The ex parte seizure provision of the Defend Trade Secrets Act is another step in a long line of legislation that shifts the costs of private enforcement to the public, which already has a toehold in copyright and trademark law. The ex parte provision—which is not incorporated into any state trade secret law—relieves rights owners of two "burdens." First, it relieves the trade secret owner of the burden of actually having to compete in the marketplace. Second, it relieves the trade secret owner of the burden of the costs associated with the discovery process of a lawsuit. The effect of this cost shifting results in anticompetitive behavior, is ripe for abuse, and offers no added benefit to what is provided via state trade secret causes of action and remedies. This essay is based on Professor Yvette Joy Liebesman's presentation at the March 10, 2017 Symposium on "Implementing and Interpreting the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016," hosted by the University of Missouri School of Law's Center for Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship and the School's Business, Entrepreneurship & Tax Law Review. 1 Liebesman: Ex Parte Seizures and DTSA Published by University of Missouri School of Law Scholarship Repository, 2017 384 B.E.T.R. [Vol. 1 2017


We investigate streaming video over Differentiated Services (Diffserv) networks that can provide a number of aggregated traffic classes with increasing quality guarantee. We propose a method to measure the loss impact of a video packet on the quality of the decoded video images. We show how the optimal Quality-of-Service (QoS) mapping from the video packets into a set of traffic classes depends on the loss rates of the classes and the pricing model, and we develop an algorithm to accurately find the optimal QoS mapping. The performance of our algorithm is evaluated through computer simulations and compares favorably to an existing algorithm


Professor Atkinson hopes William Faulkner's Intruder in the Dust will replace Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird as our favorite story of lawyerly virtue. In both stories, a white male lawyer and his protege try to free a black man falsely accused of a capital crime. But below these superficial similarities, Professor Atkinson finds fundamental differences. To Kill a Mockingbird, with its father-knows-best attorney, Atticus Finch, celebrates lawyerly paternalism; Intruder in the Dust, through its aristocratic black hero, Lucas Beauchamp, and his lay allies, challenges the rule of lawyers, if not law itself. The first urges us to serve others in a way that confirms our superiority in a system we have made in our own image; the second engages us in a dialogue with those who may be able to help us make our common world better than we alone could ever have imagined. Beyond this comparison, Professor Atkinson invites us to wonder why we prefer the more comforting tale to the more challenging. In his view, the fault lies largely with contemporary legal education. Even as that education recommends our using the law to liberate others, it fails to free us from our own prejudices and preconceptions. Current calls for more skills training and doctrinal scholarship both reflect and exacerbate this failure. Although Professor Atkinson doubts that literature can lead us to eternal, transcendent values, he believes that it can open us to new possibilities of personal virtue and social justice. Like the Socratic dialogues, Intruder in the Dust makes us examine our lives in dialogue with others. That, Professor Atkinson concludes, is both its principal lesson for us lawyers and its best claim for elevation in our canon.


Temperature measurements are carried out in 99.99 wt% aluminium and aluminium-silicon alloys. The experimental apparatus was initially built for the study of microporosity formation in aluminium alloys. 1) The construction is designed to obtain upward directional solidification by limiting lateral heat flow during cooling and suppressing fluid flow induced by the pouring sequence. Cooling occurs from the top part of the ingot, leading to the formation of a surface dendrite layer. In the 99.99 wt% aluminium, very few equiaxed grains sink down from the surface dendrite layer into the liquid. The density of the equiaxed dendritic grains is too low to block the columnar cellular front. Cooling curves show that, once superheat disappears (i.e., when no substantial thermal gradient remains in the liquid), the liquid is kept at an almost constant temperature during the growth of the columnar front and a small negative thermal gradient forms in the liquid ahead of the growing columnar front. It is concluded that the liquid is reheated by the growing columnar front. In the case of the aluminium-silicon alloys, a columnar-to-equiaxed transition (CET) is observed at almost two-thirds of the ingot length. The columnar length is found to increase slightly with decreasing the solute content. Recalescence is measured in a fully equiaxed region, while cooling rate, recorded by the thermocouple located just above the CET, remains negative.


In crowdsourcing when there is a lack of verification for contributed answers, output agreement mechanisms are often used to incentivize participants to provide truthful answers when the correct answer is hold by the majority. In this paper, we focus on using output agreement mechanisms to elicit effort, in addition to eliciting truthful answers, from a population of workers. We consider a setting where workers have heterogeneous cost of effort exertion and examine the data requester's problem of deciding the reward level in output agreement for optimal elicitation. In particular, when the requester knows the cost distribution, we derive the optimal reward level for output agreement mechanisms. This is achieved by first characterizing Bayesian Nash equilibria of output agreement mechanisms for a given reward level. When the cost distribution is unknown to the requester, we develop sequential mechanisms that combine learning the cost distribution with incentivizing effort exertion to approximately determine the optimal reward level.


Measurements of the CaCO3 content of the CaCO3 size index and of foraminifera weights demonstrate that a prominent dissolution event occurred in the western equatorial Atlantic at the onset of the last glacial period. The decrease in CO3= ion concentration appears to have been too large to be accounted for by the ocean acidification associated with the demise of excess interglacial biomass. Rather, it appears to have been the result of a temporary strengthening of the penetration of the glacial equivalent Antarctic Bottom Water into the Atlantic. The co‐occurrence of massive Ethmodiscus rex deposition in the eastern equatorial Atlantic bears witness to a reorganization of circulation in the Atlantic. This reorganization may well reflect a temporary collapse of conveyor circulation at the onset of the last glaciation.


This thesis investigates the problem of automatically designing controllers for vehicles that can be represented as a rigid body. The approach is based on the idea of automatically obtaining a dynamic model of the system of interest, and using it to design controllers automatically. A novel aspect of our approach is that of not requiring any form of platform specific knowledge, and being as a consequence both hands-off and very generic. The acquisition of models is based on data logged when a human pilot was controlling the vehicle, and is carried out by an evolutionary algorithm based on competitive coevolution. Models in the form of symbolic expressions are coevolved along with the portions of the training data that are used to compute their fitness. This results in an effective and computationally efficient way of constructing models. The modelling method is applied to a small toy car, a full sized aeroplane and two different types of small quadrotor helicopters. For comparison, models of the same vehicles are also derived using standard modelling techniques that exploit platform knowledge. The models produced by our technique are shown to be as accurate or better than those produced manually. Importantly after a limited amount of rearrangement of terms, the models also prove to be interpretable. A method is presented for reproducing in the models the noise and uncertainties that characterize real world platforms. The evolved deterministic models produced are augmented with a simple yet computationally efficient Gaussian noise model, and a principled method based on unscented Kalman filtering is used to estimate the noise parameters. The augmented models are demonstrated to reproduce most of the variability shown by real vehicles. The automatic design of controllers considers both monolithic and modular structures based on recurrent neural networks. Conventional steady state evolution is used to evolve monolithic controllers, and cooperative coevolution is applied to modular controllers. Manually designed controllers are also developed for purposes of comparison. Controllers are mainly evolved for path-following tasks, but other tasks like imitating game players' abilities are also considered. In general monolithic controllers are shown to be very effective in controlling the toy car, but have limitations when applied to the helicopters. Modular networks show a better ability to scale to more demanding platforms, and in simulation reach levels of performance comparable to or better than controllers designed manually. Tests show that for both the toy car and quadrotor helicopters, the evolved controllers successfully transfer to the real vehicles, although a certain amount of mismatch exists between the performances predicted in simulation and those on the real platforms.


The structural relationships among bank capital and risk taking are empirically examined by utilising unit root tests and Granger causality tests using the time series data. The Granger causality test results are not very robust with respect to different types of banking institutions, risk variables (NPL and RWA) and time period. With merchant banks and finance companies aggregate data, there appears to be an absence of a Granger causality effect in the Malaysian banking sector. The evidence for Granger causality running from capital to risk or risk to capital appears to be statistically significant when the test is performed using the commercial bank aggregate data. Our results also show that there is no strong indication that using non-performing loans implies likelihood of finding a significant relationship. Finally, the evidence of lead-lag relationship between capital and risk is generally weak before the1997-98 banking crisis.


Educational differences in family demography have gained wide attention, not least due to arguments that they amplify existing inequalities in child well-being and life chances. Despite the interest, there has been a lack of comprehensive cross-national descriptions of trends in educational differences in family demography, and just a few quantifications of their importance to social inequality. In this study, I used data from the Luxembourg Income Study (LIS) to describe trends in educational differences in single motherhood in 33 North American, European, and Asian countries, and to analyze whether these differences amplify differences in child poverty by maternal education. The prevalence of single motherhood has increased in almost all of the 33 countries. In many, educational differences in single motherhood have widened and single motherhood has increased particularly among the least educated. Educational differences in single motherhood can amplify differences in child poverty by maternal education, but only when both the educational gradient of single motherhood and the child poverty gap by single motherhood are large enough. These findings show that educational divergence in family demography is not limited to the United States, but that it is not a universal trend. Moreover, the study highlights the contingency of the inequality effects of these patterns and concludes that these effects can be countered by reducing the socioeconomic penalty of single motherhood.


This work examines the rhetorical relationships of performance poetry (slam and
spoken word) and how they create a truth-sharing environment for all who are involved
through a case study of poets from Atlanta and Charlotte. Using rhetorical strategy to
connect with as many audience members as possible while maintaining their integrity,
these poets become living, breathing examples of rhetoricians. And they use the intricate
theories of M.M. Bakhtin, John Locke, Kenneth Burke, and other rhetoricians to
accomplish these connections. Performance poetry, which is gaining a larger audience
base every year, illustrates the captivating strength of rhetorical theory at play in crafted,
theatrical, and nonlinear dialogue between poet and audience.
This study investigates relationships involved with performance poetry – those of
society and of the poet –and explores the poetry itself. Within these chapters, the
rhetorical prerequisites for truth-sharing at a poetry venue develop as a frame – not an
answer – for performance poetry's success. Finally, this work reflects the ideas of poets
balancing personal integrity with public connection by investigating the purpose of truth
within a truth-sharing environment. And all of it takes place through relaxed prose in hopes that my explanation of the rhetorical strategies these poets implement in
performance poetry will be as accessible as the poetry itself.


LABOUR MOBILITY, HEALTH, AND RURAL LIVELIHOODS IN SOUTHERN INDIA Warren Dodd Advisors: University of Guelph, 2016 Dr. Cate Dewey Dr. Sally Humphries Internal labour migration is an important and necessary livelihood strategy for millions of individuals and households throughout India. Participation in labour mobility can also influence health and development outcomes among migrant workers and their households. To understand the connections between internal labour migration, health, and rural livelihoods, a mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative) study including 66 semi-structured interviews and 300 household surveys (representing 1,693 individuals) was conducted in 26 rural villages in the Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu. Data were collected on the determinants, types, and outcomes of internal labour migration, the rate of participation in the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), self-reported morbidity, and health seeking behaviour. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis and quantitative data were analyzed using multivariable logistic and linear models. Of the 300 households surveyed, 137 (45.7%) had at least one current migrant member, with 205 migrant workers (8.3% females and 91.7% males) included in total. Types of labour migration included daily labour commutes (12.2%), temporary labour migration (77.6%), and permanent migration (2.9%). Households from historically marginalized castes were 3.7 times more likely to engage in temporary labour migration than higher caste households. Participation in internal labour migration was financially advantageous, with the highest daily wages earned by high skilled workers and those in the construction industry. Despite public and political discourse on the subject, participation in MGNREGA did not act as a substitute for internal labour migration. Conversely, there was evidence that MGNREGA and internal labour migration were used as complementary livelihood strategies. In terms of self-reported morbidity, 22.3% of individuals experienced a chronic health problem at the time of survey administration. This prevalence did not differ between migrant and nonmigrant adults. The lack of confidence in the public healthcare system and the cost of private healthcare were barriers to seeking care. The overall findings underscore the significance of internal labour migration for these rural households and its role in shaping health and development outcomes.


The architects Quintus Miller and Armando Ruinelli operate mainly in Switzerland and in particular in the Grisons area where they have carried out several projects thus facing the different issues affecting the requalification of landscape and of existing architecture in the valley and mountain context. The dialogue between the two architects highlights their design approach in relation to the historical, cultural and environmental peculiarities of this heritage. What emerges strongly is the need for the contemporary project to reinterpret the existing in order to identify and restore in each project the «Stimmung» intended as an absolute synthesis of all those elements that characterize a given place or a given architecture in time and space. From the architectural redevelopment of small buildings to the insertion of new volumes within historical fabrics, from the restoration of monuments to the expansion of historic structures, the narrated projects show a well-read approach towards the intervention on heritage allowing a critical reinterpretation of history, of memory and of the long lasting Alpine settlement processes.


In network industries, consumers do not always prefer a single standard. Setting aside antitrust principles, the Federal Circuit implicitly assumed in its Princo decision that consumers preferred a single standard in the CD-R industry when it held that a patent suppression agreement did not constitute patent misuse. But some network industries can - and do - converge toward multiple standards, and antitrust analyses can be informative in this context. As this paper shows, patent suppression agreements may still "leverage" existing patents in ways that unlawfully expand their scope. This Article argues that courts must consider consumers' demand-side preferences when they analyze patent misuse claims in network industries, and it proposes a quid-pro-quo rule that incentivizes demand-side analyses by the private sector. This rule would render suppression agreements per se legal in exchange for a commitment to release suppressed technologies into the public domain after a short time-frame, but would also support thorough patent misuse scrutiny in cases where firms refuse to make such a commitment. This rule could move us toward better empirical understandings of consumers' preferences in network industries, preserve judicial economy in the patent misuse area, and better ensure that superior standards prevail in the marketplace.


The theme of this volume, What Have We Learned? Ten Years On, provides a wonderful tour of the ways in which emotions research has advanced the way in which we conceive of work and its possibilities for adding value to life. The volume is presented in eight parts, so that the reader will can how emotions research has advanced our knowledge and understanding of what comprises work, the experiences and resourcefulness of traditional and non-traditional workers, the drivers of consumer behavior, the dynamics of team behavior, the quality of the leader-member relationship, the demands and skills required of In Extremis work contexts, methods to improve noncognitive assessment, and advances in ways to create and maintain Positive Work Environments. The chapters in this volume leave no doubt in the reader's mind that emotions as energizing and motivating mechanisms demand understanding and attention in order to improve performance and societal value from organizational activities, ensure dignity for workers and consumers, and create workplaces where individuals are engaged and flourishing.


Natural zircon crystals incorporate rare earth elements (REE) into their structure at concentrations determined by the pressure, temperature, and composition of their growth environment. In principle, REE concentrations in magmatic zircon crystals can be used to infer their conditions of growth and the composition of the melt from which they grew—provided accurate information is available about the distribution of REE between zircon and melt. Currently available zircon-melt partitioning data show a range in values covering several orders of magnitude for some REE. Further experimental work and studies using carefully selected natural samples are required to fully understand REE incorporation in zircon.


Dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) makes up a large fraction of the total dissolved nitro- gen pool in coastal waters, but is often ignored as a potential nitrogen source for primary producers. In laboratory experiments, we measured the uptake of small, labile DON compounds, urea and a variety of different amino acids, by the common estuarine macroalgae Ulva lactuca and Gracilaria vermiculophylla. Urea uptake was measured based on its disappearance from solution; amino acid uptake was measured using this method as well as by assimilation of 15 N- and 13 C-labeled amino acids. The Michaelis-Menten uptake parameters (Km, Vmax, Vmax/Km) were calculated for all com- pounds. Whereas both species were capable of assimilating urea and amino acids, U. lactuca consis- tently exhibited significantly higher uptake rates than G. vermiculophylla. There were 2 distinct phases of uptake for urea, an initially rapid 'surge' uptake phase and a slower, 'sustained' phase. This suggests that both species can take advantage of pulsed urea availability. Vmax rates for urea for U. lactuca were lower than published values for ammonium uptake, but were still high enough to be a significant factor at natural urea concentrations. We did not observe surge uptake of amino acids by either species and the uptake rates varied substantially among the 6 amino acids studied. The differ- ential uptake of 15 N and 13 C by U. lactuca suggested that both alanine and glycine are decarboxy- lated prior to uptake. However, following decarboxylation, the residual of the glycine molecule is assimilated, while the amine group on alanine is likely removed prior to assimilation. Glycine uptake rates by N-starved or NH4 + -fertilized macroalgae were higher than uptake rates by NO3 - -fertilized macroalgae, which suggests that the induction of glycine and ammonium uptake may be similar. The low half-saturation constant (Km) and the high affinity at low concentrations (Vmax/Km) that we measured for amino acids suggests that macroalgae can take advantage of the low concentration of amino acids found in estuarine waters. This study shows that macroalgae are capable of utilizing DON and that under conditions of low inorganic nitrogen availability, organic nitrogen may provide a significant portion of the total N demand.


Quick Response (QR) codes are getting widely popular as the demand for mobile computing is increasing, too. However, a QR code has apparently a data limit problem when we consider designing color QR codes. Despite having color QR codes decoding from printed material, new problems appear due to different printer's color depth, paper quality, environmental effect, dust, light glare and other environmental effects. In our model, we proposed a new algorithm to find an area consisting of several bit positions. We have applied an area-based bit detection method based on the percentage of the color level instead of the general binary color bit detection system. This is independent of the printer and the printed substances effect. There is no need for the color correction palette. Based on our experimental results, our findings demonstrate that we can produce a better result without having any image filtering first.


OpenOffice Calc is the most powerful and widespread open source spreadsheet application in existence. It is the only real alternative to Excel. Jacek Artymiak is widely regarded as the authority on OpenOffice Calc.He takes you, step by step, from theinterface and handling Calc files to working with data sources small and large.Artymiak then extendsthe reader's skillset to data visualization, writingcomplex formulas and performing statistical analysis. Beginning OpenOffice Calc allows you to gain confidence in the considered use of statisticalformulas, but does notassume familiarity with another spreadsheet application. What youll learn Work with large sets of data Process and format data Write complex formulas using array functions Collaborate on OpenOffice.org Calc files with the users of Calc, Excel and other spreadsheet software Who this book is for This is a book for spreadsheet beginners as much as for anyone who would like start using open source applications in an office environment. Whether someone has used Excel in the past and wants to convert to Calc, or just wants to start using spreadsheets, this is the book for you.


This paper addresses language learner strategy research. It arises from two sources: firstly, an individual background in research and writing about Language Learning Strategy research in the context of Modern Foreign Language Learning and Teaching in the UK over the past decades; secondly, a newly constituted British based interest group dedicated to this area of applied linguistics - UK Project on Language Learner Strategies (UKPOLLS). The aim of this SIG paper is to introduce and present the group and its interests. I shall begin by sketching out the international background of Language Learner Strategy research in the context of its implied relevancy to modern foreign language learning and teaching in the UK. I shall refer to a developing tradition of concern with language teaching methodology and why language learner strategy research has been of particular interest to this group of researchers. Various empirical studies arising from the work of UKPOLLS will be referred to with the aim of setting an agenda of issues, practical implications and current research preoccupations. The paper also considers the impact of language learning strategy research on language policy in the UK; in particular, the case of the Key Stage 3 strategy for secondary schools MFLs teaching will be addressed in terms of its theoretical rationale, its place in a broader language curriculum, and its eventual implementation. My aim is two-fold: to establish and explain the interests of UKPOLLS, its research activity, and it future aims in terms of language policy reform in the UK; and to define a particular UK-based character of this area of research in terms of contextual issues and methodology.


Introduction Accreditation programmes aim to improve the quality and safety of health services, and have been widely implemented. However, there is conflicting evidence regarding the outcomes of existing programmes. The Accreditation Collaborative for the Conduct of Research, Evaluation and Designated Investigations through Teamwork-Current Accreditation Processes (ACCREDIT-CAP) project is designed to address key gaps in the literature by evaluating the current processes of three accreditation programmes used across Australian acute, primary and aged care services. Methods and design The project comprises three mixed-method studies involving documentary analyses, surveys, focus groups and individual interviews. Study samples will comprise stakeholders from across the Australian healthcare system: accreditation agencies; federal and state government departments; consumer advocates; professional colleges and associations; and staff of acute, primary and aged care services. Sample sizes have been determined to ensure results allow robust conclusions. Qualitative information will be thematically analysed, supported by the use of textual grouping software. Quantitative data will be subjected to a variety of analytical procedures, including descriptive and comparative statistics. The results are designed to inform health system policy and planning decisions in Australia and internationally. Ethics and dissemination The project has been approved by the University of New South Wales Human Research Ethics Committee (approval number HREC 10274). Results will be reported to partner organisations, healthcare consumers and other stakeholders via peer-reviewed publications, conference and seminar presentations, and a publicly accessible website.


Introducing Character Animation with Blender, 2 nd Edition is written in a friendly but professional tone, with clear descriptions and numerous illustrative screenshots. Throughout the book, tutorials focus on how to accomplish actual animation goals, while illustrating the necessary technical methods along the way. These are reinforced by clear descriptions of how each specific aspect of Blender works and fits together with the rest of the package. By following all the tutorials, the reader will gain all the skills necessary to build and animate a well-modeled, fully-rigged character of their own. The character built over the course of the tutorials is included as a .blend file on the companion website, for the reader to experiment with and learn from. Introducing Character Animation with Blender, 2 nd Edition is inspiring as well as educational. A color insert includes sample characters and frames from animations by many of the Blender community's most talented artists, which help to illustrate the impressive potential of the software.


Melatonin is produced over the night in a process driven by the circadian clock that resides in the suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN), and by ambient light. It is a time cue to tune the sleep-wake and other circadian rhythms with the day-night cycles and thus useful in circadian rhythm sleep disorders. In addition melatonin induces fatigue and concurrent sleep-like changes in brain activation patterns in humans. With age SCN activity and melatonin production capacity decline thus depriving the brain of an important regulator of the body's circadian rhythms. Melatonin substitution therapy with a prolonged-release formulation that mimics the physiological release profile of the hormone (PRM) may effectively treat insomnia in older patients. Large-scale, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials in insomnia patients aged 55 years and older indicated that PRM given for 3 weeks or more improved sleep quality, facilitated sleep onset and improved morning alertness, daytime functioning and quality of life and reduced hypnotic drug usage. Preliminary results of a 6-months long term placebo controlled study announced at the 2009 meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies indicated that PRM efficacy was sustained. There were no main safety concerns and in particular, none of the risks associated with hypnotic drugs use (e.g. memory and cognitive impairments, falls and accidents, residual daytime or 'hangover' effects, rebound insomnia and withdrawal symptoms). There is clinical data showing efficacy of PRM in circadian rhythm sleep disorders in totally blind individuals and children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. PRM thus represents a new therapeutic principle for treating sleep disorders.


Objective: To develop and appraise a non-invasive method of determining disruptions to cervical segment mechanics.

Design: A modified open magnetic resonance imaging system and post-process analysis tool were used to determine relative cervical vertebrae rotations and translations in a cohort of symptomatic patients, the results of which were compared to validated precision measures obtained from lateral radiographs. Methods: The cervical motion of 14 subjects with chronic neck symptoms were investigated in neutral, full flexion and full extension positions under voluntary neuromuscular control using open magnetic resonance imaging and lateral rontgenograms. Planar rotations and translations were calculated from the MRI images using the method of Dupuis et al. [8], and compared for agreement with the precision sagittal plane measurement technique of Frobin and colleagues [12, taken from the subjects lateral rontgenograms.

Results: The interventional Magnetic Resonance method produced rotational results of up to 10° above and 9°c (SE 1.22) below the method of Frobin et al. [12], and translational results of 18 mm above or below (SE 2.12). The error of repeatability in the interventional Magnetic Resonance method was not significant (rotation P = 0.68, Translation P = 0.96).

Conclusions: The disparity between methods limits the potential of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in clinical trials particularly those investigations into pseudarthrosis and instability.


The Network Migration Workbook gives you everything you need to migrate a Windows network - with emphasis on the SBS 2008 and SBS 2003 environments. It won't fit in your back pocket. It's on full letter size paper and it's almost 600 pages. But it definitely has everything you need. The authors start with a discussion of the entire process so you see the big picture. The authors talk about the scope of work and how critical it is to your internal processes and your relationship with the client. Next, they introduce the pre-discovery process. That means making a list of all the things you need to discover so you really understand the project. After the pre-discovery is complete, you can quote the project. They lay out a process based on 10+ years of SBS Migration experience. The book divides the migration into seven distinction stages. It shows you how to estimate the labor required for each stage. So you can always create a quote that's exactly suited for each client. Those seven stages become seven service requests. You and the client agree on everything. As you finish each stage, you track every minute of every job. ALL work is inside the scope of the project. If it's not inside the scope, then it must be outside the scope. In that case, you create a new service request that's billable. The client agrees because they've bought in from the beginning. Now you've delivered your migration project on time and inside the budget. All other work is outside the scope of the migration project and therefore billable. Don't worry. The authors show you how to complete every piece of this process. Includes Excel spreadsheets with quotes, the wording for the service requests, and click-by-click every keystroke it takes to deliver a migration with zero downtime. This process has been used successfully in network migrations small and large. Zero Downtime means that all client operations remain "live" while you migration the servers, desktops, and databases during normal business hours. Because the old system remains completely intact, you can now have stress-free migrations that can be scheduled over time. No more evening and weekend migrations! No more client downtime!


The only constant in our world is change. Why is there not a field of science that explicitly studies continuous change? We propose the establishment of process science, a field that studies processes: coherent series of changes, both man-made and naturally occurring, that unfold over time and occur at various levels. Process science is concerned with understanding and influencing change. It entails discovering and understanding processes as well as designing interventions to shape them into desired directions. Process science is based on four key principles; it (1) puts processes at the center of attention, (2) investigates processes scientifically, (3) embraces perspectives of multiple disciplines, and (4) aims to create impact by actively shaping the unfolding of processes. The ubiquitous availability of digital trace data, combined with advanced data analytics capabilities, offer new and unprecedented opportunities to study processes through multiple data sources, which makes process science very timely.


Videoconferencing systems combine face-to-face and mediated interactions in distance education. We extend the use of a Social Presence measure to on-site (face-to-face) learners and distant learners. Comparison between physically present and distant located learners did not indicate significant differences in social presence. Also results indicate that the predicted social presence score for distance instruction is slightly lower than for the on-site instruction for high nonverbal behavior while the reverse is true of low non verbal behaviors. Predicted social presence for face to face instruction is quite higher than for the distance instruction for the high verbal behaviors while the reverse is true of low verbal behaviors. It means that students' social presence is predicted to be higher in the face to face setting comparing to the videoconferencing course in both models. Additionally, when both nonverbal and verbal behaviors increase, the predicted social presence is facilitated, controlling for the grouping variable. In other words, instructors' nonverbal and verbal communication skills enhance learners' social presence in either environment.


This paper will discuss successful techniques for recruiting and retaining manufacturing engineering students and tested methods to debunk the myths and negative perceptions of manufacturing and engineering in the USA. Topics will include: improving the pool of students interested and capable of manufacturing and engineering study, using local media to your advantage, on-campus recruiting techniques, and ideas to improve student retention in engineering. Attention will be paid to methods that University of Wisconsin-Stout has found to be successful in selling the Manufacturing Engineering (ABET-EAC accredited) program to students, parents, and employers. The paper will invite all interested parties to participate in a national dialogue on capturing students for manufacturing engineering careers. Undergraduate Manufacturing Engineering at University of Wisconsin-Stout University of Wisconsin-Stout developed the Bachelor of Science in Manufacturing Engineering program during the early 1990s and subsequently began enrolling students into the program in 1994. The first graduating class was in December of 1996, due in part to the fact of early enrollment and advisement of existing and transfer students into courses aligned with the new curriculum prior to its "official" availability. The curriculum development process was intensively industry based and heavily relied upon the Curriculum 2000 project work of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. The curriculum is a general approach to manufacturing engineering and does not specifically target any one industry in the content. This general approach has allowed graduates of the program to work in any industry, as evidenced by the wide spectrum of manufacturing employers of the program graduates. Graduates of University of Wisconsin-Stout's manufacturing engineering program can be found in the foods, military aircraft, automotive, plastics, special machine research, medical devices, foundry, building products, and consumer products industries. This "general engineering" approach utilizes many of the other engineering disciplines for instructional topics, i.e., mechanical, industrial, electrical, and materials science as well as a core curriculum in engineering management. Another aspect of demonstrated success of UW-Stout's manufacturing engineering program is the target market for its graduates. In the part of the state where the institution is located, most manufacturers are of the small to medium size. This requires students to have a broad spectrum of manufacturing knowledge, since these small manufacturers typically have a limited number of manufacturing engineering staff, and these manufacturing engineers are typically dealing with many different issues every day. This small to medium sized target market dictates a general approach to manufacturing engineering.


This dissertation investigates the relationships and discourse among "in-between" people under Japanese colonial rule. Featuring three case studies including literary travalers in Manchuria, colonial writers in Taiwan, and transnational performers in East Asia that each provide multiple evidentiary examples, this study is centered on three dimensions of colonial discourse that deliberately challenged normative identity, nationality, and coloniality: writing as empowerment of local authors, traveling as a project of identity and state building, and cultural performance as imperial propaganda. By examining specific instances in which colonial writers and performers such as Natsume Sōseki, Yosano Akiko, Satō Haruo, Nishikawa Mitsuru, and Ri Kōran in Taiwan and Manchukuo engaged in colonial discourse, this dissertation re-contextualizes and fully portrays the relationships between colonizer and colonized, empire and colonies and, most importantly, human beings and society. Chapter One argues that Sōseki and Yosano's travel writing not only reveals their ambition to shape the empire but also provides their opinions that reconstructed the borderlines of the Japanese empire. Chapter Two examines the views of colonial identity and binaries through Satō and Nishikawa's journeys and literary works of Taiwan. Chapter Three analyzes voices and performances from the semi-colonized territory of Manchuria, mainly through the discussion of cinematic representations of Japanese colonialism within the region. This chapter shows that Ri's cheerful cinematic image portrayed a different dimension of colonial conversation and created a multi-layer conversation between empire and the colonies, and temporarily pacified the tension and anxiety of the war-time period. The concluding chapter explores the question: What is the cultural legacy of the Japanese empire? By examining two Taiwanese colonial writers, Zhang Wenhuan and Long Yingzhong, and their literary works as well as their respective journeys to Tokyo for the first Greater East Asia Writers' Conference, I claim that their actions amplified colonized voices that attempted to create a counter-discourse from the empire's edges. To conclude, this dissertation demonstrates that one cannot fully understand colonial reality without acknowledging a multi-dimensional discourse between colonized, colonizer, and people in between. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group East Asian Languages & Civilizations First Advisor Ayako Kano This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/1824


This dissertation deals with founding visions in the venture capital setting. It is the story of two contrasting initiatives for venture capital as they unfold in the turbulence surrounding the millennium. It is the story of these contemporary initiatives seen in the light of what was originally intended, as we uncover the founding vision for an initiative that pioneered a venture capital phenomenon of global dimensions. It is the story of people and the reasons for their commitment. The research draws on the complexity of human nature to problematise the venture capital phenomenon, by studying founding visions for unfolding initiatives in terms of intended purpose, intended beneficiaries, and psychic income. Three distinct visions are found in the rich stories of meaning and practice. By interpreting such visionary elements and their manifestations, implications of particular venture capital initiatives on the strategic and human levels are discussed. Streamlining, fraternity and pioneering visions involve different implications for affiliates as well as the socio-economic landscape as a whole. Such reflections on what is and what has been give food for thought as we look towards the future. As a pioneering vision loses its spark to a streamlining landscape, tensions between venture and capital bring forth the question of who will provide venture capital in its original meaning of venturing into the unknown. This study contributes to our understanding of visions by bringing three dimensions to a concept that is typically treated one-dimensionally. In this sense, it gives a higher resolution of the vision concept which may refine our reasoning regarding such issues. The study also contributes to our understanding of the value that lies in seeking affiliates and partners with visions that harmonise with one's own. This is particularly relevant for a business founder who is considering the avenue of venture capital, or a venture capitalist who is striving to bring a pioneering or a fraternity vision to life.


In London in 1958 a play by a 19-year-old redefined women's writing in Britain. It also began a movement that would change women's lives forever. The play was A Taste of Honey and the author, Shelagh Delaney, was the first of a succession of very young women who wrote about their lives with an honesty that dazzled the world. They rebelled against sexism, inequality and prejudice and in doing so rejected masculine definitions of what writing and a writer should be. After Delaney came Edna O'Brien, Lynne Reid Banks, Virginia Ironside, Charlotte Bingham, Margaret Forster and Nell Dunn, each challenging traditional concepts of womanhood in novels, films, television, essays and journalism.

Not since the Brontes have a group of young women been so determined to tell the truth about what it is like to be a girl and proposed new ways to live and love in the future.


Recent improvements in the Irish labour market have led to a substantial increase in the labour force participation rate of women in Ireland. Part of this increase has been fuelled by women moving from the home into paid employment. Much of the existing research on labour market activity among Irish women has focused on cross-sectional analyses of the stock of labour market participants. In this paper we aim to address some of the gaps in the literature by investigating the transition from home to work, and from home to education, training and employment schemes among women in Ireland during the period 1994 to 1999. We adopt a dynamic approach by drawing on the nationally representative longitudinal data in the Living in Ireland Survey. This allows us to provide, for the first time, a representative profile of returners, and to formally model the transition process in terms of supply and demand factors. The analysis also investigates the factors associated with the return to part-versus full-time work. Our analysis reveals that about one-quarter of those engaged full-time in home duties in 1994 had made a transition to paid work within the six-year period 1994-1999. The study identifies a number of key factors that influence the transition from home to work or education, training and employment schemes, including, on the supply side, age, education, previous work experience, time out of the labour force, and the presence of young children in the household, and on the demand side, macro-economic conditions and urban versus rural residence.


In this paper, we present the case for making better use of the theory, concepts, language and experience from the field of industrial and commercial 'new product development' within agricultural research. The argument is that by conceptualizing, organizing and managing applied and adaptive research activities as new product development, agricultural research will be better able to respond to enlarging agendas, increased expectations of impact and declining budgets. The role of the design function in innovation development is highlighted, and the major implications of a new product development stance for the organization and management of agricultural research are identified.


The 'relational' as a theoretical category has a strong history in sociology, no more so than in the work of Pierre Bourdieu. His well-known assertion that the 'real is relational' is evident in his emphasis on distinction as a crucial mechanism of social reproduction, a mechanism that illuminates the relational aspects of class and the ways in which social classes are active in their own classification. Given that class is arguably a relational concept par excellence, what Bourdieu has done to a large extent is deliver on the promise of class as a concept; he has put the 'classifying' into class. What has not yet been done successfully, however, is the same for Bourdieu – to deliver on the promise of his avowed relational constructs, and explore in more detailed ways the importance of relations and relationships to people's class trajectories. The current paper argues that, for such a task to be fulfilled, it requires a shift of emphasis away from vertical forms of relation, to more 'horizontal' forms. In effect, it requires the fleshing out of Bourdieu's latent intersubjective analysis of social and cultural life. One way of expanding this relational geography can be found in the work of Axel Honneth and his emphasis on intersubjective recognition as the basis of social interaction. The purpose of the current paper is to explore this interplay between notions of recognition and distinction, and identify implications for, in particular, debates over agency and ambivalent class identities.


The objective of this dissertation is to shed light on the physical properties of InN epilayers grown by High-Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition (HPCVD) for optical device applications. Physical properties of HPCVD grown InN layers were investigated by X-ray diffraction, Raman scattering, infrared reflection spectroscopies, and atomic force microscopy. The dependencies of physical properties as well as surface morphologies of InN layers grown either directly on sapphire substrates or on GaN/sapphire templates on varied growth conditions were studied. The effect of crucial growth parameters such as growth pressure, V/III molar ratio, precursor pulse separation, substrate material, and mass transport along the flow direction on the optical and structural properties, as well as on the surface morphologies were investigated separately. At present, growth of high-quality InN material by conventional growth techniques is limited due to low dissociation temperature of InN (~600 oC) and large difference in the partial pressures of TMI and NH3 precursors. In this research, HPCVD technique, in which ambient nitrogen is injected into reaction zone at super-atmospheric growth pressures, was utilized to suppress surface dissociation of InN at high temperatures. At high pressures, long-range and short-range orderings indicate that c-lattice constant is shorter and E2(high) mode frequency is higher than those obtained from low-pressure growth techniques, revealing that InN structure compressed either due to a hydrostatic pressure during the growth or thermal contraction during the annealing. Although the influence of varied growth parameters usually exhibit consistent correlation between long-range and short-range crystalline orderings, inconsistent correlation of these indicate inclination of InN anisotropy. InN layers, grown directly on α-sapphire substrates, exhibit InN (1 0 1̄ 1) Bragg reflex. This might be due to a high c/a ratio of sapphire-grown InN epilayers compared to that of GaN/sapphire-grown InN epilayers. Optical analysis indicates that free carrier concentration, ne, in the range of 1–50 × 10 18 cm –3 exhibits consistent tendency with longitudinal-optic phonon. However, for high ne values, electrostatic forces dominate over inter-atomic forces, and consistent tendency between ne and LO phonon disappears. Structural results reveal that growth temperature increases ~6.6 oC/bar and V/III ratio affects indium migration and/or evaporation. The growth temperature and V/III ratio of InN thin films are optimized at ~850 oC and 2400 molar ratio, respectively. Although high in-plane strain and c/a ratio values are obtained for sapphire-grown epilayers, FWHM values of long-range and short-range orderings and free carrier concentration value are still lower than those of GaN/sapphire-grown epilayers. Finally, vibrational and optical properties of chalcopyrite ZGP crystal on the (001), (110), and (1̄10) crystalline planes were investigated by Raman scattering and infrared (IR) reflection spectroscopies. Raman scattering exhibits a nonlinear polarizability on the c-plane, and a linear polarizability on the aand b-planes of ZGP crystal. Also, birefringence of ZGP crystal was calculated from the hydrostatic pressure difference between (110) and (1̄10) crystalline planes for mid-frequency B2(LO) mode. INDEX WORDS: Group III-nitrides, Indium nitride (InN), High-Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition (HPCVD), Raman scattering spectroscopy, Infrared (IR) reflection spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction OPTICAL AND STRUCTURAL PROPERTIES OF INDIUM NITRIDE EPILAYERS GROWN BY HIGH-PRESSURE CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION AND VIBRATIONAL STUDIES OF ZGP SINGLE CRYSTAL


This paper examines the role of local resources (physical, human, immaterial, social and community, and financial) in shaping firm innovation and path development in rural areas. Existing research in spatially informed innovation studies has largely overlooked the place-specific resources of rural regions as innovation facilitating qualities. This paper addresses the following research questions: (i) what is the role of local rural resources in a firm's innovation activities, and (ii) how do these resources shape regional development paths? We propose a framework that takes a holistic view of rural resources and their role in shaping innovation and regional development paths. The empirical analyses suggest that rural resources offer valuable and diverse opportunities for firm innovation, providing that firms (pro-)actively mobilize and purposefully exploit these resources as part of their innovation endeavors. We find that rural resources have the potential to extend and upgrade regional development paths and operate as ingredients to enrich existing paths with additional functions and, thereby, to make them more future-oriented. However, merely relying on rural resources does not suffice to facilitate substantial changes in regional paths. Our analyses are based on semi-structured interviews with representatives of firms located in rural Estonia, active in different manufacturing and service industries. This paper contributes to the emerging, but still fragmented, literature on rural innovation and offers a contextually grounded micro-level framework on the role of local rural resources for firm innovation in rural areas. Furthermore, the study adds an empirical contribution from a rarely studied Central and Eastern European regional context.


Intraguild predation theory centres on two predictions: (i) for an omnivore and an intermediate predator (IG-prey) to coexist on shared resources, the IG-prey must be the superior resource competitor, and (ii) increasing resource productivity causes the IG-prey's equilibrium abundance to decline. I tested these predictions with a series of species-rich food webs along New Zealand's rocky shores, focusing on two predatory whelks, Haustrum haustorium, a trophic omnivore, and Haustrum scobina, the IG-prey. In contrast to theory, the IG-prey's abundance increased with productivity. Furthermore, feeding rates and allometric considerations indicate a competitive advantage for the omnivore when non-shared prey are considered, despite the IG-prey's superiority for shared prey. Nevertheless, clear and regular cross-gradient changes in network structure and interaction strengths were observed that challenge the assumptions of current theory. These insights suggest that the consideration of consumer-dependent functional responses, non-equilibrium dynamics, the dynamic nature of prey choice and non-trophic interactions among basal prey will be fruitful avenues for theoretical development.


Teleseismic long-period body and surface waves radiated by the May 6, 1976 Friuli, Italy earthquake and its principal aftershock of September 15, 1976 (09h 21 m) are studied to determine source characteristics. Focal mechanisms along with geological evidence suggest that both events represent the underthrusting of the Friuli Plain beneath the southern Alps. The depths of both earthquakes, estimated by matching synthetic body-wave seismograms to observations, are found to lie between 6 and 10 km. It is not possible to discern any evidence of source directivity in the observed main shock body waves. Synthetic seismogram calculations which include rupture effects suggest that the fault length of the main shock could not be much larger than 16 km for a unilaterally propagating fault or about 24 km for a symmetrical rupture assuming a rupture velocity of 3.0 km/sec. Observations of 100-sec Rayleigh waves confirm the focal mechanism deduced from body waves, but suggest that the seismic moment of the main shock is 5 × 10^(25) dyne-cm compared to 2.9 × 10^(25) dyne-cm estimated from body waves. The P-wave moment of the aftershock is 1 × 10^(25) dyne-cm. The aftershock studied in this paper is one of four large events which occurred in the epicentral area of the main shock more than 4 months after the main shock. These aftershocks had a combined seismic moment over twice that of the main shock. It is suggested that these earthquakes represent deformation in a different part of the seismic zone than the main shock. Large earthquakes with series of severe aftershocks are well known in the historical record of the Friuli region. The average displacement and stress drop are estimated to be 33 cm and 12 bars for the main shock and 33 cm 24 bars for the aftershock.


Context Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) put a spotlight on focused cardiac ultrasound (FoCUS). However, the spectra of cardiac disease, and the resources available for investigation vary internationally. The applicability of FoCUS to internal medicine (IM) and critical care medicine (CCM) practice in Saudi Arabia and their current use of FoCUS are unknown. Aims To determine the applicability of FoCUS to IM and CCM practice in Saudi Arabia and quantify the residents' current proficiency, accreditation and use of FoCUS. Methods A questionnaire was distributed to the residents in IM and CCM at our institution to determine their proficiency, use of FoCUS, and perceptions of its applicability. Results In total, 110 residents (IM 100/108; CCM 10/10) participated (Response rate 93.2%) and reported that FoCUS was very applicable to their practice, most specifically for pericardial effusion, right heart strain, and left ventricular function. Two IM residents had received postgraduate training, ten used FoCUS regularly, none were accredited and overall self-reported proficiency was poor. In contrast all CCM residents had received postgraduate training and reported regular use of FoCUS. Two were accredited. Conclusions Whilst FoCUS is applicable to IM practice in Saudi Arabia, significant skills gaps exist. The skills gap in CCM is lower but unaccredited practice is common. Our residents' responses were similar to those from Canada. Thus, international standardization of FoCUS training could be considered.


Modern Japan's repressed anxieties, fears and hopes come to the surface in the fantastic. A close analysis of fantasy fiction, film and comics reveals the ambivalence felt by many Japanese towards the success story of the nation in the twentieth century. The Fantastic in Modern Japanese Literature explores the dark side to Japanese literature and Japanese society. It takes in the nightmarish future depicted in the animated film masterpiece, Akira, and the pastoral dream worlds created by Japan's Nobel Prize winning author Oe Kenzaburo. A wide range of fantasists, many discussed here in English for the first time, form the basis for a ground-breaking analysis of utopias, dystopias, the disturbing relationship between women, sexuality and modernity, and the role of the alien in the fantastic.


Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) was used to study the occurrence and distribution of feeding behaviour of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) in the Ems estuary, on the border between the Netherlands and Germany. Occurrence was expressed as detection positive hours (DPH) per month or station, and feeding behaviour was described as feeding buzz ratio (FBR). Three types of analyses were undertaken: 1. A year-round analysis of FBR and DPH for one PAM station close to the Ems harbour; 2. An analysis of FBR and DPH for 10 PAM stations in the Ems estuary in March and September 2010; and 3. A comparison of porpoise clicks and fish density in the area for September/October of 2010. The year-round analysis results showed a variable seasonal pattern of porpoise occurrence, with in general lower values in April–July, and higher values in August–December. FBR and DPH per station differed between March and September 2010. The March data shows an increase of DPH when moving from the Wadden Sea into the estuary, with at the same time an increase in FBR. In September 2010, DPH decreased from outside to inside the Ems estuary, coinciding with an increase in feeding behaviour. Fish density was analysed for 5 potential prey taxa (smelt, whiting, goby, flounder and herring) at sampling stations in 4 areas along the estuary. Flounder and smelt increased in occurrence towards the inner estuarine waters. Smelt is an anadromous fish that is a known prey species for porpoise. The results of this study suggest that while feeding activity and occurrence of porpoises is observed all along the estuary and throughout the whole year, the presence of a preferred prey might be the reason for porpoises to move far into the Ems estuary at specific times. The Ems is highly used by humans and some activities, such as construction work and intense shipping, could have potential harmful consequences to the locally occurring porpoises. As this study has only covered a short time frame, the results should be considered preliminary. Future studies on the investigation of fish and porpoise occurrence in this area would allow a more in-depth understanding of this relationship and would be of high relevance for conservation and management actions.


Several absorbable nerve conduits are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Conformit Europe (CE) for clinical repair of peripheral and cranial nerves . Surgeons are often not aware of the different(bio) materials of these conduits when performing nerve repair. An overview of these FDA- and CE-approved absorbable nerve conduits for clinical use is presented . PubMed, MEDLINE, and the companies selling the conduits were consulted . The available FDA and CE absorbable nerve conduits for peripheral and cranial nerve repair are 2 collagen- and 2 synthetic- polyester based conduits. The available clinical data, the price, the length, and the composition of the tube show significant differences. Based on the available data in this paper at this moment, we favor the PGA (Neurotube) nerve conduit for repair of peripheral and cranial nerve defects because of its advantages in length, price, and availability of clinical data. However, no prospective studies comparing the available nerve conduits have been published.


The energy-conversion efficiency is a key metric that facilitates comparison of the performance of various approaches to solar energy conversion. However, a suite of disparate methodologies has been proposed and used historically to evaluate the efficiency of systems that produce fuels, either directly or indirectly, with sunlight and/or electrical power as the system inputs. A general expression for the system efficiency is given as the ratio of the total output power (electrical plus chemical) divided by the total input power (electrical plus solar). The solar-to-hydrogen (STH) efficiency follows from this globally applicable system efficiency but only is applicable in the special case for systems in which the only input power is sunlight and the only output power is in the form of hydrogen fuel derived from solar-driven water splitting. Herein, system-level efficiencies, beyond the STH efficiency, as well as component-level figures of merit are defined and discussed to describe the relative energy-conversion performance of key photoactive components of complete systems. These figures of merit facilitate the comparison of electrode materials and interfaces without conflating their fundamental properties with the engineering of the cell setup. The resulting information about the components can then be used in conjunction with a graphical circuit analysis formalism to obtain "optimal" system efficiencies that can be compared between various approaches. The approach provides a consistent method for comparison of the performance at the system and component levels of various technologies that produce fuels and/or electricity from sunlight.


ABSTRACT This study examines the sources that could inspire Joseph Addison's influential 'aesthetic' triad of 'great', 'uncommon', and 'beautiful', as elaborated in his essay-series The Pleasures of the Imagination in 1712. After identifying a philological problem in the interpretative tradition which gives rise to Addison's triad from a section of Ps Longinus' Peri Hypsous, further three seventeenth-century texts – Thomas Burnet's Telluris theoria sacra, Dominique Bouhours' Les entretiens d'Ariste et d'Eugène, and Baltasar Gracián's El Criticón – are presented in order to reconstruct a 'reading glass' through which Addison could peruse and understand the Longinian section, and then could create his 'aesthetic' triad. As a result of this reconstruction, the possible connection between Gracián's allegorical novel and Addison's essay can cast more light on the complex and insufficiently discussed relationship between theology or devotional literature and the emerging modern aesthetic discourse. From this angle, Addison's 'man of polite imagination', that is, the homo aestheticus in the modern sense of the adjective, seems to be the heir of Gracián's 'first man' who has the privilege of regarding the created world in a new light, and, as Addison's aesthete, of discovering its greatness, novelty and beauty in 'innocent pleasures'.


ABSTRACT DC-SIGN, a lectin expressed on dendritic cell and macrophage subsets, binds to human immunodeficiency virus Env glycoproteins, allowing capture of viral particles. Captured virions either infect target cells or are efficiently transmitted to lymphocytes. Cellular mechanisms underlying the effects of DC-SIGN remain poorly understood. Here we have analyzed the effects of DC-SIGN on viral entry and on syncytium formation induced by Env glycoproteins. The lectin enhanced susceptibility to viral infection and dramatically increased virion internalization. Captured virions accumulated in the vesicular pathway, and their access to the cytosol was altered. Strikingly, the presence of DC-SIGN on target cells inhibited their ability to form syncytia with Env-expressing cells. However, increasing CD4 surface levels on target cells alleviated this inhibitory effect of DC-SIGN. Moreover, the potency of the viral fusion inhibitor T-20 was not affected in DC-SIGN-expressing cells. Altogether, our results indicate that DC-SIGN exerts subtle and complex effects during early steps of HIV type 1 replication. DC-SIGN facilitates capture and accumulation of viral particles in a vesicular compartment and inhibits viral fusion. Competition between CD4 and DC-SIGN for Env binding likely affects virus access to the cytosol and syncytium formation.


ABSTRACT Aim: Catumaxomab (CATU) is a trifunctional monoclonal antibody approved in the European community for the treatment (Tx) of malignant ascites (MA) related to various carcinomas expressing the epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM). Recently, the majority of CATU treatments is performed in a hospital. We report on our single-institution experience with an outpatient CATU Tx in patients (pts) with MA due to various EpCAM-positive malignancies. Methods: 29 EpCAM-positive pts were included in this non-interventional analysis: epithelial ovarian cancer (15), metastatic breast cancer (7), endometrial cancer (3), micellanous (4). Patients had failed a median of four prior systemic Tx (range: 1-12) before starting CATU. CATU was administered via an intraperitoneal (IP) catheter system, with four planned increasing doses (i.e., 10, 20, 50, and 150 µg) given at 4-day intervals over a 2 weeks treatment period. Supportive Tx comprised metamizole (1.5 g/d) or paracetamole (2.0 g/d) and granisetrone (3 mg/d). Adverse effects were scored according to the CTCAE 4.0 scale. Puncture-free survival (PuFS) was calculated from start of CATU to the next puncture due malignant ascites, death, or loss to follow-up. Overall survival (OS) was calculated from start of CATU to death from any reason or loss to follow-up. Results: CATU was completely administered in an outpatient setting in all pts.19 pts (65.5%) received all 4 planned applications; another 5 pts (17.2%) received 3 instillations. Outpatient Tx with CATU was generally well tolerated. Secondary hospitalization (fever [1], abdominal pain/subileus [1], infection [1], generally deteriorated condition [5]) was necessary in seven patients (26.9%). Subsequent punctures following CATU were necessary in only five patients (17.2%). Median PuFS was 79.5 days and median OS was 92.5 days. Eleven patients (37.9%) were able to undergo subsequent systemic Tx (1-3 protocols) after IP CATU. 3 patients are still alive and free from subsequent punctures after a maximum of 812 days from start of CATU. Conclusions: Outpatient IP CATU treatment of malignant ascites in selected pts suffering from various EpCAM-positive, mainly gynecologic malignancies is feasible and efficacious. Moreover, CATU allows for subsequent antineoplastic Tx in a substantial proportion of patients. Disclosure: All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.


Space is the limiting resource for sessile organisms on marine rocky substrata, and the availability of space is decreased by recruitment and growth but increased through senescence, physical disturbance and consumption. In the present study, we examined whether consumers mediate variation in the relationship between prey richness and resource (space) use in subtidal epifaunal communities. First, we used surveys to identify relationships between prey richness, consumer richness, consumer identity and consumer abundance with available space. As predicted, available space was inversely correlated with sessile prey richness and positively correlated with consumer richness. However, a model selection approach identified the abundance of sea urchins and chitons specifically as the best predictors of available space, suggesting that the proportion of available space is a reasonable indicator of recent disturbance. Next, we manipulated urchin density in the field to test the hypothesis that urchins control the structure of this community by grazing sessile taxa and facilitating smaller consumers. Diet analyses and structural equation models together indicate that urchins generate available space directly by consuming macroscopic sessile prey, and indirectly by facilitating chitons, which maintain patches of space free of microscopic algae and recruits of larger sessile taxa. The significant interaction between prey richness and experimental urchin density on available space suggests that prey richness may buffer the impacts of urchin grazing. More generally, we highlight the need to study the effects of species richness on the structure of communities in the context of relevant ecological processes.


Background & Aim: Correction of pure, severe symptomatic geno-varum in young adults is mandatory. High(proximal) tibial osteotomy(HTO) is an accepted procedure for surgical correction of these deformities. In this retrospective survey, the long-term results of 27 osteotomies with a unique method of surgery are presented. Patients & Method: From 1981 to 2001, 27 valgus-producing high tibial osteotomies were performed on twenty patients with symptomatic geno-varum. Osteotomies were done by using modified Maquet's barrel-vault dome shape method and stabilized by an external fixation device. The mean age of the patients at the time of surgery was 24 (18-30) years and the mean duration of follow-up was 6.7 (2-12) years. Clinical and radiological evaluation was done pre- and post-operatively for all patients and Knee Society Score(KSS) method was applied to evaluate pain relief and functional outcome of knees. Results: Fourteen patients with 21 osteotomies were followed and evaluated for results. During the follow-up, various clinical(recurrence, control of pain) and radiographical(valgus degrees) factors related to the outcome of the knees were assessed. According to Knee Society Score(KSS), there were obvious improvements of scores in patients from 20 preoperatively to 45 in the follow-up period. Varus to valgus angle corrections measured pre- and post-operatively on average changed from 17.5 to 5.5 degrees. Conclusion: Surgical correction of symptomatic geno-varum in young adults without any other knee problems can relieve pain and prevent the phenomenon of progression towards osteoarthritis. Dome shape HTO together with compressive external fixation are very useful methods. The device is not expensive and a good range of the motion of the knee can be achieved sooner.


Compressed sensing theory explains why LASSO programs recover structured high-dimensional signals with minimax order-optimal error. Yet, the optimal choice of the program's governing parameter is often unknown in practice. It is still unclear how variation of the governing parameter impacts recovery error in compressed sensing, which is otherwise provably stable and robust. We establish a novel notion of instability in LASSO programs when the measurement matrix is identity. This is the proximal denoising setup. We prove asymptotic cusp-like behaviour of the risk as a function of the parameter choice, and illustrate the theory with numerical simulations. For example, a 0.1% underestimate of a LASSO parameter can increase the error significantly; and a 50% underestimate can cause the error to increase by a factor of 109. We hope that revealing parameter instability regimes of LASSO programs helps to inform a practitioner's choice.


Purpose: This article discusses the possibilities and consequences of the Polish Armed Forces (which is a type of public organization) utilizing the concept of New Public Management (NPM). The key element of NPM focuses on the citizen – the customer of public services who assesses the quality of service and effects. The research aimed to evaluate the service understood as activities and the value that a citizen receives from the military units from the perspective of the need to ensure security in the time of peace. Approach/Methodology/Design: Scientific literature and results from the research among 600 inhabitants from the Polish cities and other reports were analyzed. The article contains the results of own analyses, which were carried out based on data obtained in the research conducted using a mix-mode research procedure CATI (Computer-Assisted Telephone Interviewing) and CAWI (Computer-Assisted Web Interview). Findings: To evaluate the service security offered by the armed forces, it is possible to use the Need-Feature-Benefit (NFB) principle, and its specification understood as a portfolio of implemented activities and values. The research results show that respondents who evaluated the values (like solidarity, justice, patriotism, love in human relations, conscientiousness, perseverance) higher also showed greater appreciation for the security service delivered by the armed forces. Practical Implications: The results are of significant importance to a public organization. The applied research allowed creating an approach to evaluating the armed forces' service applying the Need-Feature-Benefit (NFB) principle for practical implications that could help not only in Poland but also worldwide. Originality/Value: The research provides theoretical assumptions and practical answers to encourage further research globally.


This investigation concerns the behaviour of plantation-grown and natural forest eucalypt timber during secondary processing, from sawn and dried boards through to the production of fine furniture.
Tasmanian eucalypt plantations comprise only two species, Eucalyptus globulus (E. globulus) and E. nitens. Most Tasmanian plantations have been managed on short rotations to supply the pulpwood market. However a proportion of Tasmanian plantations have been pruned and thinned and are being grown on longer rotations to produce high quality sawlogs. The specific focus of this research is the timber produced from these sawlog plantations.
Preparatory to the testing phase, a review of previous research on growing and primary processing of plantation-grown eucalypt timber was undertaken in order to better understand how it might differ from native forest timber. It was evident that advances in growing, sawing and drying techniques developed in recent decades have improved primary processing outcomes.
For this study, sawn timber from a commercial sawing and drying trial on 22.5 year-old plantation sawlogs of E. globulus and E. nitens was obtained. Sawn timber from regrowth-age logs of the most widely available native forest species, Eucalyptus obliqua, provided a control for comparison.
The same sawmill produced all of the sawn and dried boards used in this investigation. This removed, as far as was possible, differences in primary processing as a confounding factor in the comparisons.
Research was conducted into secondary processing of the three types of timber. Wood is a complex material with a range of variable micro and macro-scale properties that affect processing outcomes, so this called for craft expertise to be applied. Each stage of processing was fully documented to enable evaluation of the suitability of these timbers for high-end, value-added manufacturing. Packs of timber for study were chosen to give representative samples of the sawn timber produced by the mill. Boards from the packs were randomly selected for evaluation so that the conclusions drawn would be representative of the sets of material under study.
This research encompassed a wide range of techniques required for flat panel construction and the production of more advanced steam bent and laminated forms. A number of modifications to existing techniques and innovative processes, particularly around steam bending, were introduced.

Findings by species:
• Plantation E. globulus demonstrated that it possessed exemplary working properties enabling it to be integrated into any form of high-end manufacture. The mid-range density of the material coupled with its strength enables it to be used in high stress applications.
• Plantation E. nitens proved to be better than expected in itsqualities. The lighter weight coupled with excellent strength leads
to a robust material suitable for many high-end applications where these traits are particularly well suited.
• E. obliqua, performed as would be expected of a typical nativeforest eucalypt. The E. obliqua reacted to all of the process carriedout in this project within normal furniture maker's parameters foran available eucalypt.

Applying the methodologies detailed in the study, sawn timber from E. nitens and E. globulus plantation sawlogs was found to be ideally suited to the manufacture of fine furniture. The testing program revealed that for the manufacturing of fine furniture, plantation-grown timber of both species was superior to regrowth-age native-forest E. obliqua.
These conclusions are confirmed by a display of the step-by-step photo documentation, material samples from the full range of tests, processes and innovations, and the items of furniture produced in sets of three to demonstrate the practical outcomes for each species.


In the southwestern Grenville province, the parautochthonous Britt domain includes a variety of pre-Grenvillian metamorphic and plutonic rocks that were reworked at upper amphibolite facies during the Grenvillian orogeny. Near Pointe-au-Baril, Ontario, a crustal block containing pre-Grenvillian granulite facies mineral assemblages and pre-Grenvillian to early Grenvillian tectonic fabrics has been identified. The block is bounded on the northwest and southeast by extensional shear zones that may have isolated it from regional late Gren- villian deformation. Multiequilibria pressure-temperature ( P-T ) calculations for orthopyroxene-bearing mafic rocks suggest conditions of 625-700 °C and 7.2-8.4 kbar for the pre-Grenvillian metamorphism. The granulite facies assemblages were locally overprinted during higher pressure Grenvillian metamorphism, which peaked at 720-775 °C and 10.8-11.5 kbar. U-Pb zircon data from migmatitic, mafic supracrustal gneiss indicate metamorphism and leucosome development at ca. 1450-1430 Ma, in agreement with other pre-Grenvillian metamorphic ages for the Central gneiss belt and Grenville Front tectonic zone. An expanding data base on pre-Grenvillian events in the southwestern Grenville province indicates that high-grade metamorphism at ca. 1450-1430 Ma affected a large region of crust and was coeval with widespread felsic to intermediate plutonism.


Gems are objects of wealth, icons of beauty, and emblems of the very best of everything. Given as tokens of love and affection, they also come in a kaleidoscopic array of hues and can be either mineral or organic. Gems can command a person's gaze in the way they play with light and express rich color. And they can evoke feelings of passion, greed, mystery, and warmth. For millennia, gems have played an important role in human culture: they have significant value, both financially and within folklore and mythology. But just what are gems, exactly? This lavishly illustrated volume - the most ambitious publication of its kind - provides a general introduction to gems and natural gemstones, conveying their timeless beauty and exploring similarities among different species and varieties. "Gems and Gemstones" features nearly three hundred color images of the cut gems, precious and semiprecious stones, gem-quality mineral specimens, and fine jewelry to be unveiled in the new Grainger Hall of Gems at the Field Museum in Chicago this October. The book and exhibition's overarching theme will be the relationship between finished gems and their natural origin: while beautiful as faceted and polished pieces of jewelry, gems are often just as lovely - or even more so - as gemstones in their natural state. For example, an aquamarine or emerald as originally found in a mine with its natural crystal faces can be as stunning as any cut and polished gem prepared for a ring, bracelet, or charm. Mindful of both ancient and modern times, "Gems and Gemstones" also includes fun-filled facts and anecdotes that broaden the historical portrait of each specimen. When Harry Winston, for instance, donated the Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian in 1958, he sent it through the U.S. mail wrapped in plain brown paper. And for anyone who has ever marveled at the innovations of top jewelry designers, "Gems and Gemstones" features a dazzling array of polished stones, gold objects, and creations from around the world. Diamonds, sapphires, rubies, amethysts, pearls, topaz, amber - every major gem gets its due in this invaluable reference.


Purpose: The aim of this article is to detail the correlation between quality management, specifically its tools and critical success factors, and performance in terms of primary operational and secondary organisational performances. Design/methodology/approach: Survey data from the UK and Turkey were analysed using exploratory factor analyses, structural equation modelling and regression analysis. Findings: The results show that quality management has a significant and positive impact on both primary and secondary performances; that Turkish and UK attitudes to quality management are similar; and that quality management is widely practised in manufacturing and service industries but has more statistical emphasis in the manufacturing sector. The main challenge for making quality management practice more effective lies in an appropriate balanced use of the different sorts of the tools and critical success factors. Originality/value: This study takes a novel approach by: (i) exploring the relationship between primary operational and secondary organisational performances, (ii) using service and manufacturing data and (iii) making a cross-country comparison between the UK (a developed economy) and Turkey (a developing economy). Limitations: Detailed contrast provided between only two countries.


The article studies geometrically the Euler-Arnold equations associated to geodesic flow on $SO(4)$ for a left invariant diagonal metric. Such metric were first introduced by Manakov \cite{17} and extensively studied by Mishchenko-Fomenko \cite{18} and Dikii \cite{6}. An essential contribution into the integrability of this problem was also made by Adler-van Moerbeke \cite{4} and Haine \cite{8}. In this problem there are four invariants of the motion defining in $\Bbb{C}^{4}=\operatorname{Lie}(SO(4)\otimes \Bbb{C})$ an affine Abelian surface as complete intersection of four quadrics. The first section is devoted to a Lie algebra theoretical approach, based on the Kostant-Kirillov coadjoint action. This method allows us to linearizes the problem on a two-dimensional Prym variety $\operatorname{Prym}_{\sigma }(C)$ of a genus 3 Riemann surface $C$. In section 2, the method consists of requiring that the general solutions have the Painleve property, i.e., have no movable singularities other than poles. It was first adopted by Kowalewski \cite{10} and has developed and used more systematically \cite{3}, \cite{4}, \cite{8}, \cite{13}. From the asymptotic analysis of the differential equations, we show that the linearization of the Euler-Arnold equations occurs on a Prym variety $\operatorname{Prym}_{\sigma }(G)$ of an another genus 3 Riemann surface $G$. In the last section the Riemann surfaces are compared explicitly.


In this paper I examine simultaneous sign language interpreting with a focus on two dimensions: interpreting between languages of different modalities, and interpreting between two different languages. As I discuss, there is interplay between the two: At times, the task at hand is modality-driven, and at other times, structure-driven. When sign language interpreters are at work, the two dimensions come together in interesting ways, and as I will argue, offer ways to understand the task of simultaneous interpreting between spoken languages. I discuss sign language phonology and how it interacts with the constraints of simultaneous interpreting; I also discuss the possibilities of visual and spatial representation in sign languages, and how these present interesting dilemmas for interpreters working under time constraints.


Herein, a hybrid Monte Carlo (MC)/molecular dynamics (MD) simulation protocol that properly accounts for the extraordinary structural flexibility of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) is developed and validated. This is vital to accurately predict gas adsorption isotherms and guest‐induced flexibility of these materials. First, the performance of three recent models to predict adsorption isotherms and flexibility in MOFs is critically investigated. While these methods succeed in providing qualitative insight in the gas adsorption process in MOFs, their accuracy remains limited as the intrinsic flexibility of these materials is very hard to account for. To overcome this challenge, a hybrid MC/MD simulation protocol that is specifically designed to handle the flexibility of the adsorbent, including the shape flexibility, is introduced, thereby unifying the strengths of the previous models. It is demonstrated that the application of this new protocol to the adsorption of neon, argon, xenon, methane, and carbon dioxide in MIL‐53(Al), a prototypical flexible MOF, substantially decreases the inaccuracy of the obtained adsorption isotherms and predicted guest‐induced flexibility. As a result, this method is ideally suited to rationalize the adsorption performance of flexible nanoporous materials at the molecular level, paving the way for the conscious design of MOFs as industrial adsorbents.


A 44 year-old healthy female presented with 1 day of blurred vision in the left eye. Her visual acuity was 20/20 in the right eye and 20/50 in the left. On examination, the right eye appeared normal and there was a vitreous hemorrhage in the left. Fine vessels on the left optic disc were suspicious for neovascularization, but there were no other signs of retinopathy. She had no history of diabetes or other vasculopathies. Ultra-Widefield Fluorescein Angiography (UWFA) was obtained using an Optos (Dunfermline, Scotland, UK) scanning laser ophthalmoscope (Figure 1). Both eyes show an avascular zone of peripheral retina, peripheral arteriovenous anastamoses, and supernumerous vascular branching. Leakage peripherally and at the left optic disc is consistent with retinal neovascularization. No neovascularization is seen on the right. In each eye, there is mild late leakage at the border of the peripheral avascular zone but no evidence of vasculitis. The patient denies being born prematurely and is not aware of any family history of eye problems. A review of systems was unremarkable. Given the absence of prematurity or inflammatory conditions, the patient was diagnosed with Familial Exudative Vitreo-retinopathy (FEVR). This is typically an autosomal dominant disease with variable expressivity, and while the majority of affected patients retain good vision, complications include retinal neovascularization, vitreous hemorrhage, and retinal traction and detachment [1]. Most patients with FEVR are asymptomatic and are thus unaware of their disease until complications develop. In one study, while only 8% of newly-diagnosed patients reported a positive family history, 58% of asymptomatic relatives were subsequently found to have retinovascular abnormalities [2]. As UWFA be-comes increasing available, diseases affecting the peripheral retina may be more commonly diagnosed. In the present case, areas of retinal ischemia in the left eye were treated with laser photocoagulation (Figure 2), and the neovascularization subsequently regressed.
*Corresponding author: Scott M. McClintic, 5 Rowan Ct. Epsom, Auckland 1023, New Zealand, Tel: +64 22 407 5219, E-Mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


Roughly two thirds of resuscitated cardiac arrests in children and youth are due to inherited heart diseases. The most commonly implicated are the cardiac ion channelopathies long QT syndrome, CPVT (catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia) and Brugada syndrome. Diagnosis is pivotal to further management of the child if he/she survives, and also to other family members who may be at risk. Thorough investigation of the cardiac arrest survivor is essential to either identify or exclude inherited heart disease. If standard cardiac investigation does not reveal a diagnosis, pharmacological provocation tests are needed to unmask electrocardiographic signs of disease, even if, due to severe brain injury, it is planned ultimately to allow a natural death. Examples are the ajmaline/flecainide challenge for Brugada syndrome and epinephrine for CPVT. A supportive, informative and sympathetic approach to the family is essential. An arrhythmia specialist and a cardiac genetic service should be involved early, with storage of DNA and cardiac/genetic investigation of the family. This review proposes a diagnostic algorithm-based approach to the investigation of this increasingly common clinical scenario.


A growing body of empirical studies have reported that social inequalities in health are as large (or even larger) in the Nordic welfare states than in many less egalitarian societies. This is highly surprising since the welfare state is rooted in income equality, free access to education and health services, and a generous social benefit system. This paper reviews this literature, and provides an explanation of this paradox based on the most common causal mechanism studied, namely the one that goes from income (or another socio economic variable) to health. We start by showing that the concentration index is much more sensitive to health contingent income transfers than income contingent health transfers. Then, we introduce a simple model where health is caused by status (relative income) and show that there actually exists as possibility that stratified societies may have lower health inequality than egalitarian societies, everything else equal, if class is unobservable. Thus, there may be a tradeoff between income and health equality. However, due to the insensitivity of the concentration index of health transfers, this tradeoff may not be shown by such inequality measures. A higher social health inequality as found in empirical studies, may therefore just be a sign of a more equal income distribution.


Whilst SAML-based federations are most often used by academic and semi-commercial institutions that focus only on attribute-based authentication, we foresee a growing interest for service providers providing charged services. Since more and more academic and semi-commercial federation participants offer Voice-over-IP (VoIP) services, this type of service provides an entry point into identity federation based payment. Therefore, this paper describes an approach on how to harmonize the SAML-based federation technology with the needs of a payment infrastructure for enabling charging of VoIP services within a federation. However, since the different aspects of our approach (SAML Payment, SIP Discovery and Tariff Function) are not bound to VoIP applications, each one of them could be used separately or combined for several service types.


In the various realms of the Crown, and particularly in Canada and Australia, there has been a separation of the person of the monarch from the concept of the Crown. The Crown has been depersonalised (even "de-monarchised"). This growing separation between Crown and monarchy is of practical importance, for the Crown as theoretical principle still integrates the polity. Nor should the Crown as a symbol be allowed to cloud the truth that the Crown is an integral part of a practical form of government, and as such has a direct and substantive part to play. Monarchy is a distinct form of government, and one which has certain differences from, and perhaps, advantages over some other systems. As Smith put it, "hard-headed calculation" and not "conventional loyalty" explained the choice of the monarchical principle by the Fathers of Canadian Confederation. The transplantation of the Crown abroad has led to some technical and practical difficulties. The belief that New Zealand is a de facto republic has arisen as a consequence of our history, the visible absence of the Sovereign. There were, and are, similarities and differences between the role of the Crown in the United Kingdom, and in the realms. The Sovereign has a place in local life that is quite different from that in the United Kingdom. The Sovereign may be absent, but the Crown is ever-present. Although there is an almost complete delegation of the royal prerogative to the Governor-General, and the Queen retains but a minimal involvement in the New Zealand constitution, the important symbolic role of the Crown remains. Almost inevitably, the concept of the Crown has undergone an evolution until the point has been reached that the Crown is arguably more significant that the person of the Sovereign. There is therefore a dichotomy of legal theory and political reality. The constitutional grundnorm is based upon the concept of the Crown. Yet there has been a growing separation between Crown and monarch, or rather a redefinition of the Crown in such a way that the Governor-General is almost as full a personification of the Crown as the Sovereign is. The Governor-General has become a de facto a viceroy, empowered to exercise a general delegation of the royal prerogatives, and entrusted by the Sovereign with complete responsibility for the government of New Zealand. With the exception of the honours prerogative, which has remained in the hands of the Sovereign, largely for symbolic reasons, the royal prerogatives are now all exercised by the Governor-General on behalf of the Sovereign. Difficulties remain however with regard to legislation affecting the unity of the Crown. The concept of the divisibility of the Crown has yet to be fully developed. Some anomalies remain, and it is clear that the Queen remains, at least in some respects, legally the one person throughout her realms. What effect this has upon the legitimacy of the Crown in New Zealand has, as yet, received little analysis outside the writings of dedicated republicans.


On January 26, 2017, the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) posted its final report on treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS) with disease modifying therapies (DMTs). The objective was to provide a modeled assessment of the effectiveness and value of the various DMTs against each other and supportive care. The model considered both relapsing-remitting and primary-progressive MS with hypothetical patient cohorts tracked from therapy initiation to death in a lifetime cost-utility framework. Recommendations were made for possible DMT package price discounts given benchmark willingness-to-pay cost per QALY thresholds. The purpose of this commentary is to assess this modeled analysis from the criteria of normal science: are the claims presented for the competing DMTs credible, evaluable and replicable? The review concludes that the ICER model does not meet required standards. The claims made for comparative effectiveness and value are non-evaluable. They are immune to failure. The review concludes that if models are to contribute to improving our understanding of the effectiveness and costs of DMTs then they should be evaluable in the short-term to allow feedback to formulary committees in a meaningful timeframe.

Type: Commentary