Background: Clavicle fractures are common injuries in professional football. Surgical fixation of these injuries may lead to decreased nonunion rates, improved shoulder strength, and decreased residual functional impairment. Purpose: To determine (1) return-to-sport (RTS) rate in National Football League (NFL) players after clavicle fracture open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF), (2) postoperative career length and games per season, (3) pre- and postoperative performance, and (4) postoperative performance compared with control players matched by position, age, years of experience, and performance. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Publicly available records were used to identify players who underwent surgical treatment of a clavicle fracture while playing in the NFL. Demographic and performance data were collected for each player, and matched controls were identified. Control and case performance scores were calculated using a standardized scoring system. RTS was defined as playing in 1 NFL game after surgery. Comparisons between case and control groups at preoperative and postoperative time points were made using paired-samples Student t tests. Results: Seventeen surgeries (16 players) were analyzed. Fifteen players (94.1%) were able to RTS in the NFL at a mean 211.3 ± 144.7 days postsurgery; 7 (44%) returned within the same season as their injury and subsequent fixation. The overall rate of a player's remaining in the NFL 1 year after surgery was 88.2%. Players who underwent surgery played in a similar number of games per season and had similar career lengths in the NFL as controls (P > .05). There were no significant (P > .05) differences between cases and matched controls presurgery and preindex. There was no difference (P > .05) in postoperative performance scores or games per season compared with preoperative scores or games per season for any position. Quarterbacks (n = 3, P = .049) and running backs (n = 5, P = .039) had significantly worse postoperative performance scores when compared with postindex matched controls. Conclusion: There is a high rate of RTS in the NFL after clavicle fracture ORIF. Players who underwent clavicle fracture ORIF played in a similar number of games per season and had similar career lengths in the NFL as controls. Quarterbacks and running backs had significantly worse postoperative performance scores when compared with postindex matched controls.


This article discusses the problem of reduction in budgetary expenditure as one of the priority directions in economic development and social stability of the Russian Federation being in an unfavorable geopolitical situation. The dynamics and structure of expenditures of the Russian Federation federal budget are being analyzed as well as budgetary expenditure control specifics against the background of budget deficit. The article highlights the Russian regions social burden and provides the social sphere optimization results. According to the research results, the author proposes a set of measures to reduce the social spending in the Russian Federation, including the pension reform improvement; better targeting of social transfers and subsidies; social institutions network optimization.


RFLP genetic-similarity estimates (RFLP-GS) and coefficient of parentage (CP) have been used as measures of genetic similarity within crop species. However, practical application of these measures in plant breeding remains uncertain. This study was designed to probe the utility of RFLP-GS and CP in predicting genetic variance (GV) for seed yield among inbred soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] lines. To achieve this goal, five single seed descent populations were studied, representing a range of RFLP-GS and CP between the parents from 57 to 75% and 0.06 to 0.5, respectively. The GV for yield was estimated for each population through field evaluation of 30 inbred lines per population, in two North Carolina field locations during 1994. Both RFLP-GS and CP correctly identified the population with the highest GV; however, CP predicted GV for yield more efficiently ( r CP.RFLP-Gs = 0.91*; r CP.GV = -0.81* ; and r RFLP.GS.GV = -0.58). The GV was near zero when the CP between parents was larger than 0.27 or when RFLP-GS was larger than 75%. Neither genotype x environment interaction nor low field precision were factors for the lower predictive value of RFLP-GS. Expected gains from selection agreed partially with RFLP-GS results but closely matched CP and the actual fate of populations in a USDA breeding program. These results indicated that caution should be taken in an applied soybean breeding program when crossing parents with a relationship larger than half-sib or when the RFLP-GS is larger than 75% when yield improvement is the main breeding objective.


This study combines network science and ethnography to explore how al-Muhajiroun, a banned Islamist network, continued its high-risk activism despite being targeted for disruption by British authorities. We analyze news reports, interviews, and field notes using social network analysis and qualitative content analysis to test hypotheses pertaining to network structure and performance. Our analysis suggests that the activist network's structural properties had important implications for its performance during three separate time periods. What began as a centralized, scale-free-like, small-world network centered on a charismatic leader evolved into a more decentralized "small-world-like" network featuring clusters of local activists connected through multiple bridges. This structure allowed the activist network to engage in contentious politics even as its environment became increasingly hostile. We conclude by discussing the implications of al-Muhajiroun's small-world solution for scholars and policy makers.


Since 1990 the New Zealand education system has undergone a number of radical curriculum and assessment reforms with the official policy for teaching, learning and assessment now outlined in the New Zealand Curriculum Framework (NZCF) (1993). National Curriculum statements provide expanded formulations of this policy and together with the NZCF form the basis of teachers' practice. Contained within these policy documents are implicit and explicit notions related to the purposes and functions of school based assessment including assessment for learning and accountability. Within the New Zealand context there is now a substantial amount of evidence which shows that the implementation of assessment requirements has been problematic for both schools and teachers. Drawing from the interpretive paradigm this thesis utilised a multi site case study approach, involving several replications of a single case study, to investigate the relationship between policy requirements and teachers ' articulations of their assessment practice and the factors which shaped and influenced this practice. In each of the school 's in this study assessment had been both a critical issue for teachers and a focus for school wide professional development as teachers worked together collectively and collaboratively to effect and manage curriculum and assessment change. Dissatisfied with their preliminary attempts to set up assessment systems to support the national curriculum there was~ome evidence that teachers were attempting to define what constitutes good assessment practice. However professional attempts to initiate change had been tempered by the perceived expectations of external agencies such as the Education Review Office. In attempting to meet school based requirements teachers engaged in both formative and summative assessment activity. However, while teachers attributed great importance to assessment and its potential to enhance learning, their practice was iii dominated by summative activity. The domination of surnmative assessment activity could be attributed to both teachers' lack of understanding of formative assessment and to the meeting of external demands that were often in conflict with their personal beliefs, but monopolised their time and energy.


Recent technology has experienced a fast growth following human
civilization improvement. Such phenomenon leads to higher level of
competitiveness. Competion requires firms and enterprises to create value added
qualities. One effect these technological shifts goes to automotive industries,
including, PT. Nasmoco Kaligawe Semarang. The form has made efforts to
market its products by using a marketing mix technique, in which product, price,
promotional, and distributional strategies are involved. The importance of price
and quality effects on purchase desicion in buying automotive products cause
PT. Nasmoco Kaligawe Semarang to seek and gather as many information as
possible about customers. According to development of the market place, more customers favor
Toyota Kijang as their firts option. However, there are still obstacles in purchase
desicion, such as uncertainty of the customers before they make final desicion in
buying this brand. Factors that cause such uncertainty vary form irelevant
pricing from the seller to unmachted product quality with the price.
Generated by Foxit PDF Creator © Foxit Software
http://www.foxitsoftware.com For evaluation only. This reseach applies an explanatory method explaining the relationship
between studied variables. Samples collected by purposive random sampling,
whereas data are obtained from observation, quesioner, and literary study. Result obtained from SPSS data process show a regression of Y =
13,017 – 0,425 X1 + 0,170 X2 and a positive and significant effet of price and
product quality on purchase desition of Toyota Kijang. The effects takes place
simultaneously. From the reseach it can be concluded that both price and product quality
do affect the purchase desicion of the vehicles in study. In order to draw interest
of more customers, PT. Nasmoco Kaligawe Semarang can make available such
facilities as discounted price and/or bonuses so that the customers find it more
varied, attractive and higher quality. One thing the firm should remember is that
it is supposed to organize market reseach to identify the customers, interest,
intention, and needs. These efforts are believed to generate the customers
satisfaction. In addition, substantial development of the products should be one
of supreme priorities.
Keyword : Price, quqlity of the oproduct, purchase decision.


The article argues that categories such as 'Islamophobic' and 'Right Wing' are inadequate and even misleading descriptors of reactions to Islam in Europe, and should be replaced by a distinction between neo-nationalism, anti-Islamic activism, and street-level thuggery. Neo-nationalism is a well-established but underused descriptor; anti-Islamic activism and street-level thuggery are more novel and are explored in the article. The article applies this three-fold distinction to the case of Denmark. It is argued that the neo-nationalist Danish People's Party can be understood as a response to neo-nationalist views that are widespread among the Danish population. It is then argued that street-level thuggery, of which a small movement called Stop the Islamisation of Denmark is taken as an example, may be eye-catching, but is ultimately unimportant. Anti-Islamism, in contrast, may be important. Two Danish examples are examined: the very Danish Tidehverv movement, which shows how Christianity can still matter even in an apparently secular society, and the Free Press Society, a more influential Danish organization that is shown to be part of an international movement.


In this paper a hybrid scheme for distributed control of autonomous vehicles is presented by combining the deterministic gradient-flow method and the stochastic method based on the Gibbs sampler. The scheme has the advantages of both methods and can potentially provide fast, distributed maneuvers while avoiding getting trapped at local minima of the potential function. Preliminary analysis is performed for the optimal design of the parameters controlling the switching between the two methods. The performance of the hybrid scheme is further enhanced by the introduction of vehicle memory. Simulation results are provided to confirm the analysis and show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.


BACKGROUND
In contrast to whites, black smokers prefer menthol cigarettes over nonmenthol cigarettes by a large margin and tend to have higher mortality from several smoking-related diseases than whites, raising the possibility that menthol cigarettes contribute to racial disparities in risk. Evidence for differential associations between menthol and nonmenthol cigarettes indicates lower cancer risk for menthol smokers, but for cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality, evidence has been inconsistent.

METHODS AND RESULTS
Cox proportional hazards models were used to compute hazard ratios and accompanying 95% confidence intervals for all-cause and CVD mortality for menthol compared with nonmenthol cigarette smokers among 65 600 participants in the Southern Community Cohort Study, an ongoing community-based cohort with the largest number of menthol smokers being traced. Among the 27 619 current cigarette smokers, 4224 died during follow-up, with 1130 deaths attributed to CVD. Both all-cause (hazard ratio=0.93; 95% confidence interval=0.86-1.01; P=0.10) and CVD (hazard ratio=0.88; 95% confidence interval=0.76-1.03; P=0.10) mortality risks were similar in menthol compared with nonmenthol cigarette smokers.

CONCLUSIONS
Smoking regardless of cigarette type is hazardous to health, but these results do not indicate that menthol cigarettes are associated with greater CVD risks than nonmenthol cigarettes.


The paper is an attempt at synthetic reconstruction of the theory of cultural capital of Pierre Bourdieu. It also presents a reßection on its potential application to analyses of contemporary Polish society. Different approaches to the deÞnition of cultural capital as well as its relations with other types of capital distinguished by P.Bourdieu are discussed. In particular, relations between cultural capital and social as well as symbolic capital are discussed. Notions of "capital conversion", "reproduction" and "Þeld" have been also presented. The theoretical and ideological context of the development of the theory of cultural capital is discussed, as well as its functions in the context of so-called "critical theory" and relations with the notion of "human capital". The notion of cultural capital has been also discussed in relation to the theory of symbolic violence. A number of criticisms of assumptions and observations made by Bourdieu made by different authors have been presented, in particular those suggesting that Bourdieu presents his conclusions pertaining to observations of contemporary French society as universal. Other reservations expressed about his theory discussed in the text included assumptions of coherence of dominant canons of the high culture in modern Western societies. The paper is concluded with a reßection on the relevance of cultural capital theory in the context of societies of Central and Eastern Europe, and in particular its uses for the study of the Polish society.


Purpose
Online gig labor platforms bring together a global and fast-growing workforce to complete highly granular, remote and decontextualized tasks. While these environments might be empowering to some workers, many others feel disenfranchised and removed from the final product of their labor. To better understand the antecedents of continued participation in forms of crowdsourced digital labor, the purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between worker's ability to create a narrative of their work mattering regardless, and their continued work engagement (WE) in these work setups.

Design/methodology/approach
The authors approach the relationship between individual mattering and digital WE through a longitudinal study among workers on the crowdworking platform Amazon Mechanical Turk. The authors further provide qualitative insight into individual perceptions of mattering based on essay data.

Findings
The authors develop a measure of mattering in crowdworking with four dimensions: reliance, social recognition, importance and interaction. Reliance is the most pronounced dimension, followed by interaction, importance and social recognition. In the final longitudinal model, only importance affects WE positively, while the other three mattering dimensions do not have a significant effect.

Originality/value
The findings indicate that individuals who feel that they themselves and their work "count" and "make a difference" will be more engaged in their digital labor. By clarifying the dimensionality of mattering in crowdwork and studying its differentiated effect on WE, the paper makes a contribution to research on crowdwork and the future of work. Beyond the theoretical contributions, the finding that perceived importance fosters WE has important implications for task and platform design.


Many digital special effects require knowledge of the motion present in an image sequence. In order for these effects to be realistic, blending seamlessly with unmodified live action or animation, motion must be represented accurately. Most existing methods of motion estimation are unsuitable for use in postproduction for one or more reasons; namely poor accuracy; corruption, by aliasing and the aperture problem, of estimation of large-magnitude motion; failure to handle multiple motions and motion boundaries; representation of curvilinear motion as concatenated translations instead of as smooth curves; slowness of execution and inefficiency in the presence of small variations between successive images. Novel methods of motion estimation are proposed here that are specifically designed for use in postproduction and address all of the above problems. The techniques are based on parametric estimation of optical-flow fields, reformulated in terms of displacements rather than velocities. The paradigm of displacement estimation leads to techniques for iterative updating of motion estimation for accuracy; faster motion estimation by exploiting redundancies between successive images; representation of motion over a sequence of images with a single set of parameters; and curvilinear representation of motion. Robust statistics provides a means for distinguishing separate types of motion and overcoming the problems of motion boundaries. Accurate recovery of the motion of the background in a sequence, combined with other image characteristics, leads to a segmentation procedure that greatly accelerates the rotoscoping and compositing tasks commonly carried out in postproduction. Comparative evaluation of the proposed methods with other techniques for motion estimation and image segmentation indicates that, in most cases, the new work provides considerable improvements in quality.


Background: The impact of diagnostic immunohistochemistry (IHC) for the surgical pathology is legendary especially when it provides true identity of undifferentiated tumors. It is very important for the plane of management and prognostication, and it also provides further insights into the pathogenesis of these tumors. So, this study was undertaken to determine the role and significance of IHC for accurate diagnosis and subtyping of undifferentiated ovarian carcinoma as it is essential in guiding therapy and prognosis.
Material and methods: IHC staining performed on 20 cases of undifferentiated ovarian carcinomas. A panel of antibodies was chosen to confirm the epithelial origin of these tumors and to exclude the possibility of ovarian metastasis from other sites.
Results: IHC staining results showed that: 2 cases were malignant mesothelioma (calretinin+, panCKA1/A3+, CK7+, EMA+, vimentin+). Two other cases were granulosa cell tumor (inhibin+, calertinin+, vimentin+). Sixteen cases were undifferentiated ovarian carcinoma (PAX8+, vimentin+, panCKA1/A3+, CK7+, EMA+).
Conclusion: The designed combinations of immunostaining profiles are helpful in the diagnosis of tumor origin and could offer a fast and correct prediction of the primary tumor site. PanCKA1/A3, CK7, CK20, vimentin, EMA, calertinin, inhibin, PAX8, GCDFP15 antibodies were sufficient for classification in most cases, whereas CA125 and CEA may help in supporting the diagnosis.


The presence of natural killer cells at lower evolutionary levels was investigated in the amphibian Xenopus laevis. Chromium release microcytotoxicity assays revealed that fresh splenocytes from early-thymectomised Xenopus displayed significant spontaneous cytotoxicity against allogeneic B(_3)B(_7) thymic tumor cell targets, unlike those from control Xenopus, suggesting that 'NK-like' activity is greater in thymectomised (T cell-deficient) animals. Addition of Concanavalin A- derived active supernatants to splenocytes from a thymectomised animal caused a significant increase in cytolytic activity, but had no effect on cells from a control animal. This finding of enhanced cytotoxicity was indicative of lymphokine-activated killing in Xenopus, and supported the concept that tumour cell lysis was mediated by NK - like cells. Attempts were made to enrich the splenocytes for natural killer cells through the selective depletion of other lymphocyte subsets, using the techniques of 'panning' and 'magnetic bead' separation following monoclonal antibody labelling of cells. On comparison of the two techniques, it was found that both were able to deplete a splenocyte culture of B cells to the same extent, but that magnetic sorting produced far superior results for depletion of T cells. Optimum conditions for magnetic sorting were determined, and used to generate 'purified' populations which were tested for their cytolytic activity. Such preliminary investigations suggested that natural killer like activity in Xenopus is likely to be mediated by a 'non-T / non-B' lymphoid subset. Finally, preliminary work was undertaken into the development of 'phage display' technology for the generation of single chain Fy antibody fragments (ultimately against NK cell surface antigens). PGR amplification of the V(_H) and Kappa chains was attempted on RNA extracted (using various methods) from Carboxypeptidase Y-injected-, B(_3)B(_7)-injected-, and unimmunised mice. Following RNA extraction under optimum conditions. Kappa chains were successfully amplified from experimental spleens, but the heavy chains still require more development.


SOORMA, JYOTI. Teacher Concerns and Attitudes During the Adoption Phase of One-toOne Computing in Early College High Schools. (Under the direction of Dr. Ellen S. Vasu, Dr. Kevin M. Oliver, Dr. Tuere A. Bowles.) Ubiquitous computing has opened new opportunities for teaching and learning, and is transforming school learning environments. The popularity of one-to-one computing has been increasing rapidly, with more and more schools adopting this initiative. However, studies on past one-to-one initiatives have raised concerns over the proper adoption of technology into classrooms. To ensure successful implementation of a change generating initiative like one-to-one computing, schools should ensure buy-in and readiness of the stakeholders, especially the teachers. Understanding the teacher's beliefs and attitudes towards technology, and addressing the teacher concerns is a critical step in ensuring the successful implementation of technology integration. The purpose of this basic qualitative study is to understand the beliefs, attitudes, and concerns of Early College High School teachers towards one-to-one computing, and the support the teachers need during the early adoption phase of the one-to-one computing initiative. The study was guided by the following research questions: What prior experiences do the teachers bring to one-to-one computing? What are the teachers' beliefs, attitudes, and concerns towards one-to one computing? What support do the teachers need during the adoption phase of the computing initiative? Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and a focus group, and data were analyzed using the constant comparative method. The data analysis revealed that while teachers had a positive attitude towards the one-to-one computing initiative and its impact on students, the pedagogical beliefs differed among them. Also, a number of teacher concerns surfaced related to hardware and software support, professional development, classroom management, communication, and personal anxieties. Some of the major implications for practice identified are: need for developing a communication plan; restructuring of professional development to meet core curriculum technology standards and teacher-specific concerns; and on-going evaluative research to provide formative feedback during all phases of the implementation with respect to the goals of the one-to-to-one computing initiative for the schools. Teacher Concerns and Attitudes During the Adoption Phase of One-to-One Computing in Early College High Schools


This paper summarises various estimates of the costs of mitigation of the adverse impact of climate change. It finds that the differences in the estimated impacts on gross domestic product, consumption, employment, and gasoline, electricity and natural gas prices are driven mainly by the following factors: the time frame of new technology development, the growth potential of existing clean sources of energy, the availability of offsets (domestic, international), and the banking of allowances. However, its main finding is that, even for more optimistic estimates, the mitigation costs are likely to amount to as much as a 1% drop in consumption, starting today and going into the future, which, as is argued in this paper, constitutes an enormous impact on social welfare. Thus, it is important to carefully assess the costs of global warming to see whether they justify such drastic measures.


Purpose Heterozygous mutations in the essential X-linked gene CASK associate with optic nerve hypoplasia (ONH) and other retinal disorders in girls. CASK+/− heterozygous knockout mice with mosaic CASK expression exhibit ONH with a loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) but no changes in retinal morphology. It remains unclear if CASK deficiency selectively affects RGCs or also affects other retinal cells. Furthermore, it is not known if CASK expression in RGCs is critical for optic nerve (ON) development and maintenance. Methods The visual behavior of CASK+/− mice was assessed and electroretinography (ERG) was performed. Using a mouse line with a floxed CASK gene that expresses approximately 40% CASK globally in all cells (hypomorph) under hemizygous and homozygous conditions, we investigated effects of CASK reduction on the retina and ON. CASK then was completely deleted from RGCs to examine its cell-autonomous role. Finally, for the first time to our knowledge, we describe a hemizygous CASK missense mutation in a boy with ONH. Results CASK+/− heterozygous mutant mice display reduced visual contrast sensitivity, but ERG is indistinguishable from wildtype. CASK hypomorph mice exhibit ONH, but deletion of CASK from RGCs in this background does not exacerbate the condition. The boy with ONH harbors a missense mutation (p.Pro673Leu) that destabilizes CASK and weakens the crucial CASK–neurexin interaction. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that mosaic or global reduction in CASK expression and/or function disproportionately affects RGCs. CASK expression in RGCs does not appear critical for cell survival, indicating a noncell autonomous role for CASK in the development of ON.


In this study we investigated the structural, optical band-gap, and magnetic properties of CoYxFe2-xO4 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.04) nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized using a combustion reaction method without the need for subsequent heat treatment or the calcing process. The particle size measured from X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns and transmission electron microscope (TEM) images confirms the nanostructural character in the range of 16-36 nm. The optical band-gap (Eg) values increase with the Y3+ ion (x) concentration being 3.30 and 3.58 eV for x = 0 and x = 0.04, respectively. The presence of yttrium in the cobalt ferrite (Y-doped cobalt ferrite) structure affects the magnetic properties. For instance, the saturation magnetization, Ms and remanent magnetization, Mr, decrease from 69 emu g-1 to 33 and 28 to 12 emu g-1 for x = 0 and x = 0.04, respectively. On the other hand the coercivity, Hc, increases from 1100 to 1900 Oe for x = 0 and x = 0.04 at room temperature. Also we found that Ms, Mr, and Hc decreased with increasing temperature up to 773 K. The cubic magnetocrystalline constant, K1, determined by using the "law of approach" (LA) to saturation decreases with Y3+ ion concentration and temperature. K1 values for x = 0 (x = 0.04) were 3.3 × 106 erg cm-3 (2.0 × 106 erg cm-3) and 0.4 × 106 erg cm-3 (0.3 × 106 erg cm-3) at 300 K and 773 K, respectively. The results were discussed in terms of inter-particle interactions induced by thermal fluctuations, and Co2+ ion distribution over tetrahedral A-sites and octahedral B-sites of the spinel structure due to Y3+ ion substitution.


In Crafted Lives: Stories and Studies of African American Quilters Patricia A. Turner explores the culture and recent history of African Americans through the creations and wisdom of nine quilters. Turner profiles quilters who exemplify the range of black women and men dedicated to the making of quilts, and she shows how their craftwork establishes order and meaning in their lives. The artisans comprise eight women and one man, ranging from teenagers to octogenarians, representing an array of education and income levels, and living across the United States, including Alaska. Turner also probes the ways in which African American quilts and quilters have been depicted, discussed, criticized, and characterized. From the displays of Harriet Powers's creations at the turn of the twentieth century to the contemporary exhibits of such black art-quilts as those promoted by Carolyn Mazloomi, and such utilitarian expressions as the celebrated examples from Gee's Bend, Alabama, Turner uses quilts to assess the level of control African Americans have had or have not had over the materials they craft and the art they leave as legacy to new generations. Patricia A. Turner is professor of African American and African studies and the vice provost of undergraduate studies at the University of California, Davis. She is the author of Ceramic Uncles and Celluloid Mammies: Black Images and Their Influence on Culture among other books. Kyra E. Hicks is the author of Black Threads: An African American Quilting Sourcebook.


Fatty acids are platform chemicals to produce various useful chemicals and fuels. Hydrolysis of waste cooking oil using synthetic copper wastewater as the water and catalyst source to produce fatty acids was studied by carrying out reactions at 200–250 °C, water/acylglyceride molar ratio of 30:1–90:1, and CuSO4 concentration of 250–1500 mg kg−1. Comparison between catalytic and non-catalytic systems was also evaluated. Increasing temperature influenced fatty acid yield, acylglycerides conversion, and copper removal by enhancing fatty acid deprotonation. Minimum loss of fatty acids by micellar solubilization mechanism was achieved by using CuSO4 in the concentration range of 250–750 mg kg−1. Copper was transferred into the fatty acid product during the process by ion exchange mechanism. Considerable copper removal from the aqueous phase (98.87%) was achieved by 5 times recycling of the aqueous phase product into the hydrolysis process of pristine waste cooking oil. Direct utilization of copper-containing wastewater for industrial processes such as oil hydrolysis offers a potential symbiotic approach in industrial wastewater management and production of valuable chemicals.


Camden, Aerial N. PhD in Engineering Program, Department of Biomedical, Industrial, and Human Factors Engineering, Wright State University, 2015. Theoretical Throughput Capacity: Capabilities of Human Information Processing during Multitasking. Technological advancements in automation have allowed humans to collect data at exorbitant rates. As a result, human multitasking as become an integral part of many government, industrial, and routine activities. However, multitasking can be difficult to study, primarily due to the lack of objective metrics. The Human Operator Informatic Model (HOIM) is an information-theory based model that has been recently developed to combat these difficulties. The HOIM is based on Shannon information theory and can provide an objective, meaningful measure to describe system complexity and overall multitasking performance. The main goal of this work was to validate the HOIM as a reliable model and test the effect of multisensorial feedback on operator strategy and performance. Results showed that as input information rate increases, operator output also increases, but not at a proportional rate. As a result, overall information throughput declines with increasing input information rate. Further, multisensorial feedback during multitasking was shown to increase performance of the two tasks with feedback. However, this came at a proportional cost in the performance of the two tasks that did not have feedback. Overall performance was not significantly affected by the presence of multisensorial feedback. This work proposes that human operators have a throughput capacity: a maximum, finite capacity to process information during multitasking.


The transcription factor NFAT converts a short calcium signal into a long-term, all-or-none gene expression response. Calcium signals can trigger changes in gene expression, and one of the major mechanisms for this response is activation of the calcium-dependent phosphatase calcineurin, which dephosphorylates transcription factors of the NFAT (nuclear factor of activated T cells) family, allowing them to translocate into the nucleus. Calcium release–activated calcium (CRAC) channels are plasma membrane channels that open in response to depletion of internal calcium stores and thus contribute to calcium oscillations in cells (see Putney). Kar et al. used an NFAT-controlled green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter to monitor NFAT-induced gene expression in single cells. Store depletion with the pharmacological agent thapsigargin or the proinflammatory molecule leukotriene C4 (LTC4), both of which trigger CRAC channel activity, caused an all-or-none response of individual cells in terms of GFP induction, but the number of cells that responded depended on the strength of the stimulating signal. Thus, the individual cellular response was all or none, whereas the population response was graded. Furthermore, the cells responded to two pulses of LTC4 with nuclear translocation of NFAT and induction of GFP, but only if those two pulses were sufficiently close together, suggesting that NFAT serves as a coincidence detector. Thus, the authors propose that sequential stimuli allow sufficient dephosphorylation of NFAT to enable its nuclear translocation. Rapid CRAC-induced calcium oscillations contribute to a cellular memory response manifested hours later as a change in gene expression, which only occurs if the stimuli producing the signals are received sufficiently close together. P. Kar, C. Nelson, A. B. Parekh, CRAC channels drive digital activation and provide analog control and synergy to Ca2+-dependent gene regulation. Curr. Biol. 22, 242–247 (2012). [PubMed] J. W. Putney, Calcium signaling: Deciphering the calcium–NFAT pathway. Curr. Biol. 22, R87–R89 (2012). [PubMed]


PURPOSE
CyberKnife offers the potential benefits of non-isocentric, non-coplanar treatment delivery. However, its planning is a laborious manual, trial-and-error process. This study is to investigate whether an overlap volume histogram (OVH)-driven planning approach can produce clinically acceptable plans for treatment of localized prostate cancer.

METHODS
It is assumed that given consistent target coverage, patients with a relevant target-organ spatial relationship should have similar organ sparing. The OVH is used to characterize the 3-D spatial relationship between an organ and a target. A database containing the OVH and DVH of prior plans is built to serve as an external reference. During the initial planning, the OVH is used to search through the database to find a prior patient group whose target-organ relationship is related to that of a new patient. The planning objectives for the new patient are then estimated from the group and input into the CyberKnife TPS for optimization. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the method, the plans of 12 prostate patients (prescription: 36.25Gy in 5 fractions) are generated by the OVH approach and compared to the corresponding clinical plans using the in-house dosimetric guidelines.

RESULTS
Physicians confirm that OVH plans are clinically acceptable. OVH plans: on average, Vcc(37Gy) and V(18.12Gy) to the bladder decrease 1cc and 6% (p<0.05); Vcc(36Gy) and V(18.12Gy) to the rectum decrease 0.02cc and 4.3% (p=0.3); Vcc(40Gy) to the prostatic urethra decreases 0.08cc (p=0.01); V(14.5Gy) to the femur heads decreases 0.58% (p=0.01). V(37Gy) to the membranous urethra increases from 23.1% to 24.5% (p=0.75); V(29.5Gy) to the penile bulb increases from 5.5% to 10.7% (p=0.35); V(36.25Gy) to PTV increases 0.2% (p=0.4); the estimated delivery time deceases 3.5 minutes (p=0.01).

CONCLUSION
With respect to planner-created clinical plans, this approach offers an alternative way to generate clinically acceptable plans. It advances the possibility of automated CyberKnife planning. C. Sims, employed by Accuray, Inc;S.P Collins, Accuray clinical consultant.


The Americanization of Zionism, 1897-1948, by Naomi Cohen. Hanover and London: Brandeis University Press, 2003. 261 pp. $35.00. In The Americanization of Zionism, Naomi Cohen expands on a theme that has previously been explored both by herself and by scholars such as Ben Halpern and Melvin Urofsky: from its earliest years, American Zionism has been shaped by uniquely American factors that set it apart from the traditional ideology of European Zionism. Zionism in the United States was fashioned according to "the needs of Jews in America," including their desire not to differ too much from "the stand of the American government" and "the demands of American public opinion" (p. 1), she contends. This meant jettisoning such concepts as the inevitability of massive antisemitism in the diaspora and the personal obligation of every Zionist to settle in Palestine. Most American Jews have always regarded the United States as their home, never believed that substantial antisemitism will erupt here, and never seriously considered relocating to the Middle East. Nor would they want what Cohen calls "American public opinion" to suspect that they regard the United States as a country that will eventually persecute them and drive them out. Cohen explains at the start that The Americanization of Zionism "does not purport to be a synthetic history of American Zionism" (p. 2). Rather, she presents eight separate episodes, some revolving around key events, others around key individuals, that illustrate her central theme. Every chapter features the same crisp writing style and high level of scholarship that made her earlier books sparkle. It is impossible to finish any single section of the book without gaining some fresh insight or new information. The book begins with a study of the earliest U.S. Zionist monthly, The Maccabaean, exploring how it presented Zionist ideas to the fledgling American Zionist movement and how, in turn, it reflected the perspective of the emerging movement. Subsequent chapters deal with such disparate topics as the unsuccessful attempt to build a Conservative synagogue in Jerusalem in the 1930s, the efforts by American Jewish social worker Maurice Hexter to influence British policy in Palestine, conflicts between American Zionists and the State Department over immigration to Palestine during the 1930s, the ill-fated American Jewish Conference, and the 1940s debates over Zionism within Conservative Judaism's Jewish Theological Seminary. Her chapter on Reform Judaism's evolution from anti-Zionism to non-Zionism (that is, support for a Jewish refuge although not a sovereign state) brings into sharp focus the multiplicity of factors at work in shaping that movement's attitude towards Palestine. England's Balfour Declaration, soon endorsed by the U.S. government, "legitimated Zionism" in the eyes of Reform rabbis (p. 62). If they did not have to fear "dual loyalty" accusations, Reform leaders could feel comfortable with the idea of Palestine as a refuge for downtrodden European Jews, even if they were slow to embrace the notion of Jewish territorial sovereignty. Later, the rise of Nazism cemented Reform's acceptance of the idea of Palestine as a haven for the European masses. Self-preservation was also a factor: Reform rabbis had to face the reality that by the interwar years, most American Jews were "nationalist-minded eastern European immigrants" (p. 62) (or their offspring) to whom a strongly anti-Zionist brand of Reform Judaism would not appeal. …


Due primarily to limitations of existing technology, deep (60-150 m) coral reefs have remained largely unexplored. In 1989 I began developing the use of mixed-gas SCUBA and other technical' diving techniques as a tool for ichthyological investigation of coral reefs at depths of 60-150 m, and have since conducted initial exploratory expeditions to the Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea, and the Palau Islands. These expeditions yielded over 200 fish specimens, comprising more than 100 species representing 20 different families. Among these are more than fifty new species, three-quarters of which belong to the families Labridae, Gobiidae, and Serranidae, and the rest are among 9 other families. The number of new species within each family parallels that of the overall deep-reef species assemblage, except for Apogonidae with a total of 7 collected species, none of which were new. Analysis of specimens and videotape surveys of the ichthyofauna at one 90-m site in Palau suggests that as many as 70% of the species inhabiting this depth are undescribed. New species assemblages on deep reefs show comparatively low distributional overlap (both between different island groups, and between sites within each island group), suggesting higher rates of geographic endemism than for shallow-reef assemblages. Based on these and other observed patterns, conservative extrapolations suggest as many as 2,000 or more coral-reef fish species await discovery on deep coral reefs throughout the Indo-Pacific.


In 2011, the Association of German Engineers (VDI) started working on a set of guidelines
towards increased resource efficiency. These guidelines represent a framework that defines resource efficiency and outlines considerations for the producing industry. A special guideline for SMEs is included as well as guidelines on methodologies for evaluating resource use
indicators, such as the cumulative raw material demand of products and production systems.
Resource efficiency, defined here as the relationship between a specific benefit or use and the natural resources that need to be spent or consumed to attain this benefit or use. It can be
evaluated by defining a function which expresses the specific benefit and quantifies the resource requirements through a set of indicators (use of raw materials, energy, water, land
and ecosystem services including sinks). The results from this also depend on the system boundary parameters and the allocation rules for by-products and waste treatment options. Optimising resource use is possible at all stages of a product's or production system's life cycle chain (raw material extraction, production and manufacturing, use and consumption, and the
end-of-life stage).
VDI guidelines are widely accepted across Germany's industrial sector and therefore represent an important means of mainstreaming resource efficiency in this target area. As well as providing a methodological framework, the guidelines describe strategies and measures towards increasing resource efficiency, and they enable industrial producers and service providers to identify potential areas of improvement. The full article presents an overview of
the methodology and contents of these guidelines and discusses their impact in achieving absolute reductions in the industrial use of natural resources.


Articulating a coherent, all-encompassing First Amendment doctrine for freedom of speech and of the press has so far eluded every scholar who has tried, not least because of the variety of analytical approaches and potentially dispositive factors in Supreme Court jurisprudence. For example, the same regulation might be enforceable in one medium, but not another; in one forum, but not another. Enforceability may depend on the regulator's purpose and drafting skill, or not, depending in turn on whether the speech deserves full protection, some protection, or no protection at all. Sometimes enforceability depends on the speaker's intent, or knowledge, or care . . . or none of those factors. Sometimes it depends on the speaker's status or access to alternative communication channels; sometimes it depends on the status or access of one who objects to the speaker's speech. In a handful of cases, however, the analysis focuses on the speaker's audience - the listener or reader or public in general. Because the rights of the listener are poorly defined, and the power of the public vigorously disputed, consistency is even harder to find in these cases. This article endeavors to bring some coherence to this body of law by identifying its source and surveying its contemporary application. Simply stated, this article argues that the First Amendment's penumbral "right to know" is the source of a "public importance test" that the Supreme Court has reluctantly, but ineluctably, adopted to help mediate between the proprietary claims of private citizens and the reportorial imperatives of the press.


The process of globalization brings with it intercultural exchanges with effects both socially and economic. The culture upon which we will focus in this study is a media culture called "anime" that has emerged due to the global impact that Japanese animation had on the entertainment industry, starting with the last decades of the XX- th century. Anime funs buy products that are related with the anime culture. These products can be: figurines, ornaments, clothing, toys, etc. Also, those who find their cultural identity in the context of anime, buy comics called "Japanese manga", translated, now, in several languages. Anime culture has taken off in Romania, wining a lot of fans and opening a new market for the products of this culture. This study aims to open the line of research on the consumer behavior regarding the following aspects such as: the target audience, economic interests, the types of the products sold and the areas where there is an interest to purchase such products.


In this paper we present a theoretical investigation of an air based solar photovoltaic thermal (PVT) system integrated with phase change materials. The advantage of the air based PVT system is that the air can be directly used for space heating or cooling. At first we present an air based PVT system model and analyze the effect of major parameters on the system performance. We then integrate this PVT system model with a phase change material (PCM) energy storage system model and analyze the system performance. We found that solar irradiation increased thermal efficiency initially before reaching a plateau. However, electrical efficiency increases almost linearly with the solar irradiation. Increasing the air flow rate through the air channels, both the thermal and electrical efficiencies increase. Our results also showed that the channel depth has limited effect on the PVT system, only up to certain depth. The wind speed showed significant effect. As wind speed increases, the thermal efficiency decreases. This is due to the fact that with higher wind speed, much of the heat from the PVT surface (which is unglazed) is lost to the environment. This cools the PV plate and consequently increases its electrical efficiency. Our initial results also suggest that air based PVT system can supply considerable part of required space heating energy for a typical household. Incorporating PCM into PVT system enables the system to supplement heating, ventilation and air-conditioning energy demand even when the sun light or night cooling is not available.


This report discusses the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971, which sought to protect wild horses and burros on federal lands and placed them under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Forest Service (FS). Management of wild horses and burros has long been controversial. Current issues include the priority to be given wild horses and burros in land use decisions, removal of animals from the range, adoption and sales programs, slaughter of animals, holding animals in facilities, use of fertility control, and costs of management.


Structured and disciplined communication is a prerequisite for the effective management of risks. In this paper, we investigate what risk management information is communicated in traditional and agile development environments. Our goal is to find out whether there is any difference in the way risks are communicated. We do this by studying the management of risk information within three Canadian organizations. Our results show that there are few differences between the information as communicated in these traditional and agile environments.


Following a review and evaluation of previous research in the field of international migration for employment, it is argued that the extent to which such migration is beneficial depends critically on how it is organized and by whom. The development of Jordan's traditional image as a regional labour supplier is traced from the early twentieth century and is explained largely in terms of a response to repeated economic and political crises. A case study of the Kuwait labour market is used to demonstrate the recent (post-1978) collapse in Jordanian labour migration and to establish the changing character of the international labour market. The central role assumed by international emigration for employment in the Jordanian economy and the problems; and policy constraints which that places on labour market management are illustrated. An attempt is made to identify scarce skills and to assess the development and utility of the government's policy response towards labour shortages. The scale and characteristics of labour inflows into the Jordanian labour market are established. This reveals the complex role of immigrant workers in an emigrant economy and demonstrates the need for a substantial revision of the 'replacement' labour migration model. The parallel themes of primary labour emigration and secondary labour immigration are explored in a detailed case study of local labour markets and agricultural development in the East Jordan Valley. A concluding chapter summarises the problems of manpower planning and of labour market information: gathering under conditions of heightened uncertainty.


As the field of information visualization matures, the tools and ideas described in our research publications are reaching users. The reports of usability studies and controlled experiments are helpful to understand the potential and limitations of our tools, but we need to consider other evaluation approaches that take into account the long exploratory nature of users tasks, the value of potential discoveries or the benefits of overall awareness. We need better metrics and benchmark repositories to compare tools, and we should also seek reports of successful adoption and demonstrated utility.


The current understanding of sponsoring as an impactful tool for the career advancement of women is based on predominantly US based research. There is a lack of insight into the perceptions of sponsoring outside of the US, despite evidence that such differences may exist. This qualitative study explored the perceptions of sponsoring in Europe utilising interviews with 11 participants. Findings draw attention to how sponsoring is understood and valued by the participants in comparison with mentoring. The findings expand the existing body of sponsoring literature, reveal some previously unexplored issues, open up areas of possible research and present implications for practice.


Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is mainly an intensive treatment option for hematology malignancies. During the past decades, improved care and treatment have been systematically developed. One example is the possibility for patients to choose to be at home rather than in the hospital during the early neutropenic phase after HSCT. Recent studies have shown positive medical advantages with home care. The overall aim of this thesis was to describe patients and family members' life situation after HSCT, as well their experiences from two different care setting: the patient's home or the hospital. Data from patient-reported experiences were used in studies I and II and patient reported- outcomes in study III. In study IV data from family members experiences were used. Data from 173 (study I n=41; study II n= 15; study III n= 117) patients and 14 family members (study IV) were included in the thesis.In study I patients in both the hospital care group and the home care group expressed high satisfaction with the care and support during the acute post- transplantation phase.In study II four categories were identified from the interviews with patients To be in a safe place, To have a supportive network, My way of taking control, and My uncertain way back to normal.In study III, a cross-sectional survey was conducted and the majority of patients in both hospital care (77%) and home care (78%) rated their general health as 'good'. A median of 14 symptoms were reported by patients in both hospital (0- 36) and home care (1-29). There were no significant differences regarding general health, symptom occurrence or self-efficacy between patients in hospital and those in home care.In study IV interviews with family members generated a main category, Being me and being us in an uncertain time was identified and five generic categories To receive the information I need, To meet a caring organization, To be in different care settings, To be a family member, and To have a caring relationship.In summary, numerous factors (the care routines, information, the competence and support from the health care team) related to the care were shown to influence the feeling of being safe regardless of care setting. Both patients and family members express the uncertainty associated with the HSCT. Different strategies (to have faith, being positive, hope and live in the present) were used to balancing the uncertainty. The majority of patients in both hospital care and home care rated their general health as 'good'. A high symptom occurrence was reported in both groups in median five years post HSCT.


Abstract. The first permanent magnetic observatory in Italy was built in 1858 by Pietro Angelo Secchi, a Jesuit priest who made significant contributions in a wide variety of scientific fields, ranging from astronomy to astrophysics and meteorology. In this paper we consider his studies in geomagnetism, which have never been adequately addressed in the literature. We mainly focus on the creation of the magnetic observatory on the roof of the church of Sant'Ignazio, adjacent to the pontifical university, known as the Collegio Romano. From 1859 onwards, systematic monitoring of the geomagnetic field was conducted in the Collegio Romano Observatory, for long the only one of its kind in Italy. We also look at the magnetic instruments installed in the observatory, which were the most advanced for the time, as well as scientific studies conducted there in its early years.


This study was carried out in the botanical garden / department of biology /college of science in Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad. During spring 2017 under controlled environmental conditions in greenhouse to study the role of Nano ZrO 2 activity in decrease negative effect of salinity under two levels from NaCl . The treatments included (Salinity levels : natural soil , 3000 ppm and 6000 ppm NaCl) and ( Applications : control , 100 , 300 Zirconium oxide , 5 ppm of liquorice root extract and 10 ppm liquorice root extract   and 300 ppm GA3) , The collected data were analyzed statistically using factorial completely randomized design.   The results appeared  that 300 ppm nano zirconium gave the highest values in all morphological traits (except leaves number) than other treatments. In addition to the highest values in fresh weight, dry weight, Chlorophyll a, Chlorophyll b and carbohydrate contain.    Also 300 ppm nano zrconium oxide reduced the effect of salinity stress (3000 and 6000 ppm NaCl) by giving the highest values in morphological traits and in chemical contains (chlorophyll and carbohydrate) in Cowpea seedling growth.


Cluster development programs (CDPs) have been adopted widely in many countries worldwide. Many such programs aim to promote economic development by forming and strengthening inter-organizational networks. Despite their widespread diffusion, we know very little about CDP outputs or the impact CDPs have on host regions and their populations. Evaluation studies are beginning to appear, but the overall concern is that a distinct evaluation concept and method with a focus on CDPs is not yet available. The objective of this paper is to address this limitation, by proposing a novel methodological approach in the evaluation of CDPs based on the application of concepts and methods of social network analysis (SNA).


Introduction: Recent data has associated favorable outcomes in patients who were treated in a "semi-closed" intensive care unit and attended to by a devoted team of neurointensivists as opposed to the neurosurgeons. This has led many to question the need for dedicated critical care education in the neurosurgical residency training program. Our aim was to determine what current neurosurgery residents and program directors/chairman thoughts were on NCC education in neurosurgical resident training, and to discuss possible methods to allow for collaboration between the NCC team and the neurosurgeons. Methods: Surveys were sent out electronically to all residency programs. Thirty-nine responses from junior residents, 36 responses from senior/chief residents, and eight responses from program directors/chairman were obtained. Results: No statistical difference between the majority responses of the different level residents, and between program directors/chairman and combined resident responses. Conclusions: Clearly, neurosurgery residents of all levels and program directors/chairman value NCC education and see a valuable role for this knowledge in their future. Most residents however do not want to spend an additional year of fellowship training to become certified neurointensivists. We discuss the role of NCC education in residency training and possible solutions to allow collaboration between the NCC team and the neurosurgical team.


Abstract The subject of this study is the trade-off between fuel economy and transient performance in turbocharged engines. It quantifies the losses and gains of different engine control strategies. Two extreme strategies are analyzed, one for optimal fuel economy and the other for fast transient response. Models for the components that influence the fuel economy are developed and described. An optimization problem for best fuel economy is solved analytically and a fuel-optimal controller is implemented based on that result. This controller is compared to one which is optimized for fast transient response with respect to the gains in fuel economy and losses in transient response. Simulations of a highly boosted engine show that a fuel-optimal controller can improve the fuel economy of a vehicle operated at cruising speed by 1-3% and at highway speed by 4%, and that the highest achievable improvement is above 10%. The losses in transient response are around 0.4 s for cruising conditions. Furthermore, measurements on a low-boosted engine on a test bench are used to show that the fuel-optimal controller reduces fuel consumption by 1.9% at highway conditions.


This paper investigates the relation between yield curve and macroeconomic factors for ten emerging sovereign bond markets using the sample from January 2006 to April 2019. To this end, the diffusion indices obtained under four categories (global variables, inflation, domestic financial variables, and economic activity) are incorporated by estimating dynamic panel data regressions together with the yield curve factors. Besides, in order to capture dynamic interaction between yield curve and macroeconomic/financial factors, a panel VAR analysis based on the system GMM approach is utilized. Empirical results suggest that the level factor responds to shocks originated from inflation, domestic financial variables and global variables. Furthermore, the slope factor is affected by shocks in global variables, and the curvature factor appears to be influenced by domestic financial variables. We also show that macroeconomic/financial factors captures significant predictive information over yield curve factors by running individual country factor-augmented predictive regressions and variable selection algorithms such ridge regression, LASSO and Elastic Net. Our findings have important implications for policymakers and fund managers by explaining the underlying forces of movements in the yield curve and forecasting accurately dynamics of yield curve factors.


Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text Objective: Limited data exist on the optimum level of SBP in thrombolyzed patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). We aimed to determine the effects of intensive blood pressure (BP) lowering, specifically in patients with severe AIS who participated in the international, Enhanced Control of Hypertension and Thrombolysis Stroke Study. Methods: Prespecificed subgroup analyzes of the BP arm of Enhanced Control of Hypertension and Thrombolysis Stroke Study, a multicenter, partial–factorial, open, blinded outcome assessed trial, in which 2227 thrombolysis-eligible and treated AIS patients with elevated SBP (>150 mmHg) were randomized to intensive (target 130–140 mmHg) or guideline-recommended (<180 mmHg) BP management. Severe stroke was defined by computed tomography or magnetic resonance angiogram confirmation of large-vessel occlusion, receipt of endovascular therapy, final diagnosis of large artery atheromatous disease, or high (>10) baseline neurological scores on the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale. The primary efficacy outcome was death or any disability (modified Rankin scale scores 2–6). The key safety outcome was intracranial hemorrhage (ICH). Treatment effects estimated in logistic regression models are reported as odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: There were 1311 patients [mean age 67 years; 37% female; median baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale of 11 (range 6.0–15.0)] with severe AIS. Overall, there was no significant difference in the primary outcome of death or disability. However, intensive BP lowering significantly increased mortality (OR 1.52, 95% CI 1.09–2.13; P = 0.014) compared with guideline BP lowering, despite significantly lowering clinician-reported ICH (OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.43–0.92; P = 0.016). Conclusion: Intensive BP lowering is associated with increased mortality in patients with severe AIS despite lowering the risk of ICH. Further randomized trials are required to provide reliable evidence over the optimum SBP target in the most serious type of AIS. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01422616.


This article presents an analysis of cloud technologies as key current trend in the development of IT infrastructure, their main characteristics, security levels and the increased requirements they must meet when considered for defence and security applications. It provides an overview of main standards and requirements that modern data centres have to meet to ensure a high level of availability of the provided IT services. Specific requirements have been formulated for building a sustainable system of modern data centres for defence and security needs, and attention has been paid to data protection when using cloud technologies. A solution is proposed for implementing cloud technologies and an approach for building an integrated data centre system for defence and security needs in organizing collaborative work between officials within the organization. A R T I C L E I N F O : RECEIVED: 20 JUN 2019


Professor David Wexler, one of the pioneers of the Therapeutic Jurisprudence (TJ) movement, recently extended a warm invitation to law school clinicians and members of the criminal defense bar to join him in attempting to expand the application of TJ to criminal defense practice. He calls upon these individuals to help contribute to his agenda by explicitly recognizing and promoting a special kind of criminal practitioner, which he calls the TJ criminal lawyer. Wexler suggests that such lawyers would have a far broader role than traditional defense attorneys as they would serve as therapeutic change agents within criminal courts by focusing on and encouraging client rehabilitation. This article is an RSVP to that invitation. As a clinical professor and former public defender, I argue that Professor Wexler's call to action is not only misguided, but potentially dangerous. In particular, his proposal for creating a new model of criminal defense practice, although well-intended, largely misapprehends the already complex nature of quality and zealous criminal defense work. Moreover, it runs the risk of conflicting with existing legal and ethical standards, displacing long-recognized defense community norms, and undermining the rights of criminal defendants. Thus, despite the warmth with which it was extended, I respectfully decline Professor Wexler's invitation. Rather, as this paper further explains, I plan to continue with my prior (somewhat similar) engagement of providing quality and zealous defense representation to the criminally accused and encouraging my clinic students to do the same.


A series of anthropogenic disturbance conditions have altered the vegetation of the southern Appalachians during the past 200-years. The objective of this research was to identify the nature and timing of these vegetation changes in order to better understand the underlying causes. A total of 304 land surveys were collected for a small agricultural watershed from early settlement in 1787 through to the present day. Witness corners recorded tree species, shrubs, stumps, snags and non-vegetative markers. Types of witness corners were tallied and tested for shifts in frequency across time periods. Tree species were also classified by silvical characteristics including sprouting capability, shade tolerance, and seed type and these groupings were tested for shifts in frequency across time periods. Landform bias of the witness corners was tested using references contained in the surveys. Results showed significant shifts in white oak (Quercus alba L.), chestnut (Castanea dentate Marsh. Borkh.), chestnut oak (Quercus prinus Wild.), black oak (Quercus velutina Lam.), red oak (Quercus rubra L.), black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.), yellow poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.), and scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea Muenchh.). The central change was a steady decline in white oak, probably due to the absence of fire and changes in soil properties. Chestnut replaced white oak as the dominant species, but was removed by chestnut blight in the 1930's. Sprouting capability appeared to be the most important silvical characteristic across all species.


Background: Achieving targeted antiretroviral (ARV) plasma concentrations during long-term treatment in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients with substance-related disorders (SRDs) may be challenging due to a number of factors, including medication adherence, coinfection with hepatitis B or C virus, medication intolerance, and drug interactions. One approach to investigate these factors is to conduct therapeutic drug monitoring to measure ARV exposure during treatment. The objective of this study was to utilize therapeutic drug monitoring to compare efavirenz (EFV) and protease inhibitor pharmacokinetics in patients with and without SRDs. Methods: This was a multicenter, cross-sectional open-label study in patients with HIV-1 infection receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART), with active (n = 129) or without (n = 146) SRD according to National Institute on Drug Abuse criteria. Two hundred seventy-five subjects who were receiving either protease inhibitor-based or EFV-based ART regimens for >6 months were enrolled at 4 HIV treatment centers with an equal distribution of SRD and non-SRD at each site. The patients were instructed during enrollment visits with regard to the importance of adherence before and after study visits. Demographics and routine clinical laboratory tests were recorded. Results: Among the 275 patients, 47% had SRD with at least 1 substance. There were no significant differences between SRD and non-SRD groups for race, gender, age, or CD4 count at entry. A significantly higher proportion of patients with SRD had an entry HIV RNA plasma concentration >75 copies per milliliter compared with patients without SRD (40% vs 28%, P = 0.044). Logistic regression modeling revealed an association between HIV RNA plasma concentration and African American race (P = 0.017). A significantly higher proportion of SRDs also had an EFV or protease inhibitor trough concentration below the desired range (23% vs 9%, P = 0.048). Significantly lower trough concentrations were noted in patients with SRDs receiving atazanavir (0.290 vs 0.976 μg/mL) or lopinavir (3.75 vs 5.30 μg/mL). Conclusions: The pharmacokinetic data indicate differences between HIV-infected patients with and without SRDs that may influence viral load suppression during long-term ART. These findings require additional investigation in a randomized design with more intensive pharmacokinetic assessment to identify individual factors that are contributing to suboptimal ARV exposure in patients with SRDs.


Abstract. In this comparison the business dynamic of restaurants is modeled. Restaurants open in an area inhabited by people, who visit those restaurants from time to time. Restaurants may close or a new restaurant may open, depending on their business performances. For this comparison, we chose an agent-based approach, using the freely available agent-based programming language and integrated modeling environment NetLogo. We will give a brief overview of the model assumptions, the reasons that led us to the decision of an agent-based approach, as well as a short introduction of NetLogo and its advantages regarding the implementation of the model. We will discuss specific aspects of the implementation itself and the results of several tasks that had to be performed.


This study focused on evaluating and analyzing high school and demographic factors as accurate predictors for college success as well as considering other factors impacting students' motivation, success, and self-efficacy. Students' satisfaction with communication, mainly with high school and college advisors, was examined in order to discover what success means to college students and how their educational experiences could have been improved. Specifically, positive relationships were found between students' satisfaction with their college advisors and three other variables: motivation, success, and self-efficacy. Qualitative results revealed a majority of students' feeling that success means achieving goals, being happy, and having a career job. In addition, many students reported wishing they had learned more real-life skills and had better opportunities to explore career choices. There was no evidence supporting high school factors as accurate predictors of college success. The results from this study suggest that further analysis of students' satisfaction with communication could prove valuable for further research aiming to predict and improve students' success.


The Symmetric Meixner-Pollaczek polynomials are considered. We denote these polynomials in this thesis by pn(λ)(x) instead of the standard notation pn(λ) (x/2, π/2), where λ > 0. The limiting case of these sequences of polynomials pn(0) (x) =limλ→0 pn(λ)(x), is obtained, and is shown to be an orthogonal sequence in the strip, S = {z ∈ ℂ : −1≤ℭ (z)≤1}.From the point of view of Umbral Calculus, this sequence has a special property that makes it unique in the Symmetric Meixner-Pollaczek class of polynomials: it is of convolution type. A convolution type sequence of polynomials has a unique associated operator called a delta operator. Such an operator is found for pn(0) (x), and its integral representation is developed. A convolution type sequence of polynomials may have associated Sheffer sequences of polynomials. The set of associated Sheffer sequences of the sequence pn(0)(x) is obtained, and is foundto be ℙ = {{pn(λ) (x)} =0 : λ ∈ R}. The major properties of these sequences of polynomials are studied.The polynomials {pn(λ) (x)}∞n=0, λ < 0, are not orthogonal polynomials on the real line with respect to any positive real measure for failing to satisfy Favard's three term recurrence relation condition. For every λ ≤ 0, an associated nonstandard inner product is defined with respect to which pn(λ)(x) is orthogonal. Finally, the connection and linearization problems for the Symmetric Meixner-Pollaczek polynomials are solved. In solving the connection problem the convolution property of the polynomials is exploited, which in turn helps to solve the general linearization problem.


Chord labels for recorded audio are in high demand both as an end product used by musicologists and hobby musicians and as an input feature for music similarity applications. Many past algorithms for chord labelling are based on chromagrams, but distribution of energy in chroma frames is not well understood. Furthermore, non-chord notes complicate chord estimation. We present a new approach which uses as a basis a relatively simple chroma model to represent short-time sonorities derived from melody range and bass range chromagrams. A chord is then modelled as a mixture of these sonorities, or subchords. We prove the practicability of the model by implementing a hidden Markov model (HMM) for chord labelling, in which we use the discrete subchord features as observations. We model gammadistributed chord durations by duplicate states in the HMM, a technique that had not been applied to chord labelling. We test the algorithm by five-fold cross-validation on a set of 175 hand-labelled songs performed by the Beatles. Accuracy figures compare very well with other state of the art approaches. We include accuracy specified by chord type as well as a measure of temporal coherence.


This paper is concerned with those apparently abandoned, disused,indeterminate urban areas not readily identified and included in theunderstanding of cities. Examining such areas of Berlin has allowedan investigation of them in relation to the historical, cultural andsociological context of a specific city, and reveals their consequentialand symbiotic relationship to the rest of the city. Do the opportunitiesoffered by fragments of the city, in the absence of the deterministicforces of capital, ownership, and institutionalisation affect culturalformation and development? Extending the notion of indeterminacyto include its cultural and sociological effects both reveals itssignificance as the space of subculture within the city, and allowsan examination of the nature of this space. This paper is based onprimary research including photographic documentation, mapping,and a case study of a particular 'indeterminate' fragment of Berlins'urban fabric recording the patterns of activity, occupation, socialformation and architectural action. Walter Benjamin's observationsand experiences of Berlin suggest that there are pre-existing ways ofunderstanding these areas and the urban subjectivity they imply.


This paper presents the state-of-the-art in the field of plastic welding to assist in the future developments in this field. Various important P.V.C. plastics welding parameters such as welding techniques in common use, equipments requirement and the effect of variables on the weld bead shape, have been discussed. Problem associated with plastic welding and applications have also been outlined.


In this paper, we examine how prior knowledge impacts usability and efficacy reactions to object-oriented techniques. We develop research hypotheses based on the multiconstraint theory of analogical reasoning. We empirically test the hypotheses in an open learning setting. We observed a significant interaction effect: the subjects with prior knowledge on either data or process modeling technique perceived greater difficulty and less confidence in learning object-oriented techniques than novices as well as those who have prior knowledge on both structured techniques. Prior knowledge explained 19% of the variance in both usability and efficacy reactions and, as a common cause, partially explained their correlation.


Term rewriting systems are widely used throughout computer science as they provide an abstract model of computation while retaining a comparatively simple syntax and semantics. In order to reason within large term rewriting systems, structuring operations are used to build large term rewriting systems from smaller ones. Of particular interest is whether key properties are modular, that is, if the components of a structured term rewriting system satisfy a property, then does the term rewriting system as a whole? A body of literature addresses this problem, but most of the results and proofs depend on strong syntactic conditions and do not easily generalize. Although many specific modularity results are known, a coherent framework which explains the underlying principles behind these results is lacking. This thesis posits that part of the problem is the usual, concrete and syntaxoriented semantics of term rewriting systems, and that a semantics is needed which on the one hand elides unnecessary syntactic details but on the other hand still possesses enough expressive power to model the key concepts arising from the term structure, such as substitutions, layers, redexes etc. Drawing on the concepts of category theory, such a semantics is proposed, based on the concept of a monad, generalising the very elegant treatment of equational presentations in category theory. The theoretical basis of this work is the theory of enriched monads. It is shown how structuring operations are modelled on the level of monads, and that the semantics is compositional (it preserves the structuring operations). Modularity results can now be obtained directly at the level of combining monads without recourse to the syntax at all. As an application and demonstration of the usefulness of this approach, two modularity results for the disjoint union of two term rewriting systems are proven, the modularity of confluence (Toyama's theorem) and the modularity of strong normalization for a particular class of term rewriting systems (non-collapsing term rewriting systems). The proofs in the categorical setting provide a mild generalisation of these results.


The shifts from gas-phase values of the vibrational and rotational states of H2 impurities substitutionally trapped in solid Ar are calcd. at zero temp. and at pressures 0 < P ? 438 kbar, using the recently developed H2-Ar potential of R. LeRoy and J. Carley (1980). At zero pressure, the calcd. matrix shift in Q1(0) is -21.5 cm-1, in good agreement with expt. Averaging the H2-Ar potential over the center of mass motion of the H2 and Ar atoms is an important correction. The shift in Q1(0) with pressure is very large and there is no indication of a turnover in this mode frequency at high pressures as is obsd. for pure solid H2 at P 330 kbar. The shifts in the calcd. rotational and vibrational-rotational transitions are in less good agreement with expt. and the probable reason for this is discussed. [on SciFinder (R)]


The recognition of foreign divorces is a very important aspect of private international law. Divorce changes a person's status. After divorce that person may wish to remarry. He or she may also be anxious to settle issues of custody of the children of the marriage and matrimonial property. Failure to recognise the foreign divorce causes injustice and hardship, and destroys the uniformity and certainty that private international law is intended to achieve. The Mthethwa case is a very good illustration of the unfortunate circumstances that could flow from non-recognition. The state of the law in Botswana in this regard is unsatisfactory and uncertain. As Jaffey correctly points out, the rules governing the recognition of foreign divorces should strike the right balance between being too restrictive, thus unnecessarily creating limping marriages, and being too generous, thus sanctioning bogus divorces. In the present writers' opinion, the English rules to a great extent achieve this objective. The best way forward for Botswana is for Parliament to enact legislation clearly settng out the rules governing the recognition of foreign divorces in Botswana.


The growth in world demand for infrared missile warning systems (MWS) has impelled the development of new technologies, in particular, special ruggedized cryogenic coolers. Since the cryocooler is a core component in ruggedized platforms, RICOR has met the challenge by developing new models able to withstand high ambient temperatures above 110°C, as well as harsh vibration levels, both derived from airborne fighter applications. One of the development efforts focused on a cryocooler regenerator and cold finger optimization, in order to achieve high cooling capacity at 95K FPA and the efficiency of about 5.3 % at 102 °C. In order to withstand harsh environmental vibration and high ambient temperature range, the mechanical parts of the cryocoolers were designed and tested for a high structural safety factor along with weight minimization. The electronic design concept was based on encapsulated controllers, the PCB of which has been designed with internal heat sinking paths and special components able to withstand ambient temperatures of up to 125°C. As a final stage of development, four cryocooler models (K544, K549, K527 and K508) were successfully qualified under harsh environmental conditions, both by RICOR and by system manufacturers. Also life demonstration tests were performed with these models. The cryocoolers were designed and tested successfully to meet requirements of military standards MIL- STD-704D, MIL-STD- 461E and MIL-STD-810F reflecting real mission profiles in harsh environment.


Abstract We used trap associations, nest-site preferences, a food selection experiment, and measurements of nightly activity to describe resource partitioning by syntopic Peromyscus californicus and P. boylii in Monterey County, California. P. californicus and P. boylii were active over the same range of time during the night. P. boylii was caught frequently near Quercus agrifolia, nested under canopies with high densities of Q. agrifolia, and consumed more Q. agrifolia acorns than P. californicus. Relative to P. boylii, P. californicus was a habitat generalist that did not discriminate among canopy plants for nest sites and had a broad diet. At high densities of P. californicus, the 2 species were negatively numerically associated. Both interspecific interactions and habitat partitioning (canopy level), via the specialization of P. boylii on Q. agrifolia, appear to facilitate the coexistence of P. boylii and P. californicus.


Google Chrome has implemented a number of "HTML5" APIs, including the Geolocation API and various storage APIs. In this paper we discuss some of our experiences on the Google Chrome team in implementing these APIs, as well as our thoughts around privacy for new APIs we are considering implementing. Specifically, we discuss our ideas of how providing access to things such as speech, web cameras, and filesystems can be done in ways that are understandable and in the natural flow of users.


Losses in tumor control are estimated for cold spots of various "sizes" and degrees of "cold dose." This question is important in the context of intensity modulated radiotherapy where differential dose-volume histograms (DVHs) for targets that abut a critical structure often exhibit a cold dose tail. This can be detrimental to tumor control probability (TCP) for fractions of cold volumes even as small as 1%, if the cold dose is lower than the prescribed dose by substantially more than 10%. The Niemierko-Goitein linear-quadratic algorithm with gamma50 slope 1-3 was used to study the effect of cold spots of various degrees (dose deficit below the prescription dose) and size (fractional volume of the cold dose). A two-bin model DVH has been constructed in which the cold dose bin is allowed to vary from a dose deficit of 1%-50% below prescription dose and to have volumes varying from 1% to 90%. In order to study and quantify the effect of a small volume of cold dose on TCP and effective uniform dose (EUD), a four-bin DVH model has been constructed in which the lowest dose bin, which has a fractional volume of 1%, is allowed to vary from 10% to 45% dose deficit below prescription dose. The highest dose bin represents a simultaneous boost. For fixed size of the cold spot the calculated values of TCP decreased rapidly with increasing degrees of cold dose for any size of the cold spot, even as small as 1% fractional volume. For the four-subvolume model, in which the highest dose bin has a fractional volume of 80% and is set at a boost dose of 10% above prescription dose, it is found that the loss in TCP and EUD is moderate as long as the cold 1% subvolume has a deficit less than approximately 20%. However, as the dose deficit in the 1% subvolume bin increases further it drives TCP and EUD rapidly down and can lead to a serious loss in TCP and EUD. Since a dose deficit to a 1% volume of the target that is larger than 20% of the prescription dose may lead to serious loss of TCP, even if 80% of the target receives a 10% boost, particular attention has to be paid to small-volume cold regions in the target. The effect of cold regions on TCP can be minimized if the EUD associated with the target DVH is constrained to be equal to or larger than the prescription dose.


Instead of just filling a book with new products, Goods takes design publishing a step further: iconic interior design products are analyzed and featured from sketch to realization. And that's not all. This huge book also shows international reference projects where these products have been used successfully. Each product is featured on eight pages that tell its story step by step. Profiles of the manufacturer and their associated designers provide a first framework. Conceptual design sketches, studies, technical drawings, photography of the prototypes, and the manufacturing process--alongside a clear description--explain exactly how the product is designed and manufactured. Product photography showcases the end result, and a spread filled with photos of various recently completed interiors that successfully feature the product complete the picture. Goods features ninety products which makes it quite a hefty book with eight hundred pages. All interior product ranges are included: from chairs to tables; from floor lamps to down lights; and from kitchens to bathrooms. The included brands are selected from all over the world and are the likes of Armstrong, Gaggenau, Hansgrohe, Herman Miller, Moooi, Vitra, and Zumtobel. Featured associated designers include Barber Osgerby, Jean-Marie Massaud, Patricia Urquiola, Porsche Design Studio, and Yves Behar. This book offers an exclusive peek into the world of both renowned brands and design studios. By explaining the design process, the manufacturing process, and the actual use of the product, Goods is valuable for anyone in the design industry, from interior designer to manufacturer, and from architect to product designer.


This study contributes to research examining how professional autonomy and hierarchy impacts upon the implementation of policy designed to improve the quality of public services delivery through the introduction of new managerial roles. It is based on an empirical examination of a new role for nurses – modern matrons – who are expected by policy-makers to drive organizational change aimed at tackling health care acquired infections (HCAI) in the National Health Service (NHS) within England. First, we show that the changing role of nurses associated with their ongoing professionalization limits the influence of modern matrons over their own ranks in tackling HCAI. Second, the influence of modern matrons over doctors is limited. Third, government policy itself appears inconsistent in its support for the role of modern matrons. The attempts of modern matrons to tackle HCAI appear more effective where infection control activity is situated in professional practice and where modern matrons integrate aspirations for improved infection control within mainstream audit mechanisms in a health care organization.


The predictiveness curve is a graphical tool that characterizes the population distribution of Risk(Y)=P(D=1|Y), where D denotes a binary outcome such as occurrence of an event within a specified time period and Y denotes predictors. A wider distribution of Risk(Y) indicates better performance of a risk model in the sense that making treatment recommendations is easier for more subjects. Decisions are more straightforward when a subject's risk is deemed to be high or low. Methods have been developed to estimate predictiveness curves from cohort studies. However, early phase studies to evaluate novel risk prediction markers typically employ case–control designs. Here, we present semiparametric and nonparametric methods for evaluating a continuous risk prediction marker that accommodates case–control data. Small sample properties are investigated through simulation studies. The semiparametric methods are substantially more efficient than their nonparametric counterparts under a correctly specified model. We generalize them to settings where multiple prediction markers are involved. Applications to prostate cancer risk prediction markers illustrate methods for comparing the risk prediction capacities of markers and for evaluating the increment in performance gained by adding a marker to a baseline risk model. We propose a modified Hosmer–Lemeshow test for case–control study data to assess calibration of the risk model that is a natural complement to this graphical tool. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


This studio-centred doctoral project questions the logic of photography as both natural and authentic based upon its ontology as the material trace of light. Where the logic of photography supports its prevailing identification as the language of light, certainty and realism, I discover the medium to have a paradoxical foundation in darkness, mystery, and melancholy. I establish evidence for this at photography's nascence in the two 'first' photographs by inventors Nicephore Niepce (Point de Vue du Gras, 1827) and William Henry Fox Talbot (Latticed Window, 1835). I produce new artworks – Wail (2007); Grail (2008), and Black Sun (2009) – inspired by my close reading of these photographs and my renovated account of their themes. In Niepce's heliograph, I find evidence for photography's foundation in heliolatry. I compare the photograph to a variety of heliolatric objects based in the sun's insecurity rather than its fidelity. I discuss Niepce's heliograph as an object of reflection, projection and ritual function. I trace the relationship between photography and the black sun of alchemy. I note the prevalence of melancholia amongst the inventors of photography and explore Julia Kristeva's use of the black sun as a metaphor to describe depression. I compare the raw trace of photography with that of the pre-symbolic psyche to argue that both must first be understood as language in order to be meaningful. Meaning arrives in the photograph like light from a distant star: a projection of desire by the viewing subject, justified retrospectively in the logic of the 'real'. It is by this same process that we recognise the moment indicated by photography as a lost one, based upon the perceived distance of a photograph from its referent. Against photography's identity as a medium of instantaneity, precision, stability and clarity, I argue that photography has a powerful capacity to encode multiple, latent, concealed and occult meanings. I consider Talbot's Latticed Window photograph exemplary of this potential and propose multiple possibilities for its motivation. I note Talbot's polymathic interests in languages and secret codes. I discover occult emblems of Freemasonry in many of Talbot's photographs and suggest his Latticed Window can be read as illustrative of Masonic beliefs and rituals. My aim is not to supplant existing readings of Talbot's photographs but to draw attention to these supplements and the capacity of the photographic code to conceal and reveal even as it persistently defies closure. I note than through its ease of reproduction, photography presents new opportunities to confer meaning on previously unrelated artworks. I present a picture essay juxtaposing photographs by Talbot and artworks by Marcel Duchamp to highlight the intriguing occult visual language that they share. I contend that photography has an affinity with mystery. I speculate that photography's hidden ontology in darkness, mystery and melancholy fuels the medium's enormous psychic power like a black sun. Out of darkness, photography gives light to the losses and limitations of knowledge, the transitory experience of awareness, and the contingencies of self-hood in an illusory experience of the 'real'.


By using an elemental‐stoichiometry approach to zooplankton‐phytoplankton interactions, we compare elemental composition and aspects of nutrient deficiency across a variety of marine and freshwater ecosystems. During 1992 and 1993 we sampled a total of 31 lakes (in northern Wisconsin and Michigan and the Experimental Lakes Area of northern Ontario) and 21 marine stations (at seven estuarine, coastal, and open‐ocean sites in the Atlantic and Pacific) for elemental composition of zooplankton, seston, and dissolved components. Relative degree of nutrient deficiency was assessed by phytoplankton dark uptake of ammonia and phosphate, as well as growth response of phytoplankton to N and P addition. Marine and freshwater systems differed greatly in N and P concentrations, N:P stoichiometry, and the distribution of N and P within dissolved, seston, and zooplankton pools. Particularly notable was the high proportion of N and, especially, P that was incorporated in the particulate fraction (seston + zooplankton) of lakes compared to marine sites. In freshwater systems, Daphnia spp., which have low body N: P, dominated zooplankton communities when seston C:P and N:P were also low, and calanoids that tend to have high body N:P dominated when seston C: P and N: P was high. This relationship between zooplankton community composition and seston elemental stoichiometry supports arguments for the importance of food quality constraints on zooplankton growth in freshwater systems. Such patterns were not seen in marine systems.