Background & objective: One of the common purposes of medical research is Determination of effective factors on the occurrence of event. Due to the interaction of risk factors regression models, discriminant analysis and classification procedures used. Uses of these models require making the assumption which in the medical data isn't usually established. Therefore, alternative methods must be used. According to diversification of risk factors for of esophageal cancer, the purpose of this article is the Introduction and application of classification and regression tree for determination of risk factor for esophageal cancer in Golestan province. Methods: Data of this article gathered from case-control study. Case group contain all confirmed cases of esophageal cancer that consist of 90 male and 60 female subjects in Golestan province during one year. Two control groups were considered for each case. Control groups were selected from family of patients and neighbors and matched for age, sex, ethnic and place of residence. Data was analyzed with classification and regression tree model and by using of R software. Gini criterion was used for selection of best splitting in each node and ROC surveyed accuracy of CRT model. Results: Results of Classification tree model showed that exposure to CT and X-ray dye (socio-environmental factors), unwashed hands after defecation, history of smoking (lifestyle factors) and family history of cancer (ethnic factors) can be effective in esophageal cancer occurrences. Conclusion: Tree models don't require the establishment of no default for making model and feasibility of tree models results` interpretation are two essential beneficiary of these models which can use in medical sciences.


4122 Background: A recent systematic review, based largely on non-randomised, retrospective studies, suggested that K-ras mutations may identify patients who do not benefit from cetuximab and panitumumab. In support of this hypothesis, four RCTs have shown a lack of benefit or detriment of EGFR-targeted therapy in patients with K-ras mutations. In this systematic review, we aim to provide a comprehensive and unbiased synthesis of the effects of these MAbs, by K-ras status, in both chemotherapy (CT) responsive and CT-refractory ACRC patients.

METHODS
A systematic review and meta-analysis of all relevant RCTs is ongoing. Progression-free survival (PFS) is the primary outcome, with survival and response as secondary outcomes. We have conducted systematic searches of a number of trial sources. Data on trial and patient characteristics, and outcome have been extracted from trial reports or presentations, for all patients and for K-ras wild-type and mutant cohorts. Where possible, trial results were pooled in a stratified-by- trial meta-analysis. For unpublished RCTs, or those published with insufficient information, we are seeking further data.

RESULTS
Searches identified 15 eligible RCTs in CT-responsive patients, 12 using cetuximab and 3 panitumumab. Three of these trials included bevacizumab in both arms. PFS has only been reported for 6 RCTs, so further data are needed to ensure an unbiased analysis. Only two RCTs were identified in CT-refractory patients. Together, these showed an improvement in PFS with anti-EGFR MAb (HR=0.61, 95% CI 0.49-0.76, p<0.0001). Furthermore, there was a significant difference in the size of the effect by K-ras status (interaction p<0.0001), with an improvement in PFS for patients with wild type K-ras, (HR=0.43, 95% CI 0.35-0.52, p<0.0001), but not those with mutant K-ras (HR=0.99 95% CI 0.80-1.23, p=0.93).

CONCLUSIONS
These preliminary results suggest that the benefits of anti-EGFR MAb therapy, at least in CT-refractory patients, are confined to those with wild type K-ras. Results for CT-responsive patients, and updated analyses for CT-refractory patients, will be presented. [Table: see text].


The past decade has seen the increasing integration of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging into radiation therapy (RT). This growth can be contributed to multiple factors, including hardware and software advances that have allowed the acquisition of high‐resolution volumetric data of RT patients in their treatment position (also known as MR simulation) and the development of methods to image and quantify tissue function and response to therapy. More recently, the advent of MR‐guided radiation therapy (MRgRT) ‐ achieved through the integration of MR imaging systems and linear accelerators ‐ has further accelerated this trend. As MR imaging in RT techniques and technologies, such as MRgRT, gain regulatory approval worldwide, these systems will begin to propagate beyond tertiary care academic medical centers and into more community‐based health systems and hospitals, creating new opportunities to provide advanced treatment options to a broader patient population. Accompanying these opportunities are unique challenges related to their adaptation, adoption, and use including modification of hardware and software to meet the unique and distinct demands of MR imaging in RT, the need for standardization of imaging techniques and protocols, education of the broader RT community (particularly in regards to MR safety) as well as the need to continue and support research, and development in this space. In response to this, an ad hoc committee of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) was formed to identify the unmet needs, roadblocks, and opportunities within this space. The purpose of this document is to report on the major findings and recommendations identified. Importantly, the provided recommendations represent the consensus opinions of the committee's membership, which were submitted in the committee's report to the AAPM Board of Directors. In addition, AAPM ad hoc committee reports differ from AAPM task group reports in that ad hoc committee reports are neither reviewed nor ultimately approved by the committee's parent groups, including at the council and executive committee level. Thus, the recommendations given in this summary should not be construed as being endorsed by or official recommendations from the AAPM.


We study causal inference in a multi-environment setting, in which the functional relations for producing the variables from their direct causes remain the same across environments, while the distribution of exogenous noises may vary. We introduce the idea of using the invariance of the functional relations of the variables to their causes across a set of environments. We define a notion of completeness for a causal inference algorithm in this setting and prove the existence of such algorithm by proposing the baseline algorithm. Additionally, we present an alternate algorithm that has significantly improved computational and sample complexity compared to the baseline algorithm. The experiment results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms the other existing algorithms.


We discuss the compromise between depth and transverse spatial resolution for photorefractive holographic imaging through turbid media. Results from an optimized geometry for a 45°-cut rhodium-doped barium titanate photorefractive crystal are presented, demonstrating two-dimensional imaging through turbid media with both sub-100-μm depth and transverse spatial resolution.


We envision a future time when wearable cameras are worn by the masses and recording first-person point-of-view videos of everyday life. While these cameras can enable new assistive technologies and novel research challenges, they also raise serious privacy concerns. For example, first-person videos passively recorded by wearable cameras will necessarily include anyone who comes into the view of a camera—with or without consent. Motivated by these benefits and risks, we developed a self-search technique tailored to first-person videos. The key observation of our work is that the egocentric head motion of a target person (i.e., the self) is observed both in the point-of-view video of the target and observer. The motion correlation between the target person's video and the observer's video can then be used to identify instances of the self uniquely. We incorporate this feature into the proposed approach that computes the motion correlation over densely-sampled trajectories to search for a target individual in observer videos. Our approach significantly improves self-search performance over several well-known face detectors and recognizers. Furthermore, we show how our approach can enable several practical applications such as privacy filtering, target video retrieval, and social group clustering.


The Colbert Report aired its final episode on December 18, 2014. Nine years earlier, on the first episode, Stephen Colbert coined the word "truthiness." Truthiness satirized contemporary disinterest in empirical information in a country increasingly "divided between those who think with their head and those who know with their heart." Truthiness was not just the Merriam-Webster word of the year. Over the past decade, it has been the unspoken mantra of reporters who give equal time to climate science denialists, faith healers, and vaccine refusers. When Justices of the Supreme Court decide questions of scientific or empirical fact — such as whether an IUD prevents or terminates a pregnancy — they increasingly employ fact-finding strategies that equate the empirical evidence (they think with their heads) with the unsubstantiated beliefs (they feel with their hearts). Jurisprudential epistemic relativism (or truthiness) often produces the wrong answer to questions of fact. Issues of law and natural science or human behavior shape many Supreme Court cases, including important recent decisions on death by lethal drug cocktail and the psychological benefits of marriage for same-sex families. At the micro level, decisions that contradict the empirical evidence are inaccurate and unfair to the parties. At the macro level, when judges balance substantiated data against truthiness-based claims, courts distort social perceptions by creating a false epistemic relativism that models poor decision-making and yields bad public policy.


This textbook is a clear and concise introduction to the study of how new languages come into being. Starting with an overview of the field's basic concepts, it surveys the new languages that developed as a result of the European expansion to the Americas, Africa, Asia and the Pacific. Long misunderstood as 'bad' versions of European languages, today such varieties as Jamaican Creole English, Haitian Creole French and New Guinea Pidgin are recognized as distinct languages in their own right. John Holm examines the structure of these pidgins and creoles, the social history of their speakers, and the theories put forward to explain how their vocabularies, sound systems and grammars evolved. His new findings on structural typology, including non-Atlantic creoles, permit a wide-ranging assessment of the nature of restructured languages worldwide. This much-needed book will be welcomed by students and researchers in linguistics, sociolinguistics, western European languages, anthropology and sociology.


Abstract A live attenuated vaccine to prevent herpes zoster, or shingles (Zostavax; Merck & Co Inc, Whitehouse Station, NJ), is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in adults aged 50 years or older. Studies show that this vaccine is safe when administered to immunocompetent adults. Investigations are being conducted to evaluate the long-term safety and efficacy of the vaccine in immunocompromised populations, including patients who are dependent on steroids. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that this vaccine be routinely administered only to patients aged 60 years or older. As more data regarding duration of immunity after vaccination become available and as concerns regarding supply of this vaccine are adequately addressed, the ACIP plans to reconsider its recommendations regarding its use in patients aged 50 to 59 years. The author provides an overview of the herpes zoster vaccine, focusing on the latest extension in use approved by the FDA and the recommendations of the ACIP.


Abstract This paper discusses social mechanisms of discrimination and reviews existing field experimental designs for their identification. We first explicate two social mechanisms proposed in the literature, animus-driven and statistical discrimination, to explain differential treatment based on ascriptive characteristics. We then present common approaches to study discrimination based on observational data and laboratory experiments, discuss their strengths and weaknesses, and elaborate why unobtrusive field experiments are a promising complement. However, apart from specific methodological challenges, well-established experimental designs fail to identify the mechanisms of discrimination. Consequently, we introduce a rapidly growing strand of research which actively intervenes in market activities varying costs and information for potential perpetrators to identify causal pathways of discrimination. We end with a summary of lessons learned and a discussion of challenges that lie ahead.


Abstract In understanding the range and depth of people's experiences it is important to include the wide range of approaches which capture the richness within a given knowledge base. However, systematic reviews using quantitative data alone risk missing findings that can contribute to a better understanding of a research question. In response, meta-ethnography has emerged as a potentially useful method to synthesise and integrate both qualitative and quantitative data from different perspectives using qualitative methodology. In this case study, we describe how we have used meta-ethnography to better understand how families experience dementia. We address a particular issue of selecting the highest quality evidence across a range of epistemologies.


A model interface between Si and disordered SiO2 is obtained which incorporates the interface bonding pattern previously generated by first-principles molecular dynamics. The model is then characterized by comparing its properties with experimental data which provide an atomic-scale characterization of the interfacial region. The model is found to adequately reproduce the disordered nature of the oxide, the good coordination at the interface, the transition to stoichiometric SiO2, and the photoemission data. In particular, calculated Si 2p core-level shifts show a linear dependence on the number of nearest neighbor O atoms, confirming previous results obtained for interface models with ordered oxides. The comparisons with X-ray reflectivity and ion scattering experiments, which set constraints on the density in the oxide and on the size of the displacements in the upper part of the substrate, respectively, are also discussed.


The food commodity price rises from 2006 to 2008 engendered a period of political renewal and reform in the governance of global food security. The Committee on World Food Security (CFS) was designated as the main international forum dealing with food security and nutrition in 2009 as part of this reform. Through the CFS reform process, civil society organizations secured the right to co-ordinate autonomously their engagement in the Committee as official participants and are doing so through the International Food Security and Nutrition Civil Society Mechanism (CSM). The CSM is an innovative institutional form designed to allow a broad range of civil society organizations from different regions of the world and from diverse constituencies, notably those who face food insecurity on a regular basis, to participate in global food security governance. The challenges and complexities of setting up and operationalizing the CSM are presented and illustrated. These findings are considered in the context of the longer-term move towards widening participation in global governance, with a particular focus on the trajectory of civil society participation in food security governance. The broad neo-liberal logic, or embedded neo-liberalism, that underpins contemporary world politics provides boundaries within which the innovative CSM is being given shape through the political agency of the participating civil society organizations. The study concludes by suggesting that while the Civil Society Mechanism faces some internal challenges, these are not insurmountable, and that the CSM represents an effective politicizing, engaging and connecting model for food-focused civil society organization entering into global governance.


The Ancient Mythology of Modern Science: A Mythologist Looks (Seriously) at Popular Science Writing. By Gregory Schrempp. (Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press. 2012. Pp. xiv + 291, preface, introduction, notes, works cited. $29.95 cloth.)This work is carefully and painstakingly constructed around a straightforward but powerful argument: diat popular science writers engage in mydi-making, while often claiming that diey are striving, instead, against myth. Schrempp makes his argument via an intensive examination of several specific examples, some of which comprise chapters unto themselves. Schrempp argues diat popular science writers end up "mythologizing" primarily in their attempts to imbue subjective meaning into die objective world. Or, to put it another way, in trying to get the general readers to care about the scientific viewpoint instead of die mydiic, popular science writers end up employing mydi-making strategies. There is dius a strong sense of irony running through the work - in case by case, Schrempp carefully demonstrates how popular science writers emulate exacdy what diey denigrate. In part, this is because of die power of narrative language in describing objective reality for homo sapiens, but in part it is also a testament to scientists' glib dismissal of die power of mytiiology coupled with an equally glib assurance in the righteousness of science. When scientists assume die role of high priests in explaining cosmic trudis to the ignorant masses, mydiologizing is perhaps destined to occur.Perhaps most convincing, or at least easiest to witness, is his first example, comprising die bulk of chapter 2, which is essentially a deconstructionist critique of The Artful Universe (2005), a book by John Barlow, professor of mathematics at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of the Royal Society. In this work, Barlow attempts to explain man's place in the universe, especially centering on the acquisition of fire. Schrempp titled this chapter, "It had to be you! Fire without Prometheus." His critique of Barlow's work is convincing and masterful. Early on, Schrempp points out that "what Barrow gives us in his fiery crescendo is none other than a new version of an ancient story that Western readers associate with Prometheus..." (36). He strips away the scientific-sounding claims to reveal "just-so stories" and shows that, following Barrow's anthropocentric and ethnocentric ideas of culture, "we arrive at the astounding conclusion that we are the right size to wield the particular technologies that our species invented" (53). Towards the end, Schrempp offers that "Scientific pronouncements go down more easily when they are already familiar as myth; a major source of persuasiveness in Barrow's analysis lies in the fact that it teaches us something we already believe" (63). Schrempp states that Barrow's "fire-maker" is "an ancient concept revivified through fresh iconography" (71), a recurring theme throughout his book.One chapter critiques George Lakoff along with other scholars for following the "Copernican revolution," which Schrempp sees as an origin myth of the cosmos as kinship, while another chapter questions the current-day followers of Rene Descartes 's homunculus in the question of "the mind." Chapter 6, dealing with the moon, the earth, and the shifting of viewpoints of the universe, perhaps particularly as enunciated by Carl Sagan, investigates how popular science writers try to re-imbue a sense of public wonderment in the universe hand in hand with the government initiatives (in the case of NASA particularly) by employing compensatory mythic visions of the cosmos.His last chapter is a short conclusion, tying in his many examples into supporting the view of his overall thesis. As the author himself states, "I have argued that many of the strategies employed in pursuit of such synthesizing ambitions - including storytelling, heroizing, speculative origin scenarios, microcosm/ macrocosm analogies, bold celestial imagery, and readings of moral lessons in the structure of the cosmos - are reminiscent of the strategies characteristic of traditional mythologies" (227). …


Background and aims Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is one of the major causes of death in infants during the first year of their life. Research found reducing exposure to modifiable risk factors by increasing awareness in education campaigns can lower the incidence of SIDS. This study aimed to assess maternal awareness of sudden infant death syndrome in the north of Jordan. Methods A cross-sectional design was used on 356 mothers of infants who visited the maternal and child health clinics of two teaching hospitals and three major health care centres in the north of Jordan between May and December 2013. Results 64% (n = 228) of mothers didn't hear about SIDS, and 7% (n = 250 of mothers listed some of the international recommendations that prevent SIDS. Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that employed mothers, mothers with age more than 28 years and who live with spouse only were more likely to know and hear about SIDS. The most of sources of mothers knowledge about SIDS were friends (44.5%) and TV (40.6%), while 11.7% and 8.5%. of mothers reported nurses and physicians respectively. Conclusions Based on the findings, it is suggested that mothers in north of Jordan have little knowledge about SIDS and need more education regarding risk reducing practices. Screening and health educational programs are recommended to increase the awareness about SIDS in order to modify the infants care practices.


Introduction The vexed question of the ordination of women in the Catholic Church (1) has widespread and deep implications for ecumenical dialogue between and among churches that ordain women, either to the diaconate or to priesthood or to both. Three churches in dialogue with the Catholic Church--the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Orthodox Church of Greece, and certain Old Catholic Churches that are signers to the Union of Utrecht--are able to ordain women to the diaconate. While the Catholic Church recognizes the validity of sacraments and orders in these churches, it is unclear as to whether the validity of the ordination of women deacons in these churches would be equally recognized. There have been no Catholic statements regarding them. The Armenian Apostolic Church has an unbroken tradition of ordaining monastic women deacons and today has women deacons in active ministries. The Orthodox Church of Greece is the most recent to join churches whose apostolic succession is recognized by the Catholic Church and that ordain women. At least four Union of Utrecht Old Catholic Churches ordain women deacons and priests: the Old Catholic Churches in Germany (1996), (2) Austria (1998), the Netherlands (1998), and Switzerland (2002). (3) The Old Catholic Church in the Czech Republic ordained a woman deacon in 2003. All of these ordinations are licit according to the requirements of their respective churches. These facts raise the question: Does the Catholic Church also recognize these ordinations of women as valid? The restriction of orders at every level in the Catholic Church to males, rooted at the level of priesthood in the question of authority, is an ecclesial law not binding in these churches. Further, Catholic teaching does not necessarily hold that gender is a determinant of validity. Pius XII with the Apostolic Constitution Sacramentum ordinus (1947) determined that "the only matter ... of the Sacred Orders of the Diaconate, the Priesthood, and the Episcopacy is the imposition of hands; and that the form, and the only form, is the words which determine the application of this matter." (4) The gender of the ordinand is not part of the determination of matter or form. Assuming that the ordinations in these churches are carried out with proper matter and form, then, it would seem that the ordinations are sacramentally valid as well as ecclesially licit within their respective churches. Given the older tradition of women deacons throughout Christianity, there seems no barrier to Rome's recognizing the validity of diaconal orders in these sibling churches. (5) To recognize the ecumenical implications of the ordination of women to the diaconate in these three churches in their relation to the Catholic Church, the question must necessarily be split. The ordination of women to the diaconate is separate and distinct from the ordination of women to the priesthood. A major (yet flawed) argument against the ordination of women deacons in the Catholic Church is that such ordination would thereby qualify women for ordination to priesthood--if you can ordain a woman deacon, then you can ordain a woman priest. However, there is nothing in custom or tradition to provide for the automatic entrance into priesthood of an ordained deacon, male or female. Further, the Catholic Church has reasserted its tradition of a permanent diaconate in modern times. (6) The opposing argument to ordaining Catholic women deacons also states that, since the Catholic Church has definitively taught that a woman cannot be ordained a priest, so neither can she be ordained a deacon. Those who propose this argument overlook the fact that, if the argument holds, then the reverse is also true: if women were ordained to the diaconate in the past, then they can be ordained in the present. That is, if the nonordination of women deacons implies the impossibility of women priests, then the ordination of women deacons similarly implies the possibility of women priests. …


The IT implementation literature suggests that various implementation factors play critical roles in the success of an information system; however, there is little empirical research about the implementation of data warehousing projects. Data warehousing has unique characteristics that may impact the importance of factors that apply to it. In this study, a cross-sectional survey investigated a model of data warehousing success. Data warehousing managers and data suppliers from 111 organizations completed paired mail questionnaires on implementation factors and the success of the warehouse. The results from a Partial Least 'Ron Weber was the accepting senior editor for this paper. Squares analysis of the data identified significant relationships between the system quality and data quality factors and perceived net benefits. It was found that management support and resources help to address organizational issues that arise during warehouse implementations; resources, user participation, and highly-skilled project team members increase the likelihood that warehousing projects will finish on-time, on-budget, with the right functionality; and diverse, unstandardized source systems andpoordevelopment technology will increase the technical issues that project teams must overcome. The implementation's success with organizational and project issues, in turn, influence the system quality of the data warehouse; however, data quality is best explained by factors not included in the research model.


The director of the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab—an interdisciplinary R&D group that works on issues related to digital media, global security, and human rights—describes the new militarization of cyberspace. Deibert's recent work reveals evidence of sophisticated cyber-espionage aimed at corporations, governments, and human rights groups. In this interview, he explains the implications of these developments on international relations, describes how surging cybersecurity budgets are creating a kind of cyber military-industrial complex, and explains how a computer worm called Stuxnet is an example of a cyber threat to the nuclear complex and other industrial systems. He argues that today's deteriorating cyber-environment poses immediate threats to the maintenance of online freedom and longer-term threats to the integrity of global communications networks.


A multitype Dawson-Watanabe process is conditioned, in subcritical and critical cases, on non-extinction in the remote future. On every finite time interval, its distribution is absolutely continuous with respect to the law of the unconditioned process. A martingale problem characterization is also given. Several results on the long time behavior of the conditioned mass process-the conditioned multitype Feller branching diffusion-are then proved. The general case is first considered, where the mutation matrix which models the interaction between the types, is irreducible. Several two-type models with decomposable mutation matrices are analyzed too


Extracted from text ... 14 Management Today September 2006
Leadership:
learning to confront reality
P
Ram Charan is a celebrated CEO coach.
He will be in South Africa to run a
conference on Boards that Deliver:
Advancing Corporate Governance from
Compliance to Competitive Advantage in
Johannesburg on 30 November. In this
article Charan says leaders must learn
to confront reality.
For more information on the conference,
please telephone (011) 792 1522
or e-mail at cathie.fletcher@fyievents.
com.
Perhaps the most popular term at the time
of the internet mania in the 1990s was
business model. Business model became
synonymous with strategy and strategy was
equated ..


The sub-Riemannian problem on group of motions of pseudo Euclidean plane is considered. From engineering perspective, this is the optimal control problem of a unicycle moving on a hyperbolic plane (plane with constant negative curvature). The dynamical system comprises real analytic left invariant vector ?eld with 2-dimensional linear control vector the control variables being the translational and the angular velocity of the unicycle. The sub-Riemannian optimal control problem seeks to determine optimal control input and the corresponding optimal trajectory between the given initial and terminal states such that the sub-Riemannian length on this trajectory is minimized. At the onset we prove the controllability of the control distribution. We de?ne the left invariant Hamiltonian for the system under consideration and apply the Pontryagin's Maximum Principle (PMP). We prove that the extremal trajectories in the abnormal case are not strictly abnormal and the corresponding control vector is a constant i.e., identically zero. We then consider the normal Hamiltonian system. Through suitable coordinate transformation, we prove that the vertical subsystem is a double covering of a mathematical pendulum. This factallowsustointroduceJacobiellipticfunctionsforintegrationofthenonlinearstateequations that would otherwise be analytically intractable. Using speci?c elliptic coordinates, we calculate the extremal trajectories parametrized by Jacobi elliptic functions corresponding to various energy levels of the pendulum describing the vertical subsystem. We gain further insight into the nature of extremal trajectories through simulation and qualitative analysis. As PMP gives only ?rst order necessary optimality conditions, the extremal trajectories resulting from the integration of normal Hamiltonian system are candidate optimal only. Hence, second order optimality conditions are applied to eliminate the trajectories that cease to be optimal at certain point. It is known that a normal extremal trajectory ceases to be optimal either because it meets another candidate optimal trajectory at a point called Maxwell point where both have equal sub-Riemannian length, or because there exists a point called a conjugate point where a family of extremal trajectories has an envelope. We ?nd surfaces in the state space M containing all Maxwell points and obtain a description of the Maxwell points in terms of roots of function forming these surfaces. Once the Maxwell sets are calculated, an upper bound on the cut time (the time at which an extremal trajectory loses global optimality) is obtained. As argued, an extremal trajectory can lose optimality due to the existence of conjugate points. Conjugate points are the critical points of the exponential mapping and are found as roots of the Jacobian of the exponential mapping. The time at which the ?rst conjugate point exists is called the ?rst conjugate time. We conclude that the ?rst conjugate point occurs later than the ?rst Maxwell point and therefore the upper bound on cut time is given by the ?rst Maxwell time. In the end, we present 3-dimensional plots of some important objects in sub-Riemannian problem on Lie group SH(2).


Beach cusps are very common, concave-seaward cuspate patterns at the shoreline of a beach, which tend to occur with a regular longshore spacing, but which can have a wide range of longshore wavelengths from a few centimeters to several kilometers or more. Edge waves, resonant waves trapped at the shoreline by refraction, have been suggested as the cause of beach cusps but it has proved difficult to establish a definitive link on natural beaches . This paper describes field measurements of nearshore velocities, in all three orthogonal directions, that show the presence of edge wave motion just before the formation of beach cusps of the corresponding wavelength, and thus provides convincing evidence that edge waves are responsible for beach cusps. The magnitude of the observed edge wave oscillatory and drift velocities are found to be large and apparently well able to form cusps of the observed size. The observed edge waves are at the subharmonic of the incident wave frequency and thus are the field equivalent of the laboratory observations of Guza and Inman (1975) and Guza and Bowen (1977). It is not clear, however, whether the developing cusp topography enhanced or suppressed the edge wave motion.


With the desire for the progressive deepening of the understanding of knowledge intension, correspondingly, the knowledge management models go through a dynamic evolving process. Each theory model of knowledge management in evolving has promoted the development of knowledge management, but there are also their own limitations at the same time. To overcome these limitations is subject to further deepening people's understanding of knowledge and its management


An applications-oriented review of optical parametric amplifiers in fiber communications is presented. The emphasis is on parametric amplifiers in general and single pumped parametric amplifiers in particular. While a theoretical framework based on highly efficient four-photon mixing is provided, the focus is on the intriguing applications enabled by the parametric gain, such as all-optical signal sampling, time-demultiplexing, pulse generation, and wavelength conversion. As these amplifiers offer high gain and low noise at arbitrary wavelengths with proper fiber design and pump wavelength allocation, they are also candidate enablers to increase overall wavelength-division-multiplexing system capacities similar to the more well-known Raman amplifiers. Similarities and distinctions between Raman and parametric amplifiers are also addressed. Since the first fiber-based parametric amplifier experiments providing net continuous-wave gain in the for the optical fiber communication applications interesting 1.5-/spl mu/m region were only conducted about two years ago, there is reason to believe that substantial progress may be made in the future, perhaps involving "holey fibers" to further enhance the nonlinearity and thus the gain. This together with the emergence of practical and inexpensive high-power pump lasers may in many cases prove fiber-based parametric amplifiers to be a desired implementation in optical communication systems.


Gertrude Bell was a commanding figure: scholar, linguist, archaeologist, traveller and 'orientalist'. A remarkable woman in male-dominated Edwardian society, she shunned convention by eschewing marriage and family for an academic career and extensive travelling. But her private life was marred by the tragedy, vulnerability and frustration that were key to her quest both for a British dominated Middle East and relief from the torture of her romantic failures. Through her vivid writings, she brought the Arab world alive for countless Britons. Alongside T.E. Lawrence, she was hugely instrumental in the post-war reconfiguration of the Arab states in the Middle East. In Iraq she became friend and confidante of the new King Faisal, and a prime mover in drawing up the country's boundaries and establishing a constitutional monarchy there, with its parliament, civil service and legal system. She was influential in creating the state which had all the trappings of independence while remaining a virtual British colony. The legacy of her work is still being played out in the conflicts of today. Yet behind her public success was a backdrop of personal passions, desires and the relationships that drove this extraordinary woman. Embroiled in an unsuccessful love affair with Charles Doughty-Wylie, a married man, she found peace in the solitude of the desert. But the seemingly intractable problems of the newly independent Iraq led her to write of the 'weariness of it all'. Shortly afterwards she took her own life with a lethal dose of sleeping pills. Using previously unseen sources, including Gertude Bell's own diaries and letters, Lukitz provides a deeper political and personal biography of this influential character.


Today the European Union (EU) is challenged by the developments beyond its eastern and southern borders, incl. a series of conflicts that have been erupting in different spots of the Middle East and North Africa since the end of 2010, i.e. the so called Arab Spring and the Russia-Ukraine war that started in 2014. The EU's relations with both regions used to be framed by the European Neighbourhood Policy. The objective of this paper is to examine the implications of the geopolitical changes that have taken place in the EU's imminent neighbourhood over the past few years for that complex policy


In the past decade, researchers have been able to obtain pluripotent stem cells directly from an organism's differentiated cells through a process called cell reprogramming. This opens the way to potentially groundbreaking applications in regenerative and personalized medicine, in which ill patients could use self-derived induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells where needed. While the process of reprogramming has been shown to be possible, its efficiency remains so low after almost ten years since its conception as to render its applicability limited to laboratory research. In this paper, we study a mathematical model of the core transcriptional circuitry among a set of key transcription factors, which is thought to determine the switch among pluripotent and differentiated cell types. By employing standard tools from dynamical systems theory, we analyze the effects on the system's dynamics of overexpressing the core factors, which is what is performed during the reprogramming process. We demonstrate that the structure of the system is such that it can render the switch from an initial stable steady state (differentiated cell type) to the desired stable steady state (pluripotent cell type) highly unlikely. This finding provides insights into a possible reason for the low efficiency of current reprogramming approaches.


Exploratory Data Analysis And Crime Prediction In San Francisco by Isha Pradhan Crime has been prevalent in our society for a very long time and it continues to be so even today. The San Francisco Police Department has continued to register numerous such crime cases daily and has released this data to the public as a part of the open data initiative. In this paper, Big Data analysis is used on this dataset and a tool that predicts crime in San Francisco is provided. The focus of the project is to perform an in-depth analysis of the major types of crimes that occurred in the city, observe the trend over the years, and determine how various attributes, such as seasons, contribute to specific crimes. Furthermore, the proposed model is described that builds on the results of the performed predictive analytics, by identifying the attributes that directly affect the prediction. More specifically, the model predicts the type of crime that will occur in each district of the city. After preprocessing the dataset, the problem reduced to a multi-class classification problem. Various classification techniques such as K-Nearest Neighbor, Multi-class Logistic Regression, Decision Tree, Random Forest and Naïve Bayes are used. Lastly, our results are experimentally evaluated and compared against previous work.The proposed model finds applications in resource allocation of law enforcement in a Smart City.


The aim of this work was to report biosecurity measures in the Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology (OMR) clinic in the current context of COVID-19, based on a literature review. An electronic search for scientific papers was performed using PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus database. Although the literature related to care in the OMR clinic regarding COVID-19 is still scarce, this unprecedented scenario created by the pandemic generated an urgent need for measures to prevent the transmission of the virus. Dentists are at maximum risk of contagion and, although the practice of OMR generally does not produce aerosols, radiologists and technicians are continually in contact with body fluids, such as saliva. In addition, imaging exams are often indispensable for emergency or elective dental diagnosis and treatment. Training in infection control practices during major outbreaks of infectious diseases should be quickly reinforced and dental settings have unique characteristics that warrant specific infection control considerations. Some recommendations have been proposed and were discussed, which cover patient flow, equipment handling and environment, radiographic technique and processing, personal protective equipment and preparation and issuance of radiological reports and access to exam results. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, biosecurity measures in the routine of the OMR clinic are indispensable to enable emergency dental care and the perspectives of returning to elective treatment. Biosecurity measures and staff training at the OMR clinic should be instituted immediately, since imaging exams are an important and often indispensable part of dental diagnosis and treatment.


The  relationship between  thyroid  status and  longevity has been  investigated extensively. However, data on thyroid  status  and  survival  in  old  age  is  scarce.  In  this  study  we  investigated  associations  of  different parameters of thyroid status with mortality in nonagenarians, and whether these associations were different in nonagenarians  from  long‐lived  families  than  in  nonagenarians  from  the  general  population.  In  total,  805 nonagenarians  from  the  Leiden Longevity Study and 259 nonagenarians  from  the  Leiden 85‐plus Study were followed  up  to  collect mortality data. At baseline,  levels of  thyrotropin  (TSH),  free  thyroxine  (fT4)  and  free triiodothyronine  (fT3)  were  measured.  In  nonagenarians  from  long‐lived  families  and  from  the  general population,  associations  between  thyroid  parameters  and mortality were  similar. We  found  no  interaction between study population and parameters of thyroid status on mortality (P‐values>0.70). The results from both studies were combined  to derive generalizable associations. Hazard  ratios  (HRs)  for  the highest compared  to lowest tertiles were determined, resulting in TSH HR 0.91 (P=0.25), fT4 HR 1.22 (P=0.02), fT3 HR 0.74 (P=1.31e‐ 4), and fT3/fT4 HR 0.66 (P=5.64e‐7).  In conclusion, higher fT3/fT4 ratios, higher levels of fT3, and lower levels of fT4 were associated with lower mortality rate in nonagenarians and independent of familial longevity status.


Global band selection or feature extraction methods have been applied to hyperspectral image classification to overcome the "curse of dimension". We applied class-based feature extraction approaches and compressed the class data into different lower dimensional subspaces. Land cover classes in hyperspectral imagery could be roughly modelled as low-dimensional Gaussian clusters (i.e., "Gaussian pancakes") floating in sparse hyperspace. Each pixel was labelled accordingly based on conventional classifiers. We evaluated and compared the class-based version of principal components analysis (PCA), probabilistic principal components analysis (PPCA), and probabilistic factor analysis (PFA) algorithms to find the lower dimensional class subspaces in the training stage, projected each pixel, and then assigned the class label according to the maximum likelihood decision rule. Results from simulations and the classification of a compact airborne spectrographic imager 2 (CASI 2) hyperspectral dataset were presented. The proposed class-based PCA (CPCA) algorithm provided a reasonable trade-off between classification accuracy and computational efficiency for hyperspectral image classification. It proved more efficient and provided the highest classification kappa coefficient (0.946) among all band selection and feature extraction classifiers in our study. CPCA is recommended as a useful class-based feature extraction method for classification of hyperspectral imagery.


We present an integrated silicon Michelson interferometer for OCT fabricated with wafer scale deep UV lithography. Silicon waveguides of the interferometer are designed with GVD less than 50 ps/nm.km. The footprint of the device is 0.5 mm x 3 mm. The effect of sidewall roughness of silicon waveguides has been observed, possible solutions are discussed.


10 Gb/s single channel soliton transmission over more than 10000 km in a standard communication fiber with distributed Raman amplification has been demonstrated in a recirculating fiber loop setup. It has been found that the Gordon-Haus timing jitter becomes the main limiting factor, provided that the generation of dispersive waves due to polarization mode dispersion has been minimized by adjusting the polarization state of the signal.


The report features information about the noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) situation in 193 countries. This includes details of what proportion of each country's deaths are due to diseases such as cancer, heart and lung diseases, and diabetes. Using graphs, on a page-per country presentation format, the report provides information on prevalence, trends in metabolic risk factors (cholesterol, blood pressure, body mass index and blood sugar) alongside data on the country's capacity to address the challenges posed by NCDs. Countries will be able to benchmark progress to date and determine where more efforts are needed.


Health Care in Canada: A Citizen's Guide to Policy and Politics Katherine Fierlbeck University of Toronto Press, 2011Universal health care has long held a prominent position in Canadian nation building. Moreover, health care will always be political: it can be a source of patriotism, a tool used to gain electoral support, or an indicator of conflict between its construction as a need or a commodity. There is no denying that full participation in the decision-making processes concerning health care issues requires an understanding of the inner-workings of the system, what the reform options are, and the different interests advanced by key actors. Health Care in Canada: A Citizen's Guide to Policy and Politics aims to provide its readers with the necessary information to prepare them for contributing to the discussion.The development of the Canadian health care system is examined through a critical analysis of the political landscape, intellectual debates, power struggles, and various processes around the system. Katherine Fierlbeck's main argument is that the development of Canadian health care policy has been determined by the legacy of structures of federal governance and the country's constitutional framework, coupled with the historical interplay of financial and political motivations. She stresses that no perfect system exists and, though many covet the successes other countries have experienced, these systems are likely not transferable as they were developed in specific political cultures and institutional contexts.Health Care in Canada is only one of a handful of current books on the subject that are not primarily intended as university course textbooks. It is informed by a historical comparative methodology, and Fierlbeck presents alternative cases and features in a neutral manner, providing supporting and opposing evidence for each one; only afterwards does she reveal her position and substantiate it further. Though the breadth and scope of the book is tremendously lofty, its approach is quite pragmatic.This book wastes no time jumping right into the thick of things from the very first page. Explaining the intricacies of political, economic, and moral debates, Fierlbeck breathes life and meaning into the dry archival materials of policy, law, and legislation. The language she engages is mostly accessible, except for a few words, concepts and legal terms peppered throughout the text. The story Health Care in Canada is committed to tell is extremely complex and, regrettably, difficult to reduce to bare fundamentals. Even deciphering the figures demands expertise. Almost every sentence holds a new piece of information, threatening to overwhelm its audience and forcing many to contemplate a second read through. There is such a volume of data that brevity necessitated a glossing over of certain aspects less central to the main discussions (for instance, extra-billing and user fees). …


Small quantities of Cl(-) ions result in dramatic reductions in the performance of ionic transition metal complexes in light-emitting electrochemical cells. Strong ion-pairing between aromatic protons and chloride has been established in both the solid state and solution. X-ray structural determination of 2{[Ir(ppy)2(bpy)][Cl]}·2CH2Cl2·[H3O]·Cl reveals the unusual nature of an impurity encountered in the preparation of [Ir(ppy)2(bpy)][PF6].


Bovine colostrums are the "early" milk produced by cows during the first several days post-parturition. This "early" milk has a nutrient profile and immunological composition that differs substantially from "mature" milk. Included in the nutrient profile are higher amounts of immunoglobulins, growth factors, cytokines, and nucleosides than are found in milk. Bovine colostrums are also rich in oligosaccharides, antimicrobials, and immuneregulating factors. Available evidence suggests a beneficial effect of supplementation of bovine colostrums in improving body composition, aspects of athletic performance, diarrhea in persons with immune-deficiency syndromes, NSAID-induced gastrointestinal disturbances, and aspects of the acute phase response that occurs secondary to surgery. Specific hyperimmune bovine colostrums, produced to have high neutralizing titer activity against Cryptosporidia, H. pylori, measles, rotavirus, and Shigella sp., appear to have clinical utility in conditions associated with these infectious


(18)F-Labeled fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography (FDG-PET), a rapidly evolving functional imaging modality, has recently been shown to be useful in the diagnosis and staging of various malignant tumors due to focal uptake of FDG-labeled glucose in malignant cell populations. However, the role of FDG-PET in the diagnosis and staging of biliary tract cancer is still controversial and has not yet been fully evaluated. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical importance of FDG-PET in the preoperative evaluation of biliary tract cancer and retrospectively clarify the characteristics of false-negative and false-positive cases. We retrospectively analyzed data for 73 consecutive patients diagnosed with cancer of the biliary tract and were admitted to the Department of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery at Kobe University Hospital for treatment, from January 2007 to August 2009. Since the sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value (PPV) of FDG-PET in the diagnosis of bile duct carcinoma are usually relatively high, FDG-PET is considered to be a useful tool in diagnosing biliary tract cancer. FDG-PET also seems to be useful in clinical decision-making, regarding treatment strategy, including surgery. Our results showed that FDG-PET is highly sensitive in delineating the primary focus of biliary cancer and is a useful tool in preoperative examination. A disadvantage of FDG-PET is its inability to indicate small metastases and false-positive findings of inflamed gallbladder and bile duct lesions.


This Article details my disagreements with Professor Lynn LoPucki's article "Global and out of Control" (79 Am. Bankr. L.J. 79). Part I discusses universalism and territorialism, especially the modified version of universalism that I support. Part II examines the international venue provisions of the Model Law and the EU Regulation. Part III introduces the relevant venue shopping cases. Only two groups of cases are relevant for the purpose of this paper: the French and German subsidiaries of Daisytek and Eurofood (a subsidiary of Parmalat SpA, the Italian conglomerate). None of the other cases that Professor LoPucki discusses was subject to the venue provisions of either the EU Regulation or the Model Law. Part IV explains the amendments that I believe are needed for the EU Regulation and the Model Law to deal more effectively with venue decisions and discusses how these changes would affect the venue decisions in Eurofood and the continental Daisytek subsidiaries. Finally, Part V contains concluding remarks.


Abstract The initiation of puberty is orchestrated by an augmentation of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) secretion from a few thousand hypothalamic neurons. Recent findings have indicated that the neuroendocrine control of puberty may be regulated by a hierarchically organized network of transcriptional factors acting upstream of GnRH. These include enhanced at puberty 1 (EAP1), which contributes to the initiation of female puberty through transactivation of the GnRH promoter. However, no EAP1 mutations have been found in humans with disorders of pubertal timing. We performed whole-exome sequencing in 67 probands and 93 relatives from a large cohort of familial self-limited delayed puberty (DP). Variants were analyzed for rare, potentially pathogenic variants enriched in case versus controls and relevant to the biological control of puberty. We identified one in-frame deletion (Ala221del) and one rare missense variant (Asn770His) in EAP1 in two unrelated families; these variants were highly conserved and potentially pathogenic. Expression studies revealed Eap1 mRNA abundance in peri-pubertal mouse hypothalamus. EAP1 binding to the GnRH1 promoter increased in monkey hypothalamus at the onset of puberty as determined by chromatin immunoprecipitation. Using a luciferase reporter assay, EAP1 mutants showed a reduced ability to trans-activate the GnRH promoter compared to wild-type EAP1, due to reduced protein levels caused by the Ala221del mutation and subcellular mislocation caused by the Asn770His mutation, as revealed by western blot and immunofluorescence, respectively. In conclusion, we have identified the first EAP1 mutations leading to reduced GnRH transcriptional activity resulting in a phenotype of self-limited DP.


A population of rare pluripotential stem cells with extensive proliferative and self-renewal capabilities sustains haemopoiesis throughout life. Such cells, capable of differentiating into any haemopoietic lineage are required for gene therapy, ex-vivo expansion and stem cell transplantation strategies. It is currently not possible to positively identify these cells; their presence can only be retrospectively assessed through elaborate, time consuming culture techniques and animal repopulating studies. Stem cells can be isolated through negative selection, a complex and very expensive procedure. The CD34 antigen is routinely used as a surrogate marker of primitive haemopoietic cells and identifies most of the committed progenitors of the bone marrow as well as some of the more immature pluripotential cells.
AC133, discovered in 1997, is reportedly expressed on a subset of CD34[sup]+stem/progenitor cells, suggesting an alternative for CD34. The present study first assessed the potential of one or both molecules (CD34/AC133) for progenitor cell acquisition in order to determine the status of AC133 as a unique stem cell antigen. Results suggested that selection of cells on the basis of AC133 excluded the more mature committed cells of the CD34[sup]+ population (especially erythroid). Consequently, the AC133[sup]+ population is more highly enriched (than the whole CD34[sup]+ cell population) for cells of a high proliferative potential and long-term culture initiating ability.
The CD34 molecule can be very quickly upregulated. Upregulation is rapid (1 minute), independent of transcription/translation, and is unaffected by inhibitors of protein synthesis. Upregulation is of a fully formed glycosylated molecule and is probably from preformed intracellular stores. This research developed methodology for simultaneously fluorescent antibody-labelling internal and external stores of CD34. This was applied to investigating the internal expression of CD34, attempting to determine its significance in the hierarchy of haemopoietic cells, and this was achieved via flow cytometry, simultaneously examining the expression of internal CD34, external CD34 and one other established haemopoietic cell marker (CD38, AC133, Thy-1, CD164, CD117 and CD7). The results indicated that the CD34 molecule translocates from internal stores to membrane surface during external CD34[sup]+ haemopoietic stem/progenitor cell maturation and development. In addition, internal CD34 expression identifies a novel subset of primitive haemopoietic external CD34 negative (CD34[sup]NEG) cells, which may contain cells that precede external CD34[sup]+ cells in the hierarchy of haemopoiesis.
Specific fluorescent antibody labelling was then confirmed by laser confocal microscope examination of labelled cells. The technique of simultaneously labelling 2 antigens for the confocal microscope was established, and allowed the cellular localisation of internal and external CD34 to be confirmed.
A possible clinical application of this technology (internal CD34 labelling) to the monitoring of mobilisation protocols was further investigated by analysing daily peripheral blood samples, taken from patients undergoing G-CSF mobilisation therapy.
Results suggested that cells with a more primitive phenotype (internal CD34[sup]+, external CD34[sup]NEG) than external CD34[sup]+ cells are released in significant numbers during the early stages of mobilisation, and are missed by the conventional harvest date. Such cells may have an improved transplant potential.
This Ph.D project has established the significance of internal CD34 expression a possible application and has identified a possible application for this technology.


How ought one to act? What is action? This dissertation is about how far an answer to the second question can take us towards an answer to the first. Many philosophers think that an answer to the metaphysical question about the nature of action can take us very far towards an answer to the ordinary question about how to act. There are two popular ways of developing this idea. According to neo-Kantianism, agency presupposes the capacity to engage in non-instrumental forms of practical thought. According to neo-Humeanism, agency is limited to the capacity to engage in instrumental thought. In this dissertation, I criticize each of these and offer a better alternative. With the neo-Humean and against the neo-Kantian, I argue that non-instrumental practical thought is not necessary for agency. And with the neo-Kantian but against the neo-Humean, I argue that non-instrumental practical thought is possible. Attempts to answer "How ought one to act?" by answering "What is action?" are attempts to explain how something ought to be through an account of what something is. Neo-Kantians and neo-Humeans focus on action because they think this: what practical reason requires of some agent it requires of all conceivable agents. Action seems to be the best place to look to ground norms with the relevant scope. However, in order to combine the insights of each-namely that non-instrumental practical thought is not necessary, though still possible-we have to give up on this conception of the scope of practical requirements. And if we do, we are left with the task of finding other features of ourselves, say, our humanity, to ground the robust standards of moral life.


Background: Endoscopic Spine Surgery has evolved rapidly in the past 5 years, and is getting less pushback by traditional spine surgeons who have no exposure or training in endoscopic spine surgery in their training. The author has dedicated his last 25 years to transforaminal endoscopic surgery. He has previously reported on his 12 years' experience in 2007 in IJAS Surgery, but 13 years later, continued evolution of the transforaminal approach aided by new endoscopes and endoscopic instrumentation has allowed the author and experienced endoscopic surgeons adopting this approach, with the ability to treat 90 percent of painful degenerative conditions of the lumbar spine after the learning curve is conquered.
Methods: Three different methods have evolved. Yeung's "insideout" philosophy and technique, Hoogland's "outside in" philosophy technique, and a hybrid targeted technique combining inside out and outside in, that depends on targeting the patho-anatomy. This paper reviews Yeung's philosophy and technique backed by over10,000 procedures in the past 25 years
Results: After a learning curve for each pathology targeted, an overall 90% good to excellent success rate measured by VAS, Oswestry, patient satisfaction, and minimal minor complications of less than 3 percent can be achieved. A detailed review of Yeung's experience supplements his 12 year report in the International Journal of Spine Surgery in 2007.
Conclusion: The transforaminal endoscopic technique has evolved to be the least invasive, most effective method to surgically address the pain generators in the lumbar spine. The technique allows for earlier treatment of painful conditions that fail nonsurgical treatment. This monograph can be used as a guide for new surgeons who want to treat patients with "surgical pain management" that incorporates pain management with surgical treatment that will help decrease the escalating cost of spine care all over the world.


Used as part of a systematic review on massage therapy as a self-management strategy for musculoskeletal pain and chronic conditions.


The SHEPPARD MURDER CASE (1954-66) assumed legal importance when Dr. Samuel Shepard's 1954 conviction for the murder of his wife was set aside by the U.S. Supreme Court on the grounds that the defendant was not sufficiently insulated from the excessive publicity surrounding the case, and thus was denied a fair trial in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court. This decision helped define what protections from adverse media coverage were necessary under the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. Sheppard Murder Case On 4 July 1954, Marilyn Reese Sheppard was found murdered in her BAY VILLAGE home by her husband Sam, who said that a bushy-haired intruder had killed his wife. Shappard maintained his innocence despite questioning by officials, but Cleveland newspapers, particularly the CLEVELAND PRESS and its editor, LOUIS SELTZER, demanded his arrest, alleging that the Sheppard family was conspiring to shield Sam from the authorities. The publicity intensified with Sheppard's arrest of 30 July and continued through his 9-week jury trial, presided over by Judge EDWARD BLYTHIN. The prosecution, led by John J. Mahon, presented evidence which included analysis of bloodstains found in the house and used Sheppard's affair with Susan Hayes, a former lab technician at Bayview Hospital, to establish a motive for the murder. In what was called a "carnival atmosphere," the defense, led by Wm. J. Corrigan, Sr., failed to convince the jury of Sheppard's innocence. He was convicted of 2nd-degree murder on 21 Dec. 1954 and sentenced to life in prison, where he continued efforts to secure his release. Ten years later, Sheppard's new attorney, F. Lee Bailey, charged Judge Blythin with improper conduct in Federal court. Although Bailey won his client's release, the decision was overturned on appeal, and he went to the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1966 the high court supported the original ruling, citing Blythin's failure to protect Sheppard from the inherently prejudicial publicity that had saturated the country. The State of Ohio, which had the option to retry Sheppard, did so in the fall of 1966, but this time he was found not guilty. Sheppard died of liver failure. Holmes, Paul. The Sheppard Murder Case (1961). Sheppard, Samuel. Endure and Conquer (1966).


This thesis investigates the impact of computers and interactive whiteboards on the teaching
of Design and Technology in Key Stage 2. Their use within education is having an influence
upon the curriculum. Various investigations into the impact of Information and Communication Technology have been undertaken but these have principally involved CAD and CAM work within Key Stages 3 and 4 Design and Technology. Very few studies have looked at Design and Technology in the earlier key stages or the impact upon teaching and pupils at Key Stages 1 and 2. The literature review focuses on four key areas surrounding the research investigation: Computer Aided Learning; Cognition regarding the relationship of problem solving and higher level thinking; Pedagogy and its relationship to the use of computers in the teaching of Design and Technology and a review of the Design and
Technology guidelines and the related issues regarding their implementation.

The research is based upon both qualitative and quantitative methodologies employing multiple sources of data collection. Quantitative data was collected through a survey of all primary schools in two Yorkshire Local Authorities. The qualitative data produced the basis for in-depth individual semi-structured interviews with a sample of Design and Technology Co-ordinators. The semi-structured interviews then formed the foundation for a focus group interview of Local Authority officers. Use has been made of an evidence trail which examines other sources of evidence such as conference papers, HMI, QCA, Ofsted and DfES reports.

The main findings indicate that the core subjects of the National Curriculum are taking the
vast majority of teaching time. A broad and balanced curriculum is therefore no longer being
maintained in the schools studied.

The evidence revealed that teachers were becoming familiar with the use of computers in the
classroom. They understood the skills involved in using computers but were still uncertain as
to the most suitable pedagogy. The majority of teachers who responded to the questionnaire
and the semi-structured interviews, the Local Authority officers and some government
departments regard the New Opportunities Funded (NOF) training as being a disappointment due to its over-ambitious aims and lack of pedagogical content. The introduction of interactive whiteboards (IWB) was initially viewed by teachers as another element of ICT to teach. However these have now been well received.

Those teachers involved in the study are finding it difficult to find time to either keep pace
with or develop their ICT skills. This is reflected in teachers' limited use of computer
programs. This is in direct conflict with the findings of Ofsted, which found that teachers
were now using a broader range of programs.

Please note that the term Local Education Authority no longer exists as a statutory body.
Throughout this thesis the term Local Authority is used instead.


Sanford Kwinter ponders the complex encounters between technology, culture, and architecture. Critical essays offer an extended meditation on infrastructure, war, computation, mechanical and material intelligence, and other multivariate facets of modernity. Far-reaching in scope, Far from Equilibrium amounts to a performance in writing of what Kwinter describes as radical anamnesis: the imagination's escape from the sterile logic of what is. Compiling over a decade of architectural and critical writings, many published here for the first time, Far From Equilibrium is essential reading for anyone interested in the state of architecture and criticism today. A primer for (re)thinking design in the 21st century.


Given the importance of heat balance being maintained between a person and their environment
an appropriate clothing choice is essential. Since military personnel are required to work
effectively when deployed in any of the world's climates it is important that the thermal
protection afforded by their clothing is considered as well as its more obvious protective
properties such as those relating to the chemical and abrasive environments.
Clothing descriptions restricted to details of heat and water vapour transfer characteristics
alone, as is commonly the case, are recognised as being insufficient. Of particular note, where
these data are obtained under 'artificial' conditions, ie intrinsic values, they are unlikely to
represent the 'resultant' values as observed when worn by human subjects engaged in actual
work tasks. Where intrinsic data are used in predictive standards calculations, to estimate safe
work times etc, the workforce under consideration may not always be protected.
One source of change in the thermal properties of clothing, when in the workplace, occurs due
to increased convective and evaporative heat transfer at the wearer's skin surface caused by air
movement through the clothing. This may occur as a result of wearer body movements or
increased environmental air speed. The Ventilation Index has previously been suggested as an
accurate and repeatable method for quantifying clothing ventilation characteristics. Although
several other measurement techniques have also been suggested, the Ventilation Index is simple
(albeit laborious) to conduct, and does not require the use of expensive equipment. Work
conducted towards this thesis has shown that the Ventilation Index may be suitable for use in
either manikin testing or human studies assessmentso f clothing.
The aim of this thesis was to investigate the suitability of the Ventilation Index as a
measurementt echnique for the assessmenot f clothing ventilation characteristics, particularly to
consider the relationship between clothing ventilation and wearer physiological responses and to
identify the factors which can affect this. The Ventilation Index measurement systems
constructed as part of this research have improved on those used previously in similar research.
New materials technology has provided an improved air-tight oversuit for use during
measurement of the clothing micro-environment (a constant source of fiustration, it appears, for
previous authors), while extensive calibration of the whole system has proved its accuracy.
Using the Ventilation Index has shown that the ingress and egress of air into and from the
clothing micro-environment may induce a physiological response from the wearer of the
clothing (chapter 6) such increases in air movement being reflected by a drop in insulation
afforded by the clothing (chapter 7). Of particular interest to persons involved in the thermal
assessment of clothing, will be the suggestion that clothing may exhibit different ventilation
characteristics when tested on a thermal manikin to when worn by human subjects. This
difference appearing to be related to clothing fit (investigated in chapter 9). Of interest to
wearer's of protective, is the observation that air-impermeable clothing does not necessarily
withstand changes in environmental air movement (chapter 10).
The technique is not without criticism. The standard tracer gas technique, used to calculate
clothing air exchange rate, considers only air movement occurring next to the wearer's skin. In
multi-layer clothing ensembles, the movement of air in clothing layers more distant will change
the clothing micro-environment and thus have consequences for the wearer. Preliminary
investigation suggests that distribution of nitrogen to each clothing layer should enable
assessmenot fair movement in each of these layers.


The aim of the research is to find out the effect of long storage against glucose and vitamin C degree andalso to find out how many days of the storage whioch can still maintain the glucose and vitamin C degreeupon siam orange ( Citrus nobilis var. microcarpa ). It is expected that the research may give anyinformation especially for the seller of siam orange about the effect of long storage against glucose andvitamin C degree and how many days the storage should be performed. The experimet includes 4 treatmentsand 5 repetilions. The treatment is the length of the storage, namely 0 day ( control ), 5 days, 10 days and 15days. The observed parameters are glucose, vitamin C degree and fruit weight decrease. The research usescomplete Random design, when there is a real difference Duncan test will be used upon significant degree of5 %. The result of the research indicates that the glucose degree of siam orange upon the storage of 5 and 10days increases compared to the control. Upon the storage of  15 days the glucose degree decreases comparedto the storage of 5 and upon the storage of 5 days does not change compared to the control, but it startsdecreasing upon the storage of 10 and 15 days.


In Malaysia, the role of aquaculture in fish production is anticipated to increase as
marine fish catches have already exceeded the maximum sustainable yield. In order to
address this issue, aquaculture is being developed on a commercial scale. Fish farming
in Malaysia is focused on providing the fish grower with the best fingerlings, with
uniformity and fast growth rates. There is great necessity for genetic evaluation,
monitoring of stocks and application of appropriate breeding approaches if tilapia
production is to continue to meet market demands. With the aid of microsatellite
markers, stock integrity and genetic variability can be examined.
Three major experiments were carried out; a population genetic study on eight
populations of tilapia. quantitative genetics study on two populations of O. niloticus.
Taiwan A and B across two generations and heritability study on the Taiwan A
population.
The primary focus of the population genetic study was to determine the
relationships among eight populations which was used for breeding and to determine the
viability of these populations. Microsatellite markers were used to determine the
relationships among tilapia populations. The technique was optimized by varying
parameters including the amount of template DNA, different thermal cyclers and others.
The results showed that microsatellite markers are good markers for tilapia genetic
studies.
For the population genetic study, the mean allele number and the mean
heterozygosity level for the 40 loci were 43 and 0.5420 respectively. The FST value of
0.2401 among the populations suggested a moderate amount of genetic differentiation
among the tilapia populations studied. Low heterozygosity levels suggest low effective
population sizes, which may result in high levels ·of inbreeding. Most loci showed a
deficiency in heterozygosity, which may be a sign of inbreeding. Most sampled
populations showed significant deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, which
could result from mutation, migration or selection. This outcome could also be due to
the small sample sizes examined and the high number of alleles present at individual
loci.
Based on 11 loci, different genetic distance measures were applied to test the
difference in the topology of the five populations examined. The topology and
correlation values varied using two models, IAM and SMM. The genetic distances used
in this study was selected to resolve relationships among the sampled populations as an


Males from the BXSB murine strain (H-2b) spontaneously develop an autoimmune syndrome with features of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), which results in part from the action of a mutant gene (Yaa) located on the Y chromosome. Like other H-2b mice, the BXSB strain does not express the class II major histocompatibility complex antigen, I-E. Here we report that the expression of I-E (E alpha dE beta b) in BXSB males bearing an E alpha d transgene prevents hypergammaglobulinemia, autoantibody production, and subsequent autoimmune glomerulonephritis. These transgenic mice bear on the majority of their B cells not only I- E molecules, but also an I-E alpha chain-derived peptide presented by a higher number of I-Ab molecules, as recognized by the Y-Ae monoclonal antibody. The I-E+ B cells appear less activated in vivo than the I-E- B cells, a minor population. This limited activation of the I-E+ B cells does not reflect a functional deficiency of this cell population, since it can be stimulated to IgM production in vitro by lipopolysaccharides at an even higher level than the I-E- B cell population. The development of the autoimmune syndrome in the transgenic and nontransgenic bone marrow chimeric mice argues against the possibility that the induction of regulatory T cells or clonal deletion of potential autoreactive T cells as a result of I-E expression is a mechanism of the protection conferred by the E alpha d transgene. We propose a novel mechanism by which the E alpha d transgene protects BXSB mice against SLE: overexpression of I-E alpha chains results in the generation of excessive amounts of a peptide displaying a high affinity to the I-Ab molecule, thereby competing with pathogenic autoantigen-derived peptides for presentation by B lymphocytes and preventing their excessive stimulation.


The aim of this paper is to provide a critical systems thinking perspective on e-learning research in information systems classrooms.  Many higher education practitioners are under pressure from their institutions to do research and to publish their findings. Higher education institutions spend large amounts of money on freeing up lecturers' time for research by incorporating better technology in teaching.  Many also believe that the so-called generation-Y students can learn only when they are using technology.  This leads to three problems: firstly, the class-room becomes a research centre; secondly, average quality research papers are written; and thirdly, technology drives teaching practices and not the other way round. Although these are often viewed as three independent problems they can be addressed as symptoms of one single problem:  We struggle to find a method to reflect on and design our teaching practices in a way that truly benefits our students, the information technology industry and the scholarly community we are part of. Overall the motivation for teaching and the motivation for research about teaching become blurred and move away from most lecturers' original motivation for entering academia. This paper uses critical systems thinking to motivate critical social theory as an appropriate research paradigm and action research as research methodology for research projects in e-learning in information systems classrooms. It reflects on teaching of information systems and using e-learning from a critical systems perspective. Doing research in e-learning in an information systems classroom is viewed as a pluralist-complex problem with some coercive characteristics according to the Flood and Jackson categorisation. Critical social heuristics is used to better understand the different worldviews and associated objectives in the problem situation. Action research is viewed from the perspective of critical social research therefore the guidelines for critical social research in information systems developed by Myers and Klein are applicable.  Key to such an application of action research is the use of a critical theoretical framework or theory to guide intervention as illustrated by the depiction of action research of Peter Checkland.  This paper explores suitable educational theories to guide intervention in information systems classrooms what will be beneficial to different groups of interest as identified in the application of critical social heuristics. It aims to address the problems stated above by providing guidelines for good research in the e-learning discipline.


This paper discusses the errors associated with electric field cross talk for optical voltage sensors in a three-phase electric system and provides a solution to compensate the errors. For many practical conductor configurations, the electric field cross talk may cause errors unacceptable for the accuracy requirements of the sensors. We devised a real time compensation method for the cross talk and built an electronic circuits based on it. The mechanism of the compensation and the corresponding error reduction were discussed.


For 112 Gb/s polarization-multiplexed quadrature-phase-shift-keying systems, the generalized Gaussian probability density function is used to quantify the impact of carrier phase estimation algorithms on the statistical properties of the resultant signal sample values and to obtain an estimate of the system bit error ratio when direct bit error counting is not feasible. The shape parameter in the probability density function is useful for distinguishing the performance of different signal processing algorithms and system configurations.


One of the primary advantages of having prognostic information about a platform is the ability to adapt operation and mission planning to compensate for the impending reduced capability. In addition, information about the operating ranges and mission requirements can be used to change the point in time the fault will occur. For example, a change in how the load on a power system is distributed may extend the point a fault will occur and therefore, provide additional mission time and/or life of the power system. Thus, there is a need to develop a unified approach to apply health information to operating conditions and mission planning to minimize the impact of the impending fault as well as use the operating limits and mission parameters to extend the life of the failing components or system to maximize the life of the platform and range of the mission. This paper analyzes and compares different approaches to applying health information to operation reconfiguration, mission planning and life extension. The weaknesses and strengths of these approaches are analyzed and a unified approach is proposed for classifying and analyzing health integration schemes for command and control structures. In addition, several health integration examples, from publicly available literature, are provided using the proposed classification and analysis approach to demonstrate its range and value.


Questions of the nature of understanding and interpretation—hermeneutics—are fundamental in human life, though historically Westerners have tended to consider these questions within a purely Western context. In this comparative study, Zhang Longxi investigates the metaphorical nature of poetic language, highlighting the central figures of reality and meaning in both Eastern and Western thought: the Tao and the Logos. The author develops a powerful cross-cultural and interdisciplinary hermeneutic analysis that relates individual works of literature not only to their respective cultures, but to a combined worldview where East meets West.

Zhang's book brings together philosophy and literature, theory and practical criticism, the Western and the non-Western in defining common ground on which East and West may come to a mutual understanding. He provides commentary on the rich traditions of poetry and poetics in ancient China; equally illuminating are Zhang's astute analyses of Western poets such as Rilke, Shakespeare, and Mallarme and his critical engagement with the work of Foucault, Derrida, and de Man, among others.

Wide-ranging and learned, this definitive work in East-West comparative poetics and the hermeneutic tradition will be of interest to specialists in comparative literature, philosophy, literary theory, poetry and poetics, and Chinese literature and history.


Quantitative MRI and MRS of muscle are increasingly being used to measure individual pathophysiological processes in Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD). In particular, muscle fat fraction was shown to be highly associated with functional tests in BMD. However, the muscle strength per unit of contractile cross‐sectional area is lower in patients with BMD compared with healthy controls. This suggests that the quality of the non‐fat‐replaced (NFR) muscle tissue is lower than in healthy controls. Consequently, a measure that reflects changes in muscle tissue itself is needed. Here, we explore the potential of water T2 relaxation times, diffusion parameters and phosphorus metabolic indices as early disease markers in patients with BMD. For this purpose, we examined these measures in fat‐replaced (FR) and NFR lower leg muscles in patients with BMD and compared these values with those in healthy controls. Quantitative proton MRI (three‐point Dixon, multi‐spin‐echo and diffusion‐weighted spin‐echo echo planar imaging) and 2D chemical shift imaging 31P MRS data were acquired in 24 patients with BMD (age 18.8‐66.2 years) and 13 healthy controls (age 21.3‐63.6 years). Muscle fat fractions, phosphorus metabolic indices, and averages and standard deviations (SDs) of the water T2 relaxation times and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters were assessed in six individual leg muscles. Phosphodiester levels were increased in the NFR and FR tibialis anterior, FR peroneus and FR gastrocnemius lateralis muscles. No clear pattern was visible for the other metabolic indices. Increased T2 SD was found in the majority of FR muscles compared with NFR and healthy control muscles. No differences in average water T2 relaxation times or DTI indices were found between groups. Overall, our results indicate that primarily muscles that are further along in the disease process showed increases in T2 heterogeneity and changes in some metabolic indices. No clear differences were found for the DTI indices between groups.


This piece discusses the relationship between Buddhism and capitalism as well as depicts the role of Buddhist groups, associations, and organizations in modern Taiwan, especially the "trio" Fo Guang Shan, Tzu Chi Foundation, and Dharma Drum Mountain, in developing economic activities and humanitarian works. Furthermore this piece will review "theological bases" of current Taiwanese Buddhism - its religious ethics and teachings - in relation to the "worldly matters" (e.g. economics and other humanistic issues), and look at the historical roots of the above contemporary reformist Buddhist groups. Influenced by the works of Weber, this article reexamines his classical and controversial thesis regarding non-Western religions, especially Buddhism, and its linkage to the spirit of capitalism and worldliness.


The lacunae in fishing-community engagement in the management and governance of marine and coastal protected areas (MCPAs) were discussed in the 2009 Chennai Workshop organized by the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF). To continue the discussion, a second, two-day workshop to review existing legal and institutional mechanisms for implemention and monitoring of MCPAs, titled 'Fishery-dependent Livelihoods, Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity: The Case of Marine and Coastal Protected Areas in India', was held in New Delhi during 1-2 March 2012.

The objective was to understand the impact of MCPAs on fishing communities, from an environmental-justice and human-rights perspective, and make specific proposals for better conservation while securing the livelihoods of small-scale fishers. The workshop also served to underscore these issues in light of the upcoming Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), to be held at Hyderabad in October 2012.

This publication contains the prospectus of the workshop and a report of the proceedings. It will be useful for fishworkers, non-governmental organizations, policymakers, trade unions, researchers and others interested in natural resource management and coastal and fishing communities.


There has been a lot of research on gender discrimination in school management and factors that prevent women from becoming managers. Examining the literature showed that attitudes contribute to the reasons for the low number of women managers. This research aims to evaluate teacher attitudes towards women school managers. In the 2018-2019 academic year, the research population was composed of teachers in schools/institutions that are woman managers affiliated to the Ministry of National Education in Amasya provinces and districts. The sample size determined by non-selective sampling management was 157 teachers from the Taşova District of Amasya which. Attitude scale towards woman school managers was applied in the study using the method of descriptive screening. The frequency and percentage values of demographics were examined using the SPSS 17 packet program. An Independent t-test was applied to analyse gender, marital status, educational level variables, and one-way variance analysis for the age variable. More than half of the participants in the study described work experimentation with woman managers positively. As a result of the research, significant differences were observed in gender, education status, and age variables. In contrast, no significant differences were observed in terms of marital status variables.


Hangover may be related to propensity to develop alcohol use disorders (AUDs). However, the etiological role, if any, played by hangover in AUD is unclear. From a motivational perspective, hangover can be construed as either a deterrent to future alcohol consumption or a setting event for negative reinforcement that could promote deviant drinking practices (e.g., "hair-of-the-dog" drinking). Hangover could be related to AUD risk even if it does not play a direct role in promoting or inhibiting near-term drinking. For example, measures of hangover might serve as symptoms of AUD or as markers of individual differences that more directly account for AUD risk. Empirical evidence (though usually indirect) exists to support contentions that hangover is related to both risk for and protection from AUD. In this article, we briefly address variation in assessment strategies in existing hangover research because measures of hangover frequency and hangover susceptibility may prove to have different correlates. Next, we review the existing, limited evidence on relations between hangover and AUD risk. Finally, we sketch a variety of theoretically-informed hypotheses that might help delineate productive lines of inquiry for this emerging field.


Abstract This study aimed to empirically explore how a firm's fulfilling corporate social responsibility (CSR) would impact on firm performance. For this research purpose, a CSR index (CSRI), based on the ideas of socially responsible investment (SRI) and corporate contributions to its stakeholders, was constructed to measure the degree that a firm fulfilled its CSR. The data were sampled from the publicly listed firms on Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) and from the database of Taiwan Economic Journal (TEJ ) for the time period of 2004–2009. With the method of regression analysis, the findings revealed that fulfilling CSR had a significantly positive impact on firm performance. The implication suggested that a firm could serve as a good corporate citizen, while in the meantime showing an exceptional firm performance.


The Markov-switching GARCH model allows for a GARCH structure with time-varying parameters. This flexibility is unfortunately undermined by a path dependence problem which complicates the parameter estimation process. This problem led to the development of computationally intensive estimation methods and to simpler techniques based on an approximation of the model, known as collapsing procedures. This article develops an original algorithm to conduct maximum likelihood inference in the Markov-switching GARCH model, generalizing and improving previously proposed collapsing approaches. A new relationship between particle filtering and collapsing procedures is established which reveals that this algorithm corresponds to a deterministic particle filter. Simulation and empirical studies show that the proposed method allows for a fast and accurate estimation of the model.


West Nile virus and Usutu virus are spreading over Europe. The last confirmed outbreaks of West Nile virus took place in Greece in 2011 and Northern Italy, 2012. A serious outbreak of Usutu virus in birds occurred in Germany in 2010 and 2011, indicating an increased risk of Usutu virus infections in humans. Sera of 1,607 healthy blood donors in the Tyrols (Austria and Italy) were investigated for the presence of IgG antibodies for tick-borne encephalitis virus and West Nile virus by ELISA as well as for Usutu virus by in-house immunofluorescence assay. Furthermore, 2,571 mosquitoes were trapped in the study area and screened for flaviviral and West Nile-specific RNA by RT-PCR. Initial results indicated seroprevalence rates of 46.2% for West Nile virus in North Tyrol and 0.5% in South Tyrol as well as 16.5% and 0.3% for Usutu virus, respectively, which turned out to be false positive cross-reactions with antibodies against tick-borne encephalitis virus or other vaccine-associated flaviviral antibodies by adjacent neutralization assays. Actually, neutralizing antibodies against West Nile virus were found in five sera (0.5% seroprevalence), against Usutu virus in one serum (0.1% seroprevalence). This study shows that the Tyrolean population does not come into immunoreactive contact with West Nile virus or Usutu virus and that no flavivirus could be detected in trapped mosquitoes. Furthermore, the study provides cross-reactivities of up to 58.8% (460 of 782) of flaviviral antibodies in ELISA-testing and up to 21.5% (168 of 782) in immunofluorescence assay and that cross-reactivity increases with increasing number of vaccinations against Flaviviruses. This study illuminates the degree of cross-reactivities of flaviviral antibodies in a healthy blood donor collective and shows the difficulties in the differentiation of flaviviral antibodies in serologic diagnostics.


ABSTRACT Picornavirus RNA replication is initiated by VPg uridylylation, during which the hydroxyl group of the third tyrosine residue of the virally encoded protein VPg is covalently linked to two UMP molecules by RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp; also known as 3Dpol). We previously identified site 311, located at the base of the palm domain of the enterovirus 71 (EV71) RdRp, to be the site for EV71 VPg binding and uridylylation. Here we report the crystal structure of EV71 3Dpol complexed with VPg. VPg was anchored at the bottom of the palm domain of the 3Dpol molecule and exhibited an extended V-shape conformation. The corresponding interface on 3Dpol was mainly formed by residues within site 311 and other residues in the palm and finger domains. Mutations of the amino acids of 3Dpol involved in the VPg interaction (3DL319A, 3DD320A, and 3DY335A) significantly disrupted VPg binding to 3Dpol, resulting in defective VPg uridylylation. In contrast, these mutations did not affect the RNA elongation activity of 3Dpol. In the context of viral genomic RNA, mutations that abolished VPg uridylylation activity were lethal for EV71 replication. Further in vitro analysis showed that the uridylylation activity was restored by mixing VPg-binding-defective and catalysis-defective mutants, indicating a trans mechanism for EV71 VPg uridylylation. Our results, together with previous results of other studies, demonstrate that different picornaviruses use distinct binding sites for VPg uridylylation.


Quality management systems (QMS) have been widely applied successfully by many manufacturing companies to improve their process, increase profits and organizational performance. The most applied of the quality programs are ISO 9001, Total Quality Management (TQM), Just-In-time (JIT), Lean Management and Six Sigma. Although past studies on quality management have identified and studied the implementation of quality management practices, there is little or no research on quality management practices and business performance in Southern Minnesota manufacturing companies. Many researchers have concluded that the implementation of quality management practices has led to significant improvements in companies' business performance while others have established that it does not. In addition, no research has been conducted to identify the factors considered by Southern Minnesota companies in the selection of suppliers to ensure satisfaction from the suppliers. A review of literature on quality management systems and organization's performance was carried out. The major ii objective of this study is to develop and propose the conceptual framework and research model of quality management practices implementation in relation to organization performance particularly in Southern Minnesota manufacturing firms. And also to identify the most important factors considered in suppliers' selection in the companies. A survey was conducted involving Southern Minnesota manufacturing companies. The survey aims to investigate the current quality management practices in manufacturing industries in Southern Minnesota. In this study, focus was the relationship between quality management practices and organization performance. The results of the survey conducted on the companies found that implementation of the quality practices affects organizations' performance positively. Also, that the three most important factors considered in supplier selection by the companies is quality, on-time delivery and commitment. This is contrary to much research that has established that three most important factors in suppliers' selection by manufacturing companies are quality, cost and on-time delivery. This study provides useful information for further improvement of quality management practices and the current situation of quality management practices in Southern Minnesota manufacturing industry.