Many diseases due to a single defective gene show wide clinical variability. This results from the interaction of a number of other modifying genes, variability in adaptive mechanisms and the effects of the environment. Less commonly, phenotypic diversity reflects peculiarities in the distribution of mutations in mitochondrial deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) or from mutations at different genes that result in a similar but highly variable clinical disorder. The multilayer complexity of this type of genetic system is only just starting to be appreciated, but provides some indication of the problems that will be encountered in analysing common multigenic disease. Their solution has important implications for the future practice of clinical genetics. Accurate phenotype prediction is essential for all aspects of genetic counselling, particularly in cases where couples are being advised about the likely outcome of a serious genetic disease if they are being offered the possibility of prenatal diagnosis and potential termination of affected pregnancies.

Key concepts

Most genetic diseases that follow a Mendelian pattern of inheritance show considerable clinical (phenotypic) diversity.

In many cases phenotypic diversity of Mendelian disease can be explained by the heterogeneity of mutations at a particular locus.

Phenotypic diversity of Mendelian disease may also result from the action of modifier genes that increase or decrease the severity of the effect of the primary mutation or which act at a distance from the mutation in further modifying the complications of the disease.

The clinical features of a single-gene disorder may also be modified by variation in X-chromosome inactivation, genomic imprinting and other epigenetic factors.

An increasing number of monogenic neurological diseases are being identified which result from variable degrees of expansion of repeat elements within or close to particular genes.

Many common diseases such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes result from the interaction of environmental factors with genetic susceptibility which is mediated through polymorphisms of a variable number of different genes.

The phenotypic effects of drug administration, both efficacy and complications, are modified by genes involving a wide range of physiological functions.

The vast majority of common forms of cancer are caused by mutations of cellular oncogenes which occur during an individuals lifetime.

Individual variability and the likelihood of contracting communicable disease, and its clinical course, also reflects the action of a wide variety of genes.

Future dissection of the complex interactions between the genome and the environment in the case of both monogenic and multigenic disease has the potential for improving the public health control of these diseases and for developing new therapeutic agents.

Keywords:

genotype;
phenotype;
genetic disease


The main objective of this article is to discuss how an Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) institution in a refugee camp can promote social sustainable education. By giving empirical examples of innovative pedagogical ideas and practices inside a Greek ECEC institution, this article argues that concepts of formation are ways to promote social sustainable education. The article draws on data from an ECEC institution in which both the children living in a refugee camp and Greek children are located together. With nature as a neutral cultural mediator, serving as a pedagogical framework, children can make new experiences based on participation, equality and mutual respect. Data were produced through field observations, semi-structured interviews and one group interview from March 2019 until September 2019. The empirical data reveal three dimensions that we suggest work as markers for social sustainable pedagogical practice: the importance of nature and play as a facilitator for children's activities; the importance of participation and equality; and the importance of commitment to the community. The findings are discussed in relation with theoretical concepts of formation, with a particular focus on children as active agents and the value of experiences, and the importance of highly qualified educators.


Dimensionality curse and dimensionality reduction are two key issues that have retained high interest for data mining, machine learning, multimedia indexing, and clustering.  In this paper we present a fast, scalable algorithm to quickly select the most important attributes (dimensions) for a given set of n-dimensional vectors.  In contrast to older methods, our method has the following desirable properties: (a) it does not do rotation of attributes, thus leading to easy interpretation of the resulting attributes; (b) it can spot attributes that have either linear or nonlinear correlations; (c) it requires a constant number of passes over the dataset; (d) it gives a good estimate on how many attributes should be kept. The idea is to use the 'fractal' dimension of a dataset as a good approximation of its intrinsic dimension, and to drop attributes that do not affect it.  We applied our method on real and synthetic datasets, where it gave fast and correct results.


Nora Gilbert, "A Servitude of One's Own: Isolation, Authorship, and the Nineteenth-Century British Governess" (pp. 455–480) Much has been written, both during the Victorian era and in recent literary and cultural-historical criticism, about the plight of the nineteenth-century British governess, a plight that is largely attributed to her uncomfortable position of "status incongruence," as M. Jeanne Peterson has usefully labeled it. Because the governess was deemed inferior to the family she worked for but superior to the family's domestic servants, her free time was not uncommonly spent on her own—even, more specifically, in a room of her own. And, just as Virginia Woolf would envision in her landmark feminist treatise, the activity that this isolated, educated woman habitually and productively turned to was the activity of writing. Almost all resident governesses relied on letter writing as their primary source of connection to the outside world, but many also expressed their thoughts and opinions in the form of journals, diaries, memoirs, advice manuals, essays, poems, and works of fiction. Bringing together a diverse sampling of fictional and nonfictional accounts of the governess's relationship to authorship (and paying particular attention to the novels and letters of Charlotte and Anne Bronte, our best-known and most culturally resonant governesses-turned-authoresses), this essay outlines the ways in which the governess, both as an iconic figure and as a real, writing woman, influenced the formal, stylistic, and thematic development of nineteenth-century women's literature.


Abstract This article takes a political ecology approach to understanding the integration of conservation with security in tackling the illegal wildlife trade. It builds on political ecology debates on militarization by connecting it to the dynamics of global environmental politics, specifically the discursive and material support from donors, governments, and conservation nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). The combined effects of a highly competitive funding environment and security concerns of governments has produced a context in which NGOs strategically invoke the idea of the illegal wildlife trade as a security threat. For donors and governments, tackling the illegal wildlife trade is a means through which they can address security threats. However, this has material outcomes for marginalized peoples living with wildlife, including militarization, human rights abuses, enhanced surveillance, and law enforcement.


Background. The aim of this study was to estimate the extent to which anxiety disorders contribute to an increase in suicidal behaviour after controlling for both observed and non-observed sources of confounding. Method. Data were collected from the Christchurch Health and Development Study (CHDS), a 25-year longitudinal study of over 1000 participants. Measures of anxiety disorders [phobia, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder], major depression (MD), substance use disorders, conduct/antisocial personality disorder, stressful life events, unemployment, and suicidal ideation/attempts for subjects aged 16–18, 18–21 and 21–25 years were used to fit random and fixed effects regression models of the associations between anxiety disorders and suicidal behaviours. Results. Anxiety disorders were strongly associated with suicidal ideation/attempts. Any single anxiety disorder increased the odds of suicidal ideation by 7·96 times [95% confidence interval (CI) 5·69–11·13] and increased the rate of suicide attempts by 5·85 times (95% CI 3·66–9·32). Control for co-occurring mental disorders, non-observed fixed confounding factors and life stress reduced these associations [suicidal ideation odds ratio (OR) 2·80, 95% CI 1·71–4·58; suicide attempts incidence rate ratio (IRR) 1·90, 95% CI 1·07–3·39]. Rates of suicidal behaviour also increased with the number of anxiety disorders. Estimates of the population attributable risk suggested that anxiety disorders accounted for 7–10% of the suicidality in the cohort. Conclusions. Anxiety disorders may be a risk factor for suicidality, even after controlling for confounding, with risks increasing with multiple anxiety disorders. Management of anxiety disorders may be an important component in strategies to reduce population rates of suicide.


A new method for analysing environmental efficiency, based on the materials balance, is proposed. With this method, an environmental allocative efficiency measure can be defined analogously to the more commonly used economic allocative efficiency. Nutrient surplus in pig fattening, a typical balance indicator, is used to illustrate the concept in a two input - one output case. The materials balance based efficiency analysis is elaborated using data envelopment analysis (DEA). Results are compared with those of more common, merely input or output oriented DEA approaches. A main conclusion is that, ignoring the balance feature of environmental issues such as nutrient surplus might be a main reason why traditional integral analyses of economic and environmental efficiency yield contradictory conclusions.


Following the turn in the mid-1990s among American and British dance scholarship toward cultural studies and new historicism, one of the central preoccupations among scholars on dance has been to show the rest of the humanities just why dance is so important. In Germany after reunification, a similar turn occurred among German dance scholars, from an earlier, literary-critical orientation of Germanistik (German studies) toward a more interdisciplinary and methodologically expansive field of Kulturwissenschaft (cultural studies). Now, roughly twenty years later, the contours of this change come into focus. New German Dance Studies, edited by Susan Manning and Lucia Ruprecht, shows the effect on dance scholarship in Germany as a result of the transition from dance framed in the context of philology to the study of dance as a part of the study of culture. Manning and Ruprecht's aim with New German Dance Studies is both straightforward and in step with the mission of dance studies more generally: to show how thinking about dance enriches cultural studies.1 The shift from Germanistik to Kulturwissenschaft has led to many important changes among dance scholars. Prior to its cultural turn, dance scholarship in Germany operated vis-à-vis written language and under assumptions of the physical body as something "prediscursive": weighted down by textual analysis, such scholarship largely subscribed to "dance's association with the unspeakable in the sense of that which must not be expressed—the socially or politically censored—and that which cannot be expressed—the ineffable" (3). In the process, dance had become something untouchable, mystical, anti-intellectual. More importantly, moving bodies as objects of study found themselves locked inside a maze of assumptions, which remained unexamined by the discipline that purported to unlock its power for other disciplines. Enter Kulturwissenschaft. Understood less as a theoretical or methodological trend in German (or European) scholarly debates of the late twentieth century, German cultural studies formed a discursive space to show "how current research operates both informed by and 'after' theory" (2). Such space, Manning and Ruprecht note, has enabled dance scholars to work against traditions of anti-intellectualism and exceptionalism about the body generated by earlier historiographies rooted in Germanistik. In the past few decades, dance scholars have successfully stepped beyond the shadow of the "dualisms of mind and body, page and stage" and the "melancholic awareness of the impermanence of the dancing body" that limit understandings about the body, dance, and movement (3–4). As the fifteen essays collected in New German Dance Studies show, contemporary scholars on dance in the German-speaking world continue to carry the banner of both cultural studies and new historicism. Excavating conceptual origins and "ideological contexts that insist on dance as fleeting, indescribable movement," this wide-ranging collection of essays embraces interdisciplinarity, critical selfconsciousness, sensitivity to power-structures undergirding scholarship and history, and a resistance to claims of inherent or essential truths. All of the essays in the volume operate on "the assumption that any type of cultural enunciation can be approached like a (polysemous) text" (9). Incorporating ideas of embodiment and embodied knowledge crucial to the foundation of dance studies as a field, these contemporary German dance scholars have begun to comprehensively consider the meaning and function of discourse based on the claims we make about the relationship between dance, knowledge, culture, and history. At present, dance researchers on both sides of the Atlantic are in a position to make unique claims contributing to a wide body of scholarship in the humanities. Under the more general goal of showing how dance studies enriches


Engineering volunteer services calls for novel self-adaptive approaches for dynamically managing the process of selecting volunteer services. As these services tend to be published and withdrawn without restrictions, uncertainties, dynamisms and 'dilution of control' related to the decisions of selection and composition are complex problems. These services tend to exhibit periodic performance patterns, which are often repeated over a certain time period. Consequently, the awareness of such periodic patterns enables the prediction of the services performance leading to better adaptation. In this paper, we contribute to a self-adaptive approach, namely time-awareness, which combines self-aware principles with dynamic histograms to dynamically manage the periodic trends of services performance and their evolution trends. Such knowledge can inform the adaptation decisions, leading to increase in the precision of selecting and composing services. We evaluate the approach using a volunteer storage composition scenario. The evaluation results show the advantages of dynamic knowledge management in self-adaptive volunteer computing in selecting dependable services and satisfying higher number of requests.


Most of industries have operated in an unsustainable way for many years. Materials, energy, and other resources have been used inefficiently throughout the supply chains, with unsustainable levels of waste generation. In many cases, disposal stage or logistic activities were not considered on the design stage. But in recent years, due to an improving concern to environment and sustainability topics, new initiatives for sustainable development in companies have appeared. One of these new initiatives is the sustainable Supply Chain (sSC) and green Supply Chain, which have been receiving growing attention. However, as Pagell and Wu (2009) said, there are still fundamental issues that researchers need to address in order to offer managers prescriptive models of how to create sustainable supply chains. It is for this reason that this thesis gives a model to provide managers with tools for the sustainable Supply Chain Management (sSCM) implementation. The essential tool used in this case for the implementation is Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) software.
Nowadays, the vast majority of industrial companies in manufacture sector have implemented PLM projects (Kadiri et al., 2009). The PLM philosophy has provided them with useful software to manage information using the product as a central element. The aim of integrating management of product is to overcome the existing organizational barriers and to streamline the value creation chain (Schuh et al., 2008). These characteristics turn PLM into an appealing tool for the integration of sSCM and, with this combination, achieve the sustainability performance.
The proposed method is a guide for companies which want to introduce sustainable development in their policies. The methodology gives five steps to provide companies with a way to structure their thoughts of environmental issues applied to SC. The method is based on monitoring indicators in all product lifecycle stages and the application of environmental actions using PLM data.


To any type of charge corresponds a kind of inertial mass. Such a mass-charge duality explains the availability in the neutrino of the naturally united rest mass and charge equal to all its mass and charge consisting of the electric, weak, strong and the range of other the innate components. From their point of view, we discuss a new theory of a grand unification. In this theory, the gravitational field is a naturally united field of the unified system of the most diverse combinations of the electric photons, magnetic monophotons, weak bosons and the strong gluons where the four pairs of forces of a different nature are united. Some consequences and laboratory confirmations of the discussed theory have been listed, in which graviton is predicted as a grand united gauge boson. Therefore, the gravitons constitute a natural light testifying in favor of gravitational force. They show that to each type of light corresponds a kind of force. Thereby, the suggested field theory that unites all gauge bosons in gravitons gives the possibility to directly look on the nature of gravitational matter elucidating the interratio of intragraviton forces and the problem of elementary particle fundamental symmetries.


Mississippi Chemical Corporation completed a dramatic reorganization and timely exit from Chapter 11 last December, despite a host of problems. Once viewed as a likely liquidation candidate, its bond prices moved from less than 10 to almost 80 cents during the case as the Company carried out a profitable sale to Terra Industries. This outcome depended upon the creative strategies and collaborative efforts of the Company's management, restructuring advisor, bankruptcy counsel, bondholders, new lenders, and other creditors and demonstrated the value that flexible leadership, respectful listening, determined teamwork, and perseverance can play in improving recoveries to all.


Medicare does not pay for a skilled nursing facility (SNF) unless a fee-for-service patient has stayed in the hospital for at least three days. Discharges after the three-day cutoff consistently result in more transfers to SNFs. Using the three-day rule as an instrument, we find that SNF discharges decrease hospital readmission for patients with comorbidities. However, for knee and hip replacement patients, we find significant increases in readmission. This perverse effect is more severe when local SNFs have lower quality. Back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest that the three-day rule may have generated extra Medicare payments to SNFs by $100-447 million per year.


This paper aims at exploring numerical stability properties of various software sensors used in chemical science and engineering. These are applied commonly to evaluation of variables and/or parameters of chemical systems, which cannot be measured by technical means. Practical software sensors are often grounded in the extended Kalman filtering (EKF) method applied to estimation of this and that stochastic model. Usually, a conventional chemical system consists of an It-type stochastic differential equation representing the chemical reaction's dynamics and a discrete-time equation linking the model's state to the measurement information. The focus of this research is on the numerical stability of various EKF-based software sensors in the presence of round-off errors. Our case study exploration is fulfilled on the famous Van der Vusse reaction model but used with an ill-conditioned measurement function, here. We reveal that only square-root versions of the EKF-based software sensors (grounded in numerically stable orthogonal transformations) are the methods of choice for state and/or parameter estimations of stochastic chemical systems in the presence of round-off and other disturbances.


Background: Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) represents a life-threatening acute diabetic complication attributed to type 1 diabetes. In the past decades, the presence of DK or even DKA has been increasingly recognized among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Aim of the Study: We aimed to analyze characteristics and mortality rate prognostic factors in patients with T2DM presenting with non-ketotic hyperglycemia (NKH), DK, and DKA. Methods: Population-based retrospective study at the Emergency Department of Clinical Hospital Center Sestre Milosrdnice, Zagreb, Croatia, was conducted. DKA was defined as plasma glucose >13.9 mmol/L, ketonuria >2+, and capillary blood bicarbonate levels <18 mmol/L or capillary blood pH <7.30. 137 patients with T2DM presenting with DKA and 137 age- and gender-matched patients with NKH and DK were included in the study. We analyzed general anthropometric characteristics, precipitating factors, signs and symptoms, medications, alcohol, and cigarette consumption. Results: Patients with DKA had significantly higher mortality rates when compared with DK (HR 2.55, 95% CI 1.65–3.92, P < 0.001) and NKH (HR 1.27, 95% CI 1.05–1.53, P = 0.01). Older age, higher blood urea nitrogen, and calcium channel antagonists use were adverse prognostic factors across all groups. Acetylsalicylic acid and insulin in DKA and furosemide use in DK group were associated with increased mortality. Conversely, alcohol and tobacco use was associated with lower mortality in DKA group. These variables predicted 1-year mortality with and accuracy of 81% in DK group and 88% in DKA group. Conclusion: Prognostic factors and all-cause mortality differ between patients with NKH, DK, and DKA. Further, prospective trials should evaluate whether the addressing prognostic factors could improve patient outcomes.


United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations have been increasingly deployed in many crisis contexts. The practice has been established by the UN to ensure peace and protect victims of different types of armed conflict. Unfortunately, during the past ten years, several cases of serious human rights violations committed by peacekeepers against people who should be protected by them have emerged. The UN has gone through a widespread analysis of the issues involved, from the managerial, administrative and legal points of view. The 2005 Zeid Report has provided the basis for further action within the UN system. Since then, several policy and legal measures have been discussed by relevant UN bodies and organs, and some new developments have taken place. This article offers an account and an analysis of the different steps taken within the UN to face difficult cases of misbehaviour, including human rights violations, which may lead to forms of criminal conduct. It takes into consideration the suggestions provided by the Zeid Report and subsequent UN documents. It focuses on legal developments and discusses the main problems in understanding the legal complexity of this phenomenon. The article includes updated documents and proposals that have been discussed and adopted until the most recent reports in 2009.


This Policy Brief assesses the possible economic impacts for the European Union of granting market economy status (MES) to China in antidumping investigations. The issue is important: China ranks first among the countries targeted by European antidumping, and sanctions cover tariff lines worth 8.7% of EU imports from China, based on pre-investigation imports (0.5% for MES partners). We find that China's exports face a larger number of antidumping investigations than those from MES partners, even accounting for China's trade specificities. These investigations also have a higher chance of being won by the plaintiff. Furthermore, when a sanction is decided, its trade-restrictive impact is higher against China. In addition, we show that antidumping measures lead not only to an increase in the prices of targeted Chinese products but also in those of Chinese untargeted products similar to those directly targeted. This chilling effect materializes in 4 to 14% prices increases for untargeted exports belonging to the same sector as those targeted. It does not affect MES partners. Antidumping cases against non-MES partners other than China are not numerous enough to isolate the impact of the MES per se. We thus assess the impact of granting MES to China assuming that all China's specificities in EU antidumping procedures would disappear as a result. Under this assumption, disregarding the chilling effect, changing China's status would boost its exports to the EU by 3.9% to 5.3% in volume (€13bn to €18bn). Factoring in the removal of the present chilling effect, the impact might reach 7.4% to 21% in volume (€25bn to €72bn). Domestic output losses would be small in relative terms (up to 0.06% disregarding the chilling effect, up to 0.32% taking it into account), but significant in absolute terms (respectively, €3.9bn and €23bn); 90% of these impacts reflect the decline in the number of investigations, as opposed to the level of duty in case of sanction. Accordingly, dropping the so-called lesser duty rule would not alter significantly these impacts.


What does it mean to be a fluent reader? How are reading fluency and comprehension connected? What strategies can you use to help students become more fluent? How can you measure fluency? How should data from fluency assessments be used? You'll find answers to these questions - and more - in this volume compiled by noted fluency expert Timothy Rasinski. The 16 articles, published originally in IRA's influential journal ""The Reading Teacher"", provide a clear definition of fluency, describe its importance, suggest research-based strategies for instruction to support fluency development, tackle how it should be measured, and emphasize the appropriate use of assessment data. This convenient resource highlights the best thinking of recognized leaders in the field, including Richard Allington, S. Jay Samuels, Keith Topping, and Rasinski himself. The articles are supplemented with questions for reflection, making this book ideal for personal professional development and for teacher education.


The European Union's (EU) Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and its accompanying Common Security and Defense Policy (CSDP) missions are tools used to increase the international profile of the EU.Using three different databases, this study features a content analysis that evaluates how much and what kind of media coverage CSDP missions receive. In general, the news coverage is positive, but limited. This article argues that the problem is structural: the very nature of the missions themselves, whether EU or NATO, makes them poor vehicles for EU promotion for political, institutional, and logistical reasons. By definition, they are conducted in the middle of crises, making news coverage politically sensitive. The very act of reporting could undermine the mission. Institutionally, all CSDP missions are intergovernmental; therefore, the member states control the coverage. Logistically, the missions are usually located in remote, undeveloped parts of the world, making it difficult and expensive for European and international journalists to cover. Moreover, these regions in crisis seldom have a thriving, local free press. The author concludes that although a mission may do good, CSDP missions cannot fulfill their primary political function of raising the profile of the EU.


Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) receptor mutations as internal tandem duplication (ITD) or within the kinase domain are detected in up to 35% of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). N-benzoyl staurosporine (PKC412), a highly effective inhibitor of mutated FLT3 receptors, has significant antileukemic efficacy in patients with FLT3-mutated AML. Mutation screening of FLT3 exon 20 in AML patients (n = 110) revealed 2 patients with a novel mutation (Y842C) within the highly conserved activation loop of FLT3. FLT3-Y842C-transfected 32D cells showed constitutive FLT3 tyrosine phosphorylation and interleukin 3 (IL-3)-independent growth. Treatment with PKC412 led to inhibition of proliferation and apoptotic cell death. Primary AML blasts bearing FLT3-Y842C mutations showed constitutive FLT3 and signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT-5) tyrosine phosphorylation. Ex vivo PKC412 treatment of primary blasts resulted in suppression of constitutive FLT3 and STAT-5 activation and apoptotic cell death. Inspection of the FLT3 structure revealed that Y842 is the key residue in regulating the switch from the closed to the open (= active) conformation of the FLT3 activation loop. Overall, our data suggest that mutations at Y842 represent a significant new activating mutation in AML blasts. Since FLT3 tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) such as PKC412 are currently being investigated in clinical trials in AML, extended sequence analysis of FLT3 may be helpful in defining the spectrum of TKI-sensitive FLT3 mutations in AML.


Let $G$ be a graph in which each vertex initially has weight 1. In each step, the weight from a vertex $u$ can be moved to a neighbouring vertex $v$, provided that the weight on $v$ is at least as large as the weight on $u$. The total acquisition number of $G$, denoted by $a_t(G)$, is the minimum possible size of the set of vertices with positive weight at the end of the process. LeSaulnier, Prince, Wenger, West, and Worah asked for the minimum value of $p=p(n)$ such that $a_t(\mathcal{G}(n,p)) = 1$ with high probability, where $\mathcal{G}(n,p)$ is a binomial random graph. We show that $p = \frac{\log_2 n}{n} \approx 1.4427 \ \frac{\log n}{n}$ is a sharp threshold for this property. We also show that almost all trees $T$ satisfy $a_t(T) = \Theta(n)$, confirming a conjecture of West.


Supplier evaluation and selection problems are inherently multicriteria decision problems. Numerous analytical techniques ranging from simple weighted scoring to complex mathematical programming approaches have been proposed to solve these problems. However, traditional supplier selection models too often fail to consider the interaction and the capacity interdependency among the suppliers. Suppliers may exhibit internal interactions if the evaluation criteria used for one supplier are believed to be significantly affected by the evaluation criteria used by one or more of the other suppliers in the group. We propose a new branch-and-bound algorithm that generates portfolio alternatives based on Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The DEA model proposed in this study evaluates alternative supplier portfolios with a multicriteria model that considers possible interactions among the suppliers.


In 2019 the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) embarked on an initiative that aims to strengthen the capacity of 10 national societies of obstetrics and gynecology (ObGyn) in advocacy for safe abortion. In 2018 needs assessments that entailed a desk study, interviews, and stakeholder workshops were conducted in Benin, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Panama, Peru, Uganda, and Zambia. The general aim of the needs assessments was to gain a deeper understanding of the contextual situation and identify the needs of ObGyn societies in relation to safe abortion advocacy. This paper provides a cross‐country analysis of the outcomes of the needs assessments and reflects on the capabilities, barriers, and opportunities to strengthen this role of ObGyn societies. Common barriers, such as unavailability of services, lack of technical guidance, unawareness and ambiguity about the legal framework, provider attitudes, and abortion stigma, pose challenges for ObGyn societies to work constructively on safe abortion advocacy. However, ObGyn societies have a strong position due to their strategic networks and technical credibility and can be a facilitator in healthcare providers' advocacy role. Five strategies were developed to strengthen the capacity of ObGyn societies in safe abortion advocacy.


Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm characterized by the presence of the Philadelphia chromosome. It is treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitor agents targeted against the breakpoint cluster region-Abelson murine leukemia 1 fusion transcript. Disease risk stratification at diagnosis of chronic-phase (CP) CML is done using Sokal, Hasford, and EUTOS scores which use basophilia as a major component. However, basophil counts can be both variable and inaccurate. The serum tryptase level is being studied as a novel biomarker which represents the total basophil compartment. Tryptase, deriving its name from trypsin-like activity commonly expressed by mast cells, and also by immature basophils of patients suffering from various myeloid and leukemic disorders, has a role in tumor proliferation. Patients with seemingly low-normal levels of basophils and raised tryptase levels progress further in disease despite treatment. There is a recent interest in the role of serum tryptase as a prognostic marker in CML-CP.


Measuring the effect of anthropogenic change on cetacean populations is hampered by our lack of understanding about population status and a lack of power in the available data to detect trends in abundance. Often long-term data from repeated surveys are lacking, and alterna- tive approaches to trend detection must be considered. We utilised an existing database of line- transect survey records to determine whether temporal trends could be detected when survey effort from around the world was combined. We extracted density estimates for 25 species and fit- ted generalised additive models (GAMs) to investigate whether taxonomic, spatial or methodolog- ical differences among systematic line-transect surveys affect estimates of density and whether we can identify temporal trends in the data once these factors are accounted for. The selected GAM consisted of 2 parts: an intercept term that was a complex interaction of taxonomic, spatial and methodological factors and a smooth temporal term with trends varying by family and ocean basin. We discuss the trends found and assess the suitability of published density estimates for detecting temporal trends using retrospective power analysis. In conclusion, increasing sample size through combining survey effort across a global scale does not necessarily result in sufficient power to detect trends because of the extent of variability across surveys, species and oceans. Instead, results from repeated dedicated surveys designed specifically for the species and geo- graphical region of interest should be used to inform conservation and management.


Furthering intercultural competence in higher education requires colleges and universities to establish an intentional, mission driven strategic plan that embeds intercultural understanding and practice across the institution's work. To secure broad-based buy-in and support, this plan needs to consider the various ways that different units within the academy define, interpret, and view intercultural work. For large, complex and multi-faceted colleges and universities, building this plan can prove daunting as different parts of the institution will ascribe different meanings, purposes, and intentions to intercultural advancement.In this paper, administrators from the University of Minnesota, who represent units that are highly engaged in intercultural competence work, share some of their struggles and lessons learned in their effort to build a comprehensive, campus-wide strategy to grow intercultural advancement. The administrators initiated this campus-wide strategic work following their participation in an international conference focused on intercultural competence. Since that time, they have developed recommendations for the foundational work required to establish a common university-wide framework and comprehensive plan for institutional intercultural advancement.


IN MATERIALS SURVEYING, GEOLOGY SHOULD BE OF MAXIMUM BENEFIT, NOT AS A COMPLETE INFORMANT BUT AS A FOUNDATION FOR RECONNAISSANCE, ASSEMBLY, AND CATALOGING OF MATERIALS. GEOLOGY IN ESSENCE IS A MATERIALS SURVEY ON A GRAND SCALE. USE OF THIS SCIENCE FOR ENGINEERING PURPOSES INVOLVES SOME PRIMARY KNOWLEDGE OF GEOLOGIC NOMENCLATURE, THE BASIC HISTORIC APPROACH OF GEOLOGISTS, AND THE USE OF RESOURCES AND DATA PUBLISHED BY STATE, FEDERAL, AND PRIVATE AGENCIES OVER A PERIOD OF 75 YEARS. RECOGNITION OF THE NEED FOR INFORMATION ON SURFACE CONDITIONS AS AN AID TO ENGINEERING AND ALLIED SCIENCES IS EMPHASIZED, AND IN RESPONSE TO THIS NEED, A NEW SYSTEM OF MAPPING IS CITED AND ILLUSTRATED IN WHICH A SPECIAL MAP OF SURFICIAL GEOLOGY IS PREPARED IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE TRADITIONAL 'BEDROCK' GEOLOGIC MAPS. THE IMPORTANCE AND THE DIFFICULTY OF CONVERTING GEOLOGIC DATA TO ENGINEERING USES ARE CONSIDERED, AND IN LIEU OF A UNIVERSALLY SATISFACTORY MEANS FOR ACCOMPLISHING THIS, A FEW SPECIFIC CONVERSIONS ARE DISCUSSED AND ILLUSTRATED. EACH IS CONSIDERED SEPARATELY FROM THE STANDPOINT OF POSSIBLE MATERIALS REQUIREMENTS AND THE APPLICATION OF GEOLOGIC METHODS TO THE LOCATION OF USABLE MATERIALS. /AUTHOR/


Ontong Java Plateau(OJP) is located north of the Solomon Islands in thewestern Pacific Ocean. The area of OJP is about 1.9×10 km. Deep-sea drilling samples indicate that most of the OJP was formed rapidly about 120 Ma at mid-southern latitude in the Pacific Basin. Taylor (2006) proposed that the OJP was formed as a single large volcanic province together with the Manihiki and Hikurangi plateaus, called Ontong Java Nui (Chandler et al., 2012). The OJP is surrounded by the East Mariana, Pigafetta, Nauru, Ellice, Stewart, and Lyra basins. The former three basins (East Mariana, Pigafetta, and Nauru) were formed at the Pacific-Izanagi and Pacific-Phoenix ridges, respectively (Nakanishi et al., 1992). The tectonic history of the latter three basins (Ellice, Stewart, and Lyra) is, however, unknown because of lack of magnetic anomaly lineations. It is thus unclear whether OJP was formed at mid-oceanic ridges or away from active plate boundaries. To expose the tectonic history of Ellice, Stewart, and Lyra basins, we conducted the multichannel seismic reflection survey in the basins as well as OJP during the research cruise MR14-06 Leg 1 by R/V Mirai of JAMSTEC. After the regular data processing, we found several tectonic structures in the basins. The relief of the acoustic basements in the basins are not overall smooth. We found several igneous diapirs in Stewart and Ellice basins, implying that the volcanism occurred after the formation of the basins. We identified normal faults in the southern part of Stewart Basin, probably caused by the plate bending owing to the Pacific Plate subduction. We discovered the graben structures in the OJP situated at the northern and southern franks of the Stewart Basin. The graven structures were formed at the beginning of the formation of the Stewart Basin. Taylor (2006) concluded the basin was formed by NW-SE rifting during the separation of OJP and Manihiki Plateau around 120 Ma. Neal (1997) proposed another model, in which the NE-SW rifting and spreading event formed the Stewart and Ellice basins around the basin around 80 Ma. Our study prefers the model by Neal et al. (1997).


Abstract Kaolinite-ferrihydrite and montmorillonite-ferrihydrite associations were prepared following a procedure based on the Russell method for the synthesis of ferrihydrite and the texture of the clay-ferrihydrite complexes was studied using different techniques. The textural properties of kaolinite were little affected by the Fe association, showing only a slight increase in the specific surface area measured by nitrogen adsorption and a decrease in the largest pores (>10 μm), as measured by mercury porosimetry. In contrast, the nitrogen specific surface area of the montmorillonite complexes was much higher than that of the clay without Fe and the pore structure depended on the amounts of Fe in the complexes. Application of the fractal approach to nitrogen adsorption data indicated that the surface roughness (microporosity) was greater for the complexes prepared from diluted Fe(III) solutions, in agreement with the information obtained from classical interpretation of the adsorption isotherms (shape of the isotherms and t-plots).


This article explores the relationship between teenagers, mobile media, and public spaces in the city. We use a range of qualitative methods, including interviews, sound walks, sound maps, and photography, to explore how teenagers use mobile media to respond to the visual and sonic landscape of a public space in Dublin, Ireland. This space was a "nonplace" for our contemporary participants from which they felt economically, socially, visually, and aurally excluded. They responded by using mobile media to create safe, centripetal, and meaningful spaces. Our findings underline the role that local soundscapes play in understanding the audio and mobile media practices of teenagers in public spaces.


Objective. To survey participants with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) to evaluate the face validity, acceptability, and domain match of proposed candidate outcome measures. Methods. A structured, online, anonymous survey was disseminated by patient support groups through their networks and online forums. The candidate outcome measures comprised (1) visual analog scale (VAS) and numerical rating score (NRS) to assess pain; (2) VAS, NRS, and duration to assess stiffness; (3) the modified Health Assessment Questionnaire and Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index to assess physical function; and (4) C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate to assess inflammation. Free-text answers were analyzed using descriptive thematic analysis to determine respondents' views of the candidate instruments. Results. Seventy-eight people with PMR from 6 countries (UK, France, USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand) participated in the survey. Most respondents agreed candidate instruments were acceptable or "good to go." Free-text analysis identified 5 themes that participants considered inadequately covered by the proposed instruments. These related to (1) the variability, context, and location of pain; (2) the variability of stiffness; (3) fatigue; (4) disability; and (5) the correlation of inflammatory marker levels and severity of symptoms, sometimes reflecting disease activity and other times not. Conclusion. Participants reported additional aspects of their experience that are not covered by the proposed instruments, particularly for the experience of stiffness and effect of fatigue. New patient-reported outcome measures are required to increase the relevance of results from clinical trials to patients with PMR.


Recent land cover analysis reveals significant forest recovery around the world, suggesting that some countries may be in a forest transition. However, remotely sensed imagery does not reveal the driving causes of forest recovery, which may be due to active reforestation efforts or natural successional processes (passive reforestation). We aimed to distinguish these two processes in the priority temperate forests surrounding the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (342,773 ha) in central Mexico. We combine an analysis of remotely sensed imagery with field interviews (n = 43) to examine the mechanisms and drivers of observed forest recovery. Our analysis of the satellite imagery revealed a net increase of 3,798 ha of forest between 1986 and 2012, yet the rate of recovery is slowing. Our interview data revealed that the vast majority of the recovered forests are the result of natural regrowth (passive reforestation), and most of this regrowth is observed on previously degraded forest lands. We estimate that between 58 and 429 ha have been recovered from active reforestation efforts in the 1986–2012 period. We find that reduced logging and grazing pressures are important drivers of forest recovery, while agricultural abandonment may be less influential than often believed. Our results suggest that reforestation investments might be wisely spent supporting and maintaining the natural resilience of forests rather than on costly reforestation programs.


The Rising of the Moon is Nicholas Maw's second opera, and like its predecessor, One Man Show, it is a comedy. As far as subject matter and its treatment go, however, the resemblance ends there. One Man Show is a farce, based on a flimsy comic idea by Saki. The Rising of the Moon is a romantic comedy whose central situation—though necessarily presented in high theatrical relief—is essentially realistic and depends for its effect on the portrayal of a number of true-to-life three-dimensional characters. Beverley Cross's libretto, based on an entirely original idea, is set in Ireland in the year 1875. This was a tragic period in Irish history. After years of unavailing struggle for home rule and for the emancipation of a Catholic people from minority government by Protestants, Ireland had found herself in the mid-nineteenth century still bound in a most unfavourable union with England. Her economic and industrial growth was deliberately kept down by legislation in Westminster, prompted by fears of competition with home industry. The poverty of most Irish peasants was extreme, as it had been even before the potato famine of the late 1840s, and many were still suffering at the hands of unscrupulous landlords who were quite prepared to implement laws which made eviction the normal penalty for non-payment of rent. In these circumstances the English were naturally both hated and feared. Yet those who tried to stir popular feeling into action—Daniel O'Connell, the Young Irelanders, the Fenians—found their hands tied by Ireland's internal religious and social divisions, and by the listlessness of an underfed, underclothed, even underhoused people. Such revolutionary outbreaks as took place were isolated and poorly organised, and although the English executive in Ireland—including the army—might tend to regard all Irish peasants as potential rebels, they had long since learnt that the rebel bark was a good deal worse than the insurgent bite, and so they treated the natives accordingly.


Backgroud The dysnatremias (hyponatremia and hypernatremia) are relatively common findings on admission of intensive care unit (ICU) patients and may represent a major risk. The aim of the study was to assess the ability of serum sodium levels and the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) to predict mortality of surgical critically ill patients. Methods One hundred and ninety-five surgical patients (62% males and 38% females; mean age of 51.8 ± 17.3 years) admitted to the ICU in the postoperative phase were retrospectively studied. The patients were divided into survivors (n = 152) and non-survivors (n = 43). APACHE II, and serum sodium levels at admission, 48 h and discharge were analyzed by generation of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results The mean APACHE II was 16.3 ± 8.3 (13.6 ± 6.1 for survivors and 25.5 ± 8.5 for non-survivors). The area under the ROC curve for APACHE II was 0.841 (0.782 - 0.889) and 0.721 (0.653 - 0.783), 0.754 (0.653 - 0.783) and 0.720 (0.687 - 0.812) for serum sodium level at admission, 48 h and discharge, respectively. Conclusion Even though APACHE II scoring system was the most effective index to predict mortality in the surgical critically ill patients, the serum sodium levels on admission may also be used as an independent predictor of outcome.


Abstract The first biennial founded outside Venice opened in São Paulo Brazil in 1951, providing a fulcrum between "dependency" and "developmentalism" (to use economic terms). In terms of art history, it presents a useful anomaly in which an international style ("concrete abstraction," a European import) was used simultaneously to eradicate local difference and to declare a cosmopolitan, up-to-date Brasilidade (Brazilianness). More crucially, I argue that the São Paulo Bienal was the precondition for the newly rigorous conceptualism that followed, as Brazilian artists in the late ′60s rejected "Concretismo" to craft a new world picture, radically transforming margin and center through the profoundly theoretical practice of antropofagia — cultural cannibalism.


Organisations typically define and execute their selected strategy by developing and managing a portfolio of projects. The governance of this portfolio has proved to be a major challenge, particularly for large organisations. Executives and managers face even greater pressures when the nature of the strategic landscape is uncertain. This paper explores approaches for dealing with different levels of certainty in business IT projects and provides a contingent governance framework. Historically business IT projects have relied on a structured sequential approach, also referred to as a waterfall method. There is a distinction between the development stages of a solution and the management stages of a project that delivers the solution although these are often integrated in a business IT systems project. Prior research has demonstrated that the level of certainty varies between development projects. There can be uncertainty on what needs to be developed and also on how this solution should be developed. The move to agile development and management reflects a greater level of uncertainty often on both dimensions and this has led the adoption of more iterative approaches. What has been less well researched is the impact of uncertainty on the governance of the change portfolio and the corresponding implications for business executives. This paper poses this research question and proposes a govemance framework to address these aspects. The governance framework has been reviewed in the context of a major anonymous organisation, FinOrg. Findings are reported in this paper with a focus on the need to apply different approaches. In particular, the governance of uncertain business change is contrasted with the management approach for defined IT projects. Practical outputs from the paper include a consideration of some innovative approaches that can be used by executives. It also investigates the role of the business change portfolio group in evaluating and executing the appropriate level of governance. These results lead to recommendations for executives and also proposed further research.


Breast cancer is the most common, and the number one cause of death by cancer among women. However, when it is sufficiently early detected, heavy treatments can be avoided, and morbidity and mortality can be reduced. This is the reason why randomized clinical trials were started in the 60s, followed in the last decades by screening mammography national programs. The process of breast cancer detection in mammography is complex. Its understanding offers numerous challenges to radiologists and medical physicists. One way to apprehend it is to model this process step-by-step by performing psychophysical experiments with anatomical or synthetic images. In this approach, the images information content is controlled. Since the first experiments with synthetic images created with white noise and simple geometric signals, technical and computational improvements allowed to get ever closer to clinical realism for studying the mechanism of perception of a signal on a radiological image. The present work extends the list of tools that have been used until now in psychophysical experiments in mammography. It proposes a detailed statistical analysis of anatomical images, from which algorithms for breast density classification and realistic breast texture synthesis are developed. In a second phase, psychophysical experiments with simple signals and benign or malignant masses combined with anatomical or synthetic backgrounds are presented. The performance of human observers is analyzed as a function of parameters such as background type, signal type, or uncertainty about the size or the shape of the signal. These results are compared to that of existing or adapted models from the literature, and the different models are evaluated in their ability to predict the performance of human observers for the detection of lesions in such conditions. Each step of this project focused on the objective and reproducible aspect of the image evaluation or of the observer performance. Controlled yet realistic conditions ensure the robustness of the results, as well as their clinical adaptability. Among the main results, synthetic mammographic texture images have been generated and validated. They provide a virtually unlimited database of images with demonstrated visual and statistical realism. Concerning the analysis of the human observers' performance, this work shows that they are sensitive to uncertainty about the signal size but not about its shape, that they use similar detection strategies with real and synthetic images, and that they are mainly sensitive to the anatomical fluctuations in the immediate area around the signal location. These effects, as well as the performance level of human observers for the detection tasks under consideration, could be reproduced by models taking into account human visual system characteristics. The conclusions of this work will be able to guide future studies in the field of detection tasks in mammography or tomosynthesis. This 3D breast imaging technique presents, like mammography, numerous challenges in order to understand and to objectively characterize its clinical potential. Studies with model observers specifically validated for detection tasks in medical imaging provide an excellent alternative in terms of time and costs for answering these questions.


In 2015, the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – "a plan for people, planet and prosperity", which includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that service as a roadmap for the national and international policies that should be implemented to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. Society, Economy and Environment are recognized as the three pillars for sustainable development. After several attempts to identify and agree upon a global policy for a sustainable future, it is time for implementation. It is time now for global Engineers to get involved in order to bring results in the direction of the implementation of the SDGs. The two European Civil Engineering associations, the European Civil Engineering Education and Training Association (EUCEET) and the Association of European Civil Engineering Faculties (AECEF), joined their forces to investigate the very important issue of "The role of education for Civil Engineers in the implementation of the SDGs". The topics of the conference are related, but not limited, to the following SDGs: SDG4 - Quality education SDG6 - Clean water and sanitation SDG7 - Affordable and clean energy SDG8 – Decent work and economic growth SDG9 – Industry, innovation and infrastructure SDG11 – Sustainable cities and communities SDG13 – Climate action SDG14 – Life below water SDG15 – Life on land


This is a draft contribution to a forthcoming fetschrift in Michael S. Moore's honor, to be published by Oxford University Press. The chapter takes on an aspect of Moore's important work on causation in law. Before one can recover for an injury sounding in negligence, one must establish that the defendant more likely than not proximately caused the injury. That the positive law of negligence imposes this requirement is beyond controversy. What is more controversial is whether the requirement is conceptually and morally defensible. Michael Moore, singly as well as in tandem with Heidi Hurd, powerfully argues that it is neither. Specifically, Moore contends that the harm-within-the-risk test of proximate causation, despite its venerable history in tort law and reaffirmation in the latest Restatement, is "incoherent" and "morally undesirable." It is bad enough, on Moore's view, that negligence law bifurcates its causal inquiry, distinguishing as it does the question of actual causation from that of proximate causation, rather than pursuing a unified naturalistic inquiry into the substantiality of causal contribution. What is worse is that tort law can't even get its own misguided causal inquiry half-right.I do not share Moore's jaundiced view of the harm-within-the-risk test of proximate cause – what I will call the "risk rule" for short. I begin by questioning his understanding of the risk rule as it figures in tort law, and go on to argue that neither his conceptual nor his moral criticism of the risk rule is decisive. In the course of rebutting Moore's criticisms, I outline what I take to be the most compelling account of the risk rule in the law of torts. What emerges is a conception of proximate cause that is thoroughly moralized. Of course moral premises must be invoked to defend the risk rule's moral merit, but, I argue, they must also be invoked to defend its conceptual coherence. In my view, the risk rule is both morally and conceptually sound.


Background: Solid lipid nanoparticles are rapidly developing field of nanotechnology with several potential applications in drug delivery with spherical shape and an average diameter between 1 and 1000 nm. Due to their size and its properties, solid lipid nanoparticles as drug delivery carrier have shown promising potential. Silibinin is a flavonoid with anticancer activity also possesses diverse pharmacologic effects. Methods: Solid lipid nanoparticles of silibinin are prepared by using lipids (Dynasan 114, Glyceryl mono stearate and Compritol 888ATO) with stabilizers (Soy lecithin, Poloxamer 407 and Tween 80). The prepared formulations have been evaluated for Particle size analysis, entrapment efficiency, in-vitro drug release, scanning electron spectroscopy, Fourier transform-infrared studies, Differential scanning calorimetric, Xray diffraction and Stability study. Results: EE raised with increasing the concentration of surfactants and shows inverse relationship for particle size. The in vitro release profiles of different formulations were studied and showed that sustained release of drug from all formulations. From fitting these data to various statistical models, the Korsmeyer Peppas model was proposed as the best model to describe the statistical indices and mechanism of drug release. DSC and FTIR Shows no interaction between drug and excipients. By SEM Study its shows particles are spherical in shape. Stability studies revealed no prominent changes are seen upon storage. Conclusion: Formulation containing Compritol 888 ATO and Tween 80 (3%) showed prolonged drug release upto 12 hrs, with smaller particle size and narrow particle size distribution, as compared to other formulations with different surfactants and lipids.


This study presents a whole–genome comparison of human and a representative of the Afrotherian clade, the African elephant, generated by reciprocal Zoo–FISH. An analysis of Afrotheria genomes is of special interest, because recent DNA sequence comparisons identify them as the oldest placental mammalian clade. Complete sets of whole–chromosome specific painting probes for the African elephant and human were constructed by degenerate oligonucleotide–primed PCR amplification of flow–sorted chromosomes. Comparative genome maps are presented based on their hybridization patterns. These maps show that the elephant has a moderately rearranged chromosome complement when compared to humans. The human paint probes identified 53 evolutionary conserved segments on the 27 autosomal elephant chromosomes and the X chromosome. Reciprocal experiments with elephant probes delineated 68 conserved segments in the human genome. The comparison with a recent aardvark and elephant Zoo–FISH study delineates new chromosomal traits which link the two Afrotherian species phylogenetically. In the absence of any morphological evidence the chromosome painting data offer the first non–DNA sequence support for an Afrotherian clade. The comparative human and elephant genome maps provide new insights into the karyotype organization of the proto–afrotherian, the ancestor of extant placental mammals, which most probably consisted of 2n = 46 chromosomes.


Drawing on original survey research, this study examines how lay Muslims in Malaysia understand foundational concepts in Islamic law. The survey finds a substantial disjuncture between popular legal consciousness and core epistemological commitments in Islamic legal theory. In its classic form, Islamic legal theory was marked by its commitment to pluralism and the centrality of human agency in Islamic jurisprudence. Yet in contemporary Malaysia, lay Muslims tend to understand Islamic law as being purely divine, with a single "correct" answer to any given question. The practical implications of these findings are demonstrated through examples of efforts by women's rights activists to reform family law provisions in Malaysia. The examples illustrate how popular misconceptions of Islamic law hinder the efforts of those working to reform family law codes while strengthening the hand of conservative actors wishing to maintain the status quo.

https://summit.sfu.ca/_flysystem/fedora/sfu_migrate/14992/Moustafa, Islamic Law, Women's Rights and Popular Legal Consciousness in Malaysia.pdf


With the increased significance of information technology (IT) in today's society the term 'electronic democracy' (e-democracy) has gained much importance within the democracy theory. Naturally, there are several competing views on how the technology should be used for democratic purpose. One aspect of this is the somewhat revitalized claim for direct democracy in accordance with the hypothetical opportunity to finally realize it as a democratic system. The ideal of direct democracy combined with the almost total credence in the potential of technology constitute the idea of a 'push-button democracy'. The term has to a large extent been used by critics to the idea. However, it does also figure as a generic term describing this 'new' claim for direct democracy. This essay seeks in a qualitative normative and theoretical way, to assess the plausibility of the idea of the push-button democracy in relation to classical democracy theory. In excess of the debate of direct versus representative democracy, the analysis seeks to give a normative approach on how information technology should be applied. The result of the analysis consists of a number of predicted implications with the realization of the push-button democracy, especially concerning the democratic process in regard to decision making. Furthermore, it is reasoned whether this utopian system is desirable, even from a principal view. Finally, the discussion concludes with a stance of policy that information technology should be used as a mean for the existing representative democracy, rather than a goal, in order to create a different political system.


Aims. We investigate the merits of a massive forward-modeling of ground-based optical imaging as a diagnostic for the strong lensing nature of early-type galaxies, in the light of which blurred and faint Einstein rings can hide. Methods. We simulated several thousand mock strong lenses under ground- and space-based conditions as arising from the deflection of an exponential disk by a foreground de Vaucouleurs light profile whose lensing potential is described by a singular isothermal ellipsoid. We then fitted for the lensed light distribution with sl_fit after subtracting the foreground light emission (ideal case) and also after fitting the deflector light with galfit. By setting thresholds in the output parameter space, we can determine the lensed or unlensed status of each system. We finally applied our strategy to a sample of 517 lens candidates in the CFHTLS data to test the consistency of our selection approach. Results. The e ciency of the fast modeling method at recovering the main lens parameters such as Einstein radius, total magnification, or total lensed flux is quite similar under CFHT and HST conditions when the deflector is perfectly subtracted (only possible in simulations), fostering a sharp distinction between good and poor candidates. Conversely, a substantial fraction of the lensed light is absorbed into the deflector model for a more realistic subtraction, which biases the subsequent fitting of the rings and then disturbs the selection process. We quantify completeness and purity of the lens-finding method in both cases. Conclusions. This suggests that the main limitation currently resides in the subtraction of the foreground light. Provided further enhancement of the latter, the direct forward-modeling of large numbers of galaxy-galaxy strong lenses thus appears tractable and might constitute a competitive lens finder in the next generation of wide-field imaging surveys.


We have developed a framework for conceptualizing science performance assessments. According to this framework, science performance assessments can be classified as to type of science investigation. Performance on those assessments can be scored according to the scientific defensibility of the approaches used by students. In this study we constructed two assessments to explore the nature and the psychometric characteristics of the classification and observation task-based performance assessments. Sink and Float, a classification assessment, consisted of four problems, each intended to address a different type of knowledge. Daytime Astronomy, an observation investigation assessment, consisted of six problems. We found reasonably high interrater reliabilities for both assessments. Moreover, we found that the problems presented in Sink and Float and Daytime Astronomy distinguished different aspects of knowledge within the domain addressed by each assessment. Unfortunately, we found no evidence that Sink and Float and Daytime Astronomy were as sensitive to differences in instruction as expected. Additional development work and research is needed before classification and observation performance assessments can be considered ready to be used in practice.


Disinfection by-products are compounds occurring in drinking water as a result of reactions between disinfectants and impurities in raw water, and their occurrence has been a public health concern for the last four decades. Haloacetic acids (HAAs) are one of the major by-products of chlorination. The concentration and variation of HAAs was monitored in 540 samples taken from tap water in six water and wastewater districts of Tehran, Iran. Seasonal variation indicated that natural organic matter and HAA levels were much higher in the spring and fall seasons. The concentrations of HAAs in drinking water samples varied with water sources. They were higher in drinking water obtained from surface water. In this study, the analysis method of human health risk assessment with regard to exposure to HAAs by drinking water in Tehran was based on the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) guideline. It was found from these studies that the risk to human health appears to be negligible. © 2017 IWA Publishing.


More than a decade after HIV became established in South Africa's general population, the unity of purpose and commitment needed to limit and reverse the spread of infection is still lacking. Social leaders and "celebrities" are, with some notable exceptions such as Judge Edwin Cameron, unwilling to admit they are infected with HIV. The government argues for the importance of taking a broad view of the social contexts of the epidemic by embracing poverty, inequality and the legacy of Apartheid. Some large corporations are considering the consequences of the epidemic, but their attitude to it remains ambivalent. Echoing the history of the struggle against Apartheid, responsibility for dealing with HIV/AIDS is falling increasingly on society's NGO sector.


Because of their remarkable thermal, mechanical and electrical properties, Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) have significant potential to be employed in nano/ micro-electrical applications as interconnects. However, they must be adaptable to the current copper (Cu) technology for this transition to occur. In this study, a hybrid structure of CNTs and Cu is used as interconnects. Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulation of the interface is conducted in order to evaluate mechanical integrity of CNT-Cu composite material. CNT-Cu interface has been studied by simulating different arrangements of Single Wall Carbon Nanotubes (SWCNTs) at the interface of a Cu slab. Displacement controlled loading has been applied to pull-out CNTs from the interface with Cu while Cu is spatially fixed. Pull-out forces have been determined for several different cases where multiple CNT strands interfaced with Cu slab. Pull-out force vs. displacement curve has been recorded for each case. The results show similar behavior of these curves. After pull-out force reaches a maximum value, it oscillates around an average force with descending amplitude until the strand/s is/are completely pulled-out. A linear relationship between pull-out forces and the number of CNT strands was observed. When multiple layers of CNTs were studied at the interface of Cu, second order effect was found to be negligible. Embedded length has no significance on the average pull-out force. However, the amplitude of oscillations increases as the length of CNT strand increases. As expected when one end of CNT strand was fixed, owing to its extraordinary strength, substantial amount of force was required to pull it out. Finally an analytical relationship is proposed to determine the interfacial shear strength between Cu and CNT bundle in interconnects.Copyright © 2014 by ASME


The recursive teaching dimension (RTD) of a concept class $C \subseteq \{0, 1\}^n$, introduced by Zilles et al. [ZLHZ11], is a complexity parameter measured by the worst-case number of labeled examples needed to learn any target concept of $C$ in the recursive teaching model. In this paper, we study the quantitative relation between RTD and the well-known learning complexity measure VC dimension (VCD), and improve the best known upper and (worst-case) lower bounds on the recursive teaching dimension with respect to the VC dimension. Given a concept class $C \subseteq \{0, 1\}^n$ with $VCD(C) = d$, we first show that $RTD(C)$ is at most $d 2^{d+1}$. This is the first upper bound for $RTD(C)$ that depends only on $VCD(C)$, independent of the size of the concept class $|C|$ and its~domain size $n$. Before our work, the best known upper bound for $RTD(C)$ is $O(d 2^d \log \log |C|)$, obtained by Moran et al. [MSWY15]. We remove the $\log \log |C|$ factor. We also improve the lower bound on the worst-case ratio of $RTD(C)$ to $VCD(C)$. We present a family of classes $\{ C_k \}_{k \ge 1}$ with $VCD(C_k) = 3k$ and $RTD(C_k)=5k$, which implies that the ratio of $RTD(C)$ to $VCD(C)$ in the worst case can be as large as $5/3$. Before our work, the largest ratio known was $3/2$ as obtained by Kuhlmann [Kuh99]. Since then, no finite concept class $C$ has been known to satisfy $RTD(C) > (3/2) VCD(C)$.


This paper looks at Jamaica's ongoing relationship with the International Monetary Fund and multilateral development banks, its recent economic performance and the impact on development of a persistently high debt burden. It finds that after 20 years of negative average annual per capita GDP growth, Jamaica continues to be plagued by high debt and low growth. Now in the third year of an IMF-backed economic program, Jamaica is running the most austere budget in the world, with a primary surplus of 7.5 percent of GDP. After two debt restructurings, both as preconditions to receiving IMF support, Jamaica still has a debt-to-GDP ratio of nearly 140 percent, and net flows from multilateral banks turned negative for two consecutive years. The paper finds that multilateral debt relief may be necessary for Jamaica to escape from its unsustainable debt burden, low-growth trap.


The overall aim of this CSFD thematic report is to communicate, share and discuss key elements of restoring natural capital in arid and semiarid regions. Its main goal is to promote the implementation of this approach within societies and communities that are the most threatened by desertification. The regions threatened by desertification cover about 40% of the emerged land masses. Most people living in these regions are exposed to poverty or extreme poverty. An approach to simultaneously restore degraded ecosystems and improve human wellbeing is urgently needed. Biodiversity conservation, poverty alleviation and economic development are traditionally perceived as having separate or even conflictual interests. This report shows the contrary. Indeed, restoring natural capital combines ecological restoration and sustainable development objectives in order to create a synergy between them both and also the maintaining of native biodiversity. Several sites throughout the world in arid or semiarid areas are discussed to illustrate elementary concepts of natural capital restoration in the field. This report is the result of the literature review of the available scientific material relevant to natural capital restoration in arid and semiarid areas. Most of the definitions and field illustrations are adapted from Aronson, Milton and Blignaut (2007), a book written by 71 international scientists, managers and journalists in the fields of ecology, economics and ecological economics.


The epidemiological transition, which has already passed the developed world, is still progressing in many developing countries. A particular problem associated with this transition is the under-diagnosis and lack of treatment of chronic diseases, and these may exhibit SES gradients and exacerbate social inequality. Using hypertension as an example and data from China (CHNS), we find that the prevalence of hypertension in China is already close to levels in developed countries, under-diagnosis is pervasive, treatment is rare, and failure to control is widespread. Consistent with the literature, we find no income and education gradients in the prevalence of hypertension. However, there are strong education gradients in diagnosis and treatment in urban areas. The income gradients in all aspects of hypertension are relatively weak and sometimes nonexistent. Interestingly, we find that access to health care does not contribute to the diagnosis of hypertension, nor does it aid much in the treatment and control of hypertension. Our results suggest that the epidemiological transition has indeed occurred, but both the Chinese public and its health care system are ill-prepared. There is an urgent need to educate the public on chronic illnesses, and to raise the quality of health care so that patients receive proper diagnoses and guidance on how to treat and control those chronic illnesses.


Immunodominance is variably used to describe either the most frequently detectable response among tested individuals or the strongest response within a single individual, yet factors determining either inter- or intraindividual immunodominance are still poorly understood. More than 90 individuals were tested against 184 HIV- and 92 EBV-derived, previously defined CTL epitopes. The data show that HLA-B-restricted epitopes were significantly more frequently recognized than HLA-A- or HLA-C-restricted epitopes. HLA-B-restricted epitopes also induced responses of higher magnitude than did either HLA-A- or HLA-C-restricted epitopes, although this comparison only reached statistical significance for EBV epitopes. For both viruses, the magnitude and frequency of recognition were correlated with each other, but not with the epitope binding affinity to the restricting HLA allele. The presence or absence of HIV coinfection did not impact EBV epitope immunodominance patterns significantly. Peptide titration studies showed that the magnitude of responses was associated with high functional avidity, requiring low concentration of cognate peptide to respond in in vitro assays. The data support the important role of HLA-B alleles in antiviral immunity and afford a better understanding of the factors contributing to inter- and intraindividual immunodominance.


PURPOSE
A structural equation model was analysed to explore the determinants of health behaviors of university students in Korea.

METHOD
Nine hundred sixty nine university students were selected by random cluster sampling from five universities located in the central area of Korea.

DATA COLLECTION
The data was collected by questionnaires about demographic characteristics, stressful life events, perceived social support, perceived health status and health behaviors.

RESULTS
1. Gender showed indirect effect on health behaviors. 2. Living together with(out) family had a direct effect on health behaviors: students living with family showed more positive health behaviors. 3. Stressful life events had an indirect effect on health behaviors via perceived health status; a higher score of stressful life events was the predictor for negative health behaviors. 4. A higher score of perceived health status predicted positive health behaviors.

RECOMMENDATION
Each university should be encouraged to develop a health behavior control program and health promotion program for their own university students. It would be more effective to develop health programs separately according to the demographic or social characteristics of the students. It is also necessary for the Ministry of Education to reform the School Health Act and school health policy to strengthen a health promotion program for university students. In conclusion, following studies should identify and promote the validity and reliability of perceived health status and health behaviors measurements.


Qualitative research can be time consuming and intensive as researchers engage in data collection, analysis, and interpretation of rich, detailed, multi-layered, and voluminous data. For Master's level students struggling to balance full-time work, family, part-time studies, and other obligations, the nature of qualitative research can be overwhelming and discouraging as they learn about and engage in the research process. However, if students' experiences are rich and meaningful, the time investment can be worthwhile. In this generic qualitative study, Master's Level Education students' experiences in an Introduction to Qualitative Research in Education course are explored. Drawing on data from semi-structured one-to-one interviews, as well as students' written reflections from course assignments, we (i) explore the conceptual and personal challenges that students describe as they learn about and engage with qualitative research; (ii) explore students' perceptions of class readings, activities, and assignments; and (iii) discover students' perceptions about how class readings, activities, and assignments shape their experiences in the course. Findings suggest that although these part-time adult learners encounter difficulty in balancing their adult roles and responsibilities with the time consuming nature of the qualitative research process, they still find the course experience valuable due to the practical, experiential activities utilised; the connection of content to their professional and academic lives; and the collaborative experiences with their peers.


Children older than 1 year of age who have neuroblastoma with complete or partial removal of the primary tumor and positive intracavitary lymph nodes (Pediatric Oncology Group [POG] stage C) are a small but higher-risk subset of patients. To further evaluate the importance of identifying patients with POG stage C neuroblastoma and to assess the efficacy and toxicity of adding concurrent radiation therapy (RT) to chemotherapy (CT) in these children, a randomized study was conducted. Eligible patients received cyclophosphamide 150 mg/m2 orally days 1 to 7 and Adriamycin (doxorubicin; Adria Laboratories, Columbus, OH) 35 mg/m2 intravenously (IV) on day 8 (CYC/ADR) every 3 weeks for five courses with or without RT to primary tumor and regional lymph nodes (24 to 30 Gy/16 to 20 fractions). Second-look surgery was advised to evaluate response and to remove residual disease. Continuation therapy alternated CYC/ADR every 3 weeks with cisplatin 90 mg/m2 day 1 followed by teniposide 100 mg/m2 day 3 (CDP/VM) for two courses each. Secondary CT with CDP/VM alone was available for patients not achieving complete response (CR) following induction treatment and second-look surgery. Of 29 eligible patients randomized to CT alone, 13 achieved CR, and nine are disease-free (NED) 1 to 52 months (median, 35 months) off therapy. Twenty-two of 33 eligible cases treated with CT/RT attained CR, and 19 are NED 1 to 77 months (median, 23 months) off therapy. Local and metastatic relapses occurred in both arms. Differences in CR, event-free survival, and survival rates were significant, P = .013, .009, and .008, respectively. Surgical compliance was excellent and complications uncommon. Therapy was tolerable in both groups but hematopoietic toxicity was more common in the CT/RT arm. We conclude that POG stage C neuroblastoma in children older than 1 year of age is a higher-risk group that should be identified, that CT/RT provides superior initial and long-term disease control compared with CT alone in this patient subset, and that the occurrence of metastatic failures in both treatment groups suggests a need for more aggressive chemotherapy.


Objective: To explore the national survey of pharmacy leadership at the Ministry of Health with emphasis on pharmacy practice. Methods: It is a ninety days cross-sectional national survey of pharmacy leadership practice at MOH hospitals. The survey modified from self-assessment of 360 leadership and with pharmacy leadership literature. It consisted of a demographic section, leadership pathway, and fifty-three leadership questions. It contained selected eighteen leadership skills of 360 leadership self-assessment.The leadership skills included Achievement, Goals, Flexibility, Feedback, Excellence, Empowering Others, Emotional Intelligence, Decision Making, Developing Others, Cultural Awareness, Continual Improvement, Communication Skills, Coworker Development, Leading the Change Needed, Attitude, Analytical, Administrative Skill, and Action. This survey distributed to all leadership at MOH hospital pharmacies in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. All analysis is done through the survey monkey system. The survey divided into for several parts for analysis, and discussion. Part one: practice management, part two: planning and organizations, part three: communications strategies, part four: problem-solving and decision making, part five: performances management, part six; working environment, and part seven: professional development. The study explored the part number one; National Survey of Pharmacy leadership: practice management. Results: The survey distributed to one hundred hospitals, the response rate, was forty-two hospitals (42%) with seventy-pharmacy leaders. The gender distribution of responders was Male 43 (63.24%) and female 25 (36.76%) while the nationality was Saudi 69 (98.57%) and non-Saudi 1 (1.43%). The average score Aspects before handling the position was 2.45 (49%) with the highest score was received pharmacy administration orientation 2.57 (51.4%), and the lowest score was received pharmacy administration training courses before handling the positions 2.29 (45.8%). The most sources of gaining skills in pharmacy leadership were life experiences 51 (72.86%) and on job training 29 (41.43%). The average score of administration skills that had pharmacy leaders was 3.63 (72.6%) with the highest score of Communication skills 4.15 (83%), and the lowest score of administration skills was Marketing skills 2.62 (52.4%). Most of the pharmacy leaders had is no incremental of the salary of current positions 44 (67.69%), and most of them got 1-5% only if existed. The majority of pharmacy leaders 29 (43.28%) planned to quit the current position. Conclusion: The pharmacy leadership had low satisfaction at a healthcare organization in Saudi Arabia. Targeting of established very comprehensive leadership program with an emphasis on pharmacy leadership is a requirement for Ministry of Health institutions leads to improve the pharmacy services offered to the patients. Key word: Pharmacy leadership, Practice management, Ministry of health, Saudi arabia.


The influence of a subnanosecond pulsed laser-based scribing of copper (Cu) and aluminum (Al) in salt solutions (NaCl and KCl) on the formation of microchannels is reported. This technique allows laser scribing along with selective etching of Cu and Al thin films. The focused laser beam can elevate the surface temperature on the sample and hence the chemical reaction rate, resulting in combined ablation with selective-area etching. The depth of microchannels in Cu and Al films is increased by 3–5 μm using the proposed hybrid technique. The average surface roughness values in the microchannel are decreased compared to that of scribing in water and air. The hybrid approach of laser-based scribing combined with electrochemical etching in neutral salt solutions allows uniform channel with almost no redeposit layer and debris on the channel edges. Further, an approach wherein, an application of direct current (DC) voltage (1.2 V) between the tool and the workpiece while laser scribing of Cu and Al in salt solution was demonstrated to improve the channel depth by few micrometers. This hybrid machining technique has also resulted in a reduction in the surface oxidation near the laser-ablated zone compared to that observed in air and water-based experiments.


Learner-Computer Interaction (LCI) research addresses the design, development and use of interactive technologies to support and amplify human learning. LCI is based on the rationale that learning while interacting with technology is a complex, multi-layered phenomenon, thus, designing the conditions for engaging in meaningful learning is vital in the 21st century, yet, it remains a challenging process. LCI developments are expected to contribute towards a coherent new, high-impact way of understanding and building learner-centered interaction concepts to support the design of future learning environments. LCI provides an interdisciplinary playground for researchers and professionals across all areas of learning technologies, psychology, learning science and human-computer interaction (HCI), with an ultimate objective of providing a forum at the intersection of these topical areas. LCI aims to develop a critical discussion, debate and co-development of ideas and approaches about the next generation of learning environments and their interaction design capacities, the form of these capacities and the way they can be identified, utilized and enhanced to help us improve the contemporary learning technologies and users' learning experience.


The Bezier curvature algorithm is a path-planning algorithm for soccer robots based on repeated modification of Bezier polynomials. The robot is steered by choosing an appropriate Bezier curve that connects its current position and its destination, and the robot is made to traverse the initial section of the curve. The wheel velocities of the differentially-driven robot are computed from the curvature of that curve section. The process is repeated until the robot finally reaches its destination. The algorithm was compared to two other path-planning algorithms for soccer robots: the uni-vector field and line-circle algorithms. The algorithms were made to execute 17 test cases and their performances were compared. The test cases have different robot, ball and obstacle locations. The objective of the robot is to kick the ball towards the center of the target goal. The goal success rate, kicking accuracy and frequency of collisions were compared. The results showed that the principles behind the Bezier curvature algorithm are valid, and it performed better than the two algorithms. Keywords: path planning, robot soccer, robot soccer simulation, collision avoidance, repeated path modification


Rails just keeps on changing. Both Rails 3 and 4, as well as Ruby 1.9 and 2.0, bring hundreds of improvements, including new APIs and substantial performance enhancements. The fourth edition of this award-winning classic has been reorganized and refocused so it's more useful than ever before for developers new to Ruby and Rails. Rails 4 introduces a number of user-facing changes, and the ebook has been updated to match all the latest changes and new best practices in Rails. This includes full support for Ruby 2.0, controller concerns, Russian Doll caching, strong parameters, Turbolinks, new test and bin directory layouts, and much more. Ruby on Rails helps you produce high-quality, beautiful-looking web applications quickly. You concentrate on creating the application, and Rails takes care of the details. Tens of thousands of developers have used this award-winning book to learn Rails. It's a broad, far-reaching tutorial and reference that's recommended by the Rails core team. If you're new to Rails, you'll get step-by-step guidance. If you're an experienced developer, this book will give you the comprehensive, insider information you need. Rails has evolved over the years, and this book has evolved along with it. We still start with a step-by-step walkthrough of building a real application, and in-depth chapters look at the built-in Rails features. This edition now gives new Ruby and Rails users more information on the Ruby language and takes more time to explain key concepts throughout. Best practices on how to apply Rails continue to change, and this edition keeps up. Examples use Concerns, Russian Doll caching, and Turbolinks, and the book focuses throughout on the right way to use Rails. Additionally, this edition now works on Ruby 2.0, a new release of Ruby with substantial functional and performance improvements. This edition is for Rails4.0 and beyond.


As the most innovative and important institutes for the development of science and technology in China, due to various reasons, universities have not effectively achieved the commercialization of employee inventions. As a result, some universities have decided to conduct pilot projects with Mixed Ownership concerning patent rights for employee inventions under the framework of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Promoting the Transformation of Scientific and Technological Achievements (PTSTA) and Patent Law, namely transferring a portion of the rights to the employed inventors before the inventions are commercialized. The pilot reform has been backed by some local governments in China. This article systematically introduces and analyses this experimental system's theoretical and practical background, legal theory and policy logic. Southwest Jiaotong University (SWJTU) was selected as the subject of a case study to analyse its related progress and issues. This article also puts forward countermeasures and suggestions, such as establishing the comprehensive scientific research work orientation of the researchers in universities, preventing the legal risks of the transformation of employee inventions in universities, improving the capabilities of China's technology transfer institutions, and carrying out legislative practices, thereby providing references for the effective management of universities' intellectual property and the reengineering of the employee invention system in China.


In this paper, we introduce a new top-down approach to modeling the effects of publicly financed energy-efficiency programs on electricity consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. The approach draws on a partial-adjustment econometric model of electricity demand and represents the results of a reverse auction for electricity savings from different levels of public investment. The model is calibrated to recent estimates of the cost-effectiveness of rate payer–funded efficiency programs at reducing electricity consumption. The results suggest that supply curves for conserved electricity are upward sloping, convex, and dependent on policy design and electricity prices. Under the scenarios modeled, electricity savings of between 1 and 3 percent are achievable at a marginal cost of $50 per megawatt hour (MWh) and a corresponding average cost of $25–$35/MWh.


Sensing using surface plasmon resonances is one of the most promising practical applications of plasmonic nanostructures and Fano resonances allow achieving a lower detection limit thanks to their narrow spectral features. However, a narrow spectral width of the subradiant mode in a plasmonic system, as observed in the weak coupling regime, is in general associated with a low modulation of the complete spectral response. In this article, we show that this limitation can be overcome by a nonlinear approach based on second harmonic generation and its dependence on symmetry at the nanoscale. The Fano resonant systems considered in this work are gold nanodolmens. Their linear and nonlinear responses are evaluated using a surface integral equation method. The numerical results demonstrate that a variation of the refractive index of the surrounding medium modifies the coupling between the dark and bright modes, resulting in a modification of the electromagnetic wave scattered at the second harmonic wavelength, especially the symmetry of the nonlinear emission. Reciprocally, we show that evaluating the asymmetry of the nonlinear emission provides a direct measurement of the gold nanodolmens dielectric environment. Interestingly, the influence of the refractive index of the surrounding medium on the nonlinear asymmetry parameter is approximately 10 times stronger than on the spectral position of the surface plasmon resonance: hence, smaller refractive index changes can be detected with this new approach. Practical details for an experimental realization of this sensing scheme are discussed and the resolution is estimated to be as low as Δn = 1.5 × 10(-3), respectively 1.5 × 10(-5), for an acquisition time of 60 s for an isolated gold nanodolmen, respectively an array of 10 × 10 nanodolmens.


Although the relationship between sleep and depression has been examined extensively, much of this has focused on objective measures, such as sleep electroencephalography, whereas subjective measures have been studied in less detail. A key focus of this thesis is the subjective perception of sleep in depression. The research questions asks whether sleep dissatisfaction in depressed participants is related to their mood, regardless of sleep timing perceptions; while sleep dissatisfaction in those without depression is more likely to be related to poor sleep timing perceptions, irrespective of mood. The initial chapters focus on 'sleep architecture'; the relationship between sleep disorders and depression; methods used to measure objective and subjective sleep; and include an overview of the observed effect of antidepressants on sleep. As it has been argued that poor sleep satisfaction in depression may be maintained by negative cognitive bias, the main prediction was that perceived sleep satsifaction, but not perceived sleep timing, would be related to perceived quality of life and mood for those with current depressive symptoms; while for those without such symptoms, perceived quality of life and mood would more likely be related to perceived sleep timing. Three original studies explored these predictions: the first indicated that, in depressed patients, sleep satisfaction perceptions (SSP; 3 out of 5 items significantly different; p<.05), and not sleep timing perceptions (STP; 2/8), were more likely to be related to perceived quality of life (QoL), while the opposite was found with the healthy controls (SSP 2/5 vs. STP 4/8). The second study replicated this finding (depressed: SSP 3/5, STP 0/11; vs. not depressed: SSP 1/5, STP 9/11; p<.05). The third original study found fewer between-group differences (mostly due to abnormally porr QoL scores in the student group), but regression analysis indicated that STP variance was related to the absence of depression, and the presence of anxiety (anxiety: 3/6 STP variables, p<.01; depression: 0/6); while SSP variance was related to the presence of depression, but not anxiety or the absence of depression (depression: 2/4 SSP variables, p<0.001; no depression: 0/4; anxiety: 0/4). In each of these studies the main hypothesis was supported. The final chapter concludes by considering the study findings and critically examining the methods; possible implications for futher research and clinical practice are explored.