The objectives of this study were to identify the types of risks mitigated by the Kenyan insurers, mitigation strategies and techniques adopted, and the challenges facing the insurers i~ risk mitigation process. This was an exploratory study, hence survey methods were used to identify the risks in the Kenya's insurance sub-sector and the techniques available for managing them. The target population included all the 43 licensed insurers in Kenya. Primary data was collected using self-administered questionnaires and data analyzed with the help of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) using descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages, mean score and standard deviations. The Kenyan insurance industry was mainly found to be vulnerable to economic risks and legal risks. However, the industry was also affected by political risks, technological risks, sociocultural risks and geographical risks to a moderate extent. These were mainly mitigated using, risk avoidance, risk retention, risk transfer and risk reduction techniques. The main challenges faced by the firms in risk mitigation included lack of appropriate risk identification tools, lack of the right human resources, lack of top management support, inability to understand the nature and implication of risks, budgetary constraints and inability of sustaining mitigation strategy. Towards ensuring sustainability in the industry, the study indicated an urgent need for the insurance firms to frequently train their staff on risk mitigation process, empower risk managers, identify and train internal risk experts, and provide adequate budgetary allocations for risk mitigation.


In this text we are interested in the preconditions for, and opportunities provided by sustainable development at local level in non-metropolitan areas, i. e., in rural areas and villages. These areas are generally seen as having an important role in achieving sustainability. The literature review highlights the general principles of endogenous development with an emphasis on local resources including human potential and social capital, and the Czech context. In practice, the empowerment and cooperation of regional actors is crucial for the sustainable transition of rural areas; an analysis of the local situation was thus conducted from the perspective of social capital. Research primarily questioned the role of local actors in different areas related to sustainable development, their relationships and involvement in sustainability processes, as well as deficiencies in social conditions creating barriers to sustainable development. The research methods selected to answer these questions reflected the context-specific, scientifically-overlooked character of the theme of this research where emerging phenomena were at the center of our interest. A survey conducted with representatives of the National Network of Local Action Groups (LAGs) mapped the situation in 50 (out of 180) LAGs in the Czech Republic (28 % of the total number). Data were analyzed quantitatively (single and multiple-choice questions), in combination with qualitative methods which were used to transform and aggregate responses into conceptual categories which were monitored for frequency (to observe majority opinion). The diversity of local actors, their relationships and roles in the sustainable development processes was thus illustrated. A snapshot of actors' current involvement in specific areas of sustainable development was compared with their potential involvement in these areas illustrating the importance of social capital which is not always recognized in relevant policy documents. The engagement of these diverse actors in sustainability transition processes is less evident: in most of the categories of change, the role of public administration prevails. According to the respondents, these changes that would ensure a sustainable future of the regions are often not taking place. While some of these findings may be specific to geographically-defined regional conditions and the Czech historical context, the research raised theoretically relevant questions concerning the role of social capital in sustainability processes.


Abstract. We describe and validate a Monte Carlo model to track photons over the full range of solar wavelengths as they travel into optically thick bubbled ice. The model considers surface effects, scattering by bubbles and spectral absorption due to the ice. Using representative Antarctic ice bubble radii and number concentrations we calculate spectral albedos and spectrally-integrated downwelling and upwelling radiative fluxes as a function of depth and find there is a marked subsurface enhancement in both the downwelling and upwelling fluxes relative to the incidence irradiance. This is due to the interaction between the refractive air-ice interface and the highly scattering interior and is particularly notable at blue and UV wavelengths which correspond to the minimum of the absorption spectrum of ice. A subsurface peak is also observed in the available radiative flux at depths of ~ 1 cm, and consequently the attenuation is more complex than can be described by a simple Lambert-Beer style exponential decay law. We find a moderate dependence on the solar zenith angle and surface conditions such as altitude and cloud optical depth. For macroscopic absorbing inclusions we observe geometry- and size- dependent self-shadowing that reduces the fractional irradiance incident on the inclusion's surface. Despite this the inclusions are subject to fluxes that are several times the magnitude of the single scattering contribution and act as local photon sinks. Such enhancement may have consequences for the energy budget in regions of the cryosphere where particulates are present near the surface. These results also have particular relevance to measurements of the internal radiation field: account must be taken of both self-shadowing and the optical effect of introducing the detector.


During 2013, the Chilean fishing law was amended to incorporate, among other changes, the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) as target reference point for managing fishery resources. This mandate triggered the estimation of MSY-based reference points (RPs) in each fishery subject to catch limits in Chile. Recent investigations indicate that production models provide MSY-based RPs, which are predicted only by using the steepness of the stock-recruitment relationship ( h ). In this paper, we compare predicted MSY-based RPs using production models with estimates from an age-structured per-recruit model for eleven demersal stocks harvested in Chile.


The incidence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) among military personnel is at its highest point in U.S. history. Experimental animal models of blast have provided a wealth of insight into blast injury. The mechanisms of neurotrauma caused by blast, however, are still under debate. Specifically, it is unclear whether the blast shockwave in the absence of head motion is sufficient to induce brain trauma. In this study, the consequences of blast injury were investigated in a rat model of primary blast TBI. Animals were exposed to blast shockwaves with peak reflected overpressures of either 100 or 450 kPa (39 and 110 kPa incident pressure, respectively) and subsequently underwent a battery of behavioral tests. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), a promising method to detect blast injury in humans, was performed on fixed brains to detect and visualize the spatial dependence of blast injury. Blast TBI caused significant deficits in memory function as evidenced by the Morris Water Maze, but limited emotional deficits as evidenced by the Open Field Test and Elevated Plus Maze. Fractional anisotropy, a metric derived from DTI, revealed significant brain abnormalities in blast-exposed animals. A significant relationship between memory deficits and brain microstructure was evident in the hippocampus, consistent with its role in memory function. The results provide fundamental insight into the neurological consequences of blast TBI, including the evolution of injury during the sub-acute phase and the spatially dependent pattern of injury. The relationship between memory dysfunction and microstructural brain abnormalities may provide insight into the persistent cognitive difficulties experienced by soldiers exposed to blast neurotrauma and may be important to guide therapeutic and rehabilitative efforts.


Several beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) and their fungal associates cause severe damage to lodgepole pine in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The fungal diversity from the surface of two bark beetle species, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins (mountain pine beetle) and Ips pini Say (pine engraver), was surveyed using cultural and molecular methods. Nine fungal taxa were recognised by morphological characterizations. All nine taxa were isolated from the mountain pine beetle whereas only seven of the nine taxa were isolated from the pine engraver. The identification was based on cultural morphology and high sequence similarities of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and large subunit ribosomal DNA (LSU rDNA) region to sequences of known fungi. Fungal ITS regions were amplified from DNA directly extracted from the beetle surface. The PCR products were cloned and 250 clones were classified by their restriction pattern with HaeIII and RsaI. A total of 26 RFLP types were identified and subsequently sequenced. Among them, 15 RFLP types were identified as being present in mountain pine beetle and 14 were present in pine engraver. Sequence analysis of the RFLP types showed that 23 ascomycetes and 3 basidiomycetes were represented in the clone libraries, whereas the isolates from the cultural method represented 7 ascomycetes and 2 basidiomycetes. We found that yeast and non-staining filamentous Euascomycetes fungi were detected efficiently using a molecular approach, while the major sapstaining fungi and decay fungi were best detected using cultural methods.


Introduction: Gingers, belonging to the family Zingiberaceae, are popularly known for their beneficial uses in medicine and culinary applications. Aim: This study was conducted to evaluate the DPPH radical scavenging activity of the leaves and rhizomes of Zingiber officinale Rosc., Curcuma longa L., and Etlingera elatior (Jack) R.M. Smith. Methods: The plant samples were collected from Bukidnon, Mindanao, Philippines. Both water and ethanolic extracts were prepared separately from its leaves and rhizomes. The extracts were subjected to the determination of DPPH radical scavenging activity relative to ascorbic acid. Results and Discussion: Leaves, in general, had higher radical scavenging activity in water than in ethanol extracts. On the other hand, rhizomes had generally higher radical scavenging activity in ethanol than in water extracts except for E. elatior. Among the leaf extracts, E. elatior possessed the highest radical scavenging activity. In both water and ethanol, E. elatior displayed higher radical scavenging activity in its leaves that its rhizomes. Conclusion: Findings of this study suggest the potential of E. elatior leaves as source of antioxidants.


With increasing recognition holding the promise of overcoming the outstanding problems faced by African agriculture, IAR4D faces the danger of being 'blurred' by past approaches and falling short of its potential to deliver the desired impacts in diverse multi-stakeholder, biophysical, socio-economic, cultural, technological and market contexts unless its actualisation and working is clearly understood. In this paper, we present the conceptualisation and principles of and knowledge-based experiences and lessons from the implementation of the sub-Saharan Africa Challenge Programme (SSACP) in the Lake Kivu Pilot Learning Site (LKPLS). The presentation covers the formation and facilitation of IPs for the actualisation of IAR4D to evolve mechanisms for the early recognition of interlinked issues in natural resource management, productivity and value addition technologies, markets, gender and policy arrangements. These have autonomously triggered flexible, locally directed interactions to innovate options from within or outside their environment for resolving the challenges, and have moved along a new institutional and technological change trajectory. Emerging lessons point to the endowment of IP members with selfhelp knowledge interactions, training in IAR4D, quality of facilitation and research to be key determinants of the power behind of self-regulating mechanisms.


Morinda citrifolia L. belongs to the family of Rubiaceae and is known as "mengkudu" in Indonesia. The decoction of the leaf of Morinda citrifolia has been used traditionally as an anthelmintic and a laxative. In this research, these two activities of the decoction of "mengkudu" leaves were investigated in experimental pharmacology based on the traditional use of this herbal medicine. The anthelmintic activity was tested by using Ascaris suum (an intestinal worm parasite) obtained from pig intestine and the laxative activity was investigated on male Swiss Webster mice. Both activities were compared with those of the reference medicines, piperazine citrate and istizin, respectively. The results showed that a decoct of 20% "mengkudu" leaves in vitro could significantly paralyze 80% of Ascaris suum worms and in a dose of 25 ml/kg body-weight of mouse showed a significant laxative effect. These two activities support the use of "mengkudu" leaves in the therapy of worm parasites, as an anthelmintic to paralyse the worm and then to remove them from the intestine by its laxative effect. These two activities in one herbal medicine ( Morinda citrifolia L. leaves) can be used for one therapy of worm infection.


Coming from applied research in the domain of Marine Safety & Security, the high-level design for a comprehensive decision making component, called Decision Engine, is presented. This Decision Engine provides an architectural model and algorithmic framework for the management of the decision making process in dynamic environments within the presence of uncertainty, including replanning, plan changing, plan auditing, and execution monitoring. At the heart of this is a hybrid Hierarchical Task Network planner, which is able to draw upon the capabilities of specialized sub-planners where appropriate.


This article describes the design of knowledge and skill-based pay systems for K-12 teachers in six U.S. school districts and one charter school. Based on a theory of action that relates knowledge and skill- based pay systems to improvements in instruction, and the expectancy theory of motivation, seven dimensions for comparison are identified and the systems are compared based on these dimensions. While there were a variety of reasons for designing new pay systems, similarities included that teachers were involved in the design processes, and that the knowledge and skills rewarded are more closely related to instruction than in the traditional salary schedule (though none of the systems placed heavy emphasis on content-specific pedagogy). Most systems made use of existing standards or definitions of good teaching, such as the Framework for Teaching (Danielson, 1996). While most of the systems involved performance-based assessments of teacher skills, in no case were seniority and graduate degrees eliminated as a basis for pay progression. Few of the programs had developed a coordinated professional development program specifically linked to the knowledge and skills rewarded by the new pay system. Implications for policy makers and system designers are drawn.


Designers of GUI applications typically arrange commands in hierarchical structures, such as menus, due to screen space limitations. However, hierarchical organisations are known to slow down expert users. This paper proposes the use of spatial memory in combination with hierarchy flattening as a means of improving GUI performance. We demonstrate these concepts through the design of a command selection interface, called CommandMaps, and analyse its theoretical performance characteristics. We then describe two studies evaluating CommandMaps against menus and Microsoft's Ribbon interface for both novice and experienced users. Results show that for novice users, there is no significant performance difference between CommandMaps and traditional interfaces -- but for experienced users, CommandMaps are significantly faster than both menus and the Ribbon.


ABSTRACT The American way of war in Afghanistan presents a conundrum for proponents of 21st-century state-building projects. How can liberal peace proponents engage in efficient state building without sacrificing their ideals? The US learned that state-building allocates a degree of command and control to powerbrokers operating in the shadows to launder aid money, traffic illicit narcotics, and engage in extrajudicial punishments. These clients failed to represent the liberal values foreign patrons endorsed, because the latter not only offered resources without conditions but also rewarded bad behavior. This issue is examined by looking at the case of post-2001 northern Afghanistan, where powerful warlords should have held greater control over their paramilitary forces, limited predatory behavior, and built stronger relationships with the community. Instead, warlords-turned-statesmen expanded their material and social influence in the north, while holding onto the informal instruments of racketeering and patronage that overwhelmed Western ideals and shaped the predatory state present in Afghanistan today. Moreover, paramilitaries were influenced by material, social, and normative incentives that rewarded violent and predatory behavior and further eroded already weak community control mechanisms at the subdistrict level.


How does gentrification transform neighborhoods? Gentrification can harm current residents by increasing rental costs and by eliminating old amenities, including distinctive local stores. Rising rents represent redistribution from tenants to landlords and can therefore be offset with targeted transfers, but the destruction of neighborhood character can – in principle – reduce overall social surplus. Using Census and Yelp data from five cities, we document that while gentrification is associated with an increase in the number of retail establishments overall, it is also associated with higher rates of business closure and higher rates of transition to higher price points. In Chicago and Los Angeles especially, non-gentrifying poorer communities have dramatically lower turnover than richer or gentrifying communities. However, the primary transitions appear to the replacement of stores that sell tradable goods with stores that sell non-tradable services. That transition just seems to be slower in poor communities that do not gentrify. Consequently, the business closures that come with gentrification seem to reflect the global impact of electronic commerce more than the replacement of idiosyncratic neighborhood services with generic luxury goods.


The Maroteaux-Lamy disease or mucopolysaccharidosis type VI is an inherited severe metabolic disorder which is very rare. It is caused by a deficiency of the enzyme Arylsulfatase B and characterized by a heterogeneous clinical, radiological and genetic presentation. We report a case of Maroteaux-Lamy syndrome in a child aged 9 years whose diagnosis was suspected clinically by the combination of a dysmorphic syndrome, prominent ophthalmological signs, hepatomegaly and normal intelligence.


The study focused on the effectiveness o f Closed Circuit Television Cameras (CCTV) in Urban Crime Management in the Central Business District (CBD) of Nairobi. The objective o f the study was to explore the extent and effectiveness of CCTV Cameras in alleviating insecurity within Nairobi Central Business District. The theoretical framework looked into the location theory, routine activities theory, situation crime prevention theory and crime prevention through environmental design to understand how crime manifests itself and crime prevention measures adopted. The conceptual framework looked into the Location, Institutional Framework. Resources, Government Policy, Societal value systems, Community participation and Integrated Centralized Surveillance System that makes CCTV system effective in an urban environment. The Methodology used involved CCTV observation. Stratified random sampling of four Strata namely; Institutions/Businesses. Hotels, Supermarkets and Small Business Enterprise using CCTV Cameras. Interviews Schedule was used to interview Administrators. ICT Experts in installation o f CCTV Cameras, Law Enforcement agents and urban planners from City Council ofNairobi. The study found out that 92.9% of the total respondents had installed CCTV cameras inside the buildings to offer surveillance inside the buildings. Those connected outside are mainly used to monitor traffic with a few located in strategic areas for crime prevention. 85.7% of the respondents indicated that CCTV cameras were effective where installed and location and coverage of cameras being a critical component. The study recommends the installation of CCTV cameras on the streets for crime prevention. There is also the need to involve all stakeholders including community participation to ensure project sustainability. Finally there is an urgent need for the government to come up with policy guidelines which sets out standards and conditions to be adopted in the operation of CCTV cameras schemes.


The HOMESERVICE project studies services that are offered to residents at their home either directly by or via the housing provider and effect sustainable development positively. The key idea behind the Homeservice project is that sustainable development can be stimulated by the introduction and use of more sustainable services at home. Previous studies indicate that consumers must be able to use such services as conveniently as possible; therefore the services should be offered to consumers at their homes. Competition in the housing market is increasing. This challenge can be met in various ways. One possibility is to supply extra homeservices to the residents. Therefore the project focuses on the residents, the housings organisations and the service providers. The project searches market niches for homeservices in seven service areas: consulting and information, care and supervision, leisure time services/activities, repairs, mobility and delivery, safety and security, supply and disposal. Why offer other, more than the core business, services in the first place? The benefits for residents relate to more comfort and the reduction of costs (e.g. via energy and water savings). The benefits of housing organisations relate to improved customers satisfaction, long-term continuation of the company and improved image. Improved image can make the housing provider more attractive in the eyes of the existing and potential residents. Consequently it stimulates longer tenancies and thus reduce changeover of residents. Furthermore, a good image appeals to better segments of the tenant market. Lat but not least, thinking beyond direct business benefits, the service orientation is one practical way of taking responsibility of society (by providing more jobs), residents, and the environment. Sustainable homeservices may offer competitive advantage for real estate services.


The archaeological record of Wallacea remains exceptionally fragmentary. This is especially the case for late Holocene human occupation of the region when lifestyle and culture in marginal island environments is relatively unknown. Here we report on the archaeology of Jareng Bori rockshelter, a Metal-Age site spanning c. 1800 cal. BP up to the late historic period and situated on the eastern coast of Pantar Island in the Lesser Sunda Islands of eastern Indonesia. We use osteoarchaeological (human and vertebrate remains), invertebrate zooarchaeological (crustacean and molluscan remains), technological (lithics, shell, and pottery) and chemical sourcing (obsidian and metal) datasets to discuss networking, migration, and human subsistence strategies during this recent period of history. While some communities were no doubt living in open village settlements where they were producing pottery, the data indicate that aspects of maritime life-ways continued much as in earlier Pleistocene settlements, with people using rockshelters like Jareng Bori to pursue a range of subsistence activities focused on the shoreline. Shellfishing of rocky and reef intertidal species and fishing for mostly small herbivorous and omnivorous fishes was practised, while domestic animals only appear in the late historic period. Wider regional cultural interactions and networking are epitomized by obsidian exchange, dental modification practices, and pottery decorations, while lithic analyses indicates continuity of stone tool technology up until recent times.


Cite this article: Chougule NB, Nitve SA, Koumaravelou K. Phytochemical Investigation and Screening for Inflammatory Bowel Disease Activity of Ethanolic Extract of Kariyat. Pharmacog J. 2018;10(3):602-10. ABSTRACT Objectives: The present study investigates the protective effect of Kariyat against Indomethacin and Acetic Acid induced Inflammatory Bowel Disease in male wistar rats. Material Method: HPTLC and GC-MS investigations indicated presence of steroid, phenols, terpenoid, alkaloids, saponine, flavonoids. IBD was induced by administration of Indomethacin (7.5 mg/kg b.w. S.c.), Acetic Acid (4% v/v). Two different models used to induce IBD named Indomethacin induces enter colitis and Acetic Acid induces enter colitis in case of Indomethacin induces enter colitis the compromises 5 groups (n=6), normal, control, standard treated (Prednisolone 2 mg/kg p.o.), KEE treated (100 mg/kg b.w.), KEE treated (200 mg/kg b.w.) in case of Acetic Acid induces colitis the compromises 5 groups (n=6), normal, control, standard treated (Prednisolone 2 mg/kg p.o.), KEE treated (100 mg/kg b.w.), KEE treated (200 mg/kg b.w.). After treatment of 7 days animals were sacrificed and colon was isolated for macroscopic and microscopic studies. Quantification of inflammation was done by using myeloperoxidase assay (MPO), Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), Lipid peroxidase (LPO). Result: Evaluation based on macroscopic features showed significantly lower score values for drug treated and standard drug treated groups compared to the disease control groups. Histological examination of disease control group showed massive necrosis of the mucosa and sub mucosa. Drug treated group showed mild lesions, regeneration and inflammatory reaction. The Prednisolone treated group showed suppressed inflammatory reaction. The results observed from MPO, LDH and LPO assays showed significant improvement of disease with extract treated groups compared to disease control group. Histopathological examination of Kariyat treated group revealed less damage compared to Indomethacin and Acetic Acid Induced group. Conclusion: Kariyat have shown to be effective in Indomethacin and Acetic Acid induced colitis in rats, which has protected the animals against experimentally induced disease because of its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity.


Two studies examined how disposition theory-based morality subcultures predict the acceptance and appeal of violence. Study 1 used groups formed by median splits of individual difference variables (religiosity, aggression, and sex) thought to be trait correlates of morality subcultures in three 2 × 2 × 2 designs varying trait, perpetrator disposition (positive, negative), and motive (justified, unjustified) to predict the acceptance of violence in story resolutions for a scenario. Study 2 extended this design using domain-specific dimensions of morality from moral foundations theory (MFT) to predict perceptions of violent content and its appeal. The results suggest that morality subcultures predict response to violent drama and that dimensions of morality based on MFT offer a framework for defining morality subcultures. © 2012 International Communication Association.


This timely book examines the authorization of Shari'ah-compliant intermediaries as either credit institutions or as investment companies in the European Union.


Consuming a Mediterranean diet rich in minimally processed plant foods has been associated with a reduced risk of developing multiple chronic diseases and increased life expectancy. Data from several randomized clinic trials have demonstrated a beneficial effect in the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, atrial fibrillation, and breast cancer. The exact mechanism by which an increased adherence to the traditional Mediterranean diet exerts its favorable effects is not known. However, accumulating evidence indicates that the five most important adaptations induced by the Mediterranean dietary pattern are: (a) lipid-lowering effect, (b) protection against oxidative stress, inflammation and platelet aggregation, (c) modification of hormones and growth factors involved in the pathogenesis of cancer, (d) inhibition of nutrient sensing pathways by specific amino acid restriction, and (e) gut microbiota-mediated production of metabolites influencing metabolic health. More studies are needed to understand how single modifications of nutrients typical of the Mediterranean diet interact with energy intake, energy expenditure, and the microbiome in modulating the key mechanisms that promote cellular, tissue, and organ health during aging.


This capstone focuses on the effects of the white, euro-centric dominant curriculum on Latina youth from immigrant families and how that affects their identity development. It is of high importance to incorporate diversity into curriculum today. Oftentimes, students who are diverse from the norm are not being reached by teachers. These students are typically of color, of lower socioeconomic status, have varying English proficiency, and a different country of origin. Their lived experiences are different from the history we teach in schools. This discussion will demonstrate the need for multicultural curriculum reform and its impact on identity development. Through a wide array of research regarding identity development among Latina youth, I focus on the effects of educators, family, and society on their identity development. Using James Banks' (1993) Five Dimensions of Multiculturalism, I will discuss how the dimensions relate with the specific factors of identity development. This overlap demonstrates the importance of implementing a multicultural curriculum, as it shows how more students are positively affected. One such way to achieve this is through employing immigrant narratives that highlight essential features of transition and negotiation, which I discuss as a specific strategy. I highlight the benefits of employing immigrant narratives in order to support positive identity development among Latina youth. Finally, I discuss the real-world events that support the need for a multicultural education reform. Today's social and political climate evidence a time of heated discourse that have various impact on students. This evidences a need for changing the way other cultures are discussed, valued, and represented throughout society.


As academia in general, and research funders in particular, place ever greater importance on data as an output of research, so the value of good research data management practices becomes ever more apparent. In response to this, the Innovative Design and Manufacturing Research Centre (IdMRC) at the University of Bath, UK, with funding from the JISC, ran a project to draw up a data management planning regime. In carrying out this task, the ERIM (Engineering Research Information Management) Project devised a visual method of mapping out the data records produced in the course of research, along with the associations between them. This method, called Research Activity Information Development (RAID) Modelling, is based on the Unified Modelling Language (UML) for portability. It is offered to the wider research community as an intuitive way for researchers both to keep track of their own data and to communicate this understanding to others who may wish to validate the findings or re-use the data.


The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is known as the efficiency-limiting step for the electrochemical cleavage of water mainly due to the large overpotentials commonly used materials on the anode side cause. Since Ni–Fe oxides reduce overpotentials occurring in the OER dramatically they are regarded as anode materials of choice for the electrocatalytically driven water-splitting reaction. We herewith show that a straightforward surface modification carried out with AISI 304, a general purpose austenitic stainless steel, very likely, based upon a dissolution mechanism, to result in the formation of an ultra-thin layer consisting of Ni, Fe oxide with a purity >99%. The Ni enriched thin layer firmly attached to the steel substrate is responsible for the unusual highly efficient anodic conversion of water into oxygen as demonstrated by the low overpotential of 212 mV at 12 mA cm−2 current density in 1 M KOH, 269.2 mV at 10 mA cm−2 current density in 0.1 M KOH respectively. The Ni, Fe-oxide layer formed on the steel creates a stable outer sphere, and the surface oxidized steel samples proved to be inert against longer operating times (>150 ks) in alkaline medium. In addition Faradaic efficiency measurements performed through chronopotentiometry revealed a charge to oxygen conversion close to 100%, thus underpinning the conclusion that no "inner oxidation" based on further oxidation of the metal matrix below the oxide layer occurs. These key figures achieved with an almost unrivalled-inexpensive and unrivalled-accessible material, are among the best ever presented activity characteristics for the anodic water-splitting reaction at pH 13.


Altered metabolism of cancer cells provides new therapeutic strategies for anticancer treatment. Cancer cells preferentially select glycolysis and lactic acid fermentation for their metabolic requirements, even in the presence of sufficient oxygen. Targeting cancer cell metabolism gave promising results as the treatments are offering therapeutic selectivity in the name of killing cancer cells more effectively while sparing normal cells. Coupling glycolysis inhibition with chemotherapy is one of the new strategies against cancer. In this thesis, we have studied with colon cancer cell lines HCT 116 WT, p53-/- and Bax-/-. Glycolysis inhibition was achieved with a glucose analog, 2-Deoxyglucose (2-DG) which is at the stage of clinical trials. Cisplatin and TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (Killer TRAIL) were selected as anticancer agents. Pretreatment of 2-DG prior to cisplatin and Killer TRAIL treatment sensitized the cells to apoptotic cell death induced by these anticancer agents and increased cell death numbers. We observed several mechanisms to this sensitization effect. 2-DG sensitizes the cells to cisplatin and Killer TRAIL-induced apoptosis via downregulation of a crucial antiapoptotic protein Mcl-1, belonging to the Bcl-2 protein family. ATP depletion due to inhibition of glycolysis and cell cycle arrest are other contributing mechanisms. 2-DG also caused activation of energy biosensor AMPK and inhibition of cell growth and protein synthesis regulator mTOR. For a detailed analysis of 2-DG's effects on the gene level, RNA microarray study was conducted. The results of this study harmonized with the data indicated.


Objectives To investigate the role of liver X receptors (LXRs) in experimental skin fibrosis and evaluate their potential as novel antifibrotic targets. Methods We studied the role of LXRs in bleomycin-induced skin fibrosis, in the model of sclerodermatous graft-versus-host disease (sclGvHD) and in tight skin-1 (Tsk-1) mice, reflecting different subtypes of fibrotic disease. We examined both LXR isoforms using LXRα-, LXRβ- and LXR-α/β-double-knockout mice. Finally, we investigated the effects of LXRs on fibroblasts and macrophages to establish the antifibrotic mode of action of LXRs. Results LXR activation by the agonist T0901317 had antifibrotic effects in bleomycin-induced skin fibrosis, in the sclGvHD model and in Tsk-1 mice. The antifibrotic activity of LXRs was particularly prominent in the inflammation-driven bleomycin and sclGvHD models. LXRα-, LXRβ- and LXRα/β-double-knockout mice showed a similar response to bleomycin as wildtype animals. Low levels of the LXR target gene ABCA-1 in the skin of bleomycin-challenged and control mice suggested a low baseline activation of the antifibrotic LXR signalling, which, however, could be specifically activated by T0901317. Fibroblasts were not the direct target cells of LXRs agonists, but LXR activation inhibited fibrosis by interfering with infiltration of macrophages and their release of the pro-fibrotic interleukin-6. Conclusions We identified LXRs as novel targets for antifibrotic therapies, a yet unknown aspect of these nuclear receptors. Our data suggest that LXR activation might be particularly effective in patients with inflammatory disease subtypes. Activation of LXRs interfered with the release of interleukin-6 from macrophages and, thus, inhibited fibroblast activation and collagen release.


Undocumented workers typically work in some of the lowest-paying and most dangerous jobs in the country. Although they experience abnormally high workplace injury rates, undocumented employees injured on the job rarely enforce their workplace rights due to fear of employer retaliation and possible deportation. The Supreme Court's decision in Hoffman Plastic Compounds made the situation for injured undocumented workers even worse by creating a legal basis for employers to demand discovery of a complainant-worker's immigration status, leading to a grave chilling effect on undocumented workers' willingness to enforce their workplace rights. This Note argues that current tools used to protect undocumented workers from such intrusive discovery demands - such as protective orders and invocation of the Fifth Amendment - do not sufficiently deter employers from retaliating against their injured workers. This Note thus calls for greater use of retaliation claims under both federal and state laws and, more specifically, the development of a retaliation per se rule, which would make inquiry into a worker's immigration status at any point after injury a per se violation of the anti-retaliation provisions in federal labor laws. I. Introduction Undocumented workers in the United States have become an increasingly hot topic of discussion and debate. This debate is due in part to the recent economic recession1 and the significant increase in the undocumented population in the United States in the last dozen years,2 which have in turn sparked the passage of anti-immigrant bills and laws in various states across the country,3 most notably S. B. 1070 in Arizona.4 There are about eight million undocumented workers in the United States, most of whom work in the construction, agriculture, manufacturing, and food preparation industries.5 Undocumented workers are mostly low-wage workers employed in the lowest-paying jobs in the country;6 about four million undocumented workers are low-wage workers making less than twice the minimum wage.7 Due to their undocumented status and their economic desperation,8 these immigrants work in some of the most dangerous jobs in the country.9 For example, a 1996 survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor ("DOL") determined that nearly half of the garment-manufacturing businesses in New York City - businesses that employ high numbers of undocumented immigrants - could be characterized as sweatshops.10 An increasing number of undocumented workers are also employed in the construction industry,11 one of the most dangerous industries in the country and the industry with the highest fatal injury rate of any industry in the private sector.12 Finally, low-wage undocumented workers are increasingly working in the meatpacking industry,13 an industry in which approximately twenty-five percent of employees report suffering from work-related illness or injury - although the actual rate is likely even higher when one accounts for the industry's systematic underreporting of health and safety violations.14 These dangerous working conditions translate into high rates of workplace injury and death. To truly grasp the urgency of the situation, it is helpful to look at some of the injury and death rates for low-income Latino workers; looking at this demographies injury and fatality rates underscores how perilous working conditions are for undocumented workers in general (most of whom are Latino).15 While the overall number of workplace fatalities dropped between 1992 and 2002, the number of fatalities for foreign-born workers increased by forty-six percent and the number of workplace fatalities among Latinos specifically increased by an astonishing fifty-eight percent.16 In the construction industry alone Latino workers in 2000 "were nearly twice as likely to be killed by occupational injuries" than their non-Latino counterparts.17 This trend continues: a 2007 survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics determined that there had been a seventy-six percent increase in the number of Latino worker deaths since 1992, even though the total number of workplace fatalities during this period declined. …


Lung cancer is the most common form of the disease and the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for approximately 80-85% of all lung cancers. Forty percent of all cases present with stage III, and many of them are considered inoperable (staged IIIA with mediastinal lymph node involvement) or stage IIIB disease. Concurrent platinum-based chemotherapy and thoracic radiation has demonstrated survival benefits in these patients. We review the role of new target agents in combination with radiotherapy in stage III NSCLC. Antiangiogenics improve tumor oxygenation thereby improving the therapeutic efficacy of irradiation in models. Bevacizumab in combination with thoracic radiation has shown high toxicity. However, other antiangiogenic agents are more promising. Radiation activates epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathways, inducing radioresistance, cell proliferation and enhanced DNA repair. After promising data from preclinical models and early clinical trials, cetuximab did not show any benefit in a recent phase III trial. Panitumumab and nimotuzumab are under evaluation. Gefitinib has been investigated in combination with radiotherapy for unresectable stage III NSCLC, but results in maintenance treatment after chemoradiotherapy were not encouraging. Erlotinib has also been tested in a phase II trial with chemoradiotherapy. Other new pathways and agents are being studied, such as m-TOR pathway, bortezomib, heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) inhibition, histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACS), aurora kinases, mitogen activated protein kinases (MARK) and PARP inhibitors.


Introduction: The purpose of this study was to improve communication skills and knowledge of bioethics of last year medical students doing clerkship and to evaluate the effectiveness of using workshops for this purpose from students' point of view, in order to continue such programs in future. Methods: After Ethical approval for the study a two-day workshop on teaching effective communication skills and principles of medical ethics was planned and conducted by the department of Medical Education through multidisciplinary faculty of Foundation University Medical College, Pakistan. A total of 102 last year medical students participated in this workshop. The students were divided into 8 groups each containing 12 students. A team of pre trained facilitators for each group conducted the group activities. Teaching strategies including interactive discussions on basic principles of doctor-patient relationship, power point presentations, day to day case scenarios, video clips and presentations involving students in role plays were used. Pre and post workshop self evaluation proformas about knowledge and skills of communication and medical ethics were rated (0=none, 1=below average, 2=average, 3=above average, 4=very good, 5=excellent) by the students. Results: 89 out of 102 participants returned the proformas. A significant percentage of students (%82) showed improvement in their knowledge and skills of appreciating bioethical issues like valid informed consent, patient confidentiality, end of life issues and breaking bad news by rating as "very good" after participation in the workshop. More than %70 students recommended this activity for other students. Conclusion: Teaching through interactive workshops was found to be an effective method as reflected by students' feedback. Therefore, the program will be continued in future.


Background. ISATX247 is a novel calcineurin inhibitor that has shown more potency than cyclosporine in vitro. This is the first study to compare the survival times of renal allografts in nonhuman primates treated with either ISATX247 or cyclosporine. Methods. Adult, male cynomolgus monkeys were divided into blood-group compatible and mixed-lymphocyte, stimulation-mismatched, donor-recipient pairs. Heterotopic renal transplantation and bilateral native nephrectomies were performed. The monkeys were placed into either an ISATX247 or cyclosporine treatment group. Both groups were dosed twice daily to maintain a 12-hour drug-trough level of 150 ng/mL. Whole-blood concentrations of ISATX247 and cyclosporine, complete blood counts, and serum chemistry profiles were performed three times a week. Euthanasia was performed if the serum creatinine concentration became 7 or more mg/dL or a serious complication developed. Results. The group receiving ISATX247 (n=8) survived significantly (P=0.0036) longer than the group receiving cyclosporine (n=7). The mean trough blood concentration of ISATX247 was 120±32 ng/mL and cyclosporine was 189±130 ng/mL. The average area under the curve0–12 for ISATX247 was 6045±1679 ng/mL/hr and for cyclosporine was 4919±823 ng/mL/hr. The average calcineurin inhibition at trough blood concentrations was 80±11% for ISATX247 and 48±12% for cyclosporine. Conclusions. Allografts in monkeys treated with ISATX247 survived significantly longer than those treated with cyclosporine. On the basis of survival times and degree of calcineurin inhibition, ISATX247 is a more potent immunosuppressive agent than cyclosporine in this nonhuman primate model of renal-allograft transplantation.


In this study, the histopathological changes caused by Montivipera xanthina venom to rat skin, skeletal muscle, and liver tissue were analysed by light microscope. The venom (approximately 2.85 mg/kg) was injected intramuscularly into the gastrocnemius muscle of the rats. The animals were dissected 1, 3, and 6 h after the injection time, and tissue samples were taken. Sections 5 µm thick were taken from paraffin blocks of tissue samples, and the sections were stained with haematoxylin and eosin in order to facilitate examination by light microscope. Examinations showed no damage to the epidermis layer of skin. However, damage to the dermis layer, including oedema, haemorrhage, local bleeding, rare inflammatory cells, strong cell infiltration with mixed characteristics, inflammation around the veins, and fat necrosis, was detected. The damage observed in muscular tissue was myonecrosis, mixed character cell infiltration, haemorrhage, and the formation of inclusion on myofibrils. The liver tissue revealed sinusoidal congestion and hepatocellular degeneration.


An implementation of GMRES with multiple preconditioners (MPGMRES) is proposed for solving shifted linear systems with shift-and-invert preconditioners. With this type of preconditioner, the Krylov subspace can be built without requiring the matrix-vector product with the shifted matrix. Furthermore, the multipreconditioned search space is shown to grow only linearly with the number of preconditioners. This allows for a more efficient implementation of the algorithm. The proposed implementation is tested on shifted systems that arise in computational hydrology and the evaluation of different matrix functions. The numerical results indicate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.


The development of models of marine ecosystems in the Southern Ocean is becoming increasingly important as a means of understanding and managing impacts such as exploitation and climate change. Collating data from disparate sources, and understanding biases or uncertainties inherent in those data, are important first steps for improving ecosystem models. This review focuses on seals that breed in ice habitats of the Southern Ocean (i.e. crabeater seal, Lobodon carcinophaga; Ross seal, Ommatophoca rossii; leopard seal, Hydrurga leptonyx; and Weddell seal, Leptonychotes weddellii). Data on populations (abundance and trends in abundance), distribution and habitat use (movement, key habitat and environmental features) and foraging (diet) are summarised, and potential biases and uncertainties inherent in those data are identified and discussed. Spatial and temporal gaps in knowledge of the populations, habitats and diet of each species are also identified.


Philosophers (Bernard Williams, for example) often talk of a paradox of toleration. They say that we can only be said to tolerate that which is acknowledged to be bad or wrong; but, thye continue, if something is acknowledged to be bad or wrong, the proper response is to suppress it or act against it. I think this appearance of paradox can very easily be dissolved. If something is bad or wrong, then the person who judges it so commits himself to avoiding it in his own actions and choices; but he does not by any logical implication of "bad" or "wrong," commit himself to acting coercively against it. Acting coercively is quite a distinctive response and it requires a myriad of reasons which are not generated by a simple moral condemnation. Practices of toleration flourish in the gap that this opens up. I also pursue a second line of argument which goes as follows: despite the philosophers' definitional announcement, it is not the case that we can only be said to tolerate that which we judge to be bad or wrong. The idea of toleration is much broader thnaa that. Philosophers tend to confine it stipulatively to the narrower sense in order to generate the alleged paradox. But since the paradox doesn't arisse anyway, there is no justification for the narrower definition.


A fundamental issue in entrepreneurial research is women's vocational choice as it affects entrepreneurial intentions regarding traditional vs. nontraditional sectors. Present trends in female entrepreneurship in Greece were investigated using official national databases regarding newly registered firms. A considerable change in women's vocational patters towards entrepreneurship was evident although traditional trends seemed to persist and the majority of newly founded female enterprises were in the service sector. However, a marked increase in the number of women who pursue careers in technical occupations points towards new directions for female employment away from traditional roles and more compatible with their personal aspirations.


In June 2004, the United States signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Morocco. FTAs are typically thought of as economic agreements, but the agreement with Morocco has an explicit security component. Indeed, US officials have cast the agreement as an opportunity to support a close ally in the region, and its signing coincides with Morocco's denomination as a non-NATO ally of the US. Yet even if the FTA achieves its stated economic goals - a very tall and ambitious order - it remains to be seen whether or not the benefits will extend to a society divided by enormous social cleavages. As a result, the US-Moroccan FTA and Morocco's new found stature in US security policy paradoxically run the risk of deepening societal resentment within Morocco toward the government and, by extension, the US. Step by step, the Administration is working to build bridges of free trade with economic and social reformers in the Middle East. Our plan offers trade and openness as vital tools for leaders striving to build more open, optimistic, and tolerant Islamic societies. - US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick, at the signing of a Free Trade Agreement with Morocco, June 15, 2004 On April 23, 2002, seven short months after the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, King Muhammad VI of Morocco visited Washington to meet with President George W. Bush. The visit was the occasion for the announcement of the intention to negotiate a Free Trade Agreement between the United States and Morocco. Although Morocco is a longstanding ally of the US, the statement was nonetheless a remarkable development. At the time of its announcement, a Free Trade Agreement with Morocco would have been only the fifth free trade agreement between the US and a trading partner, after Israel (1985), Canada and Mexico (1993), and Jordan (2001). After several months of repose - during which time under federal law Congress had the opportunity to "comment" on the proposal - formal negotiations began in January 2003. Discussions proceeded for 15 months through 9 difficult rounds in Washington and Rabat, with a set of negotiations also conducted in Geneva during the Iraq War in March 2003. Ultimately, on March 2, 2004, US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Taieb Fassi Fihri signed a US-Moroccan Free Trade Agreement. Zoellick and Fassi Fihri signed the treaty in Washington on June 15, 2004, and both houses of Congress ratified the treaty in July 2004.1 The Bush Administration has explicitly portrayed the FTA with Morocco as an effort to build strategic, economic, and political ties with a moderate, friendly regime in the region that will serve, in turn, as a model for other countries. The obvious question: Will it work? The advent of the agreement presents a paradox. In addition to its obvious economic goals, the agreement has clear security and strategic goals as well. Yet if the FTA does not generate long-term economic growth and is not perceived by Moroccan society as beneficial to the country, it threatens to undercut Morocco's already shaky domestic stability and exacerbate anti-US sentiment in the country. FTAs are typically thought of as economic issues - more the domain of international political economy - with negotiators having to take into account their own country's economic interests as well as the political and economic constraints confronting their counterparts.2 This FTA is no exception; it certainly has a significant economic component. Despite the fact that the overall volume of trade between the two countries is quite small, negotiators had to bargain hard to get concessions and understandings about the full scope of the agreement. To cite a quick example, examined more fully below, Rabat was keen on securing safeguards that its agricultural sub-sector of wheat would not be affected adversely by imports of low-cost, highquality US grain. Morocco's agricultural sector employs nearly half of the country's population, and roughly 75% of the sector is devoted to cereal production. …


Background Approximately 30% of children with congenital heart disease (CHD) require surgery within the first year of life for extracardiac anomalies. CHD increases short- and long-term mortality risks for non-cardiovascular procedures1. Whether surgery is conducted in a local hospital or a specialist cardiac centre remains a matter of debate. This study reviews the outcome of children with CHD undergoing non-cardiac surgery in a single institution conducted by experienced paediatric surgeons, anaesthetists and intensivists working alongside paediatricians with expertise in cardiology. Methods A retrospective case note review of children under 16 years of age, with confirmed CHD, undergoing a surgical/investigative procedure requiring general anaesthesia (GA) between 2010 and 2012. Patients were identified from outpatient and surgical databases. Results Over 3 years, 117 patients with CHD underwent 240 procedures requiring GA. 36 procedures were performed in the high-risk (HR) group, 135 in intermediate-risk (IR) and 69 in low-risk (LR) groups. The cumulative mortality rates at 7- and 30-days were 0% and 0.4%, respectively. The post-operative complication rate was 16.6% (40/240 procedures) – 19.4%, 20.7% and 7.2% in the HR, IR and LR groups respectively. There were planned admissions to the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) after 41 procedures (17.1%). The mean duration of PICU stay was 9.8 days, 1.5 days and 1 day in the HR, IR and LR groups, respectively. The duration of hospital stay across all risk groups ranged between 0–71 days. The mean duration of hospital stay for the HR, IR and LR groups was 5.8, 6.4 and 2.2 days, respectively. There was one death, in a child whose resuscitation status changed with the results of investigations to a palliative care approach. Conclusion This study demonstrates that procedures requiring GA on patients with CHD can be safely conducted in a non-cardiac centre. This requires close liaison and careful planning between all specialist clinicians involved in the child's care especially the paediatric cardiologist and paediatrician with expertise in cardiology. This study confirms it is safe with appropriate communication to provide treatment, including non-cardiac surgery, close to the child's home in line with the Safe and Sustainable standards2. References White MC, Peyton JM. Anaesthetic management of children with congenital heart disease for non-cardiac surgery. Cont Ed in Anaesthesia, Critical Care & Pain 2012. 12:17–22 Safe and Sustainable Review of Children's Congenital Heart Services in England: Report of the public consultation (24 August 2011)


Bone remodeling refers to the self-optimizing behavior of bone tissue in response to a mechanical stimulus, a natural phenomenon producing strong structures with minimal weight. This paper describes BORA, an iterative finite element method incorporated into ANSYS which simulates the biological mechanism of bone remodeling. The equations relating adaptive changes in bone density to the internal stresses and strains are presented together with the methods used for implementing the density evolution equations into ANSYS. Advanced features such as an adaptive time stepping scheme, solution tracking, and results visualization utilities were developed with the goal of making BORA an efficient engineering tool that is convenient to use.


Deep seafloor communities, especially those from the ice-covered Arctic, are subject to severe food limitation as the amount of particulate organic matter (POM) from the surface is attenuated with increasing depth. Here, we use naturally occurring stable isotope tracers (δ15N) to broaden our rudimentary knowledge of food web structure and the response of benthic organisms to decreasing food supplies along the bathymetric transect of the deep-sea observatory HAUSGARTEN. Encompassing five trophic levels, the HAUSGARTEN food web is among the longest indicating continuous recycling of organic material typical of food-limited deep-sea ecosystems. The δ15N signatures ranged from 3.0 for Foraminifera to 21.4 (±0.4) for starfish (Poraniomorpha tumida). The majority of organisms occupied the second and third trophic level. Demersal fish fed at the third trophic level, consistent with results from stomach contents analysis. There were significant differences in the δ15N signatures of different functional groups with highest δ15N values in predators/scavengers (13.2 ± 0.2) followed by suspension feeders (11.2 ± 0.2) and deposit feeders (10.2 ± 0.3). Depth (=increasing food limitation) affected functional groups in different ways. While the isotopic signatures of predators/ scavengers did not change, those of suspension feeders increased with depth, and the reverse was found for deposit feeders. In contrast to the results of other studies, the δ15N signatures in POM samples obtained below 800 m did not vary significantly with depths indicating that changes in δ15N values could not be held responsible for the depth-related δ15N signature changes observed for benthic consumers. However, the δ15N signatures of sediments decreased with increasing depth, which also explains the decrease found for deposit feeders. Suspension feeders may rely increasingly on particles trickling down the HAUSGARTEN slope and carrying higher δ15N signatures than the decreasing POM supplies, which elevates the δ15N value of their tissues. Our results imply that a depth-stratified approach should be taken to avoid a misinterpretation of data obtained at different depths.


Hepatocystis is a genus of single-celled parasites infecting monkeys, bats and squirrels. Although thought to descend from malaria parasites (Plasmodium spp.), Hepatocystis spp. are thought not to undergo replication in the blood – the part of the Plasmodium life cycle which causes the symptoms of malaria. Furthermore, Hepatocystis is transmitted by midges, not mosquitoes. Comparative genomics of Hepatocystis and Plasmodium species therefore presents an opportunity to better understand some of the most important aspects of malaria parasite biology. We were able to generate a draft genome for Hepatocystis using DNA sequencing reads from the blood of a naturally infected red colobus monkey. We provide robust phylogenetic support for Hepatocystis as a sister group to Plasmodium parasites infecting rodents. We show transcriptomic support for a lack of replication in the blood and genomic support for a complete loss of a family of genes involved in red blood cell invasion. Our analyses highlight the rapid evolution of genes involved in parasite vector stages, revealing genes that may be critical for interactions between malaria parasites and mosquitoes.


This study develops an extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to assess the user acceptance and voluntary usage of the camera mobile phone technology. While there has been considerable research on the extension of TAM (Venkatesh and Davis 2000; Yi et al. 2006), limitations include the omission of an important privacy-based construct in the context of mobile devices. To fill in this gap, this study introduces a model that describes Camera Mobile Phone (CMP) adoption in the Arab world. Data collected from 240 users in Kuwait were tested against the extended TAM. Results reveal perceived enjoyment is the most direct determinant of CMP usage, followed second by personal innovativeness and third by perceived usefulness. However, results show privacy exerts the weakest effect on CMP usage.


This chapter deals with the current age structure and the age structural transition (AST) underway in South Africa. We have used the national Census data for 1996 and 2001 and the Community survey data for 2007. In 2007, 31 percent of the population was enumerated below 15 years of age, 64 percent between 15- 64 and 5.4 percent 65+ implying the early stages of aging process. The median age in 2007 is 24.3 years, increased from 23 years in 1996. The proportion of young dependents is declining whereas that of the economically active and aged populations are increasing. Generally, the Black population appears younger and the Whites older. The other two ethnic groups are placed in the middle. This is, perhaps, a reflection of the differential fertility across the ethnic groups. The proportion of labour force population in 2007 is the highest for Asians & Indians followed by Whites; and the lowest for Blacks. So far as the proportion of the aged is concerned, Whites lead relatively high (12.4 %) as compared to coloured and Black population groups. During 1996-2007, the age structural transition for the total population is only marginal in South Africa. The median age of the total population grew from 23 years to 24.3 years, an increase of 5.6 percent. The female median age grew from 24.5 to 25.2 years, slightly better than that of males. The old age population has increased by 12.5 percent during the same period along with the global trend of female advantage. Again, the labour force population has increased by 5.5 percent. AST is highest for the white population, followed closely by Asians & Indians. This calls for continued higher investments in primary and secondary education, health care service delivery including reproductive health and social security. Again, for a country like South Africa where unemployment is quite high, the enormity of labour force (64%) has to be viewed seriously. Rapid employment generation, especially for the weaker groups, is the key. Further, one fifth (20.4 %) of the population is in the 15-24 years age group which is the target group for tertiary education. The slow process of AST among Black population warrants for preferential resource allocations especially in the areas of reproductive health and employment.


Sierras del Este is one of the two regions in Uruguay that are most vulnerable to climate change. A relevant vulnerability factor is the variability of the natural grasslands' productivity. The objective of this study was to analyse the role of natural and land use drivers on grassland productivity as an essential factor for increasing the adaptive capacity of livestock production and reducing their vulnerability to extreme climatic events. The period 2000–2015 was analysed using the aboveground net primary production (ANPP), rainfall patterns, soil maps and surface slopes, livestock stocking density (LSD) information, and interviews with livestock producers. The results showed a decreasing trend in ANPP between 2000 and 2009, and an increase between 2010 and 2015. These trends are associated with rainfall fluctuations: greater ANPP variability is explained by the rainfall accumulation of the 4 previous months. In addition, ANPP is affected by soil type (deeper and more clayey, higher ANPP), surface slope (steeper surface slope, lower ANPP) and LSD (higher LSD, higher ANPP). In drought periods, these relations are reversed. The main results suggested that changes in ANPP between drought and wet periods are not linearly related to the drivers analysed, and an important spatially structured pattern was detected. The evidence provides information to anticipate extreme events, allowing to define and explore strategies to reduce the impacts of drought. The reduction of vulnerability implies challenges at the individual level to increase efficiency in livestock management and at a collective level to integrate and complement favourably the various land use activities in the area. In this sense, public policy should have a leading role to promote these transformations.


Existing metocean design criteria for offshore facilities in the South China Sea have been estimated using different data and procedures, some of which are at least partly ad hoc. As a result, it is probable that existing criteria are inconsistent, in the sense that assets designed to the same design codes have different realised levels of integrity. To address this concern in this paper, we apply a large-scale extreme value model adapted to parallel computing environment, applied to the recent high-resolution SEAFINE hindcast database. This not only ensures design criteria that are statistically and spatially consistent but is also faster by avoiding the need for repetitive site-specific analysis. We have to overcome several challenges before we can apply a large-scale extreme model on the SEAFINE database. These include identifying a spatially consistent set of storm peaks and validating the hindcast data with real measurements. We then estimate marginal return values for significant wave height for locations within a large spatial neighbourhood, accounting for spatial and storm directional variability of peaks over threshold. A quantile regression identifies the extreme value threshold, the rate of exceedance of which is described using a Poisson process. The size of threshold exceedances is described by a generalised Pareto model. The characteristics of the threshold, rate and size models are all non-stationary with respect to directional and spatial covariates, parameterised in terms of (multidimensional) penalised B-splines. Parameter estimation is computationally challenging, but a combination of efficient generalised linear array algorithms executed within a parallel computing environment enable maximum likelihood estimation of all models. Bootstrap resampling is used to estimate uncertainties of model parameters and return values. We thus estimate consistent marginal return values for significant wave height and their uncertainties, at all locations in the spatial neighbourhood. In addition, we quantify directional variability of return values across different return periods. We rigorously validate the proposed spatiodirectional model with that of a direction-only model by deriving model diagnostics for the same site and demonstrating equivalent goodness of fits. To our knowledge this is the first of a kind of application of large-scale estimation for the South China Sea. With this approach, design criteria for large spatial domains, non-stationary with respect to the appropriate environmental covariates, can be estimated efficiently, consistently and with quantified uncertainty.


In this paper, we apply a sparse Bayesian learning algorithm called the Relevance Vector Machine (RVM) which was used to classify the 1126 ischaemic ST events and 1126 non-supply ischaemic ST events in the Long Term ST Database as supply or non-supply ST episodes. A Genetic Algorithm (GA) method was used to identify which of the extracted features used as input to the RVM were the most important with respect to the model's performance. The GA indicated that 9 of the 35 extracted features were the most relevant. The 9 features that were selected are heart rate variability, slope of the ST segment, energy in the QRS complex and Mahalanobis distance of the first five Karhunen Loève Transform of the QRS complex and ST segment for differentiation between supply and non-supply ischaemic ST episodes. The classification accuracy achieved using the 35 features was 80.1% on the test set. When using the 9 most relevant features determined from the GA, the classification accuracy rose to 87.4%.


By mandating that numerous plaintiffs litigate their common question claims separately in individual arbitrations rather than jointly in class action arbitrations, the Supreme Court in AT&T Mobility LLC v. Concepcion entrenched a potent structural and systemic bias in favor of defendants. The bias arises from the parties' divergent stakes in the outcome of the common question litigation in individual arbitrations: each plaintiff will only invest to maximize the value of his or her own claim, but the defendant has an incentive to protect its entire exposure and thus will have a classwide incentive to invest more in contesting common questions. This investment advantage enables the defendant to wield superior litigation power against each plaintiff skewing the outcome of individual arbitrations in its favor and frequently rendering claims not worth filing. Concepcion perpetuates the bias by precluding the use of a class arbitration solution. We propose that courts neutralize the Concepcion bias by appointing class counsel to represent each plaintiff in individual arbitrations. Without threatening Concepcion's holding that arbitral efficiency precludes class arbitration unless the parties specify otherwise, the class counsel solution equalizes the parties' investment incentives to transform individual arbitrations into a socially useful legal system for promoting the deterrence, compensation, and other public policy objectives of federal and state substantive law.


In this work, we analyze the secrecy rate in a cooperative network, where a source node is assisted by relay nodes via cooperative jamming for delivering a secret message to the destination in the presence of an eavesdropper node. We consider the availability of both full and partial channel state information (CSI), and we take into account average power limitation at the relays as we formulate the rate maximization problem as a primal-dual problem. We derive the closed form solution for the full CSI case, and we show that the optimal solution allows the transmission of only one relay. For the partial CSI case, we define the concept of secrecy outage, where some of packets are intercepted by the eavesdropper, and we derive the secrecy outage probability and throughput in terms of average channel statistics. Due to the high nonlinearity of the secrecy throughput term, we propose a gradient update algorithm for obtaining the optimal power solutions for the partial CSI case. Our simulations demonstrate the gains of cooperative jamming over direct transmission for both full and partial CSI cases, where it is shown that the secrecy rate of the direct transmission is increased significantly, by %20−%80, when CJ is employed with our optimal power assignment algorithm.


The smart city infrastructure will soon start to include smart agents, i.e., agentic things, which co-exist and co-perform with human citizens. This near-future scenario explores the flexible types of collaborations and relationships between the human and nonhuman citizens. Drawing on current technology forecasts and AI/robotics literature, we created five fictional concepts for reflecting on themes we deem important for such collaborations: responsibility, delegation, relationship, priority, and adaptation. The promises, challenges and threats of these themes are discussed in this paper, together with the new questions that were opened up through the use of design fiction as a method.


These notes are offered as a contribution towards creating a 'dialogically-structured' form of action research (Toulmin and Gustavsen 1996). What I do want to do in these notes is to show how Wittgenstein's (1953, 1980) claims — that (i) "nothing is hidden" from us in our conduct of our own practices, and that (ii) "the origin and primitive form of the language-game is a reaction " — and the methods of philosophical investigation he outlined, can be used to great effect to make us more aware of our own rules in structuring our own everyday affairs. His methods work, not in terms of theories worked out ahead of time in seminar rooms or research laboratories by experts, but in terms of certain practical uses of language 'on the spot': they lead those involved in the practice to attend to what usually passes them by unnoticed, to attend, we might say, to what is in fact visible but usually unremarked on explicitly. Crucially, his 'reminders ' can lead us to focus on novelties, on new but previously unnoticed possibilities for 'going on' available to us in our present circumstances, but present to us only in fleeting moments. If we can allow ourselves to be 'struck' by these novelties, then we can often go on, not to solve what has been seen as a problem, but to develop new ways forward in which the old problems become irrelevant. Thus their main point is the institution within our already existing work practices of a new (dialogical) practice leading to our own increased awareness or mindfulness of the details of these practices. The material in these notes can, I hope, be viewed as a useful set of tools, or 'ways of talking' — Wittgenstein would call them reminders — that work to draw our attention to aspects of our already existing practices that it is important for us to notice.


OBJECTIVES
Emergence of central sleep apnea has been described in the setting of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) initiation. The underlying mechanism is unclear; however, we postulate that air leak washing out anatomical dead space is a contributing factor.

DESIGN
Data were obtained from 310 patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) who underwent either split-night or full-night CPAP titration during January to July of 2009. The majority (n = 245) underwent titration with a nasal mask. Average total leak and maximum total leak were measured at therapeutic CPAP level. Unintentional leak was calculated by subtracting manufacturer-defined intentional leak from maximum leak.

RESULTS
SUBJECTS WERE DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS: central apnea index (CAI) during titration < 5/hour and ≥ 5/hour. The groups were similar in terms of gender, age, BMI, and AHI. The CAI < 5 group had a median average leak of 45.5 L/min (IQR 20.8 L/min) versus 51.0 L/min (IQR 21.0 L/min) with CAI ≥ 5 (p = 0.056). Maximum leak was 59.5 L/min (IQR 27.0 L/min) with CAI < 5 and 75.0 L/min (IQR 27.8 L/min) with CAI ≥ 5 (p = 0.003). In the subset of subjects titrated using a nasal mask, median average leak was 42.0 L/min (IQR 17.0) in the CAI < 5 group and 50.0 L/min (IQR 16.8) in the CAI ≥ 5 group (p = 0.001). In the CAI < 5 group, median maximum leak was 57.0 L/min (IQR 23.0) versus 74.5 L/min (IQR 24.3) in the CAI ≥ 5 group (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS
Leak during CPAP titration is associated with the development of acute central apnea; these data may have mechanistic and therapeutic implications for complex apnea.

COMMENTARY
A commentary on this article appears in this issue on page 1193.


This paper seeks to find out whether and how use of incentives-related insights from economics may be helpful to a judge interpreting a semantically unclear legal rule. It is argued that, by their nature, economic insights are useful in purposive interpretation if the rationale underlying the legal rule is of future-oriented nature. There are two different types of insights from economics available to judges interpreting a legal rule purposively. First, if the underlying rationale of the rule is of economic nature, insights from normative economics might help to conceptualize the purpose in the phase of identification of the purpose. Second, if the underlying rationale of the rule is of future-oriented nature (including the economic rationales), insights from positive economics may help to predict social consequences of alternative semantic meanings of the rule, which are consequently evaluated against the rationale. Insights from positive economics, therefore, may prove helpful in interpretation of legal rules with wide variety of (future-oriented) purposes. Because all courts within a system are required to interpret a legal rule consistently (like cases should be adjudicated alike), social consequences of alternative semantic meanings may (need to) be taken into account by lower and higher courts alike where the purpose of the semantically unclear rule is of future-oriented nature.


A MISSIOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF SOUTHERN BAPTIST MULTIETHNIC CHURCHES IN THE UNITED STATES Stephen Gary Crouse, Ph.D. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2014 Chair: Dr. Adam W. Greenway The thesis of this dissertation is that Southern Baptist multiethnic churches exemplify the mission of the church as revealed in the Scriptures and offer a valuable strategy for reaching the increasingly diverse population of the United States. Chapter 1 introduces the ethnic segregation of Southern Baptist Churches and begins to establish a missiological foundation for ethnic inclusiveness. A discussion of the research problem including the background of the dissertation follows. The broader question of the missiological need for multiethnic congregations in the current milieu of American society is addressed. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the definitions of key terms, limitations and delimitations, and the research methodology employed. Chapter 2 explores the mission of the church and the extent to which it applies to all peoples. The ethnic inclusiveness of the ministry of Jesus and the ethnic diversity of the New Testament churches address the need for multiethnic Southern Baptist churches. The chapter ends with a discussion of Paul's charge that Christ broke down the dividing wall of separation between the Jews and Gentiles and the implications for Southern Baptist multiethnic congregations. The focus of chapter 3 is a historical examination of Southern Baptist multiethnic churches. While many ethnicities are included in Southern Baptist life, attention is limited to African Americans and Hispanics in this historical survey. Southern Baptist churches had many African slaves among their members when the Convention was founded. The western expansion of Southern Baptists and the United States' acquisition of the Southwest territories following the Mexican American War led the young Convention to initiate mission work with Hispanics. The unequal treatment that these ethnic groups received from Anglos has lingering effects on contemporary Southern Baptist multiethnic churches. Southern Baptist attitudes about integration and the Civil Rights Movement also influenced ethnic relationships. Immigration policies and socioeconomic factors that favor the majority ethnicity create obstacles for multiethnic congregations. Contemporary Southern Baptists actions to improve ethnic relationships are examined. An in-depth study of Donald McGavran's homogeneous unit principle and its impact on contemporary Southern Baptist multiethnic congregations is offered in chapter 4. This principle is scrutinized from a biblical and missiological perspective. The implications related to cross-cultural evangelism in light of the biblical witness conclude the chapter. Chapter 5 segues into a critical look at worship in the twenty-six Southern Baptist multiethnic churches used for the social research. The chapter begins by defining worship as an integral part of the mission of the church. The need for an authoritative standard as a reference point in navigating the challenges of leading a multiethnic congregation to worship God is examined including data obtained through the social research. Aspects of corporate worship and their impact on multiethnic churches are explored based on the social research data. The chapter concludes by addressing ethnic inclusivism in Southern Baptist multiethnic churches and exploring the biblical notion of worshiping God in spirit and truth. Chapter 6 offers a summation of issued raised and addressed in the dissertation. Southern Baptist multiethnic churches offer a valuable strategy for reaching the increasingly diverse population of the United States. Areas for further study are suggested.


The poles and mid-latitudes of Mars contain abundant water in ice caps, thick sequences of ice-rich layers, and mantles of snow. The volume of the known reservoir is ≥5 x 106 km3, corresponding to a layer ∼35 m thick over the planet. Hydrogen in subsurface H2O ice has been detected at latitudes poleward of 50°. Morphological features show downslope flow of ice-rich sediment, and recent gullies have been produced from subsurface aquifers or melting snowpacks. Variations in Mars' orbit on timescales of 50,000 to 2,000,000 years produce significant changes in climate, which result in the transport of water from the poles, where it currently resides, to the lower latitudes, where it may play a critical role in surface geology, mineralogy, and geochemistry.


We study the impact of rising robot exposure on the careers of individual manufacturing workers, and the equilibrium impact across industries and local labor markets in Germany. We find no evidence that robots cause total job losses, but they do affect the composition of aggregate employment. Every robot destroys two manufacturing jobs. This accounts for almost 23% of the overall decline of manufacturing employment in Germany over the period 1994 - 2014, roughly 275,000 jobs. But this loss was fully offset by additional jobs in the service sector. Moreover, robots have not raised the displacement risk for incumbent manufacturing workers. Quite in contrast, more robot exposed workers are even more likely to remain employed in their original workplace, though not necessarily performing the same tasks, and the aggregate manufacturing decline is solely driven by fewer new jobs for young labor market entrants. This enhanced job stability for insiders comes at the cost of lower wages. The negative impact of robots on individual earnings arises mainly for medium-skilled workers in machine-operating occupations, while high-skilled managers gain. In the aggregate, robots raise labor productivity but not wages. Thereby they contribute to the decline of the labor income share.


Objective To assess job satisfaction for different categories of Norwegian doctors from 2010 to 2016–2017. Design Cross-sectional surveys in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016–2017 of partly overlapping samples. Setting Norway from 2010 to 2016–2017. Participants Doctors working in different job positions (hospital doctors, general practitioners (GPs), private practice specialists, doctors in academia). Response rates were 67% (1014/1520) in 2010, 71% (1279/1792) in 2012, 75% (1158/1545) in 2014 and 73% (1604/2195) in 2016–2017. The same 548 doctors responded at all four points in time. Main outcome measure Job Satisfaction Scale (JSS), a 10-item widely used instrument, with scores ranging from 1 (low satisfaction) to 7 (high satisfaction) for each item, and an unweighted mean total sum score. Analysis General Linear Modelling, controlling for gender and age, and paired t-tests. Results For all doctors, the mean scores of JSS decreased significantly from 5.52 (95% CI 5.42 to 5.61) in 2010 to 5.30 (5.22 to 5.38) in 2016–2017. The decrease was significant for GPs (5.54, 5.43 to 5.65 vs 5.17, 5.07 to 5.28) and hospital doctors (5.14, 5.07 to 5.21 vs 5.00, 4.94 to 5.06). Private practice specialists were most satisfied, followed by GPs and hospital doctors. The difference between the GPs and the private practice specialists increased over time. Conclusions From 2010 to 2016–2017 job satisfaction for Norwegian doctors decreased, but it was still at a relatively high level. Several healthcare reforms and regulations over the last decade and changes in the professional culture may explain some of the reduced satisfaction.


The development of the entrepreneurial capacity of European citizens and organisations is one of the key policy objectives for the EU and Member States. Ten years ago, the European Commission identified sense of initiative and entrepreneurship as one of the 8 key competences necessary for a knowledge-based society. The EntreComp framework presented in this report proposes a shared definition of entrepreneurship as a competence, with the aim to raise consensus among all stakeholders and to establish a bridge between the worlds of education and work. Developed through a mixed-methods approach, the EntreComp framework is set to become a reference de facto for any initiative aiming to foster entrepreneurial capacity of European citizens. It consists of 3 interrelated and interconnected competence areas: 'Ideas and opportunities', 'Resources' and 'Into action'. Each of the areas is made up of 5 competences, which, together, constitute the building blocks of entrepreneurship as a compe-tence. The framework develops the 15 competences along an 8-level progression model and proposes a compre-hensive list of 442 learning outcomes. The framework can be used as a basis for the development of curricula and learning activities fostering entrepreneurship as a competence. Also, it can be used for the definition of parame-ters to assess learners' and citizens' entrepreneurial competences.


In T. S. Eliot: A Life, Peter Ackroyd writes that in April 1938 T. S. Eliot (1888-1965) "travelled to Lisbon in order to sit on the jury for the Camoens Prize" (241) without any further reference. Time and time again, I have reflected on the implications of this statement, especially after the publication of my essay, "An Overlooked Legacy: Gloucester's Portuguese Fishermen in the Background of T. S. Eliot's 'The Dry Salvages'." In this essay, I argued that Eliot was referring to the Our Lady of Good Voyage Church in Gloucester, Massachusetts, and that this section of The Four Quartets is soaked with references to Portuguese culture. In this essay, I hope to shed some light on the overlooked episode Ackroyd alludes to while reconstructing Eliot's stay in Portugal with the few materials available. In addition, I also aim at stressing Eliot's fascination with Antonio de Oliveira Salazar's (1889-1970) fascist politics. ********** Unfortunately, Eliot's widow has yet to issue the volume of his letters pertinent to this period. To complicate matters even more, the documents of the Secretariado da Propaganda Nacional (SPN), Salazar's cultural and propaganda services headed by Antonio Ferro (1895-1956), at the Lisbon Torre do Tombo archive are still unavailable for public consultation. Eliot scholars and biographers have recurrently noted his conservative views and his scepticism of democracy and its incapacity to address the problems of his time. They were often left wondering if he leaned more towards Hitler's or Mussolini'spolitical ideologies--but have failed to note that Eliot preferred a third way, a different version of authoritarianism. While Ezra Pound was notorious for his radio broadcasts of Mussolini's fascist ideology, Eliot preferred a more discreet means such as sitting on the jury for a foreign literary prize. The scarcity of information on this issue coupled with the misleading stereotypes associated with a writer's sitting on a jury for a literary prize -especially if the nature of this prize was mostly ideological than artistic--has left this phase in Eliot's life completely ignored. I hope that the following analysis of this episode may finally help to clarify some of the speculations regarding Eliot's political views. Trying to frame his stay in Portugal temporally and knowing what were his impressions of Lisbon (or the country), the Portuguese people, their living conditions, and other matters is--to use a cliche--like trying to find a needle in a haystack. While Ackroyd's reference does not tell us exactly when in April Eliot actually started to travel or arrived in Portugal, we do not know when he left either. What we do know for sure is that Eliot was in Lisbon on May 11th and 12th of 1938 since these were the dates when the official ceremonies were held to award the prize to the author of Portugal, Gonzague de Reynold (1880-1970), a Swiss writer. Documented evidence of his stay include pictures of Eliot among the other members of the jury as well as with a few Portuguese politicians taken during the awards ceremony and the banquet that was served. Moreover, Antonio Ferro, the regime's director of culture and propaganda, addressed Eliot (as well as the other members of the jury) during the awards speech to comment briefly on Eliot's work and personality. Before delving at length into such matters as: the ideologies of both the recipient and work selected for the 1937 Premio Camoes (but awarded in 1938); Antonio Ferro's views on Salazar's fascist politics; and the political views of the other members of the jury, it is worth looking briefly into T. S. Eliot's political and religious views. By contrasting what a few scholars and biographers have written on this issue with the insight we gather from the episode under review, we may better understand why he found Portugal's version of fascism so appealing. Why did Eliot accept Ferro's invitation to participate in this important event and anoint Salazar's regime, which desperately sought international recognition? …


Glioblastoma is an aggressive brain tumor characterized by an abnormal blood vasculature that is hyperpermeable. Here, we report a novel role for CD93 in regulating angiogenesis in this setting by modulating cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion of endothelial cells. Tissue microarray analysis demonstrated that vascular expression of CD93 was correlated with poor survival in a clinical cohort of patients with high-grade astrocytic glioma. Similarly, intracranial growth in the GL261 mouse model of glioma was delayed significantly in CD93(-/-) hosts, resulting in improved survival compared with wild-type mice. This effect was associated with increased vascular permeability and decreased vascular perfusion of tumors, indicating reduced vessel functionality in the absence of CD93. RNAi-mediated attenuation of CD93 in endothelial cells diminished VEGF-induced tube formation in a three-dimensional collagen gel. CD93 was required for efficient endothelial cell migration and proper cell polarization in vitro. Further, in endothelial cells where CD93 was attenuated, decreased cell spreading led to a severe reduction in cell adhesion, a lack of proper cell contacts, a loss of VE-cadherin, and aberrant actin stress fiber formation. Our results identify CD93 as a key regulator of glioma angiogenesis and vascular function, acting via cytoskeletal rearrangements required for cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion.


The allelochemicals have been largely used in agriculture, forestry, landscape design and ornamental plant growing for many decades. However, there is a lack of the comprehensive studies, where existing publications are analyzed and synthesized with regards to the theoretic aspects for such usage. The objective of this paper was to systemize the advances in the research on allelochemicals' application in practice. Numerous novel methodological propositions have risen recently. We classified them into the physical, chemical, biological, biotechnological and cropgrowing approaches. The allelochemicals consist of the wide diversity of the substances according to their chemical nature. Among these substances we outlined, firstly, the unidentified plant exudates and the products of green manuring, secondly, the chemically characterized or purified substances, which include alcohols, organic acids, aliphatic compounds, aromatic, alicyclic and nitrogen-contain organic compounds. Several groups of the biotic sources of allelochemicals were described: dicotyledonous and monocotyledonous plants, particularly under their colonization by non-pathogenic strains of Fusarium oxysporum, marine flora and fungi, which exhibit the herbicidal activity. Different targets of the allelochemical application were listed in the paper and they were categorized into several groups: higher flora, animals, unicellular and multi-cellular fungi. We concluded that there is lack of the modern multifaceted knowledge bases for the information about the allelochemical application. Those knowledge bases must be useful in order to choose the appropriate biological method for solving each particular problem of plant cultivation. To that end we systemized the results of current investigation about the usage of allelochemicals in practice.


Background Patient-centred care (PCC) is care that is respectful and responsive to the wishes of patients. The body of literature on PCC delivered by general practitioners (GPs) has increased steadily over time. There is an opportunity to advance the work on GP-delivered PCC through qualitative research involving both patients and providers. Aim To explore the perceptions and experiences of PCC by patient advocates and GPs. Design and setting Qualitative description in a social constructivist paradigm. Participants were sampled from six primary care organisations in south east Queensland/northern New South Wales, Australia. Method Purposive sampling was used to recruit English-speaking adult participants who were either practising GPs or patient advocates. Focus group sessions explored participants' perceptions and experiences of PCC. Data were analysed thematically using a constant-comparative approach. Results Three focus groups with 15 patient advocates and three focus groups with 12 practising GPs were conducted before thematic saturation was obtained. Five themes emerged: (1) understanding of PCC is varied and personal, (2) valuing humanistic care, (3) considering the system and collaborating in care, (4) optimising the general practice environment and (5) needing support for PCC that is embedded into training. Conclusion Patient advocates' and GPs' understanding of PCC are diverse, which can hinder strategies to implement and sustain PCC improvements. Future research should explore novel interventions that expose GPs to unique feedback from patients, assess the patient-centeredness of the environment and promote GP self-reflection on PCC.


PURPOSE
To determine the effect of drying agents and adhesive solvents on the bond strength of resin composite to enamel immediately after bleaching.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Sixty healthy human premolars were bleached using 15% carbamide peroxide gel and randomly divided into three groups according to the immersing solutions applied immediately after bleaching: 70% alcohol, acetone, and distilled water. Each group was randomly divided into two subgroups according to the adhesives that were applied: an alcohol-based adhesive (Single Bond) and an acetone-based adhesive (One Step). By using rubber washers, composite Z100 was placed onto the enamel and shear bond strength was evaluated in a universal testing machine at a crosshead speed of 1 mm/min. The type of failure was also assessed using a stereomicroscope. The data were statistically analyzed by two-way ANOVA and Tukey's post-hoc test (α = 0.05). Fisher's Exact test was used to evaluate differences in the failure modes.

RESULTS
Statistical analysis showed that the bond strength of the distilled water groups was significantly lower than that of the other groups, but the bond strengths of the two groups where a drying agent was applied were similar to that of the unbleached group. The acetone-based adhesive (One Step) provided higher bond strength than did the alcohol-based adhesive (Single Bond) (p < 0.05). There was no interaction between the two variables (p > 0.05). Fisher's Exact test showed there was no significant difference in the failure mode of all the experimental groups (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION
The application of drying agents improves the bond strength of resin composite to bleached enamel. Furthermore, the acetone-based adhesive used in the study had a higher bond strength to bleached enamel than did the alcohol-based adhesive used.