In dimensionality reduction approaches, the data are typically embedded in a Euclidean latent space. However for some data sets this is inappropriate. For example, in human motion data we expect latent spaces that are cylindrical or a toroidal, that are poorly captured with a Euclidean space. In this paper, we present a range of approaches for embedding data in a non-Euclidean latent space. Our focus is the Gaussian Process latent variable model. In the context of human motion modeling this allows us to (a) learn models with interpretable latent directions enabling, for example, style/content separation, and (b) generalise beyond the data set enabling us to learn transitions between motion styles even though such transitions are not present in the data.


Deepwater fold and thrust belts (DWFTBs) occur in a large number of active and passive continental margins, and their occurrence play an important role in controlling the structural configuration and stratigraphic evolution of margins. Although DWFTBs that are located on passive margins are a coupled system, in which updip extension is linked to downdip contraction, many studies have established a significant imbalance between these two domains in favor of net extensional strain. We have sequentially restored a series of parallel sections from the Orange Basin, South Africa, to quantify the amount of extension and contraction along a single collapse system. We found there to be a constant shortfall in the amount of contraction relative to extension in these features, which allowed us to quantify the lateral compaction of the margin as 5%. We also established a temporal model for the development and growth of thin shale detachment gravity collapse structures on passive margins. This model had implications not only for the kinematic and geometric evolution of these systems but also on the geomechanical process involved, in particular the accommodation of strain through compactional processes rather than discrete faulting.


OBJECTIVE: The value of microsurgical and stereotactic treatment particularly in cystic craniopharyngiomas is poorly defined. We present outcome data in terms of functional results and progression free survival (PFS) after individualized treatment strategies: Solid tumors were considered eligible for open tumor resection, whereas predominantly cystic lesions were treated by stereotactic catheter placement for internal drainage. The target point for catheter implantation was the prepontine cisterne thereby enabling drainage in both directions the ventricular space (upstream) and the prepontine cisterne (downstream). METHODS: Patients with craniopharyngioma treated between 2001 and 2010 either by open tumor resection or stereotactic drainage were analyzed retrospectively. Reference point of the study was the date of surgical treatment. PFS was estimated with the Kaplan Meier method; prognostic factors were obtained from multivariate regression models including all relevant patient-, radiological-, and functional-related data. Adjuvant radiation therapy was used as second line treatment in case of unresectable recurrences. RESULTS: 68 consecutively treated patients (median age: 53 years) were included. Patients of the microsurgical (N = 44) and stereotactic group (N = 24) did not differ in terms of age, gender, tumor size, functional deficits, and duration of symptoms. Complete tumor resection and complete cyst drainage was obtained in 23/44 and 21/24 patients, respectively. Median PFS after surgical and stereotactic treatment was 51 months and 46 months, respectively (p = 0.1). Endocrinological outcome was significantly better after stereotactic treatment (p = 0.004). The overall transient complication rate was 4.4 % being lower in the stereotactic group (8.1 % vs. 0 %, p < 0.05). However, one patient of the stereotactic group experienced a haemorrhage leading to permanent morbidity (overall permanent morbidity rate: 1.5 %). CONCLUSIONS: For cystic craniopharyngiomas, stereotactic treatment (internal shunt) is safe and effective with very good preservation of the endocrinological function. This hypothesis requires further investigation in the framework of a prospective randomized study.


Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between average force, average torque, peak force, and peak torque produced by the knee musculature. Twenty women were assessed for isokinetic concentric and eccentric knee extensor and flexor muscular strength at a velocity of 90 deg/sec. Correlational analyses showed relationships ranging from r = 0.89 to r = 0.94 for concentric extension, r = 0.92 to r = 0.99 for eccentric extension, r = 0.81 to r = 0.95 for concentric flexion, and r 0.90 to r = 0.96 for eccentric flexion. The strong relationship between the tested variables suggests that any of these variables are appropriate when reporting isokinetic strength data. However, because average values are dependent on the preload and range of motion through which a joint is assessed, it is imperative that these variables remain consistent between and among subjects. If this is not possible, the use of peak measures is recommended.


If you're going to have a heart attack, an organ transplant, or a joint replacement, here's the key to getting the very best medical care: be a white, straight, middle-class male. This book by a pioneering black surgeon takes on one of the few critically important topics that haven't figured in the heated debate over health care reform - the largely hidden yet massive injustice of bias in medical treatment. Growing up in Jim Crow - era Tennessee and training and teaching in overwhelmingly white medical institutions, Gus White witnessed firsthand how prejudice works in the world of medicine. And while race relations have changed dramatically, old ways of thinking die hard. In "Seeing Patients" White draws upon his experience in startlingly different worlds to make sense of the unconscious bias that riddles medical treatment, and to explore what it means for health care in a diverse twenty-first-century America. White and co-author David Chanoff use extensive research and interviews with leading physicians to show how subconscious stereotyping influences doctor-patient interactions, diagnosis, and treatment. Their book brings together insights from the worlds of social psychology, neuroscience, and clinical practice to define the issues clearly and, most importantly, to outline a concrete approach to fixing this fundamental inequity in the delivery of health care.


Sleep plays a crucial role in memory consolidation. Recent data in rodents and young adults revealed that fast spindle band power fluctuates at a 0.02-Hz infraslow scale during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. These fluctuations result from a periodic temporal clustering of spindles and may modulate sleep maintenance and memory consolidation. With age, sleep undergoes substantial changes but age-related changes in spindle clustering have never been investigated. Polysomnography data were collected in 147 older (mean age ± SD: 69.3 ± 4.1 years) and 32 young-middle aged (34.5 ± 10.9 years) adults. Sleep-dependent memory consolidation was assessed in a subsample of 57 older adults using a visuospatial memory task. We analyzed power fluctuations in fast spindle frequency band, detected fast spindles and quantified their clustering during the night separating encoding and retrieval. Fast spindle band power fluctuated at a 0.02-Hz infraslow scale in young-middle aged and older adults. However, the proportion of clustered fast spindles decreased non-linearly with age (p < 0.001). This effect was not mediated by NREM sleep fragmentation. The clustering level of fast spindles modulated their characteristics (p < 0.001). Finally, the mean size of spindle clusters was positively associated with memory consolidation (p = 0.036) and negatively with NREM sleep micro-arousals density (p = 0.033). These results suggest that clusters of fast spindles may constitute stable sleep periods promoting off-line processes such as memory consolidation. We emphasize the relevance of considering spindle dynamics, obviously impaired during ageing, to understand the impact of age-related sleep changes on memory.


Open innovation strategies have become commonplace in practice and as object of study. Although a lot of work has identified types of strategies and motives for employing them, relatively little is known about why and how exactly firms transition from a closed- to an open strategy. In this study, the strategy development of firms engaged in various forms of open innovation (e.g. open source software, inbound and outbound licensing, open hardware) is described in the context of digital startups. For these companies that find themselves in an early stage of development, strategy making is an especially dynamic, emergent process in which motives are weighed and strategy is shaped through changing conditions and considerations. In a series of case studies, innovation and intellectual property management strategies are described and analyzed as well as the process leading up to their actualization. Many of the motives for protecting IP on the one hand, and engaging in open innovation on the other hand have found an application in the literature before, however, results suggest some factors may be more important than previously stated while others may not be as universally prevalent as is often presumed. The way in which these motives are considered by decision makers reflects a strategy making process that is iterative and dynamic, rather than planned. Moreover, the resulting strategy seems to be neither fully open nor fully closed, regardless of how the company identifies itself. In all cases, some combination of open and closed strategies resulted, making the holistic strategy a modular one in which open and closed elements built on and reinforced one another to create value for the company.


Cloud services are fundamentally supported by data center networks (DCNs). With the fast growth of cloud services, the scale of DCNs is increasing rapidly, leading to great concern about system scalability due to multiple constraints. This paper proposes a scalable DCN architecture based on optical switching and transmission, with the distributed placement of optical switches and server racks at different nodes in a given optical network. This solves the scalability issue by relaxing power and cooling constraints and by reducing the number of (electronic) switches using high-capacity optical switches, as well as by simplifying DCN internal connections using wavelengths in the optical network. Moreover, the distributed optical switches provide service access interfaces to meet demand within areas, and thus reduce the transmission cost of the external traffic. The major concern is the additional delay and cost for remote transmissions of the DCN internal traffic. To this end, we study the component placement problem in DCNs under a given set of external demands and internal traffic patterns. By leveraging among multiple conflicting factors such as scalability and internal overhead of the DCN as well as the transmission cost of external traffic, we propose both an integer linear program and a heuristic to minimize the system cost of a DCN while satisfying all service demands in the network. This addresses both scalability and cost minimization issues from a network point of view.


We estimated the size of the population of gay-identified men who have sex with men (gay men) eligible for PrEP in Australia under the current national PrEP guidelines. Using input indicators from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the national representative survey Second Australian Study of Health and Relationships, and national HIV- behavioural surveillance, we calculated the size of the population of sexually active gay men and estimated a range for the number eligible for PrEP using different scenarios based on the guidelines. In 2015, an estimated 108,850 sexually-active 16-69-year-old gay men were classified as at risk of acquiring HIV in Australia. Of these men, 10,558 to 30,913 (9.7%-28.4%) were classified as being at high risk and therefore eligible for PrEP, most commonly due to recent receptive condomless intercourse with casual partners (6.1% to 15.5%), STI infections (5.4% to 10.6%) or the use of crystal methamphetamine (1.4% to 9.4%). The higher estimates included men who may have been at HIV risk for shorter time periods or with fewer partners. Australian PrEP guidelines recommend targeting PrEP to people at high HIV risk. Our estimation of potential PrEP users informed PrEP implementation in Australia. The choice of PrEP eligibility criteria, and interpretation of the guidelines, strongly affects the population estimates. In the future, higher numbers of gay men may become eligible for PrEP, because the estimates are largely defined by and follow trends in condomless anal intercourse. Our estimation methods can be adapted to other settings.


ABSTRACT Although the red-legged running frog, Kassina maculata, is secondarily a walker/runner, it retains the capacity for multiple locomotor modes, including jumping at a wide range of angles (nearly 70 deg). Using simultaneous hind limb kinematics and single-foot ground reaction forces, we performed inverse dynamics analyses to calculate moment arms and torques about the hind limb joints during jumping at different angles in K. maculata. We show that forward thrust is generated primarily at the hip and ankle, while body elevation is primarily driven by the ankle. Steeper jumps are achieved by increased thrust at the hip and ankle and greater downward rotation of the distal limb segments. Because of its proximity to the GRF vector, knee posture appears to be important in controlling torque directions about this joint and, potentially, torque magnitudes at more distal joints. Other factors correlated with higher jump angles include increased body angle in the preparatory phase, faster joint openings and increased joint excursion, higher ventrally directed force, and greater acceleration and velocity. Finally, we demonstrate that jumping performance in K. maculata does not appear to be compromised by presumed adaptation to walking/running. Our results provide new insights into how frogs engage in a wide range of locomotor behaviours and the multi-functionality of anuran limbs. Summary: Experimental data and inverse dynamic modelling demonstrate how forward thrust and elevation are produced in the frog hind limb, allowing frogs to jump at a wide range of angles.


In the introduction to this collection of 17 essays, Diane Kirkby describes her scepticism about the law's potential as a mechanism for social change. Like Carol Smart warning us of the seductive power of law (Smart 1989:160) Kirkby describes her ambivalence about a reliance on law's power to right wrongs and bring about justice. But she sees the essays in this collection as sharing a commitment to social justice and expresses a hope that the collection may itself provide an impetus for change. By situating legal practice in its social and historical contexts these contributions to the historiography of law may be capable of subverting law's claims to universality and timeless validity. Kirkby sees the book as providing a resource for the new, broadened legal education in Australia and at the very least the essays, divided into the catch-all themes of Sexuality, Punishment, Family and Citizenship and the State, provide the reader with a starting point for further research or a useful overview of areas of law and legal history in Australia. The chapters that perhaps go further than this are those that articulate more clearly Kirkby's disquiet. These are the chapters that describe the uneasy alliances between feminists and moral campaigners, the difficulty feminist activists have had in dealing with the implications of intersectional identity, the inability of (legislative) reform to provide benefits for all women and the sometimes unexpected results of feminist campaigns for change. This journal article is available in Law Text Culture: http://ro.uow.edu.au/ltc/vol3/iss1/21


A non-informative sound is known to improve contrast detection thresholds for a synchronous visual target (M. Lippert, N. K. Logothetis, & C. Kayser, 2007). We investigated the spatio-temporal characteristics of the mechanisms underlying this crossmodal effect by using a classification image paradigm specifically suited to investigate perceptual templates across both space and time (P. Neri & D. J. Heeger, 2002). A bright bar was embedded in 2D (space-time) dynamic noise and observers were asked to detect its presence in both unimodal (only visual) and bimodal (audio-visual) conditions. Classification image analysis was performed and the 1st and 2nd order kernels were derived. Our results show that the cross-modal facilitation of detection consists in a reduction of activity of the early mechanisms elicited by the onset of the stimulation and not directly involved in the identification of the target. In fact, the sound sharpens the 2nd order kernels (involved in target detection) by suppressing the activation preceding the target, whereas it does not influence the 1st order kernels. These data suggest that the sound affects some non-linear process involved with the detection of a visual stimulus by, decreasing the activity of contrast energy filters temporally uncorrelated with the target, hence reducing temporal uncertainty.


The purpose of this study is to show that, given the global water crisis, it is possible to find alternatives to reuse gray water. A gray water source may be an alternative for use in irrigation in grain crops, among other applications. This feasibility analysis was carried out for two years. The solution promotes the efficient use of water in an existing vertical building, based on the physical and social aspects of the building, adopting the rational use of water, and considering the reuse of laundry gray water for garden irrigation and cleaning of the common area. This model was used for a full-scale building, medium to high standard, vertical, condominium regime. The study found that the implementation of the measures studied may generate volume savings equivalent to the consumption of 30 families annually. To increase sustainability on a global scale it is essential to implement new water reuse projects, and to promote wise water management in buildings.


Annual average of daily precipitation was used to group climatological stations into clusters using the k-means procedure and principal component analysis with varimax rotation. After a careful selection of the stations deployed in Mexico since 1950, we selected 349 characterized by having 35 to 40 complete years of observations. The clustering of stations was performed three times: firstly according to the amount of precipitation; secondly according to their anomalies from the mean, resulting in their standard deviations grouping; and thirdly using the standardized anomalies, which resulted in a clustering according to the features of the trend and the structural changes of the series over the observing period. We identified two clusters that occupy northwestern and north-central Mexico; another at the center of the territory, between Sierra Madre Oriental and Sierra Madre Occidental; the following over the Sierra Madre Oriental; and a last one in the southeast of the territory, the southern coast of the Pacific Ocean and the Yucatan Peninsula, that overlaps with Sierra Madre Oriental group. Some stations of Yucatan Peninsula show similar characteristics to the northwestern cluster. The groupings were compared with the results of previous studies. The comparison indicates that regions are invariant in time and space and independent of the method of agregation and the stations sampled.


We describe a briefing system that learns to predict the contents of reports generated by users who create periodic (weekly) reports as part of their normal activity. The system observes content-selection choices that users make and builds a predictive model that could, for example, be used to generate an initial draft report. Using a feature of the interface the system also collects information about potential user-specific features. The system was evaluated under realistic conditions, by collecting data in a project-based university course where student group leaders were tasked with preparing weekly reports for the benefit of the instructors, using the material from individual student reports.

This paper addresses the question of whether data derived from the implicit supervision provided by end-users is robust enough to support not only model parameter tuning but also a form of feature discovery. Results indicate that this is the case: system performance improves based on the feedback from user activity. We find that individual learned models (and features) are user-specific, although not completely idiosyncratic. Thismay suggest that approaches which seek to optimizemodels globally (say over a large corpus of data) may not in fact produce results acceptable to all individuals.


BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Epidemiological studies indicate a higher incidence of intracerebral (but not subarachnoid) hemorrhagic stroke among persons with low total serum cholesterol levels. This report further examines the prospective relationship of total serum cholesterol with subsequent intracerebral hemorrhage in a large, well-defined population.

METHODS
The cohort included 61756 enrollees in a health plan from the San Francisco-Oakland metropolitan area (46% men, 63% white), aged 40 to 89 years and free of cardiovascular disease at baseline. Sixteen-year incidence of combined nonfatal and fatal intracerebral hemorrhagic stroke (International Classification of Diseases [ICD], 8th revision, code 431, or ICD, 9th revision, codes 431 and 432) was investigated in relation to serum cholesterol measured in multiphasic health checkups made in 1977 through 1985. Intracerebral hemorrhagic events were ascertained using hospital discharge records and as underlying cause of death by the California Mortality Linkage Information System.

RESULTS
From 1978 through 1993 (average of 10.7 years), there were 386 events (201 in men, 29% fatal; 185 in women, 42% fatal). By multivariate proportional hazards life-table regression analysis, serum cholesterol level below the sex-specific 10th percentile (< 4.62 mmol/L [178 mg/dL] in men), compared with higher cholesterol level, was associated with a significantly increased risk of intracerebral hemorrhage in men aged 65 years or older (relative risk, 2.7; 95% confidence interval, 1.4 to 5.0). An excess risk was also observed among elderly women at the lowest cholesterol range, but a chance finding could not be ruled out. No relationship was seen among men or women aged 40 to 64, and no statistical interaction of low serum cholesterol with hypertension was found in either sex.

CONCLUSIONS
In these data, the association between low serum cholesterol level and intracerebral hemorrhage was confined to elderly men.


The purpose of this report is to assess whether the job training program PROCAJOVEN has had positive impacts, i.e. to determine if it has increased the employability of its participants, and to determine whether the program has a positive payoff. The main objective of PROCAJOVEN is to "improve prospects for jobless youths and disadvantaged groups" in Panama. To achieve this goal the program has two modalities. The first modality, called insertion modality, provides short-term training for the low-income unemployed youths 18-29 years old. The second modality, called transition modality, focuses in the transition for the first-time job seekers with complete secondary education. The program has a significant effect on employment rates and labor earnings for women especially for those living in Panama City. Within modalities, the general effects are similar.


In the critical systems thinking (CST) literature, particularly in the theory of boundary critique, the process of marginalisation has been studied mainly taking into account those elements (issues, values, and agents) that are not fully included or excluded of a social design (Midgley, 2000). Taking this theory into account, this paper presents an extension of the theory of boundary critique by using elements of the social learning theory proposed by Wenger's (1998, 2000, 2010b): Communities of Practice (CoP). In doing so, the proposal includes the idea of considering the marginalisation process as one described by different forms of participation and non-participation that build the participants identity and their concerns. To achieve this, this paper is organised as follows. The first section presents the main aspects of the CST research approach and the systemic intervention bases to establish the context of the discussions about marginalisation process. The second section presents the main aspects of the CoP framework. The third section presents the proposal of an extended version of the marginalisation process, applying some CoP concepts. We conclude by presenting a practical example of implementation of this extended approach and discussing the implications of this approach for CST research.


In an expert and thought-provoking reading of tragic and comic stories in the Decameron, Millicent Marcus proposes that several of the most brutal tragedies are the result of the literalization of metaphor, and that Filostrato's tale of Ricciardo Manardi and Caterina da Valbona (Decameron 5.4) rewrites those tragic stories in order to show the beneficial consequences of embracing figurative exchanges.(1) Filostrato's tale is, in Marcus's words, an "an adventure in circumlocution," where the young lovers succeed, first of all, because from the very beginning they share a figurative language ("dying" for love, suffering "heat," "hearing the nightingale sing") that will allow them to circumvent protective parents and fulfill their desires.(2) Further helping to tip the scales away from death is Caterina's father, Messer Lizio, who rather than take offense, is open to accept and even himself to deploy the metaphors that the young lovers have offered. In the novella's most comic transposition of figures, Messer Lizio takes a veiled metaphor for sex ("making the nightingale sing") and extends and reshapes it so that it becomes, as Marcus notes, a "conceit for marriage":(3) "converra che primieramente la sposi, si che egli si trovera aver messo l'usignuolo nella gabbia sua e non nell'altrui" ("he will have to marry her first; thus he shall have put his nightingale into his own cage and not into anybody else's!" [5.4.38; p. 339]).(4) Acceptance of figurative language shields Caterina, Ricciardo, and Messer Lizio from the tragedy that had befallen Ghismonda, Guiscardo, and Tancredi in Decameron 4.1. A reading like Marcus's, which emphasizes the enormous difference that language can make, does much to explain why Filostrato's story is so striking and compelling.(5) No doubt, we are moved and reassured by the idea that the production and the manipulation of language is salutary. The tale further reinforces this by rendering the characters' dialogue very prominently, first as Caterina seeks to persuade her mother to let her sleep on the balcony (where she hopes to meet Ricciardo); then as Caterina's mother intercedes with her father; and finally, after the lovers are discovered in delicto flagrante, when Ricciardo pleas with Caterina's father to spare his life. One senses that the energy of life is conveyed in the possibility of continued expression. It is when silence falls that one suspects the worst. Although I affirm the validity of Marcus' reading, which is most certainly supported by the novella, I believe that another reading of men, women, and figurative language in Decameron 5.4--a reading in tension with Marcus's affirmation of the young lovers' active choice and expression--remains nestled here. If we read Filostrato's story with attention to the power relations formed around the use of figurative language, we see that the story isn't really very reassuring to readers--or at least not to readers of a feminist persuasion. As in several of his other stories, Filostrato keeps the control of social codes and of language in the hands of men, especially elder men. He presents a conflicted view of women: empowered on one hand to express their sexuality (at least initially, and within certain bounds), but ultimately dispossessed of language. The novella shows us that the creative use of language will make not a whit of difference in social relations if the status quo is significantly threatened. Ricciardo can fall in love with Caterina, even fiercely (fieramente [5.4.6]), and is not necessarily destined for a tragic end because the social configuration of the characters is different from those we saw both in the tragic stories of Decameron 4 and to French and Provencal sources and analogues.(6) Caterina is unmarried (unlike the wives in the vida of Guilhem de Cabestanh, in Decameron 4.9, and in Marie de France's "Laustic"), so her relationship with Ricciardo is potentially licit. Her parents are anxious to find a good match for her (as Tancredi was not in Decameron 4. …


Thus far, public debates around human rights in the Islamic world have mostly been abstract debates around Islamic thought. This has taken the form of arguments around faulty notions of clash of civilisations or the attempts of Muslim thinkers to demonstrate that Islam is compatible with contemporary ideals of democracy and human rights. In contrast, this essay focuses exclusively on how Muslim-majority states have reacted to the development of the human rights both domestically and internationally. It presents an overview of the emergence of Cairo Declaration and Arab Charter on Human Rights and current debates around Defamation resolutions and Durban conferences on racism, along with politics of sharia and domestic power challenges faced by Muslim-majority states and their effects on implementation of human rights in the Islamic world.


This research aimed to investigate the tendency of students' learning style which will be used as the base in designing an emodule system with VAK (Visual, Auditory, Kinestetic) oriented, as one of solutions to increase learning quality. Survey method was used in this study on SMK TKJ students in Buleleng Regency. The sample of the study was determined by using stratified random sampling technique to determine 4 schools which have Computer Technique and Network department where the amount of students in each school was 30 students with 2 teachers who responsible to the subject related. The variable of this study was students' response to the questionaire to identify the tendency of students' learning style with VAK oriented. The data was obtained from questionaire, interview, and observation of students' learning process in classroom. The data was analyzed descriptively. The result of the study showed that students' learning style tendency in emodule design with VAK (Visual, Auditory, Kinestetic) oriented on SMK TKJ students in Buleleng Regency was students tend to learn with Kinestetic style.


We develop model-independent methods for characterizing the reliability of neural spike trains in response to brief stimuli. Through this approach we measure the discriminability of similar stimuli based on the real-time response of a single neuron in much the same way that modern psychophysical techniques measure the discrimination performance of the whole animal. Extending these techniques, we quantify discriminability as a function of time after stimulus presentation, so that it is possible to compare the measured reliability of the neuron to its theoretical limit predicted from signal transduction and noise levels in the sensory periphery. The methods are applied to a wide-field movement-sensitive neuron (H1) in the visual system of the blowfly Calliphora vicina, where we also record from the photoreceptor cells that provide the sensory input to H1. From an analysis of neural responses to wide-field stepwise movements of various step sizes we find the following. (1) One or two spikes are sufficient to encode just noticeable differences of approximately one-tenth the angular spacing between photoreceptors, comparable to the hyperacuity regime observed in humans. (2) Discriminability improves upon observation of successive spikes as if the interspike intervals carried independent information. Coding seems orderly and analogue in the sense that we find no indication of information being transmitted in complex combinations of spike intervals. (3) As a result of neural refractoriness the real neuron's performance is significantly better than that of a neuron generating spikes according to a Poisson process at the same firing rate. (4) Over behaviourally relevant time intervals following the movement step, that is up to about 30-40 ms, the discrimination performance of the neuron is close to that of an ideal observer who extracts movement information from all the photoreceptor cells in the field of stimulation. Beyond this time the neuron's performance relative to the ideal observer decreases significantly.


The Zagros Mountain Belt extends over more than 1800 km through Iraq and southern Iran in front of the Zagros Mountain chain. It forms the boundary between the Iranian Plateau and the Mesopotamian and Gulf basins (Fig. 1). It can be subdivided geomorphologically into: the High Zagros Belt and the Zagros Simply Folded Belt separated by the High Zagros Fault (Berberian and King, 1981; Falcon, 1974; Stockline, 1968). From a tectonic point of view, however, five zones along the length of the Zagros Orogenic Belt can be distinguished (e.g. Stocklin, 1974, 1986; Falcon, 1974; Sten, 1985; Berberian, 1995): the Zagros Imbricate Zone, the Simply Folded Zone, the Zagros Foredeep, the Mesopotamian Foreland Basin and the Arabian foreland. However, the most common subdivision of the Zagros Orogenic Belt is the five structural zones parallel to NW-SE trend through the belt; from the NE to the SW they are: the Urumieh-Dokhtar Magmatic Arc, the Sanandaj-Sirjan Metamorphic Zone, the High Zagros Zone (Imbricate or Crush zone), the Zagros Simply Folded Belt and the Mesopotamian Foreland Basin (Fig. 2). The High Zagros Zone is referred to by Jassim et al. (2006) as the Penjween–Walash Sub-zone. Towards the SW the Main Zagros Thrust separates the Sanandaj-Sirjan and Imbricate Zones (Berberian, 1995; Agard et al., 2005) and constitutes the suture between Arabian and Iranian plates. The Imbricate Zone represents the innermost part of the Arabian deformed margin, featuring radiolarian chert-bearing accretionary terrane and the Upper and Lower Allochthonous Thrust Sheets over the NE Arabian margin. The aim of this paper is to describe the characteristic morphological features of the Penjween–Walash Sub-zone and to discuss the tectonic implications of this subzone.


We have compared the kinetic properties of NMDA receptor channels activated by exogenous agonists with those activated synaptically. Short (4 msec) applications of L-glutamate to outside-out patches from hippocampal neurons evoked currents that decayed with a double exponential time course that was controlled by both the unbinding rate of agonist and receptor desensitization. Lower-affinity agonists evoked NMDA receptor-activated currents that had faster rates of decay and recovered from desensitization more quickly, consistent with the idea that agonists which dissociate faster allow the receptor to reach a desensitized state less often. Both synaptic and patch responses could be well fitted with a simple kinetic model comprised of two independent but identical binding sites, one open state, one closed state, and one desensitized state, all doubly liganded. Provided that the agonist has a slow unbinding rate relative to the rates into the open and desensitized states (e.g., L-glutamate), this model predicts a response with two decay phases and can thus account for the synaptic response. Since the unbinding rate is the critical determinant of the time course, different affinity transmitters would affect such properties as excitatory postsynaptic current (EPSC) duration. Of the known endogenous excitatory amino acids, only L-glutamate has an affinity for the NMDA receptor consistent with the time course of the EPSC recorded between hippocampal neurons in culture.


Infection by human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) in childhood is common in the Mediterranean basin; however, classic Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is exceedingly rare in children not infected with HIV and not receiving immunosuppression, with only 30 cases having been reported since 1960. We recently reported 2 children with autosomal and X-linked recessive primary immunodeficiencies underlying KS in a context of multiple clinical manifestations. These reports suggested that classic KS in otherwise healthy children might also result from inborn errors of immunity more specific to HHV-8. In this article, we describe 3 unrelated Turkish children with classic KS born to first-cousin parents. The first patient, a girl, developed KS at 2 years of age with disseminated cutaneous and mucosal lesions. The clinical course progressed rapidly, and the patient died within 3 months despite treatment with vincristine. The other 2 children developed a milder form of KS at the age of 9 years, with multiple cutaneous lesions. A boy treated with interferon α therapy for 12 months is now in full remission at the age of 14, 2 years after treatment. The second girl is currently stabilized with etoposide, which was begun 4 months ago. None of the 3 children had any relevant familial history or other clinical features. The occurrence of classic KS in 3 unrelated Turkish children, each born to consanguineous parents, strongly suggests that autosomal recessive predisposition may drive the rare occurrence of HHV-8–associated classic KS in children.


Objective: to evaluate the viability of cells against exposure to the methanol extract of Gladiolus segetum ( MEGS ) by various colorimetric detection tests (Alamar Blue, WST-1) and the trypan blue exclusion test in Human Leukemia Monocytes THP-1 and Using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assays. Methods: human THP-1 monocytic cell line was exposed to 25 to 800 μg/mL concentrations of MEGS for 24 h and cellular viability was estimated using Alamar Blue, WST-1 and trypan blue tests. Gene expressions were performed using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assays and the measurement of Caspase-3 enzyme activity. Results: a decrease of viability was observed with a dose-dependent effect of MEGS on THP-1. In addition, a differential expression involved in the different genes tested. Moreover, it has been shown overexpression of casp3 for an exposure to 25 μg/ml and 100 μg/ml of MEGS. Conclusion: Our results show that the MEGS present a toxicity to THP-1 cells, especially with regard to apoptosis processes. Key words: Gene expressions, Viability, Gladiolus segetum,THP-1, Toxicity.


This paper illustrates the application of mobile and wireless technologies for estimating the severity of Parkinson Disease symptoms, and performing a personalized drug administration to PD patients. The measurements of patient finger pressures on the screen of a smart phone, translated into analogue voltage and digital bits, are taken by an Android App. The computations performed through Fast Fourier Transformations (FFT) and Reaction and Movement time, enable the calculation of the severity of the PD symptoms, which results in an appropriate drug administration for that patient, at the moment when the measurement of patient finger pressures is taken. The novelty of this research is twofold. It allows a high level of personalization in PD treatment and uses modern technologies to bring new solutions in the field of drug administration to PD patients.


How strongly is the spatial organization of a building related to its and its physical aspects and its stylistic attributes? The question is of particular relevance to space syntax theory since historically much of the analytical work on the morphology of buildings has been weighed in favor of spatial analysis partially resulting from the assumption that genotypical attributes are essentially lodged within the spatial syntax of a building and that the corporeal, or stylistic elements, carry much of the phenotypical information. Relatively scattered studies, by Hillier, Hanson, Peponis, Steadman, Amorim and Bafna over the years, as well as well empirical work by Henry Glassie on Virignian folkhousing and Mark Girourad on English country houses, have challenged this assumption, but a coherent reformulation is still not available. We offer additional insights into this issue through a study of parallel change in the formal, stylistic, and spatial attributes of the genotypical American house. Our data are drawn from the catalogues of the Aladdin Company, which was a major supplier of mail-order houses during the first half of the twentieth century. Our material is drawn from 35 catalogues (produced between 1908 and 1954), giving us access to detailed plans of 2687 houses, of which 760 were new models. We systematically chart changes in these new models, noting the proportional relationship between width and depth, footprint and floor-areas, number of floors, and the articulation of the front-facade, including the shape of the roof-line, and the presence of culturally significant elements such as porches. We also chart corresponding change in the spatial structure of the house, noting the shift in overall integration values, the location of integration core, and the distribution of connectivity values. Innovations in our methodology include (over and above the general approach of recording of systematic change in morphology over 50 years), a marking of genotypical change through the change in depth between the most integrated and the most connected rooms of the house. We show that the changes in the spatial form of the house systematically correspond to changes in the physical attributes, such that at times the spatial form lags as it accommodates to changes in the physical form, and that these changes correspond with well documented general social change in American domestic life. The findings additionally give us material to challenge a dominant assumption within anthropological thinking (particularly in the work of Susan Kent and Amos Rapoport) that architecture only reflects the life and does not actually have any formative influence on it. A final implication of this study is that it allows us to make a case for systematic analysis of the spatial structure of the house as critical factor in deciding the suitability of mid-twentieth century houses for cultural preservation.


As it is defined in ATM 2000+ Strategy (Eurocontrol 2001), the mission of the Air Traffic Management (ATM) System is: "For all the phases of a flight, the ATM system should facilitate a safe, efficient, and expedite traffic flow, through the provision of adaptable ATM services that can be dimensioned in relation to the requirements of all the users and areas of the European air space. The ATM services should comply with the demand, be compatible, operate under uniform principles, respect the environment and satisfy the national security requirements." The objective of this paper is to present a methodology designed to evaluate the status of the ATM system in terms of the relationship between the offered capacity and traffic demand, identifying weakness areas and proposing solutions. The first part of the methodology relates to the characterization and evaluation of the current system, while a second part proposes an approach to analyze the possible development limit. As part of the work, general criteria are established to define the framework in which the analysis and diagnostic methodology presented is placed. They are: the use of Air Traffic Control (ATC) sectors as analysis unit, the presence of network effects, the tactical focus, the relative character of the analysis, objectivity and a high level assessment that allows assumptions on the human and Communications, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) elements, considered as the typical high density air traffic resources. The steps followed by the methodology start with the definition of indicators and metrics, like the nominal criticality or the nominal efficiency of a sector; scenario characterization where the necessary data is collected; network effects analysis to study the relations among the constitutive elements of the ATC system; diagnostic by means of the "System Status Diagram"; analytical study of the ATC system development limit; and finally, formulation of conclusions and proposal for improvement. 2 This methodology was employed by Aena (Spanish Airports Manager and Air Navigation Service Provider) and INECO (Spanish Transport Engineering Company) in the analysis of the Spanish ATM System in the frame of the Spanish airspace capacity sustainability program, although it could be applied elsewhere.


In his latest Policy Brief, Daniel Gros gives a new angle on why the existence of current account 'imbalances' should provoke the greatest financial crisis in living history if the raison d'etre of a financial system is to deal with imbalances (between savers and investors). He argues that one has to take into account the way current account deficits are financed and how flow imbalances accumulated into large stock disequilibria. In his view, the crisis was the product of a mismatch between the demand for safe, liquid and short-term assets by foreign central banks, which were accumulating large reserves, and the huge supply provided by US households of long-term US mortgage debt.


OBJECTIVE
To identify susceptibility loci for Behçet's disease (BD) and elucidate their functional role.

METHODS
A genome-wide association study (GWAS) and functional studies were conducted. A total of 149 patients and 951 controls were enrolled in the initial GWAS, and 554 patients and 1,159 controls were enrolled in the replication study. Real-time polymerase chain reaction, luciferase reporter assay, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were performed.

RESULTS
Our GWAS and replication studies identified a susceptibility locus around STAT4 (single-nucleotide polymorphisms [SNPs] rs7574070, rs7572482, and rs897200; P = 3.36 × 10(-7) to 6.20 × 10(-9) ). Increased expression of STAT4 was observed in individuals carrying the rs897200 risk genotype AA. Consistent with the idea that STAT4 regulates the production of interleukin-17 (IL-17) and interferon-γ, IL17 messenger RNA and protein levels were increased in individuals carrying the rs897200 risk genotype AA. Interestingly, the risk allele A of rs897200 creates a putative transcription factor binding site. To test whether it directly affects STAT4 transcription, an in vitro luciferase reporter gene assay was performed. Higher transcription activity was observed in individuals carrying the risk allele A, suggesting that rs897200 is likely to directly affect STAT4 expression. Additionally, 2 SNPs, rs7574070 and rs7572482, which are tightly linked with rs897200, were cis-expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) SNPs, suggesting that SNP rs897200 is an eQTL SNP. Most importantly, the clinical disease severity score was higher in individuals with the rs897200 risk genotype AA.

CONCLUSION
These findings strongly suggest that STAT4 is a novel locus underlying BD. We propose a model in which up-regulation of STAT4 expression and subsequent STAT4-driven production of inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-17, constitute a potential pathway leading to BD.


Though cognitive neuroscience locates all memory systems in the brain and has gone to great lengths to understand the issues involved in the various forms that memory takes, where these forms are stored, and how they interact, it may be 'neurocentric' to think of memory as only occurring in and mediated by the brain. Undoubtedly, neural networks for memory abound in many different areas of the brain, and are absolutely essential hubs for the encoding, storage, and retrieval of human experience. Yet emerging work in neuroscience also confirms the crucial role of sensorimotor and affective processing in the shaping and reshaping of human memory. A case for 'body memory' can be made, and the role of the moving, sensing, feeling, and emoting body can now be seen as fundamental to the developmental structuring of and subsequent neurogenetic changing of memory, particularly implicit memory. This understanding of the phenomenological body's centrality in the navigation of non-verbal and affect-laden learning and remembering has profound impacts for our understanding of attachment, enactment, the therapeutic relationship, and psychotherapeutic procedures.


To study the mesospheric temperature inversion, daily temperature profiles obtained from the Halogen Occultation Experiment (HALOE) aboard the Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite (UARS) during the period 1991-2001 over the Indian tropical region (0-30° N, 60-100° E) have been analyzed for the altitude range 34-86km. The frequency of occurrence of inversion is found to be 67% over this period, which shows a strong semiannual cycle, with a maximum occurring one month after equinoxes (May and November). Amplitude of inversion is found to be as high as 40K. Variation of monthly mean peak and bottom heights along with amplitude of inversions also show the semiannual cycle. The inversion layer is detected most frequently in the altitude range of 70-85km, with peak height ranging from 80 to 83km and that of the bottom height from 72 to 74km. A comparison of frequency of temperature inversion with that obtained from Rayleigh lidar observations over Gadanki (13.5° N, 60-100° E) is found to be reasonable. The seasonal variation of amplitude and frequency of occurrence of temperature inversion indicates a good correlation with seasonal variation of average ozone concentration over the altitude range of the inversion layer.


Furman's introduction and notes to Daniel Denton's A Brief Description of New York (1670) are less an attempt to elucidate that original work than an occasion for disquisitions on a variety of subjects; not, however, without their own charm and intrinsic interest. Gabriel Furman (1800-1854) was a Brooklyn lawyer, justice, and state senator, as well as an antiquarian, collector, and lecturer. He published Notes, Geographical and Historical Relative to the Town of Brooklyn in 1824, and was a lifelong compiler of research, manuscripts, and documents, many of which were edited for publication after his death as Antiquities of Long Island (1875). Furman is said to have developed an opium habit, and he is known to have died in poverty in the Brooklyn City hospital. Furman's edition of Denton's Brief Description of New York was the inaugural book in publisher William Gowans' Bibliotheca Americana series—"of works, relating to the history, literature, biography, antiquities and curiosities of the Continent of America. ... brought out in the best style, both as to the type, press work, and paper, and in such a manner as to make them well worthy a place in any gentleman's library." Furman's "Introduction" discusses the rarity of Denton's original work, its impact on other accounts of the region, the sack of Schenectady in 1690, and the reasons for Denton's predominant focus on the areas of Manhattan and Long Island. He also relates episodes from his own 1842 stagecoach trip across Long Island from Brooklyn to Sag Harbor and gives a sketch of Denton's background, with a detailed account of his involvement in the General Assembly of Deputies in 1667 that drew up the first code of laws for the English colony and expressed to the Duke of York "our cheerful submission to all such laws, statutes, and ordinances, which are or shall be made by virtue of authority from your royal highness, your heirs and successors forever"—which drew upon them the ire and rebukes of the independent citizenry. Furman's "Notes" include materials on the Indian names of the islands and aboriginal villages of New York City (by Henry N. Schoolcraft); legends of the Hell-Gate (by Washington Irving); the Old Dutch houses of New York; Ronconcoa Lake on Long Island; the famous Hempstead Plains; the legend of Manetto Hill; the sports and entertainments of occupying British forces; the manufacture of seawant, wampum, or peague, and its use as colonial currency; the first distribution of public money (1655); the fourfold shopkeepers' system of pay, money, pay as money, and trust; Indian views on the future state and immortality of the soul and on marriage and polygamy; the legal suits of the Montauk Indians; the unique topography of the Hudson River; the disappearance of lobsters from New York harbor during the Revolution; and two episodes of travel from Williams Gowans' Western Memorabilia. The text of Denton's A Brief Description of New York, Formerly Called New Netherlands with the Places Thereunto Adjoining is not reproduced here, but can be found at http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libraryscience/22/ Grateful acknowledgement is made to the University of Oregon Libraries for their generous loan of their copy of the 1845 edition.


Socializing the psyche; Tracing a seismic shift in American social thought, Jeffrey-Sklansky offers a new synthesis of the intellectual transformation entailed in the rise of industrial capitalism. For a century after Independence, the dominant American understanding of selfhood and society came from the tradition of political economy, which defined freedom and equality in terms of ownership of the means of self-employment. However, the gradual demise of the household economy rendered proprietary independence an increasingly embattled ideal. Large landowners and industrialists claimed the right to rule as a privilege of their growing monopoly over productive resources, while dispossessed farmers and workers charged that a propertyless populace was incompatible with true liberty and democracy. Amid the widening class divide, nineteenth-century social theorists devised a new science of American society that came to be called "social psychology." The change Sklansky charts begins among Romantic writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Margaret Fuller, continues through the polemics of political economists such as Henry George and William Graham Sumner, and culminates with the pioneers of modern American psychology and sociology such as William James and Charles Horton Cooley. Together, these writers reconceived freedom in terms of phychic self-expression instead of economic self-interest, and they redefined democracy in terms of cultural kinship rather than social compact.


The middle ear muscle (MEM) reflex is one of two major descending systems to the auditory periphery. There are two middle ear muscles (MEMs): the stapedius and the tensor tympani. In man, the stapedius contracts in response to intense low frequency acoustic stimuli, exerting forces perpendicular to the stapes superstructure, increasing middle ear impedance and attenuating the intensity of sound energy reaching the inner ear (cochlea). The tensor tympani is believed to contract in response to self-generated noise (chewing, swallowing) and nonauditory stimuli. The MEM reflex pathways begin with sound presented to the ear. Transduction of sound occurs in the cochlea, resulting in an action potential that is transmitted along the auditory nerve to the cochlear nucleus in the brainstem (the first relay station for all ascending sound information originating in the ear). Unknown interneurons in the ventral cochlear nucleus project either directly or indirectly to MEM motoneurons located elsewhere in the brainstem. Motoneurons provide efferent innervation to the MEMs. Although the ascending and descending limbs of these reflex pathways have been well characterized, the identity of the reflex interneurons is not known, as are the source of modulatory inputs to these pathways. The aim of this article is to (a) provide an overview of MEM reflex anatomy and physiology, (b) present new data on MEM reflex anatomy and physiology from our laboratory and others, and (c) describe the clinical implications of our research.


Three patients with aplastic anemia were evaluated by the ophthalmology service within 2 months of the aplastic anemia diagnosis for bilateral visual loss. The mean age of diagnosis of aplastic anemia was 14.3 years (range: 5 to 19 years) and the mean follow-up was 25 months (range: 15 to 44 months). All 6 eyes demonstrated choroidal ischemia and vitreous hemorrhage. Pars plana vitrectomy was performed in four eyes of two patients for non-clearing vitreous hemorrhage; one patient was observed. Successful anatomic outcomes were achieved in 3 of 4 eyes that underwent vitrectomy. Initial visual acuity ranged from 20/80 to bare light perception and final visual acuity ranged from 20/20 to no light perception. All patients received immunosuppressive therapy including cyclosporine and anti-thymocyte globulin, and two underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. All patients received perioperative platelet and blood transfusions. Pars plana vitrectomy resulted in functional and anatomic success in the majority of eyes in this series. Coordination of medical and surgical care with the hematology service is advisable to stabilize hematologic parameters prior to undertaking a vitreoretinal procedure.


Autonomous flight in confined or cluttered environments such as houses or urban canyons requires high manoeuvrability, fast mapping from sensors to actuators and very limited overall system weight. Although flying animals are well capable of coping with such situations, roboticists still have difficulties at reproducing such capabilities. This paper describes how we took inspiration from flying insects to progress toward the goal of developing small UAVs able to dynamically fly in cluttered environments. This endeavour allowed us to demonstrate a 10-gram microflyer capable of fully autonomous operation in an office-sized room using fly-inspired vision, inertial and airspeed sensors. This encouraging result is now being ported to outdoor scenarios such as low-altitude flight in urban or mountainous environments. Important is that these autonomous capabilities are achieved without the help of GPS nor active range finders, which allows to develop very lightweight autopilots.


This article contains a historical overview of New York's impeachment law reaching back to the 18th century. It covers the 1913 impeachment case of New York Governor William Sulzer, and concludes that New York's impeachment law is unworkable because it does not contain adequate safeguards to protect against legislative abuse. This article criticizes New York impeachment law for its lack of transparency in enumerating impeachable offenses, and makes recommendations concerning amendments to the impeachment law.


A Stone ring is a partially ordered ring K with unit element 1 satisfying (1) 1 is positive; (2) for every x in K there exists a natural number n such that nΊ — x belongs to K; and (3) if 1 + nx is positive for all natural numbers n then x is positive. Our first theorem: Every Stone ring is order-isomorphic with a subring of the ring of all continuous real functions on some compact Hausdorff space, with the usual partial order. A corollary is a theorem first proved by Harrison: Let K be a partially ordered ring satisfying conditions (1) and (2), and suppose the positive cone of K is maximal in the family of all subsets of K which exclude —1 and are closed under addition and multiplication. Then K is order-isomorphic with a subring of the reals.


In this thesis, studies on three problems
in imaging systems will be discussed.

The first problem deals with re-rendering
segments of online indoor room images with preferred textures through websites
to try new decoration ideas. Previous methods need too much manual positioning
and alignment. In the thesis, a novel approach is presented to automatically
achieve a natural outcome with respect to indoor room geometry layout.

For the second problem, the laser
electrophotographic system is eagerly looking for a digital halftoning
algorithm that can deal with unequal printing resolution, since most halftoning
algorithms are focused on equal resolution. In the thesis, a novel monochrome
halftoning algorithm is presented to render continuous tone images with limited
numbers of tone levels for laser printers with unequal printing resolution.

For the third problem, a novel face set
recognition method is presented. Face set recognition is important for face
video analysis and face clustering in multiple imaging systems. And it is very
challenging considering the variation of image sharpness, face directions and illuminations
for different frames, as well as the number and the order of images in the face
set. To tackle the problem, a novel convolutional neural network system is
presented to generate a fixed-dimensional compact feature representation for
the face set. The system collects information from all the images in the set
while having emphasis on more frontal and sharper face images, and it is
regardless of the number and the order of images. The generated feature
representations allow direct, immediate similarity computation for face sets, thus
can be directly used for recognition. The experiment result shows that our
method outperforms other state of-the-art methods on the public test dataset.


FT-IR/ATR spectra were obtained on films deposited on a 45° Ge ATR crystal by Langmuir-Blodgett techniques. Two thicknesses (33 Å and 59 Å) were investigated. The ATR spectra showed that the albumin molecules attached directly to the germanium surface were more ordered than and different from the albumin molecules adsorbed on other albumin molecules. These ordered albumin films rearranged with time to more closely resemble conventional albumin films.


Abstract Changes in the Swedish tax code during the 1990s were structured in a way that offers an opportunity to test whether ex-dividend prices were determined by the taxation of domestic individual investors. The results presented in this paper indicate that ex-dividend prices were not influenced by the relatively large tax changes for domestic individual investors. In addition, there was no evidence that the taxation of domestic individual investors influenced ex-dividend prices for any specific dividend yield group.


Geothermal fluid flow is related to geologic
context from the global or district scale down to the reservoir scale. We
present a discussion of that relationship which is based on a review of
high-temperature geothermal reservoirs worldwide. Initially we focus on
large-scale geological controls on productive geothermal reservoirs, such as
the role crustal-scale structural discontinuities play in localizing highly
productive geothermal reservoirs.

We present maps showing the
relationship between large-scale geological features and the locations of
productive geothermal reservoirs in five case study districts:

1. The Taupō Volcanic Zone in New
Zealand,

2. The Great Sumatra Fault in
Indonesia,

3. The East African Rift System that
hosts geothermal development in Kenya and Ethiopia,

4. The spreading plate boundary that
bisects Iceland, and

5. The Great Basin in the Western US.

We review the
control geological context has on the natural state reservoir geometry and
demonstrate that the degree of influence a geological discontinuity (e.g.,
structure, contact zone or unit with high hydraulic potential) has on reservoir
geometry, typically reflects how focused that resource is. Focused reservoirs
have high well-to-well temperature gradients and complex thermal geometry.
Broad reservoirs with low temperature gradients between wells show less
influence from geological discontinuities in the natural state. In this poster
we include cross-sections of seven geothermal
reservoir case studies that illustrate the range of convection cell geometry
and its relationship to geologic context.

Please refer to the companion paper for additional discussion a full list of references: Wallis, I.C., Rowland, J.V., Dempsey, D.E., 2018,
The relationship between geothermal fluid flow and geologic context: A global
review, GRC Meeting, Reno. The material presented here also draws on:Wallis,
I.C., Rowland, J. V., Cumming, W., and Dempsey, D. E., 2017, The subsurface
geometry of a natural geothermal reservoir, New Zealand Geothermal Workshop:
Rotorua, New Zealand.Links to both papers are provided below.


Introduction: The current study was designed to estimate the direct cost of noncompliance of diabetes patients to the US health system. Understanding these expenses can inform screening and education budget policy regarding expenditure levels that can be calculated to be cost-beneficial.
Materials and Method: The study was conducted in three parts. First, a computer search of National Institutes of Health websites and professional society websites for organizations with members that treat diabetes, and a PubMed search were performed to obtain the numbers required for calculations. Second, formulas were developed to estimate the risk of non-compliance and undiagnosed diabetes. Third, risk calculations were performed using the information obtained in part one and the formulas developed in part two.
Results: Direct risk reduction for diabetes-related kidney disease, stroke, heart disease, and amputation were estimated for 100% compliance with diabetes treatment. Risk, case and yearly cost reduction calculated for a 100% compliance with diabetes treatment were 13.6%, 0.9 million and US$ 9.3 billion, respectively.
Conclusion: Society, insurers, policy makers and other stakeholders could invest up to these amounts in screening, education and prevention efforts in an effort to reduce these costly and traumatic sequelae of noncompliant diabetes patients.

Type: Original Research


The rapid decline in bumblebee populations within Europe has been linked to habitat loss through agricultural intensification, and a consequential reduction in the availability of preferred forage plants. The successful introduction of four European Bombus species to the South Island of New Zealand from England (in 1885 and 1906) provides an opportunity to determine how important different forage plants (also introduced from the U.K.) are to two severely threatened European bumblebee species (Bombus ruderatus and B. subterraneus). In January 2003 we conducted a survey of bumblebee populations across 70 sites in the central and southern South Island, recording which plant species were being used as pollen and nectar sources for each Bombus species. All four bumblebee species showed a clear preference for plants of European origin. Only B. terrestris, the most polylectic species, was recorded feeding on native plant species. The longer-tongued bumblebees, B. hortorum, B. ruderatus, and B. subterraneus, foraged predominantly on just two plant species; Trifolium pratense for both nectar and pollen, and Echium vulgare for nectar. These plant species are now declining in abundance in the U.K. Our results provide support for the hypothesis that the loss of flower-rich meadows, particularly those containing populations of Fabaceae species with long corollae, is responsible for the decline of bumblebee species across Europe. Comparison with earlier bumblebee surveys suggests that long-tongued bumblebees may also be in decline in New Zealand, particularly B. subterraneus which is now very localised and scarce.


In the field of photographic research there appear many puzzling phenomena which in themselves are of interest only as curiosities except insofar as the information which they may yield upon careful investigation leads to a more complete and precise understanding of the fundamental photographic reactions involved in the formation of a latent photographic image and its subsequent development. The action of red polarized light upon certain non-optically sensitized photographic emulsions produces an image which is characterized by polarization and is, in certain cases, photo-adapted so that it appears to be the color of the light by which it was produced. An investigation of this phenomenon in its simplest form was undertaken by the authors in an effort to relate it if possible to accepted photographic theory and to arrive at an explanation which would be more satisfactory than those previously proposed.


Probing is increasingly utilized as a technique for the characterization of the local electrical properties of an integrated circuit, as well as the isolation of defects. Test structures and/or SRAM arrays were examined with the various probing modes available with a probing system. Test structures were examined using Electron Beam Absorbed Current (EBAC), Resistive Contrast Imaging (RCI), Electron Beam Induced Current, (EBIC), and EBIRCH (Electron Beam Induced Resistance CHange). The results demonstrate the utility of using each in an SRAM yield management scenario. EBAC is able to provide information about basic connectivity. RCI allows for the isolation of resistive spots along a conductor. EBIC provides for the imaging of depletion zones between PW and NW, even in a planar view. EBIRCH, being driven by two different mechanisms (thermal coefficient of resistivity and Seebeck effect) is able to provide two different kinds of analyses, depending on the conditions. EBIRCH precisely isolated which of a few fins in a multi-fin device are responsible for a short and showed the thermal relations between the elements of a pulldown device in an SRAM. The techniques together provide multiple forms of process feedback when used as part of an integrated yield management program involving analysis of via chains, SRAM parallel array test structures, and SRAMs.


Oil palm leaves (OPAL) extract is gaining considerable interest as it is derived from a natural source and provides many functions such as anti-microbial effect towards bacteria, good ultraviolet (UV) protection and possesses the ability to combat several skin diseases due to its antioxidant properties. In this study, the phenolic compounds from OPAL extracted via four different extraction procedures i.e. extraction with ethanol (OPAL M1), extraction with hexane and followed by ethanol (OPAL M2), extraction with hexane and with ethanolic hydrochloric acid (OPAL M3) and aqueous extraction (OPAL M4) were studied. Total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) of the OPAL extracts were determined and their antioxidant activity compared with butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). The results indicated that OPAL M1 and OPAL M2 had higher TPC and TFC than OPAL M3 and OPAL M4. All OPAL extracts showed antioxidant activities similar to BHT but required a higher concentration. The transparency and brightness of the transparent soaps formulated with OPAL extract were not affected at 0.1% concentration. Thus, OPAL extracts have the potential to be used as natural antioxidant and colourant in transparent soaps.


The nonlinearity of photonic crystal fibers (PCFs) can be enhanced by simutaneously tapering the fiber and doping rare-earth ions (such as Yb3+) or chalcogenide in the core. The properties of the Yb3+-doped and tapered PCF is numerically investigated by the beam propagation method. The results show that the difference of the optical field distribution between the doped and the pure silica PCF is not huge, and the mode field area of the doped PCF is only a little smaller than that of pure silica PCF. However, the nonlinearity of the doped PCF is enhanced dramatically by doping Yb ions in the core. Furthermore, the optimal boundary profile of the transverse structural parameters for maximal nonlinearity coefficient is acquired, and the boundary normalized pitch decreases exponentially with the boundary normalized hole size increasing. Finally, the longitudinal criterion for tapering is proposed, namely, that the normalized distance of the taper slope should be longer than 30 μm. All these results will provide references for enhancing the nonlinearity of PCFs.


This DMA portfolio contains materials and a written critical commentary of over 10,000 words relating to the work I have completed towards a Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance, at the University of Salford. My doctoral programme consists of four performance projects and a public performance in the form of a lecture recital.
The study consists of an exploration and contextualisation of compositions, written for the virtuoso trombone player in differing genres and an analysis on how these genres have influenced music, written for the brass band trombone soloist in the 21st Century.
The work explores historical repertoire that has not been represented either in live performance or by recording in the last one hundred years along with newly commissioned compositions by leading and new composers. Works were discovered by visiting libraries, band-rooms and archives around the world.
The evidence is achieved through several CD releases including Novus Vox (Song of Joy): Music of the Salvation Army, Salute to Sousa and Slide Projections which explore the trombone in solo with wind bands both in an historical and contemporary frame. The large scale premieres of compositions by Peter Graham and Edward Gregson are the stated commissions and finally a public performance lecture recital provides evidence on how the genres influence my performances.
In addition the portfolio compilation contains:
A) Copies of excerpts of parts and featured pieces.
B) Published reviews and critical evaluations of the performances on premieres.
C) The public lecture recital programme and live recording.
D) Supporting material showing my international standing, significant past and current activity as a performing artist in my field.

This submission adds significant new works and forgotten repertoire to the limited number of compositions for the solo trombonist and explores new ground and collaborations. This is represented through the CD projects and the premiere performances. Seen as a whole, the project illustrates my various facets across this submission, which illustrates how I am an ambassador of the trombone through chamber, brass band and wind band genres. I have been involved in the projects on various levels, not just as a solo performer but also as a recording artist, an arranger, executive producer, editor, and in writing programme notes and hand-outs.


John Dewey developed a pragmatic theory of inquiry to provide intelligent methods for social progress. He believed that the logic and attitude of successful scientific inquiries, properly conceived, could be fruitfully applied to morals and politics. Unfortunately, his project has been poorly understood and his logic of inquiry neglected as a resource. Contemporary pragmatists, like Richard Rorty, for example, dismiss his emphasis on method and avoid judgments of moral progress that are in any way independent of the biases of particular cultures. In this article, I argue that Dewey's theory of inquiry indeed provides intelligent methods and intellectual criteria for engaging moral and political matters. Inquiry, as Dewey conceives it, issues in judgments that are increasingly objective, reliable and refined in application. These judgments are rooted in particular times and places, in actual 'situations', but are not entirely hostage to specific cultures. I then apply Dewey's theory to two standard moral problems to demonstrate how it works. The conclusion is that Dewey's theory of inquiry gets it just right: it provides solid ground for criticism and moral progress while remaining acutely sensitive to cultural differences and changing circumstances.


Accurate business failure prediction models would be extremely valuable to many industry sectors, particularly in financial investment and lending. The potential value of such models has been recently emphasised by the extremely costly failure of high profile businesses in both Australia and overseas, such as HIH (Australia) and Enron (USA). Consequently, there has been a significant increase in interest in business failure prediction from both industry and academia. Statistical business failure prediction models attempt to predict the failure or success of a business. Discriminant and logit analyses have been the most popular approaches, but there are also a large number of alternative techniques available. In this paper, a comparatively new technique known as survival analysis has been used for business failure prediction. In addition, hybrid models combining survival analysis with either discriminant analysis or logit analysis were trialled, but their empirical performance was poor. Overall, the results suggest that survival analysis techniques provide more information that can be used to further the understanding of the business failure process.


Thirty-one species from Zingiberacea family were screened for their
antioxidant (FTC method), antimicrobial (disc diffusion method), and
antitumour promoting (EBV EA assay method) activities. Three species,
A lpinia zerumbet, A lpinia rfflesiana and Etlingera elatiar, were selected for
further study, based on their promising preliminary biological activities.
Five known compounds were isolatpd hom the rhizomes of Alpinia
zerumbet, namely S,6-dehydrokawain, flavokawin B, l,7-diphenyl-Shydroxy-
6-heptene-3-one, (-)-pinocembrin, and a mixture of stigmasterol
and β-sitosterol. From the fruits of Alpinia raffiesiana, seven compounds
were isolated, namely 5,6-dehydrokawain: flavokawin B, l,7-diphenyl-5-
hydroxy-6-heptene-3-one, (-)-pinocembrin, cardamonin, (-)-pinostrobin,
and 2',3',4',6' -tetrahydroxychalcone. This is the first report on the isolation
of 2',3',4',6' -tetrahydroxychalcone from Alpinia.


Purpose

The aim of this paper is to investigate the association of earnings quality with corporate performance of publicly listed firms of China and tries to provide a new explanation. Poor earnings quality is normally characterized by unhealthy profitability and/or untrue financial information, which leads to a misallocation of capital and low corporate performance. The largest emerging economy of China has experienced a fast and fluctuant growth, while the companies have been thought of low earnings quality.

Design/methodology/approach

Initial univariate and multivariate analyses are conducted using four earnings quality measures and either accounting-based corporate performance or market-based corporate performance. Further analyses apply unmanaged earnings, earnings-increase management and financially distressed firms.

Findings

The authors find that low earnings quality is associated with high corporate performance for the Chinese publicly listed firm in their sample period. Further evidence shows that earnings management is only a contributor to the negative relationship, not its main driver. They argue that the negative association of earnings quality with corporate performance is a phenomenon of a new emerging market within an economy booming period, particularly in China.

Research limitations/implications

The results and argument of this paper may not totally follow the traditional literature. But they provide a new research question that requires further studies.

Originality/value

In theoretical discussion, this paper partitions earnings quality into two components: One results from reporting accuracy and the other results from firm's operating outcome. In empirical analyses, this paper examines both accounting-based performance and market-based performance, and both managed earnings and unmanaged earnings.


Background & objective In order to survive the effects of the stress conditions, such as hypoxia and glucose starvation (GS) that exist in a tumor microenvironment, the regulatory mechanisms that control metabolism in cancer cells undergo change so that sufficient energy sources are available for proliferation, migration and invasion - thus facilitating metastasis. Via what is referred to as The Warburg Effect cancer cells primarily derive energy by metabolizing glucose through enhanced glycolysis even in the presence of an ample amount of oxygen. Thus, in principle, the non-specific cytotoxicity of traditional cancer chemotherapeutic agents will be reduced via a therapeutic strategy that targets the altered metabolism that is unique to cancer cells. Therefore, we predict that by using drugs, targeting cancer cell metabolism in combination with therapeutic strategies, which cause energy stress in cancer cells will result in a synergistic effect and enhance the likelihood of selectively killing cancer cells. Metformin, the most frequently prescribed, anti-diabetic drug has been shown to exhibit anti-cancer activity in different types of cancer cells thus supporting epidemiologic data that is suggestive that type 2 diabetic patients treated with metformin seem to be less likely to develop various types of cancers. Since angiogenesis is a key function of endothelial cells and aberrant angiogenesis is key to survival and growth of a tumor, we studied the effect of metformin on glucose-starved (GS) cancer microvascular endothelial cells with special reference to the Akt/mTOR pathway that is known to be dysregulated in many forms of cancer. Materials & methods In the present study mouse mile sven 1 vascular endothelial growth factor endothelial cells (MS1-VEGF; CRL-2460, from ATCC, USA, of micro-vascular endothelial origin) cells were subjected to GS for 48 h in the presence & absence of metformin (2 mM). Metformin treated and non-treated normal glucose (11 mM) exposed cells were used as suitable controls. MS1-VEGF cells were produced by overexpressing the primate VEGF-121 in the MS1 endothelial cell line that was derived from mice pancreatic microvasculature and immortalized with temperature sensitive SV40 large T antigen (1). These cells generate well-differentiated angiosarcomas in nude mice model (1). Following the experimental protocol cell lysates were prepared, total protein estimation was carried out and thereafter western blot analysis was performed to assess the levels of Sirt1, pAkt (S473), acetylated-p53 (K379), pmTOR (S2448), pRaptor (S792), p4E-BP1 (T36/47), pS6 (S235/236), pS6 (S240/244) and cleaved caspase-3. The band densities of the western blot images obtained were then quantified using the basic Quantity One software (Biorad, Inc. CA, USA). Trypan blue exclusion assay was carried out for cell viability analysis while MTS assay was carried out to analyze the cell proliferation status. Propidium iodide staining followed by FACS analysis on a BD LSRFortessa system (BD Biosciences, CA, USA) was performed for cell cycle analysis. All the data was analyzed using the statistical software GraphPad Prism 5.0 (GraphPad Software, Inc. CA, USA). Data is presented as mean ± SEM. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post-hoc comparisons between groups were performed by Tukey's multiple comparison tests. 'p' values less than 0.05 were considered to be statistically significant. Results Glucose starvation for 48 h in MS1-VEGF cells reduced cell proliferation and showed a significant increase in the levels of pAkt (S473) and a significant decrease in the levels of acetylated-p53 when compared to normal glucose exposed cells. mTOR is known to be phosphorylated at S2448 by Akt. The GS induced increase in the levels of pAkt (S473) can be related to the observed significant increase in the levels of pmTOR (S2448). The increase in the levels of pmTOR (S2448) also caused increase in the levels of downstream pS6 (S235/236) and pS6 (S240/244) in the glucose starved cells when compared to normal glucose exposed cells. Treatment with metformin (2 mM) for 48 h in MS1-VEGF cells subjected to GS significantly reduced cell viability. This can be related to the significant decrease in the levels of Sirt1 and pAkt (S473), which in turn would contribute to the increase in the levels of acetylated-p53 and decrease in pmTOR (S2448) levels in the metformin treated glucose starved cells when compared to non-treated glucose starved cells. Inhibition of mTOR pathway was confirmed by the significant decrease in the levels of downstream p4E-BP1 (T36/47), pS6 (S235/236) and pS6 (240/244) in metformin (2 mM) treated glucose–starved MS1-VEGF cells when compared to non-treated cells subjected to GS. In addition, the levels of pRap (S792), a negative regulator of mTOR activation, significantly increased in metformin treated glucose starved cells when compared to non-treated glucose starved cells. Inhibition of the Akt/mTOR pathway provides an explanation for the decrease in cell viability as evident by the accumulation of cells in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle. In addition to G2/M arrest, a significant decrease in the G0/G1 phase was observed while the cells in the sub-G0/G1 phase increased indicating cell death in the metformin treated glucose starved cells when compared to the non-treated glucose starved cells. The significant increases in the levels of acetylated-p53 and cleaved caspase-3 indicate that the cells have entered the apoptosis pathway. Treatment with 2 mM metformin also reversed the glucose starvation induced pro-survival autophagic response as evidenced by a decrease in the levels of LC3A-II and LC3B-II and marked reduction in the formation of LC3B stained punctae, when compared to non-treated glucose starved cells. Knockdown of AMPK revealed that this effect of metformin on GS induced autophagy is independent of AMPK. Conclusion Our findings indicate that using metformin in combination with agents that modify cancer cell metabolism (such as glycolytic inhibitors) is a therapeutic strategy that will selectively promote cancer cell death. This work was supported by the Qatar National Research Funds (QNRF): National Priorities Research Program (NPRP: 4-910-3-244, awarded to Dr. Chris R. Triggle), a Junior Scientist Research Experience Program (JSREP 03-016-3-009, awarded to Dr. Samson Mathews Samuel). We thank Ms. Aleksandra M. Liberska (Flow cytometry supervisor) and the Flow Cytometry Facility within the Microscopy Core at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar for contributing to these studies. The Core is supported by the "Biomedical Research Program at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar", a program funded by Qatar Foundation. Reference [1] Arbiser, J. L., Larsson, H., Claesson-Welsh, L., Bai, X., LaMontagne, K., Weiss, S. W., Soker, S., Flynn, E., and Brown, L. F. (2000) Overexpression of VEGF 121 in immortalized endothelial cells causes conversion to slowly growing angiosarcoma and high level expression of the VEGF receptors VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2 in vivo. Am J Pathol 156, 1469–1476.


This report summarizes the work that has been carried out as part of the FLAVIIR project, a 5 year research program looking at technologies for future unmanned air vehicles. A novel classification of aircraft product definition is utilised and a framework to estimate the life cycle cost of aircraft using the product definition is presented. The architecture to estimate the life cycle cost and the associated models are described. The acquisition costs are estimated using a hierarchical structure and a discrete simulation model is used to estimate the maintenance and operation costs. The acquisition cost model uses an object oriented approach with libraries of materials and processes integrated into the cost model. Risk analysis is performed to identify the important design parameters and uncertainty in the model. The acquisition cost model developed has the capability to estimate the costs of aircraft structures manufactured using metal-based materials as well as non-metal-based materials. The discrete event simulation model estimates the operation and maintenance costs of a fleet of aircraft using the mission characteristics, aircraft performance and the logistics data as input. The aircraft performance parameters are calculated by using aerodynamic analysis along with performance analysis models and the simulation model utilises a novel methodology to link aircraft performance with survivability analysis for estimating the maintenance costs. A framework is presented in which the cost models developed can be integrated into the conceptual design process to facilitate the comparison between different configurations. The usage of the life cycle cost framework as a decision support tool is outlined and three case studies are presented which include composites vs metals trade-off analysis, optimisation studies and web deployment for real time cost estimation. The novel contributions of this research are outlined and interesting avenues for future research that can be pursued are identified.


Economic growth and integration in Asia is rapidly increasing the global economic importance of the region. To the extent that this growth continues and is strongest in natural resource-poor Asian economies, it will add to global demand for imports of primary products, to the benefit of (especially nearby) resource-abundant countries. How will global production, consumption and trade patterns change by 2030 in the course of such economic developments and structural changes? We address this question using the GTAP model and Version 8.1 of the 2007 GTAP database, together with supplementary data from a range of sources, to support projections of the global economy from 2007 to 2030 under various scenarios. Factor endowments and real gross domestic product are assumed to grow at exogenous rates, and trade-related policies are kept unchanged to generate a core baseline, which is compared with an alternative slower growth scenario. We also consider the impact of several policy changes aimed at increasing China's agricultural self-sufficiency relative to the 2030 baseline. Policy implications for countries of the Asia-Pacific region are drawn out in the final section.


Purified nuclei isolated from mice challenged with nonlethal levels of mercury chloride (10-3M) in drinking water for 4 to 7 weeks (experimental) and from animals given deionized water (control) were fractionated and the subsequent fractions were analyzed for mercury by flameless atomic absorption. Control (active) euchromatin contained 1.75 � 0.53 micrograms of mercury per milligram of DNA. There was a 12- to 15-fold enrichment of mercury in the euchromatin fraction of challenged animals. Mercury was not detected in control (inactive) heterochromatin, and only trace levels (parts per billion) appeared in experimental heterochromatin. It seems likely that mercury can be incorporated into chromatin as a metal-protein complex, but the possibility of protein-mercury-DNA or mercury-DNA complexes within euchromatin cannot be excluded.


"From 1789 in France to 2011 in Cairo, revolutions have shaken the world. In their pursuit of social justice, revolutionaries have taken on the assembled might of monarchies, empires, and dictatorships. They have often, though not always, sparked cataclysmic violence, and have at times won miraculous victories, though at other times suffered devastating defeat. This Very Short Introduction illuminates the revolutionaries, their strategies, their successes and failures, and the ways in which revolutions continue to dominate world events and the popular imagination. Starting with the city-states of ancient Greece and Rome, Jack Goldstone traces the development of revolutions through the Renaissance and Reformation, the Enlightenment and liberal constitutional revolutions such as in America, and their opposite--the communist revolutions of the 20th century. He shows how revolutions overturned dictators in Nicaragua and Iran and brought the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, and examines the new wave of non-violent "colour" revolutions-the Philippines' Yellow Revolution, Ukraine's Orange Revolution--and the Arab Uprisings of 2011-12 that rocked the Middle East. Goldstone also sheds light on the major theories of revolution, exploring the causes of revolutionary waves, the role of revolutionary leaders, the strategies and processes of revolutionary change, and the intersection between revolutions and shifting patterns of global power. Finally, the author examines the reasons for diverse revolutionary outcomes, from democracy to civil war and authoritarian rule, and the likely future of revolution in years to come. About the Series: Oxford's Very Short Introductions series offers concise and original introductions to a wide range of subjects--from Islam to Sociology, Politics to Classics, Literary Theory to History, and Archaeology to the Bible. Not simply a textbook of definitions, each volume in this series provides trenchant and provocative--yet always balanced and complete--discussions of the central issues in a given discipline or field. Every Very Short Introduction gives a readable evolution of the subject in question, demonstrating how the subject has developed and how it has influenced society. Eventually, the series will encompass every major academic discipline, offering all students an accessible and abundant reference library. Whatever the area of study that one deems important or appealing, whatever the topic that fascinates the general reader, the Very Short Introductions series has a handy and affordable guide that will likely prove indispensable."


The focus of the case study is public participation in the local government arena. The article examines the importance of public participation in the policy process and service delivery in Atteridgeville-Saulsville from apartheid times to post-apartheid rule. As a case study, public participation in the Tshwane Metropolitan Council (previously Pretoria City Council or Stadsraad) is traced back to the establishment of this "black township" (a black location in apartheid jargon) and investigated up until 2008. Public participation during the apartheid era was based on racial division. Black people were not allowed to participate in the decision-making processes that affected their locality. Democratic government since 1994, and more so since the acceptance of the democratic constitution, Act 108 of 1996, brought about an emphasis on equal citizen participation regardless of colour, status or geographical location. The Constitution enforces the responsibility of local government to ensure public participation in decision making. In democracies local government structures are traditionally seen as government closest to the people. The term batho pele strongly implies quality service delivery to human communities as well as accountability and transparency with a "human touch". Service provision should be informed by the needs and aspirations of the local communities, extracted from the community through participation. Making use of a qualitative approach, among others face-to-face interviews, the authors explore the case under review and how those who experience local government view the service delivery flowing from current policy and practice in contrast to that of the past.


Abstract Objective To develop a set of quality criteria for patient decision support technologies (decision aids). Design and setting Two stage web based Delphi process using online rating process to enable international collaboration. Participants Individuals from four stakeholder groups (researchers, practitioners, patients, policy makers) representing 14 countries reviewed evidence summaries and rated the importance of 80 criteria in 12 quality domains ona1to9 scale. Second round participants received feedback from the first round and repeated their assessment of the 80 criteria plus three new ones. Main outcome measure Aggregate ratings for each criterion calculated using medians weighted to compensate for different numbers in stakeholder groups; criteria rated between 7 and 9 were retained. Results 212 nominated people were invited to participate. Of those invited, 122 participated in the first round (77 researchers, 21 patients, 10 practitioners, 14 policy makers); 104/122 (85%) participated in the second round. 74 of 83 criteria were retained in the following domains: systematic development process (9/9 criteria); providing information about options (13/13); presenting probabilities (11/13); clarifying and expressing values (3/3); using patient stories (2/5); guiding/coaching (3/5); disclosing conflicts of interest (5/5); providing internet access (6/6); balanced presentation of options (3/3); using plain language (4/6); basing information on up to date evidence (7/7); and establishing effectiveness (8/8). Conclusions Criteria were given the highest ratings where evidence existed, and these were retained. Gaps in research were highlighted. Developers, users, and purchasers of patient decision aids now have a checklist for appraising quality. An instrument for measuring quality of decision aids is being developed.


Human immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV) whose full-blown period is called acquired immunity deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is today a terminal disease. While one weakens the body hormones, the other comes to claim the life with its accompanying opportunistic diseases. Several factors have been reviewed to be causing the infection and its prevalence as well as its socio-economic, scientific and cultural dimensions. The cost implication of this ailment is enormous when considered from individual, national or global perspective, especially when the cost of treatment and the cost of the disability adjusted life years (DALYs) lost to incapacitation from HIV/AIDS is considered. This study has investigated the financial implications of treatment and the DALYs lost to HIV/AIDS from the perspective of sub-Saharan Africa covering thirty-five countries. Infected population of age 15-49 years were considered, being the active life year age group. Applying Morrow's DALYs measurement, and Ainsworth's per capita general rule method of costing HIV/AIDS, it was found that the cost of treatment of HIV/AIDS in any country depends on her economic strength on the one hand and the size of the infected population on the other, to the extent that no country spends or loses less than 3 percent of her national income on treatment and to DALYs. To any country, the financial cost of the DALYs lost to HIV/AIDS is much more than the cost of treatment per episode, mostly huge enough to develop a sector of the country's economy. However, a single recommendation could be difficult as individual countries experience different effect, but different countries must pursue long-run anti-prevalence policies individually and as economic region or bloc.