 109, E3119–E3127 (2012). [Abstract] [Full Text]


Introduction: Beyond Realism? In the past 30 years scholars of international relations have moved beyond the classic dichotomy of realism and idealism (liberalism), in an attempt to enlarge the theory of international relations. Assiduous analysts have extended these classic approaches into, e.g., structural realism (structuralism), hegemony stability theory, institutionalism, institutional liberalism, institutional society, constructivism, Marxism ... and a jumble of post-modern isms (Reus-Smit & Snidal, eds., 2008; Carlsnaes, Risse & Simmons, eds., 2003, passim). Reviving the theoretical exclusivity of state-to-state relations seems inadequate in the post-Cold War, inter-state terrorism environment of the 21st Century. An alternative has emerged that emphasizes trans-state institutions, i.e., reflections of a growing international "community" which cut across the state/state axis of analysis. It focuses on concepts like class, cultural communities, shared ideologies, and an emerging world "society" (Jackson and Sorenson, 2003). More thoroughly revisionist is the view that the structures of human association are determined primarily by shared ideas rather than by material forces, ... "what individuals and groups most want is not security or power or wealth, but recognition of, and respect for, their rights" (Wendt, "Social Constructivism," Theory Talks, #3, n.d.]. The "clash of civilizations" critique of international politics destined to emerge as a new liberal new world order seemed validated by the Islamist-jihadist attacks emanating from an international but non-state entity (Huntington, 1996). Attempts to "re-master" the older models of descriptive theory have ranged from the applicability of a renewed American hegemony to multi-polarity. An analytical multi-dimensionality clearly transcends the received state interests or "statist" dominated paradigm (Nye,"Teaching America,"Theory Talks, n.d; Nye, Soft Power, 2004, 30-32.). Finally, there is the utility question: the relevance of international theory and theorizing to what used to be the whole point of the exercise--the making of policy in foreign affairs. This dialogue with Realism--questioning the behavioral centrality of state power in a supposed anarchic world--has combined through two great post-war attempts in the 20t Century at organizing international relations on the basis of a set of agreed principles of governance. In the political science of international relations, Liberalism challenged Realism in the 1920s. "Institutionalism" modified liberalism in the 1970s (Stein in Reus-Smit & Snidal, 2008, 201-221). A more fundamental challenge to the primacy of states, indeed to conventional political thinking, however, has been "Constructivism." The major thrust of the debate today is the question of whether there is an international society which sets limits to the behavior of states and sets the agendas of non-state international institutions (Walker, 1992; Hurd in Reus-Smit & Snidal, 2008, 298-316). The international society school (called the English School by international relations theorists) claims that world politics is not anarchy, that the world works today in accordance with norms and rules, reflecting international agreements and international institutions, paradigmatically similar to the imperially competitive but authoritatively Christian Europe of the 17th to the 19th Century. In this view, the important as well as mundane trans-national and interstate relations built in the second half of the 20th Century have created the equivalent of a world civilization, with not only contracts and understandings but a global ethic (Buzan, 2004; Dunne in Reus-Smit & Snidal, 267-285; Adler in Carlsnaes, Risser and Simmons, 95-118). The major evidence is that today the world operates according to understandings that have reversed or severely modified previous norms. Backed by power and international authority, there is a global consensus in realms such as anti-slavery, anti-racism, and anti-colonialism. …


Background
Afatinib, an irreversible epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (egfr tki), is approved for first-line therapy in advanced EGFR mutation-positive non-small-cell lung cancer (nsclc) and has previously demonstrated activity after failure of chemotherapy and reversible egfr tkis, with improved response and progression-free survival, compared with placebo. Outcomes in pretreated patients with advanced nsclc receiving afatinib through a Canadian special access program (sap) are reported here.

Methods
Patients with nsclc progressing after at least 1 line of chemotherapy and an egfr tki were eligible to enrol in the sap. Characteristics of patients from the two largest accruing Canadian centres were retrospectively reviewed, including demographics, disease and treatment data, and patient outcomes.

Results
The 53 patients who received afatinib (57% women, 51% never-smokers, 26% of East Asian ethnicity, and 66% with adenocarcinoma) had a median age of 59 years. EGFR mutations were documented in 25%, and EGFR wild-type in 8%. All patients had received prior egfr tki treatment, with 42% achieving a response. Patients took afatinib for a median of 2 months (range: 0-26 months); 17% required 1 or more dose reductions. Of 47 evaluable patients receiving afatinib, 10 experienced tumour shrinkage, and 11, stable disease. Median survival from afatinib initiation was 5 months (95% confidence interval: 2 months to 8 months). Grade 3 or greater diarrhea, rash, paronychia, and stomatitis were seen in 9%, 11%, 6%, and 4% of patients respectively.

Conclusions
In an unselected population of pretreated patients with advanced nsclc after tki failure, median survival with afatinib therapy was 5 months. Through a sap, afatinib demonstrated activity in clinical practice, with manageable toxicity.


Abstract. Mass spectrometric measurements commonly yield data on hundreds of variables over thousands of points in time. Refining and synthesizing this raw data into chemical information necessitates the use of advanced, statistics-based data analytical techniques. In the field of analytical aerosol chemistry, statistical, dimensionality reductive methods have become widespread in the last decade, yet comparable advanced chemometric techniques for data classification and identification remain marginal. Here we present an example of combining data dimensionality reduction (factorization) with exploratory classification (clustering), and show that the results cannot only reproduce and corroborate earlier findings, but also complement and broaden our current perspectives on aerosol chemical classification. We find that applying positive matrix factorization to extract spectral characteristics of the organic component of air pollution plumes, together with an unsupervised clustering algorithm, k-means+ + , for classification, reproduces classical organic aerosol speciation schemes. Applying appropriately chosen metrics for spectral dissimilarity along with optimized data weighting, the source-specific pollution characteristics can be statistically resolved even for spectrally very similar aerosol types, such as different combustion-related anthropogenic aerosol species and atmospheric aerosols with similar degree of oxidation. In addition to the typical oxidation level and source-driven aerosol classification, we were also able to classify and characterize outlier groups that would likely be disregarded in a more conventional analysis. Evaluating solution quality for the classification also provides means to assess the performance of mass spectral similarity metrics and optimize weighting for mass spectral variables. This facilitates algorithm-based evaluation of aerosol spectra, which may prove invaluable for future development of automatic methods for spectra identification and classification. Robust, statistics-based results and data visualizations also provide important clues to a human analyst on the existence and chemical interpretation of data structures. Applying these methods to a test set of data, aerosol mass spectrometric data of organic aerosol from a boreal forest site, yielded five to seven different recurring pollution types from various sources, including traffic, cooking, biomass burning and nearby sawmills. Additionally, three distinct, minor pollution types were discovered and identified as amine-dominated aerosols.


Modes and rates of molecular evolution, and congruence and combinability for phylogenetic reconstruction, of portions of the nuclear large ribosomal subunit (nLSU-rDNA) and mitochondrial small subunit (mtSSU-rDNA) genes were investigated in the mushroom genus Amanita. The AT content was higher in the mtSSU-rDNA than in the nLSU-rDNA. A transition bias in which AT substitutions were as frequent as transitions was present in the mtSSU-rDNA but not in the nLSU-rDNA. Among-sites rate variation in nucleotide substitutions at variable sites was present in the nLSU-rDNA but not in the mtSSU-rDNA. Likelihood ratio tests indicated very different models of evolution for the two molecules. A molecular clock could be rejected for both data sets. Rates of molecular evolution in the two molecules were uncoupled: faster evolutionary rates in the mtSSU-rDNA and nLSU-rDNA were not observed for the same taxa. In separate phylogenetic analyses, the nLSU-rDNA data set had higher phylogenetic resolution. The partition homogeneity test and statistical bootstrap support for branches indicated absence of conflict in the phylogenetic signal in the two data sets; however, tree topologies produced from the separate data sets were not congruent. Heterogeneity in modes and rates of evolution in the two molecules pose difficulties for a combined analysis of the two data sets: the use of equally weighted parsimony is not fully satisfactory when rate heterogeneity is present, and it is impractical to determine a model for maximum-likelihood analysis that fits simultaneously two heterogeneous data sets. Overall topologies produced from either the separated or the combined analyses using various tree reconstruction methods were identical for nearly all statistically significant branches.


First-principles molecular dynamics simulations are carried out to study the structural properties of liquid GeSe2. We use a generalized gradient approximation for the exchange and correlation energy, which we find to improve significantly upon the local density approximation in describing both the short- and the intermediate-range structure. A very good agreement with experiment is obtained for the total neutron structure factor over the entire range of momentum transfer. In particular, the first sharp diffraction peak (FSDP) is well reproduced. We carry out a detailed comparison between partial structure factors and partial pair correlations in theory and experiment to assess the quality of our simulation model. The short-range and intermediate-range structure are well described overall. However, residual differences between theory and experiment, such as the absence of a FSDP in the concentration-concentration structure factor, appear and are traced back to the Ge-Ge correlations. An analysis of the bonding configurations indicates that liquid GeSe2 is a defective network consisting of predominant Ge-centered tetrahedral units, but Ge- and Se-centered triads and homopolar bonds occur in non-negligible amounts. The number of Ge-Ge homopolar bonds and of ordered fourfold rings compare favorably with experimental estimates. Chemical disorder manifests through an important percentage of Se-rich odd-membered rings. We characterized the intermediate-range order by studying the relation between real-space distances and the FSDP. We found that this feature appears when correlations beyond 5 Angstrom are accounted for. The evaluation of bond lifetimes reflect the higher stability of Ge-Se bonds with respect to homopolar bonds, consistent with the predominance of tetrahedral units.


The diversity of small-scale irrigation in the Ethiopian Blue Nile basin comprises small dams, wells, ponds and river diversion. The diversity of irrigation infrastructure is partly a consequence of the topographic heterogeneity of the Fogera plains. Despite similar social-political conditions and the same administrative framework, irrigation facilities are established, used and managed differently, ranging from informal arrangements of households and 'water fathers' to water user associations, as well as from open access to irrigation schedules. Fogera belongs to Ethiopian landscapes that will soon transform as a consequence of large dams and huge irrigation schemes. Property rights to land and water are negotiated among a variety of old and new actors. This study, based on ethnographic, hydrological and survey data, synthesises four case studies to analyse the current state of small-scale irrigation. It argues that all water storage options have not only certain comparative advantages but also social constraints, and supports a policy of extending water storage 'systems' that combine and build on complementarities of different storage types instead of fully replacing diversity by large dams.


This article looks at the BRIC countries with the understanding that countries not only grow, but also undergo structural change. Industrialisation first and the shift from industry to human capital intensive-services economy later. Moreover, it is stressed that the latter transformation requires not only more economic, but also civic and political freedom. From that perspective the 'tectonic shifts' in the global economy, predicted by many, are more doubtful than many protagonists of 'China as the No. 1' idea would be ready to admit. Especially Russia and China present themselves as countries with a serious problem to overcome. And the assessment excludes a lot of problems all countries of the BRIC group will be facing in the years and decades to come.


Biological damage caused by macronutrient deficiency in watermelon plants is still not known, and may lead to nutritional disorders and alterations in absorption and utilization efficiencies, depending on the evaluated nutrient. In this context, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the growth and nutritional efficiency of watermelon plants grown under macronutrient deficiencies. The experiments were carried out in pots containing an aerated nutrient solution. Treatments consisted of the nutrient solution containing (control) or lacking nitrogen (−N), phosphorus (−P), potassium (−K), calcium (−Ca), magnesium (−Mg), and sulfur (−S), in a completely randomized design with three replications. At the end of the experiment with the onset of symptoms of deficiency, plant growth, green color index, nutrient accumulation, nutrient uptake, nutrient utilization efficiency, root density, and foliar deficiency symptoms were evaluated. P, K, Ca, Mg, and S deficiencies increased plant utilization efficiency and can potentiate watermelon development in environments deficient in these nutrients. The opposite was observed concerning nitrogen deficiency, because this condition induced greater biological damage, with low utilization efficiency, indicating the sensitivity of this species in low N conditions.


Background: Scalp cooling is a useful technique for decreasing hair loss and reducing the stigma patients feel when they experience alopecia. It was used for a period of time in the U.S. more than 20 years ago and then was removed from the market while use continued in Europe. Recently, better equipment has been developed and approved by the FDA for use with patients who have solid tumors. Current evidence supports this technology and will be summarized in this presentation. Discussion: Setting up scalp cooling as an offered service at any setting presents many challenges and changes in workflow affecting physicians and nursing staff. The purpose of this presentation is to prepare oncology providers who wish to implement scalp cooling using a machine based system at their setting. Our implementation process will be used as a teaching case study. Product support, logistics, patient satisfaction, equipment, and education needs will be discussed. This project description will highlight the steps taken to implement scalp cooling at a comprehensive cancer center for breast and gynecology oncology patients. Initial efforts to review the literature, investigate equipment choices, and compare use with other centers will be reviewed. The management aspects of setting up a new service, eg, business plan, physical plan considerations, informed consent, costs, staffing, workflow, clinic schedules, safety, and staff education will be shared. Important tips for keeping patients safe and comfortable while achieving maximum therapeutic benefit will be discussed. Evaluation will be presented in the form of lessons learned during implementation resulting in more efficient work flow and greater patient comfort during scalp cooling. Patient satisfaction data will be disseminated. Conclusion: The oncology community is eager to provide patients with scalp cooling, but no literature to date has described the management aspects of implementation. This presentation will offer comprehensive information to assist in addressing anticipated needs when initiating scalp cooling.


This paper presents the results of study aiming to measure solar spectral properties and the thermal performance of 5 (green, red, yellow, beige and off-white) color thin layer asphalt samples in comparison to a sample of conventional black asphalt. In addition the impact of the application of such materials on pavements (road) on surface and air temperature is evaluated. These materials can be applied on new or existing asphalt pavements that are in good condition. This study consists of three parts a) Spectral analysis and study of the optical properties of the samples b) Study and analysis of the thermal performance of the samples. c) Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation for evaluating the impact of applying the samples in outdoor spaces. The spectrophotometric measurements showed that the coloured thin layer asphalt samples are characterised by higher values of solar reflectance compared to the conventional asphalt, which is mainly due to their high near infrared solar reflectance. From the statistical analysis of the surface temperatures it was found that all the colored thin layer asphalt samples demonstrate lower surface temperatures compared to conventional asphalt. The maximum temperature difference recorded was for the off-white sample and was equal to 12 C. The CFD simulation results show that both surface and air temperatures are decreased when applying the colour thin layer sample.


The thesis 'Early Recorded Violinists' investigates 13 violinists, starting from Joseph Joachim as the earliest born violinist to have made gramophone recordings, to Mischa Elman. In the first chapter I examine and analyse the recordings of Joachim. In the next chapter I investigate Hugo Heermann's violin playing and technique. Heermann is a violinist with insufficient information published about him. In chapter 3, the work of Sarasate is illustrated with musical examples from his recordings and compositions, examining the combination of his musical and technical characteristics. Auer is examined as violinist and teacher in chapter 4. In the fifth chapter I intend to examine Eugene Ysaye who is one of the first exponents of the modern violin sound and continuous vibrato along with Kreisler. In chapter 6, we consider the founder of the Hungarian violin school JenO Hubay. His violin playing was influenced by national Hungarian music and my examples intend to give some information on that subject. Another 'national' violinist Maud Powell is investigated in chapter 7. She was influenced by her native American music and gave the first performances of many violin concertos in the United States. Another important teacher of the 20th century, Karl Flesch, is considered as a rival to Auer and is presented in chapter 8. Viennese violinist Fritz ICreisler is examined in chapter 9, his recordings and compositions give us important information on vibrato and portamento. Ysaye also influenced a younger generation of violinists, among them Jacques Thibaud whose recordings are examined in chapter 10. In chapters 11 and 12, two more 'national' violinists are examined with their recordings: Jan Kubelik and Georges Enescu. Auer's first internationally renowned pupil, Mischa Elman, is
also examined in chapter 13.


In this paper we carefully study the analysis involved with Volterra series. We address system-theoretic issues ranging from bounds on the gain and incremental gain of Volterra series operators to the existence of Volterra series operator inverses, and mathematical topics such as the relation between Volterra series operators and Taylor series. The proofs are complete, and use only the basic facts of analysis. We prove a general Steady-state theorem for Volterra series operators, and then establish a general formula for the spectrum of the output of a Volterra series operator in terms of the spectrum of a periodic input. This paper is meant to complement recent work on Volterra series expansions for dynamical systems.


Pressure swing adsorption (PSA) is an efficient method for gas separation and is a potential candidate for carbon dioxide (CO2) capture from power plants. However, few PSA cycles have been designed for this purpose; the optimal design and operation of PSA cycles for CO2 capture, as well as other systems, remains a very challenging task. In this study, we present a systematic optimization-based formulation for the synthesis and design of novel PSA cycles for CO2 capture in IGCC power plants, which can simultaneously produce hydrogen (H2) and CO2 at high purity and high recovery. Here, we apply a superstructure-based approach to simultaneously determine optimal cycle configurations and design parameters for PSA units. This approach combines automatic differentiation, efficient ODE solvers for the state and sensitivity equations of the PSA model, and state of the art nonlinear programming solvers. Three optimization models are proposed, and two PSA case studies are considered. The first case study considers a binary separation of H2 and CO2 at high purity, where specific energy is minimized, whereas the second case study considers a larger five component separation. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 58: 3777–3791, 2012


Northern Lower Casamance and southern Gambia's beaches, just like those of West Africa, are subject to significant morpho-sedimentary dynamics characterized by coastline mobility. Such mobility, combined with significant variations in different places, is characterized by some globally erosive trend (-1.2 to 6m/year, in sandy areas extending from Senegal to Sierra Leone and -1 to -15m/year from Ivory Coast to Nigeria). The purpose of this article is to analyze the coastline evolution in Lower Casamance and southern Gambia based on a diachronic survey (1968-2017). The reference line used to demonstrate the variation of the coastline is the vegetation boundary. The results obtained are based on the digital processing of geospatial data (aerial photographs, Landsat and Google Earth images). The different variations of the coastline are obtained through the calculation of two indexes considered as the most relevant ones. The first one, the End Point Rate (EPR) index, helped measure the difference between two successive coastlines and the second one, the Linear Regression Rate (LRR) index, allows assessing the ability to estimate the evolution of each segment over the entire period considered. These mobility indexes (EPR and LRR) show some variable dynamics of the coastline, featured by two trends: the first one, under accretion in the 1968-1986 periods and the other one, globally erosive during 1986 - 2017 period.


Describes the VisuaLinda system, which is an integration of a Linda server and a visualizer of parallel Linda programs. Since the visualization module is built into the Linda server, programmers do not need to put additional visualization primitives in their client programs in order to visualize the behavior of their programs. This framework significantly reduces the programmers' burden in debugging parallel programs, owing to the following features. First, it minimizes the "probe effect", which is one of the main concerns in monitoring parallel programs. Second, VisuaLinda uses 3D space to display both the relation between the Linda server and the client programs, and the execution of client programs. This framework can be used to display a much larger number of processes than using 2D visualization techniques, see two relations simultaneously, improve the visibility of communication lines, and see each process's state as well as the overview of the execution.


Tonic immobility (TI) is a transitory and reversible state of profound motor inhibition that can be induced in susceptible species (Klemm 1976). Episode duration can be from several seconds to several hours, even within a single species (Gallup, 1975) The most susceptible species are those which are highly preyed upon. Described by Darwin as the death feint (Darwin 1839), it is believed that TI is a fear motivated terminal defence mechanism employed by prey animals, after other defence strategies have failed, and which serves to limit injury and provide the possibility of escape (Sargeant and Eberhardt 1975; Thompson et al 1981). The adaptive advantage lies in the motionless behaviour associated with TI. This can deceive the predator into believing the prey item is already dead. In that case, the predator no longer needs to continue attacking it. The predator may then relax or change its grip, giving the prey item a last chance to escape.

In rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), TI is widely used in veterinary practice and among pet owners as a simple and effective form of restraint/immobilization to carry out minor procedures such as nail clipping, with detailed instructions easily available (Bivin 1994; Chicago House rabbit Society 2004). Misnomers referring to TI as 'animal hypnosis' or 'trancing' have connotations that suggest the animals is happy, relaxed and insensitive to painful procedures; even to it having been suggested for use with more invasive procedures such as castration (Okerman 1994) Pet owners also use it believing it to be a show of affection or medium to increase bonding between themselves and their rabbits (McBride 1998)

Previous research has found that physiological responses in rabbits to TI are similar to those seen following a stressful event (Carli 1974, 1979; Klemm 1971).Work by Farabollini et al (1981, 1990) suggest that repeated TI induction initially results in sensitization with longer TI durations followed by partial habituation with shorter TI durations, but more stable, but still elevated corticosterone levels. To attain such partial habituation requires require many repetitions and this is explicable if the behaviour is a biologically adaptive anti-predator response.

Unfortunately, behavioural responses have not been examined so closely. By looking at both physiological and behavioural responses to TI in unison, this study aimed to determine whether inducing TI in rabbits produced a stress state and to identify the motivation underlying the physiological responses.

Physiological measures included respiration, heart rate, blood pressure and plasma corticosterone levels which were recorded immediately prior to TI induction, upon TI termination and 15 minutes following TI termination. Behavioural measures included latency and duration of TI episodes as well as movement and frequencies of behaviours recorded during ten minute pre- and post-TI observation periods.

Six New Zealand White rabbits were used, 2 entire females and 4 entire males. They were divided into two groups of one male and two females. Each rabbit acted as its own control in two TI trials, one trial to record behavioural measures and one for physiological measures.

A single typical response pattern was not evident across the group, for example some animals were more resistant to induction than others. These may reflect individual trait differences and differences in previous experience. For example, the two females had been in the facility for several months, compared to just two weeks for the males, and had had recent experience of blood being taken. The findings showed significant elevations in respiration (p<0.046), heart rate (p<0.046) and plasma corticosterone (p<0.046) were observed following TI. Blood pressure measures showed considerable variation and no consistent pattern was observed. In addition, species typical fearful behaviours, such as flattened ears and widened eyes, increased muscle tension and overt struggling, were observed during induction, while frequencies of grooming and hiding behaviours increased, and exploration decreased following TI.

The conclusion was drawn that both the physiological and behavioural responses of rabbits to TI are indicative of a fear motivated stress state (Day, 2004). This confirms the previous assertion that the promotion of TI as a means to increase a bond between owners and their pets, because the rabbits enjoy it, is misplaced (McBride, 1998). It may be appropriate for veterinary surgeons, and owners to continue to use this method for minor procedures, such as nail clipping as it holds less risk than anaesthesia. However, the data suggests that rabbits should only be put into TI when necessary and owners and others educated appropriately.


This paper analyses the engineering geological properties of the rocks and soils of the Canary Islands based on data from field studies, laboratory tests and extensive databases for volcanic materials. Geological properties and processes most relevant to geo-engineering are described. Geomechanical characterization of rock masses and soil deposits including rock mass classification, index and strength properties are presented. Some of the most relevant results show materials of low to very low density and low to very low values of strength and expansiveness. These materials, with an exceptional high anisotropy and irregular spatial distribution, are intensely affected by jointing of thermal origin and large discontinuities due to dykes; cavities and tubes can be also present. Landsliding and slope instability, collapse phenomena and other processes causing geotechnical problems are described. Discussion on the geomechanical properties and conditions that may help to identify and differentiate the geotechnical behaviour of the volcanic materials is included.


Taking into account the global climate change problem, an urgent task is greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction, and associated with this problem the uncertainty analysis of input data and results of GHG inventory. The main purpose of this investigation is the assessment of inventory uncertainty at the level of separate company, region and even country in the industrial sector (including emission processes caused by chemical and physical transformation of materials, as well as by burning of fuels). We discuss the obtained results of spatial GHG inventory in the Industry sector in Poland, by usage of the bottom-up approach, based on IPCC guidelines, official statistics and digital maps of territories investigated. Monte-Carlo method was applied for estimation of inventory uncertainty in main categories of analyzed sector, taking into account the small and large variation of parameters in cases of symmetric and asymmetric distributions. We determined emission sources that have the greatest impact on overall uncertainty in the industrial sector, and evaluated the relative uncertainty depending on uncertainty in activity data and emission factors. The additional knowledge on spatial distribution of emissions and their structure, supports the processes of decisions making on emission reduction.


We study the online learning model: a widely applicable model for making repeated choices in an interactive environment. In standard online learning model (or an online learning problem), the decision-maker is provided with a set of alternatives, and selects one alternative in each of the T sequential trials, deriving a reward for each selection. After T trials, the total reward of the decision-maker is compared with the best "single-arm" strategy which has the maximum reward in hindsight. The difference between the reward of the best single-arm strategy and that of the algorithm is called the regret, and one seeks decision-making algorithms whose regret is sublinear in T and running time is polynomial in the problem size. In this thesis, we extend the basic online learning model in two important ways.
In the first extension, we model sponsored search auctions as a multi-armed bandit problem (a type of online learning problem), and allow the alternatives (or advertisers in this case) to be strategic which can report possibly wrong rewards (in order to make personal gains). We seek to provide incentives to advertisers so as to get good solutions (socially efficient solutions). We prove that any socially efficient solution that provides right incentives to advertisers (being dominant strategy truthful) must suffer much higher regret than the regret suffered by algorithms for multi-armed problem without incentive issues.
In the second extension, also motivated by sponsored search and resource selection in distributed systems, we allow the set of available alternatives to vary over time, provide a natural way to define the regret, and give policies for the decision-maker that suffer low regret. We also prove that the regret suffered by our policies is information-theoretically the lowest possible.


This study aimed to examine the load carrying capacity of model instrumented piles embedded in sand soil, and to develop and verify reliable, highly efficient predictive models to fully correlate the non-linear relationship of pile load-settlement behaviour using a new, self-tuning artificial intelligence (AI) approach. In addition, a new methodology has been developed, in which the most effective pile bearing capacity design parameters can be precisely determined. To achieve this, a series of comprehensive experimental pile load tests were carried out on precast concrete piles, steel closed-ended piles and steel open-ended piles, comprised of three slenderness ratios of 12, 17 and 25, using an innovative calibrated testing rig, designed and manufactured at Liverpool John Moores University. The model piles were tested in a large pile testing chamber at a range of different densities of sand; loose (18%), medium (51%) and dense (83%). It is worth noting that novel structural fibres were utilised and optimised for different volume fractions to enhance the mechanical performance of concrete piles. The obtained results revealed that the higher the values of the of the pile effective length, Lc (embedded length of pile), sand density, and the soil-pile angle of shearing resistance, the higher the axial load magnitudes to reach the yield limit. This can be attributed to the increase in the end bearing point and mobilised shaft resistance. In addition, the plastic mechanism occurring in the surrounding soil was identified as the leading cause for the presence of nonlinearity in the pile-load tests. Furthermore, a new enhanced self-tuning supervised Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) training algorithm, based on a MATLAB environment, was introduced and applied in this process. The proposed algorithm was trained after conducting a comprehensive statistical analysis, the key objectives being to identify and yield reliable information from the most effective input parameters, highlight the relative importance "Beta values" and the statistical significance "Sig values" of each model input variable (IV) on the model output. To assess the accuracy and the efficiency of the employed algorithm, different measuring performance indicators (MPI), suggested in the open literature, were utilised. Common statistical performance indexes, i.e., root mean square error (RMSE), Pearson's moment correlation coefficient (p), coefficient of determination (R), and mean square error (MSE) for each model were determined. Based on the graphical and numerical comparisons between the experimental and predicted load-settlement values, the results revealed that the optimum models of the LM training algorithm fully characterised load-settlement response with remarkable agreement. Additionally, the proposed algorithm successfully outperformed the conventional approaches, demonstrating the feasibility of the current study. New design charts have been developed to calculate the individual contribution of the most significant pile bearing capacity design parameters "the earth pressure coefficient (K) and the bearing capacity factor (N )". The improved approach takes into account the change in sand relative density, pile material type, and the pile slenderness ratios. It is therefore a significant improvement over most conventional design methods recommended in the existing design procedures, which do not consider the influence of the most significant parameters that govern the pile bearing capacity design process.


The 2012 Cyberdialogue Conference, hosted by the University of Toronto, asked the question 'What is Stewardship in Cyberspace'? This essay pursues that stewardship inquiry through the lens of international law. Existing debates on the nature of cyberspace have emphasized its suitability for governance by social norms, domestic law, or some combination of the two. Questions of international law — to the extent they are raised at all — have been limited to asking how (and how well) existing rules analogize to cyberspace. But international law also clearly has something to say about defining what kind of resource cyberspace is (or might become). International law has long divvied up the world's resources into categories, with different forms of governance for different types of resources. These categories suggest that a stewardship approach to regulating cyberspace could work. But doing so requires a critical assumption: that cyberspace is a shared resource (or one where individual interests are so comingled as to defy separation). That vision of cyberspace is not, however, universally held. Some deny that cyberspace is "space" at all, or insist that its resources can be (and are better off) apportioned to individual States. In particular, any use of the "stewardship" label for cyberspace governance will generate opposition from those who prefer to label cyberspace as subject to governance based on sovereignty. A contest pitting stewardship against sovereignty is likely to forestall, if not derail, agreement on any particular governance structure for cyberspace. Such a fight is not, however, inevitable. International law does not limit governing frameworks to those accompanying stewardship or sovereignty, but offers a spectrum of ways to regulate resources. This paper undertakes a brief survey of these hybrid approaches and suggests that — instead of fighting over what we should call cyberspace — a discussion of what behaviour we want to encourage (or prohibit) is a more appropriate starting point for future conversations about cyberspace governance.


The Calgary region of south western Alberta, Canada, like other areas of western North America, is experiencing dramatic population growth. The cumulative effects of rapid urbanization and land use intensification, specifically related to water use in a semi-arid region, are poorly understood. But, this needs to be considered in sustainable land use planning and policy development at a regional scale. There is a growing awareness among the municipalities in the Calgary area that a coordinated inter-municipal 'partnership' approach is needed to address long term regional growth management. We present an innovative methodology to incorporate landscape ecology and ecological infrastructure into strategic policy planning for regional development. Our approach involves the identification of critical ecological infrastructure related to landscape hydrology, the development of ecological performance criteria and preferred spatial development patterns related to landscape heterogeneity and connectivity and ecological infrastructure capacity. The methodology incorporates current urban ecology and landscape ecology thinking and encompasses both the 'gray' and 'green' infrastructure needs necessary to support regional population growth patterns. Three methodological tools are used to spatially 'link' ecological infrastructure performance, landscape heterogeneity and land use change over time. The methodology will be coupled with cellular automata scenario modelling at a watershed scale. The paper demonstrates key principles by focusing on two critical ecological facets of the Calgary area's regional landscape: landscape connectivity and landscape hydrology.


While the focus of mainstream economic analysis of liability rules remains on negligence liability, recently some legal scholars have argued for the sharing of liability. In this paper, our first objective is contribute to the debate regarding the desirability of the sharing of liability for the accident loss. To this end, we study the implications of various approaches toward liability assignment for the existence and efficiency of equilibria. In particular, we analyze the proposal of Calabresi and Cooper (1996). Contrary to what is suggested in the literature, we show that the sharing of liability when parties are either both negligent or both non-negligent does not threaten the existence of equilibria. Moreover, it does not dilute the incentives for the parties to take the due care. Our second objective is to extend the efficiency analysis beyond Shavell (1980, 1987) and Miceli (1997), to search for the second-best liability rules. We show that each of the standard liability rules fails to be efficient even from a second-best perspective. Furthermore, we show that second-best efficiency requires loss sharing between non-negligent parties. As corollaries to our main results, we reexamine some of the existing claims regarding the existence and efficiency of equilibria under liability rules.


As the process of urbanization advances across the country, so does the importance of urban forests, which include both trees and the soils in which they grow. Soil microbial biomass, which plays a critical role in nutrient transformation in urban ecosystems, is affected by factors such as soil type and the availability of water, carbon, and nitrogen. The aim of this study was to characterize residual forest patches and open fields in residential areas in the City of Knoxville. A field study was conducted to investigate tree species diversity and determine spatial and temporal soil characteristics along an urban-to-rural gradient. Tree diversity did not differ significantly for residential urban and rural plots in Knoxville, Tennessee. Biologically, there was no indication that soils were affected by tree diversity, in terms of soil microbial biomass C/N along an urban-to-rural gradient in Knoxville residential plots. Rural soils did differ physically from urban soils, cation exchange capacity (CEC) and soil moisture content (GSM). Similarly, physical soil properties such as bulk density, both urban and rural sites were negatively correlated with tree diversity. Results indicate that although the urban-rural gradient is subject to urban environmental stressors, the urban ecosystem is resilient in maintaining the ecosystem functions of more natural systems.


Abstract Critical-Range Utilitarianism is a variant of Total Utilitarianism which can avoid both the Repugnant Conclusion and the Sadistic Conclusion in population ethics. Yet Standard Critical-Range Utilitarianism entails the Weak Sadistic Conclusion, that is, it entails that each population consisting of lives at a bad well-being level is not worse than some population consisting of lives at a good well-being level. In this paper, I defend a version of Critical-Range Utilitarianism which does not entail the Weak Sadistic Conclusion. This is made possible by what I call 'undistinguishedness', a fourth category of absolute value in addition to goodness, badness, and neutrality.


Abstract. Initial assessment of landslide prone area is important in designing landslide mitigation measures. This study, a part of our study on developing landslide spatial model, presents initial signal of landslide prone area. In here, we use soil depth to hardpan to assess landslide prone area in Western Central Java, a relatively small region where 23 % of Indonesian landslide occurs. To this end, we interpolated soil depth to hardpan in a regular grid from irregularly distributed data. To do this, we employed three different methods: Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW), Ordinary Kriging (OK) and Co-Kriging (CK). For the latter, we experimented with several potential covariates. To determine the best fitting model, several tests on model performance and its corresponding errors were done. Error measures used in this study are Mean Square Error (MSE), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE), while statistical measures employed are Standard Deviation, Variance, Interquartile Range (IQR), Mean Absolute Deviation and Median Absolute Deviation. The result shows that CK with covariate of slope and soil cohesion is the best fitting model and exhibits clear pattern related to recorded landslide disaster sites. We found that 64 % of landslide disaster events occur in the area having soil depth to hardpan of 5–10 m. Moreover, 84 % of landslide occurrences happen in regions where soil depth to hardpan ranges from 5 to 15 m. Hence, we suggest that landslide prone area is an area possessing soil depth to hardpan of 5–15 m. This finding is advantageous for policy makers in planning and designing efforts for landslide mitigation.


Stably suppressed viremia during ART is essential for establishing reliable simian models for HIV/AIDS. We tested the efficacy of a multidrug ART (highly intensified ART) in a wide range of viremic conditions (103–107 viral RNA copies/mL) in SIVmac251-infected rhesus macaques, and its impact on the viral reservoir. Eleven macaques in the pre-AIDS stage of the disease were treated with a multidrug combination (highly intensified ART) consisting of two nucleosidic/nucleotidic reverse transcriptase inhibitors (emtricitabine and tenofovir), an integrase inhibitor (raltegravir), a protease inhibitor (ritonavir-boosted darunavir) and the CCR5 blocker maraviroc. All animals stably displayed viral loads below the limit of detection of the assay (i.e. <40 RNA copies/mL) after starting highly intensified ART. By increasing the sensitivity of the assay to 3 RNA copies/mL, viral load was still below the limit of detection in all subjects tested. Importantly, viral DNA resulted below the assay detection limit (<2 copies of DNA/5*105 cells) in PBMCs and rectal biopsies of all animals at the end of the follow-up, and in lymph node biopsies from the majority of the study subjects. Moreover, highly intensified ART decreased central/transitional memory, effector memory and activated (HLA-DR+) effector memory CD4+ T-cells in vivo, in line with the role of these subsets as the main cell subpopulations harbouring the virus. Finally, treatment with highly intensified ART at viral load rebound following suspension of a previous anti-reservoir therapy eventually improved the spontaneous containment of viral load following suspension of the second therapeutic cycle, thus leading to a persistent suppression of viremia in the absence of ART. In conclusion, we show, for the first time, complete suppression of viral load by highly intensified ART and a likely associated restriction of the viral reservoir in the macaque AIDS model, making it a useful platform for testing potential cures for AIDS.


Abstract World-wide distribution patterns of conodont species during the Cambrian, Ordovician, and Silurian are assessed quantitatively using a Coefficient of Similarity (CS) formula. The validity of the idea is examined that there is a correlation between CS values and the geographic distance between the sample points, and that changes in CS values may, at least in part, reflect plate motions. To minimize effects of local palaeoecological control and the varying degree of exploration of the faunas, well known faunas are used from comparable depositional environments on the several continental plates. Conodont provincialism can be traced back to Upper Cambrian time, when there was an initial differentiation into low-latitude, warm-water (Midcontinent Faunal Region) and high-latitude, colder-water (Atlantic Faunal Region) faunas. The Lower Ordovician is characterized by great taxonomic diversification as well as striking provincial differentiation. Based on regional distribution patterns, it is possible to recognize a North American Interior Province, a Mediterranean Province, a North Chinese Province, a Siberian Province, a Baltic Province, and an Australian Province during Arenig time. A similar lateral differentiation prevailed during Llanvirn to lower Caradoc time. It is difficult to recognize a close correlation between CS values and inferred distances of plate separations in the Cambrian and Lower and Middle Ordovician. Unlike some megafossil groups that markedly decreased in provincialism during the Upper Ordovician, the conodont faunas continued to exhibit pronounced lateral differentiation despite the fact that the Baltic, Siberian, and North American plates were then relatively closely together in the equatorial zone. Near the Ordovician-Silurian boundary (probably in the uppermost Ordovician) there was a global, quite conspicuous turn-over in the conodont faunas. During that time, the taxa characteristics of the Atlantic Faunal Region disappeared and apparently, the ancestors of virtually all Silurian taxa are to be found in the Midcontinent Faunal Region. The Silurian conodont faunas have a cosmopolitan character although there are minor local differences that may be attributed to local environmental control. During Silurian time, the plates that have produced the best conodont faunas (North America, Baltica, Siberia) were all in the equatorial zone, and a general uniformity in environmental conditions may be one of several reasons behind the cosmopolitan character of the Silurian conodont faunas. Many Lower Palaeozoic conodont species were capable of crossing water bodies of oceanic dimensions, and the distribution of many taxa seems to have been more closely controlled by water temperature and other ecological parameters than by potential migration barriers related to size of water bodies and emerged continental blocks. Nevertheless, because of their pronounced latitudinal differentiation during the Ordovician, the conodont faunas may be used as tools to decipher some of the positions of continental plates.


This thesis represents a site-specific, holistic analysis of faunal assemblage formation at four key Palaeolithic sites (Boxgrove, Swanscombe, Hoxne and Lynford). Principally this research tests the a priori assumption that lithic tools and modified large to medium-sized fauna recovered from Pleistocene deposits represent a cultural accumulation and direct evidence of past hominin meat-procurement behaviour. Frequently, the association of lithics and modified fauna at a site has been used to support either active large-mammal hunting by hominins or a scavenging strategy. Hominin bone surface modification (cut marks, deliberate fracturing) highlight an input at the site but cannot be used in isolation from all other taphonomic modifiers as evidence for cultural accumulation. To understand the role of hominins in faunal assemblage accumulation all other taphonomic factors at a site must first be considered.
A site-specific framework was established by using data on the depositional environment and palaeoecology. This provided a context for the primary zooarchaeological data (faunal material: all elements and bone surface modification) and helped explain the impact and importance of faunal accumulators and modifiers identified during analysis. This data was synthesized with information on predator and prey behavioural ecology to assess potential conflict and competition within the site palaeoenvironment.
Results indicate that association of lithics and modified fauna are not sufficient evidence of a cultural accumulation; two sites (Swanscombe, Hoxne) demonstrate evidence of fluvial accumulation and disturbance. Whereas at Boxgrove, hominins had primary access to all fauna, fully exploiting carcasses. At Lynford, the mammoth remains were not modified by hominins, whilst other species only indicated exploitation for marrow, which conflicts with existing interpretations. I argue that hunting and scavenging are a continuum of behaviour, not necessarily represented at each site.


A model is outlined that predicts NAPL which is held in pore wedges and as films or lenses on solid and water surfaces and contributes negligibly to NAPL advection. This is conceptually referred to as residual NAPL. Since residual NAPL is immobile, it remains in the vadose zone after all free NAPL has drained. Residual NAPL is very important because it is a long-term source for groundwater contamination. Recent laboratory experiments have demonstrated that current models for predicting subsurface NAPL behavior are inadequate because they do not correctly predict residual NAPL. The main reason for the failure is a deficiency in the current constitutive theories for multiphase flow that are used in numerical simulators. Multiphase constitutive theory governs the relations among relative permeability, saturation, and pressure for fluid systems (i.e., air, NAPL, water). In this paper, we outline a model describing relations between fluid saturations and pressures that can be combined with existing multiphase constitutive theory to predict residual NAPL. We test the revised constitutive theory by applying it to a scenario involving NAPL imbibition and drainage, as well as water imbibition and drainage. The results suggest that the revised constitutive theory is able to predict the distribution of residual NAPL in the vadose zone as a function of saturation-path history. The revised model describing relations between fluid saturation and pressures will help toward developing or improving numerical multiphase flow simulators.


Since the beginnings of speech research, the issue of variability has been a central topic in the field. Until recently, solutions to this problem have focused mainly on resolving linguistic forms from variable acoustic realizations, with little systematic consideration of talker variability or social settings. However, acoustic-phonetic variability within and between talkers does not arise by chance – such variation is attributable to a variety of causes including talker physiology, dialect, affect, and social/situational factors. Studies of conversational interaction demonstrate the influence of situational factors on many aspects of spoken communication. In particular, interacting talkers converge and diverge in acoustic-phonetic form over the course of a single conversational setting. Although phonetic convergence likely reflects a close connection between speech perception and production, it is not an automatic consequence of priming mechanisms or a mirror neuron system. In studies of the neural activity associated with speech perception, it is increasingly clear that utterances are processed in separate dorsal and ventral cortical streams, one that is part of the self-regulation of spoken utterances, and another that is part of conceptual understanding. Links between perception and production appear to be part of the self-regulatory system that participates in speech production control monitoring, which makes this system a likely candidate for talker control of acoustic-phonetic variability. Whether talkers converge or diverge depends on multiple aspects of the social setting, which have a much greater influence on the form of phonetic expression than automatic links or mirror mechanisms.


This thesis explores the cultural politics of Filipino cuisine in Canada. Filipinos are the fourth largest visible minority group in Canada yet their cuisine remains underrepresented in the Canadian foodscape compared to other Asian groups. By comparing Winnipeg and Ottawa's contexts, I explore how Filipino cuisine entrepreneurs "do" Filipino cuisine through their establishments. I also examine potential explanations as to why Filipino cuisine is not mainstream. The findings suggest that the underrepresentation of Filipino cuisine can be attributed to structural barriers (colonialism and institutional racism) and the low incidence of Filipino entrepreneurship. Through culinary entrepreneurial practices, Filipino cuisine entrepreneurs engage in a politics of resistance and identity work. For some, the production of Filipino cuisine is implicated in the struggle against cultural assimilation. For others, it is an act of cultural pride and a politics of representation that seeks to disrupt the "hypervisibility" and "invisibility" of Filipino-Canadians and Filipino cuisine.


A high quality basic education for every child has been enshrined as a development goal since even before there were development goals. Promoting the achievement of this goal around the world, particularly the "high quality" component of the goal, requires a serviceable general positive model of education policies—a coherent causal explanation of why governments actually do what they do. The difference between thinking small and thinking big in research the economics of education and in "policy advice" depends on whether researchers and policy advisers have a correct positive model of the process of the diffusion to scale of new knowledge, of potential innovations and of what factors influence policy adoption. "Normative as Positive" (NAP) is one possible positive model, which explains that the policies actually chosen were chosen because they maximize some aggregate social welfare function. But since NAP is false, "policy recommendations" based on NAP will be relevant to the actual process of policy making only by coincidence. This is equally true of policy recommendations based on more "rigorous" empirical methods like field and randomized experiments—these techniques are intrinsically no more nor less policy relevant than other research methods—they still must be linked with a plausible positive model of policy and policy change if they hope to have influence at scale. A false positive model such as NAP is not only useless as a guide to policy relevance, it is potentially worse than useless as it may point the research and "policy" work of economists and educationists in precisely the wrong direction—towards nation-states, technocrats and bureaucrats (or "policy makers") as the locus for educational reform rather than students, parents, communities, and teachers.


This work addresses problems associated with software testing in a Model Driven Development (MDD) environment. Today, it is possible to create platform independent models that can be executed and therefore, dynamically tested. However, when developing safety-critical software systems there is a requirement to show that the set of test cases covers the structure of the implementation. Since the structure of the implementation might vary depending on e.g., compiler and target language, this is normally done by transforming the design model to code, which is compiled and executed by tests until full coverage of the code structure is reached. The problem with such approach is that testing becomes platform dependent. Moving the system from one platform to another becomes time-consuming since the test activities to a large extent must start again for the new platform. To meet the goals of MDD, we need methods that allow us to perform structural coverage analysis on platform independent models in a way that covers as much as possible of the the structure of any implementation. Moreover, such method must enable us to trace specific test artifacts between the platform independent model and the generated code. Without such trace a complete analysis must be done at code level and much of the advantage of MDD is lost. We propose a framework for structural coverage analysis at a platform independent level. The framework includes: (i) functionality for generation of test requirements, (ii) creation of structural variants with respect to the translation to code, and (iii) traceability between test artifacts at different design levels. The proposed framework uses a separate representation for structural constructs involved in coverage criteria for software in safety-critical systems. The representation makes it possible to create variants of structural constructs already at the top design level. These variants represent potential differences in the structure at lower design levels, e.g., target language or executable object code. Test requirements are then generated for all variants, thus covering the structure of different implementations. Test suites created to satisfy these test requirements are therefore, robust to different implementations.


1. A study has been made of the distribution of 3,304 cases of mental disorder in Bristol. These were psychiatric cases admitted to mental hospitals or nursing homes during a five-year period, 1949–1953. The inception rate of different diagnostic categories in each of the city wards and in three groups of wards has been determined and correlated with three indices of social and economic level.

2. The distribution of schizophrenia departed very significantly from random, with high rates in the central wards. The distribution of manic-depressive psychosis, of neurosis and of senile dementia did not depart significantly from random.
 There is a marked association between schizophrenia rates and the number of people living alone; high schizophrenia rates occurred in areas of both high and low population density and of high and low mean rateable value.
 Rates for manic-depressive psychosis and for neurosis show a slight association with mean rateable value. Rates for senile dementia show no appreciable association with any of the three social indices.

3. The possible explanations of these results are considered and it is concluded that the observed distribution of schizophrenia can be explained by the hypothesis that there is a segregation in certain areas of persons liable to schizophrenia or by the hypothesis that social isolation is a causal factor.


The current literature clearly indicates that PARP1 but also PARP2 play a pivotal role in modulating the cellular responses to stress. Genetic and pharmacological studies demonstrated that overactivation of PARP1 is a key mediator of programmed-necrotic cell death in vivo. PARP1 appears to be also involved in programmed cell death processes others than necrosis, such as apoptosis or macroautophagocytotic cell death. On the other hand, growing evidence suggests that both PARP1 and PARP2 are multi-faced enzymes also playing important roles in cell survival processes. PARP1 and PARP2 were shown to be required for the maintenance of genomic integrity and to act as a survival factor for highly proliferating cells such as stem cells but also non-proliferating neuronal cells against cell death induced by oxidative stress under mild and moderate progressive damage in vivo. This review briefly summarizes the recent findings, which support a crucial role of PARP1 in different programmed cell death and cell survival processes. A special focus is placed on the proposed molecular mechanisms underlying the "Jekyll and Hyde" duality of PARP1 in cell death and cell survival pathways. A potential crosstalk between PARP1, PARP2 and other NAD+-dependent ADP-ribosyling enzymes such as Sirtuins and CD38 in cell death and survival pathways is discussed.


The treatment of mood and anxiety disorders by nutraceuticals is gaining growing awareness. Berries of Aronia melanocarpa (Black chokeberry) and their extracts, exceptionally abundant in diverse phenolic compounds, have become famous for the highest in vitro antioxidant activity among fruits and notable health benefits (e.g. anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective). This study was designed to investigate the behavioral effects of month-long unlimited consumption of Aronia master juice (AJ) and/or juice reconstruct without polyphenols (RJ), in young male rats. AJ was initially evaluated for its content of phenolic compounds by spectrophotometric assays and HPLC-DAD. Rats that were supplied with three various water concentrations of AJ and RJ, respectively: 20% + 0% (ARO group), 5% + 15% (RAJ) and 0 + 20% (PLC), were compared with those which consumed only water (CTL). Daily drinking of AJ solution was significantly elevated from the second or third week onward, which was most expressed in the ARO group. Only this group displayed behavioral variations, manifested by certain hyperactivity in open field tests and prominent reductions of anxiety-like behaviors in the elevated plus maze. The ARO rats also expressed an alleviation of depression-like behavior in forced swimming tests. These findings demonstrate the beneficial behavioral effects of the one-month-long free drinking of phenolic-rich AJ in rats (>20 ml per kg b. mass daily) that may be recognized as stimulating, anxiolytic-like and antidepressant-like. The in vitro assays suggested that MAO-A/MAO-B inhibitions by the phenolic compounds of AJ might be the possible in vivo mechanisms for such behavioral actions.


The O- and H-isotope composition of rainfall collected over a variety of time periods at the University of Cape Town (UCT) between 1996 and 2008 has been determined. A continuous record of monthly rainfall from 1996 to 2008 has a range in δD and δ 18 O values from −57 to +18‰ and −8.1 to +3.5‰, respectively. These data show limited but discernable temperature and amount effects. Daily rainfall between June 2000 to September 2001 ranges in δD and δ 18 O from −57 to + 27‰, and, −9.0 to +6.4‰ respectively, showing only a marginally greater temperature and amount effect than the monthly data. Rainfall collected at 18 O value of 26 and 3.3‰, respectively in as little as 30 minutes during the passage of a cold front. Unusual events such as snow and hail in the area have much lower δD and δ 18 O values (−60 and −10.9‰). The deuterium excess values were significantly higher in the storm samples (average 20.0) and the hail and snow samples (average 30.1) than in the monthly rain samples (average 12.4). The UCT monthly samples define a meteoric water line whose equation is δ= 6.41*δ 18 O + 8.66 (r = 0.88). The daily and hail/snow samples show a better correlation (r = 0.93) due to the greater spread of values, with an equations of the line of best fit of δD = 6.64δ 18 O + 11.89. Rain water collected during two storms in July and August show an excellent correlation between δD and δ 18 O (r = 0.97) with an equation of best fit of δD = 7.89 δ 18 O + 19.35. There has been no systematic change in annual amount, mean temperature or weighted mean isotope composition from 1996 to 2008, but 1996 (16.1°C) was, on average, 1.3°C colder than 1997 to 2008 (ave. 17.3°C). Annual rainfall at UCT has varied from ~1000 mm (1997) to 1700 mm (2001), and the weighted mean annual δD and δ 18 O values calculated from the monthly samples varies from −16 to −7‰ and −3.8 to −2.6‰, respectively. The years 2005 and 2006 showed a significantly lower deuterium excess (~6) compared to typical values of about 16, which suggests that these years experienced less frontal rain. This difference in isotope composition of rainfall is detectable in the isotope composition of water collected from springs on the lower slopes of Table Mountain and suggests that the Table Mountain aquifer(s) are recharged by approximately 50% within three years.


Background: Cases with negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) results at initial testing for suspicion of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and found to be positive in a subsequent test, are considered as RT-PCR false-negative cases. False-negative cases have important implications for COVID-19 management, isolation, and risk of transmission. We aimed to review and critically appraise evidence about the proportion of RT-PCR false-negatives at initial testing for COVID-19. Methods: We performed a systematic review and critical appraisal of literature with high involvement of stakeholders in the review process. We searched on MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS, the WHO database of COVID-19 publications, the EPPI-Centre living systematic map of evidence about COVID-19, and the living systematic review developed by the University of Bern (ISPM). Two authors screened and selected studies according to the eligibility criteria and collected data of included studies (no-independent verification). Risk of bias was assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2) tool. We calculated the false-negative proportion with the corresponding 95% CI using a multilevel mixed-effect logistic regression model using STATA 16. Certainty of the evidence about false-negative cases was rated using the GRADE approach for tests and strategies. The information is current up to 6 April 2020. Findings: Five studies enrolling 957 patients were included. All studies were affected by several biases and applicability concerns. Pooled estimation of false-negative proportion was 0.085 (95% CI= 0.034 to 0.196; tau-squared = 1.08; 95% CI= 0.27 to 8.28; p<0.001); however, this estimation is highly affected by unexplained heterogeneity, and its interpretation should be avoided. The certainty of the evidence was judged as very low, due to the risk of bias, indirectness, and inconsistency issues. Conclusions: The collected evidence has several limitations, including risk of bias issues, high heterogeneity, and concerns about its applicability. Nonetheless, our findings reinforce the need for repeated testing in patients with suspicion of SARS-Cov-2 infection given that up to 29% of patients could have an initial RT-PCR false-negative result. Systematic review registration: Protocol available on OSF website: https://osf.io/gp38w/


Since 1992 water scarcity in the Rio Bravo/Rio Grande river basin has heightened tensions and conflicts among water users and politicians on both sides of the Mexico-U.S. border. This article argues that while this situation has been characterized as an international "water war" stemming from a "water crisis," it is more accurately described as a series of conflicts between regional, binational and national actors generated by a "crisis of irrigated agriculture." A close examination of the dynamics of these current water conflicts focused on the delta region of the Rio Bravo/Grande reveals a binational ecological consciousness among the agricultural users of the resource, the product of a long history of irrigated agricultural development in the borderlands. The article argues that these conflicts must be understood historically, and suggests that these binational, regional dynamics should be cultivated in the effort to negotiate the social dimensions of the crisis of irrigated agriculture in the borderlands, and to establish a more sustainable and democratic process of water management in the river basin. Key Words: Irrigation; Agriculture; Conflict; Borderlands; Water.


Index insurance is commonly perceived to be complicated and difficult to evaluate. This is one reason index insurance products have not yet achieved high penetration in developing countries, despite their clear potential to improve the risk management options for vulnerable populations. This guide attempts to close the knowledge gap to grow this important market and provide protection to more low-income customers. A central goal of this guide is to promote clear communication of the features of products developed to facilitate informed decision making by new and existing buyers of index-based insurance products, insurers, reinsurers, regulators charged with approving new products, and other affected stakeholders. As such, it supports actuaries and other professionals involved in designing and pricing index-based insurance products in following the principles outlined in the Actuaries' Code of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, United Kingdom. This book is arranged as follows: (i) Part one of this guide provides a summary of the insights and decisions required for the insurer to make an informed decision to launch and expand an index insurance business line; and (ii) Part two of this guide provides a step-by-step guide to calculating the decision metrics used by the insurance manager in part 1.


People's lifestyles – whether they smoke, how much they drink, what they eat, whether they take regular exercise – affect their health and mortality. It is well known that each of these lifestyle risk factors is unequally distributed in the population.
Less is known about how these behaviours co-occur or cluster in the population and about how these patterns of multiple lifestyle risk have been evolving over time. This paper considers this in the context of the English population and sets out the implications for public health policy and practice that flow from the findings.
It reviews the current evidence on multiple lifestyle risks and analyses data from the Health Survey for England on the distribution of these risks in the adult population and how this is changing over time.


Lawyers who negotiate and litigate over complex deals have an intuitive notion of the value of what they do in connection with the contract. The arguments around technical contract language often are a lawyers' game; in most cases, what is clear would have been clear on a handshake; and what is tightly negotiated bears only a random relationship to the areas of future dispute. If they happen to have drafted tight and clear language around the particular matter in dispute, it is as much luck as foresight. Thereafter complex agreements can have binding effect for years, but most of the relationship transpires without explicit reference to the contract. The problem to which much of contract interpretation scholarship is directed arises only when there is a significant disagreement not resolvable by non-legal means. If the contract is not sufficiently clear on the subject so the parties agree on the outcome, or a court has an easy case, how do courts go about filling gaps that the parties simply did not address, or providing meaning in the present circumstance to words that do not unambiguously resolve the problem? I want to suggest an answer I believe is intuitive to practitioners but may be provocative in the academy. The search for an illusive ex ante mutually intended meaning is a waste of time, as is worry about the ancillary problem of opportunism. The creation of the complex contract and its later interpretation in a difficult case of ambiguity are distinct events. If a previously negotiated term that is capable of being ambiguous nevertheless has a mutually understood meaning, it will be apparent at the time of the potential dispute, but in that instance there will be no dispute and no jurisprudence. If there truly is a dispute, however, there is no going back to a mutually intended meaning as of the time the contract was made, because the words only take on meaning at the time of their application to the circumstance. It follows that opportunism is a function of extra-legal morals and norms, and is not controllable by language that turns out to be disputable, if the parties choose to dispute it. The proper focus of courts, therefore, is a pragmatic resolution of disputes, and not a search for mutual intention.


A book in the Systems Evaluation, Prediction, and Decision-Making Series, Systems Evaluation: Methods, Models, and Applications covers the evolutionary course of systems evaluation methods, clearly and concisely. Outlining a wide range of methods and models, it begins by examining the method of qualitative assessment. Next, it describes the process and methods for building an index system of evaluation and considers the compared evaluation and the logical framework approach, analytic hierarchy process (AHP), and the data envelopment analysis (DEA) relative efficiency evaluation method. Unique in its emphasis on the practical applications of systems evaluation methods and models, the book introduces several new evaluation models of grey system, including general grey incidence model, grey incidence models based on similarity and closeness, grey cluster evaluation based on triangular whitenization functions, and multi-attribute grey target decision model. Explaining intricate concepts in language that is easy to understand it provides step-by-step explanations of the various methods and models. The text illustrates the practical application, analysis, and computation of systems evaluation methods and models with an abundance of practical examples and empirical studies. The case studies examine post evaluation of road-bridge construction projects, the efficiency evaluation of the science and technology activities, the evaluation of energy-saving projects in China, and the evaluation and selection of international cooperation projects.


Since the Civil Rights Movements, the emphasis on confronting power, inequality, and racism in US schools has receded. So too has the movement to reverse racial/ethnic segregation and enhance student interactions. Instead, much popular and academic discourse focuses on standardized tests and achievement gaps, leaving the social aspects of schooling and race/ethnic interactions under-explored and largely ignored. Meanwhile, racial/ethnic tensions, hierarchies, inequalities, and the patterns, institutions, and systems that maintain them persist. During a period of growth in the percentages of Latina/o and Asian American/Pacific Islander students, this article argues for the importance of theorizing, researching, and reconceptualizing race/ethnic interactions in schools. Key to this process is adopting a multifaceted and multilevel approach. This involves moving beyond dichotomous thinking and instead adopting a framework that explores (1) the strengths of quantitative and qualitative research; (2) cross- and intra-racial/ethnic relations; (3) the significance of race/ethnicity, class, and gender; (4) a conflict-solidarity continuum of relationships; and (5) the salience of macro-, meso-, and micro-dynamics on school interactions. The adoption of this approach allows for a more complex, nuanced, and contemporary analysis of the phenomena occurring in today's schools, thereby facilitating the possibility for change.


A rigorous solution is derived for the propagation characteristics and field distributions of waves guided by a plane surface which possesses a surface reactance modulated sinusoidally in the propagation direction. The explicit field amplitudes and the determinantal equation for the propagation wavenumber are expressed in a continued fraction form which is rapidly convergent for all values of modulation. Numerical results are obtained for both surface wave (modal) and leaky wave (nonmodal) solutions. The relevance of these studies to high-gain modulated surface-wave antennas is discussed.


Interprofessional education (IPE) is championed as an innovative approach to prepare the future health workforce to address the complex needs of consumers and tackle a range of contemporary healthcare challenges worldwide. An interprofessional work-integrated learning experience (WIL), whereby students were immersed in international and rural settings and worked in teams to deliver primary healthcare project outcomes, was developed, implemented, and evaluated with undergraduate health students. Qualitative evaluation of the IPE program aimed to investigate the experiences and perceptions of 62 students through focus group interviews, is reported. Students regarded the placement as a rich learning environment and reported positive experiences in interprofessional collaborative competencies. Major themes included: overall perceptions and attitudes, scope of practice, improved teamwork skills, future practice, and placement preparation. Students strengthened their learning with, from and about other professional groups and identified challenges and implementation issues. Findings from this study will inform future implementation of interprofessional WIL experiences.


It is easy to expand the definition of a commutative Euclidean domain to non commutative rings with zero divisors. Using such a generalized definition it is proved that matrix rings over Euclidean domains are Euclidean, that left principal ideal domains with finitely many maximal left ideals only, which are assumed to be two sided, are Euclidean and that direct sums of Euclidean rings are Euclidean. It follows from this that semi simple rings with d.c.c. are Euclidean.