How often do we discard something rare and precious without even realising it? In today's developed societies we own an unprecedented amount of "stuff" and nothing is more representative of this than our consumption of mobile phones. In 2011 alone 1.6 billion new devices were manufactured and shipped around the world with 1000 phones being replaced every hour of every day just in the UK. Research indicates an estimated 85 million phones lay unused in UK homes containing more than 40 different chemical elements and with precious metals worth in excess of £150 million. This waste of resources cannot be sustained and a responsible action from us all is needed. But what do we know about our technological stuff; the origin of materials used in their manufacture, methods of extracting the raw elements and quantity of material resource left on the planet? Matthew Crawford suggests that in order to be responsible for the world we need to feel that it is intelligible and the provenance of our things need to be brought closer to home. (Crawford 2009) However for the vast majority of people, making and material knowledge is limited and a sense of agency with our 'stuff' is missing. This paper discusses how contemporary studio jewellery is used as a device to engage audiences in a commentary concerning the preciousness, scarcity and ethical sourcing of materials and minerals needed to make technological devices. Craft knowledge and practice is used to interrogate the emotional connections between people and their things, exploring whether creative making can influence human behaviour. It presents a case study project, What's in My Stuff?, launched in 2011 and funded by an EPSRC Engineering for Life grant. This interdisciplinary project (Craft and Material Science) combines material analysis with multi-sensory/participatory activities, creative jewellery making, exhibitions and exchange systems that explore ways of raising awareness about material sustainability that aim to engender the reduction, reuse, and recycling of products.
Pop-up field laboratories provide the framework to engage audiences in active participation rather than being passive recipients of information. These interactive labs enable participants to deconstruct a mobile phone and discover for themselves what materials and components are used in their manufacture. Various creative methods are used within jewellery making with outcomes exhibited in public spaces, field labs and through lectures, presentations and workshops. Using the jewel as data visualisation provides commentary on key facts gathered from Scanning Electron Microscopic (SEM) material analysis, and statistics about material/product manufacture and consumption. Intrinsic preciousness is emphasised by reclaiming, transforming and relocating physical fragments from deconstructed phones into wearable jewels; exploiting aesthetic characteristics giving material new value that promotes the notions of recycling and second lives. These events and activities are used to both communicate information and knowledge and act as mechanisms to collect quantitative and qualitative data. Observations, Interviews and questionnaires revealed information about how people interact with their phones and what they value, exploring attitudes to ownership, emotional attachments and barriers to recycling.


I discuss three puzzles arising from the study of two children acquiring Swiss German, a verb-second (V2) language which displays the verb-final pattern in embedded clauses. Before switching to the verb-final pattern the children use verb movement in embedded clauses which presents the following puzzles bearing on the relation between input and output. (i) The children generalize verb movement to all embedded clauses although a large proportion in the input unambiguously show the verb-final pattern. (ii) The children produce V2 in wil 'because'-clauses, although the adults usually produced the verb-final pattern. (iii) One of the children still misplaces finite auxiliaries at age 8;0. In trying to solve these puzzles I draw a comparison between the child data and adult matrix clauses, and also note similarities between these acquisition data and diachronic English data.


While many studies have been conducted on study abroad programs, few have sought to examine the inner workings of a short-term, non-traditional (non-classroom based) program, particularly from the participants' point-of-view. This in-depth case study explores a short-term (4-week) cultural and linguistic internship program, "LSU in the French Alps," as well as the perspectives of four program participants. This research was conducted during four phases of the study abroad experience: the pre-departure orientation (4 days on LSU's main campus), the in-country stay (4 weeks in the French Alps), re-entry into the United States (first 10 days upon return), and post study (6 months after re-entry). Extensive participant observation was essential to gaining an "emic," or "insider," view of the program, its surroundings and its participants. Data sources included individual interviews with participants, numerous questionnaires about their experiences, participants' reflective papers and their final video project. The fieldwork conducted in this study uncovered details about the immigration history among the Ubaye Valley, parts of Mexico, and southern Louisiana. The development of this program abroad and its founding principles and goals were also unearthed. Findings revealed that the lack of structure and organization of the pre-departure orientation left the participants anxious and unprepared for the program's internships. The participants suggested ways to improve the pre-departure orientation and the program in general. They experienced minimal culture shock in France. However, some stress within the group was reported, as the participants grew frustrated with the constant interaction with one another. They perceived numerous benefits and positive effects from studying abroad, including in all areas of development which were investigated in the study (academic, personal, career, cultural and


Richard Overy's "1939: Countdown to War" re-creates hour-by-hour the last desperate attempts to salvage peace before the outbreak of World War Two. 24 August 1939: The fate of the world is hanging in the balance. Hitler has ambitions to invade Poland and hopes Stalin will now help him. The West must try to stop him. Nothing was predictable or inevitable. The West hoped that Hitler would see sense if they stood firm. Hitler was convinced the West would back down. And both sides acted knowing that they risked being plunged into a war that might spell the end the end of European civilization. "A gripping analysis of the final days of peace...indispensable". (M. R. D. Foot, "The Times"). "Nail-biting...with rare narrative verve, he documents the ultimatums, emissaries, letters and increasingly desperate proposals that shuttled across Europe in the countdown to war". (Ian Thomson, "Independent"). "Even those who think they know it all about how war broke out will learn something from Richard Overy's book". (Simon Heffer, "Literary Review"). "One of the great historians of this conflict". (Simon Garfield, "Observer"). "A brilliantly executed extended essay that reads like a tense political thriller". ("Sunday Telegraph"). Richard Overy has spent much of his distinguished career studying the intellectual, social and military ideas that shaped the cataclysm of the Second World War, particularly in his books "1939 - Countdown to War", "Why the Allies Won", "Russia's War" and "The Morbid Age". Overy's "The Dictators: Hitler's Germany", "Stalin's Russia" won the Wolfson Prize for History and the Hessell Tiltman Prize.


Offshore wind farms constitute a new and fast growing industry all over the world. This study investigates the long term impact on harbour porpoises, Phocoena phocoena, for more than 10 years (2001–12) from the first large scale offshore wind farm in the world, Nysted Offshore Wind Farm, in the Danish western Baltic Sea (72 × 2.3 MW turbines). The wind farm was brought into full operation in December 2003. At six stations, acoustic porpoise detectors (T-PODs) were placed inside the wind farm area and at a reference area 10 km to the east, to monitor porpoise echolocation activity as a proxy of porpoise presence. A modified statistical BACI design was applied to detect changes in porpoise presence before, during and after construction of the wind farm. The results show that the echolocation activity has significantly declined inside Nysted Offshore Wind Farm since the baseline in 2001–2 and has not fully recovered yet. The echolocation activity inside the wind farm has been gradually increasing (from 11% to 29% of the baseline level) since the construction of the wind farm, possibly due to habituation of the porpoises to the wind farm or enrichment of the environment due to reduced fishing and to artificial reef effects.


Most network operators have considered reducing Label Switched Routers (LSR) label spaces (i.e. the number of labels that can be used) as a means of simplifying management of underlaying Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and, hence, reducing operational expenditure (OPEX). This letter discusses the problem of reducing the label spaces in Multiprotocol Label Switched (MPLS) networks using label merging - better known as MultiPoint-to-Point (MP2P) connections. Because of its origins in IP, MP2P connections have been considered to have tree- shapes with Label Switched Paths (LSP) as branches. Due to this fact, previous works by many authors affirm that the problem of minimizing the label space using MP2P in MPLS - the Merging Problem - cannot be solved optimally with a polynomial algorithm (NP-complete), since it involves a hard- decision problem. However, in this letter, the Merging Problem is analyzed, from the perspective of MPLS, and it is deduced that tree-shapes in MP2P connections are irrelevant. By overriding this tree-shape consideration, it is possible to perform label merging in polynomial time. Based on how MPLS signaling works, this letter proposes an algorithm to compute the minimum number of labels using label merging: the Full Label Merging algorithm. As conclusion, we reclassify the Merging Problem as Polynomial-solvable, instead of NP-complete. In addition, simulation experiments confirm that without the tree-branch selection problem, more labels can be reduced.


It is supposed that the development and aging of multicellular animals and humans are controlled by a special form of the clock mechanism - a chronograph. The development of animals and their aging are interconnected by the program of the species lifespan that has been selected in the evolution of each species to fit the resources of its ecological niche. The theory is based on the idea about a controlled loss by the neurons in the brain of hypothetical organelles - chronomeres that represent themselves small DNA molecules, which are amplificates of the segments of chromosomal DNA. A regular mode of the process of chronomere losses by neurons is provided by a pacemaker localized in the pineal gland and activated at least once per lunar month. Neurons, consecutively losing their chronomeres, are organized in the brain in the temporal relay race. Analogues of chronomeres, namely printomeres, are supposed to exist in dividing non-neuronal cells. Printomeres are not involved in a performance of temporal function, instead they are responsible for the maintenance in dividing cells of their memory about the state of differentiation. A critical shortening or loss of a printomere in a dividing cell leads to a cellular senescence, whereas telomere shortening is a bystander of this process. Thus, aging of a multicellular organism is associated with the loss of chronomeres, whereas senescence of dividing cells is associated with the loss of regulatory RNAs encoded by printomeres. If the cells that have lost their printomeres are environmentally forced to divide, they can transform into cancer cells.


Abstract The purpose of this study was to assess university students' self-reported knowledge, behavior, and behavioral intention regarding H1N1 influenza. Participants included students at a major university in the southwestern US. Data were collected in early spring 2010 through a 24-item self-administered survey. Outcome variables included knowledge, behavior and intention. A total of 483 students participated. Most reported trying to prevent H1N1 influenza though specific behaviors. Many lacked knowledge about symptoms and treatment; a few (10%) had been vaccinated; and half had no intention of getting vaccinated or practicing self-isolation. Gender and age were significantly associated with the three outcome variables. Intention was the most significant contributor to behavior [t (1) = 3.34, p<.001]. H1N1 influenza campaigns directed toward university students in the US should focus on undergraduate, male students, and revise their strategies regarding vaccination and self-isolation.


Education as a subsystem of economy is a structural component of production, exchange, distribution, consumption and reproduction of economic values. At the same time, education produces specific value added, market commodity – educational service, and transforms an ordinary person into a rare labor resource under conditions of extremely dense specialization of economic activity. The decisive role in this process belongs to higher education. In the paper, the problem of development of the European higher school is considered. Attention is focused on priorities of European higher education, which are directed at improvement of the organizational structure and quality of scientific and professional training: internationalization and trans-nationalization of educational processes, higher education quality assurance, actualization and a rise of the level of doctoral training, development of the culture of academic autonomy and creativity of higher educational institutions as a guarantee of sustainable self-development, orientation to a harmonious combination of scientific studies, business and practical training. Basic trends of the experience of European countries in the mechanism of promotion of higher educational institution activity and formation of the educational system in Russia were considered.


In the Middle East, the lack of press freedom means people are unable to receive information, let alone analytic and interpretative functionalism of mass media. If Arab Spring is any lesson, the right to information is vital for political participation and socio-economic development. The path traveled by nationalists and activists in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, plus movements in Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, and conservative Saudi Arabia, indicates that women have awaken to exploiting unconventional media to combat discrimination and inequality imbedded in their societies. Women are aware of the tight control on information by governmentowned press that has routinely ignored promoting women's issues, including education and positions of authority. Women have, heretofore, lacked a voice to articulate their plight until they discovered virtual media. They use Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to transmit messages to empower women. As a result, Arab women have marginalized inequality in society, education, and professional opportunities.


Major concerns have been raised over the impact of fake news, echo chambers and filter bubbles. But how pervasive are these problems? What proportion of Internet users are susceptible to such sources of disinformation? Based on a seven nation comparative survey of Internet users, we identify those most likely to be vulnerable to the different but related risks of fake news, echo chambers, or filter bubbles. Counter to widespread expectations, we find only a small proportion of Internet users are likely to be at risk across these countries. In seeking to identify those Internet users who are vulnerable, statistical tendencies conform with general expectations of older users with less education, and lower incomes being among those most susceptible. However, there is also evidence suggesting that some individuals in nearly all demographic groups can be among the vulnerable – figuratively falling through the cracks. Finding the vulnerable to be limited in scale, but scattered across major demographic categories, we argue against an aggressive awareness campaign targeting the most vulnerable, in favor of nudging all Internet users to be aware of these vulnerabilities and how to avoid them. This article is based on the Quello Search Project based at the Quello Center, Michigan State University, which was supported by a grant from the Google Inc., entitled "The Part Played by Search in Shaping Political Opinion", which is described online at quello center.

A report of the project findings is available at https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2960697.


An OCR (Optical Character Recognition) system, which is a branch of computer vision and in turn a sub-class of Artificial Intelligence. OCR is the translation of optically scanned bitmaps of printed or hand written text into audio output by using of Raspberry Pi. OCRs developed for many world languages are already under efficient use. The Moving object region is extracted by a mixture-of-Gaussians-based background subtraction method. A text localization and recognition are conducted to acquire text information. To localize the text regions from the object, a text localization algorithm by learning gradient features of stroke orientations and distributions of edge pixels .Text characters in the localized text regions are then binarized and recognized by off-the-shelf OCR software. The text codes recognized are output to blind users in speech. As the recognition process is completed, the character codes in the text file are processed using Raspberry pi device which recognize character using Adaboost algorithm and python programming, the audio output is listened.


The discipline of architecture is concerned with finding a balance between both the functional and the subjective aspects of a building environment. This involves managing contradictory requirements that are often difficult to resolve through purely numerical analysis; an example of this is an electrical lighting installation designed to evoke a desired subjective impression or 'atmosphere', which may conflict with the visual requirements for accurate or safe task performance. Despite this, few software tools exist that directly support an architect when dealing with information relating to the non-visual effects of lighting. A fundamental limitation in standard software tools is the reliance on nu-merical approaches for representing and reasoning about lighting and construction related information. In particular, when information is uncertain or completely unavailable, numerical formulae can be awkward or impossible to use in a reliable way. Work in the field of qualitative reasoning has attempted to address these issues, and in this paper we pre-sent a prototype decision support software tool that reports on the subjective impressions of a lighting scheme, based on a qualitative spatial reasoning engine. Research in subjective response to lighting is reviewed and interpreted in the context of qualitative reasoning, and the prototype system is compared to studies on subjective impressions.


Abstract Sexual and reproductive health indicators for young people in the USA have improved in recent decades, but teenage pregnancies remain high, and large differences between Whites and non-Whites persist in teenage births, abortions, and the acquisition of sexually transmitted infections. Prior research shows that young people are receptive to communication about sex from parents and friends, but peers have been found to be more influential on sexual risk taking. In this study of 617 young people aged 13–20 years in high-risk neighbourhoods for teenage pregnancy in New Jersey, we asked whether sexually inexperienced young people differed from sexually experienced young people in their level of receptivity to the recommendations from their parents, friends, and others about whether to have sex before marriage and whether to use a condom if sexually active. The results showed that the sexually inexperienced were more receptive to messages from figures of authority in their life than those sexually experienced. We also found that stronger message intensity from parents, friends, and others to delay sex until marriage and to use a condom if sexually active was associated with lower sexual intentions in the next six months and the use of a condom if sexually active in the last three months.


The aim of this study was to determine the biological effects of space radiations, microgravity, and the interaction of them on the expression of p53-regulated proteins. Space experiments were performed with two human cultured lymphoblastoid cell lines: one line (TSCE5) bears a wild-type p53 gene status, and another line (WTK1) bears a mutated p53 gene status. Under 1 gravity or microgravity conditions, the cells were grown in the cell biology experimental facility (CBEF) of the International Space Station for 8 days without experiencing the stress during launching and landing because the cells were frozen during these periods. Ground control samples were simultaneously cultured for 8 days in the CBEF on the ground for 8 days. After spaceflight, protein expression was analyzed using a Panorama(TM) Ab MicroArray protein chips. It was found that p53-dependent up-regulated proteins in response to space radiations and space environment were MeCP2 (methyl CpG binding protein 2), and Notch1 (Notch homolog 1), respectively. On the other hand, p53-dependent down-regulated proteins were TGF-β, TWEAKR (tumor necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis receptor), phosho-Pyk2 (Proline-rich tyrosine kinase 2), and 14-3-3θ/τ which were affected by microgravity, and DR4 (death receptor 4), PRMT1 (protein arginine methyltransferase 1) and ROCK-2 (Rho-associated, coiled-coil containing protein kinase 2) in response to space radiations. ROCK-2 was also suppressed in response to the space environment. The data provides the p53-dependent regulated proteins by exposure to space radiations and/or microgravity during spaceflight. Our expression data revealed proteins that might help to advance the basic space radiation biology.


Child occupants require special consideration in the motor vehicle, where the environment is largely engineered for adults. This paper reviews the issues that place child occupants in a special category and how these have been dealt with in Australia, as well as the history of legislation covering children in cars and its effectiveness in enhancing crash protection. Recent research highlighting current problem areas for Australian child occupants is also reviewed. This review illustrates that the general principles of occupant protection can be applied to children but that this application also requires knowledge of the developmental stages of children. Legislation has been effective in getting children into restraints when travelling in cars, and recent changes to Australian law mandating the types of restraint used appears to have improved restraint choice in the short term. The history of legislation effectiveness suggests that it is likely that ongoing educational and enforcement activities will be required to sustain and maximise the effect of the new laws. Ensuring that restraints are used correctly is as important as getting children into the right type of restraint. Increasing correct use among child occupants requires additional strategies. To date, the only strategies shown to be associated with increased levels of correct restraint use are hands-on demonstration and the use of services like the New South Wales Authorised Restraint Fitting Station network. There is a need for continued focus on reducing the complexity of child restraint systems to enable correct use. Other issues of current importance for child occupants include the need to ensure interventions targeting optimal child restraint practices are made available to all members of the Australian community and that messages used in these interventions are consistent. Finally, there is currently a gap in protection for children too big for boosters but too small to be optimally protected by the adult seatbelt. This gap highlights the need for booster seats that can accommodate children beyond their 7th birthday and more focused attention to the safety performance of the rear seat of modern vehicles.


In order to describe the response of broiler breeder hens to dietary amino acids and to develop an effective model for the precise feeding of these birds after sexual maturity, accurate estimates of the amounts of each amino acid required for maintenance and egg production are needed. The maintenance requirement for threonine and lysine were estimated in two different experiments by measuring the nitrogen balance of adult male cockerels. Measured amounts of a diet first-limiting in threonine or lysine were fed by intubation each day for 4 d to give a range of intakes (unbalanced series) of from 0 to 239 mg threonine/kg or 0 to 40 mg lysine/kg body weight. To confirm that threonine or lysine was first-limiting and that the response obtained was to threonine or lysine and not to protein, a second series of diets was used (balanced series) in which synthetic threonine or lysine was added to each diet in the unbalanced series. A nitrogen-free diet containing energy, vitamins and minerals was made available ad libitum during the balance period, to ensure that the birds remained in positive energy balance. The balance period was three days and excreta were collected in colostomy bags (threonine) or in trays (lysine) during that time. The nitrogen content of the excreta was determined on dried homogenised samples. The resultant linear regression equations describing the effect of threonine or lysine intakes on nitrogen retention were: N retention = -230.4 (± 27.6) + 4.134 (± 0.274) I (R 2 = 91.9) and N retention = -256.8 (± 37.7) + 6.89 (± 1.37) I (R 2 = 70.8), respectively, where I is the intake of threonine or lysine in mg/kg body weight day. The threonine and lysine required to maintain the body at zero nitrogen retention was therefore estimated to be 56 and 37 mg/kg body weight day, respectively.


This chapter talks about the author's goal to learn the latest molecular techniques that had been developed during the initial recombinant DNA era and to apply them to a clinically relevant problem. His project was undertaken at the beginning of the recombinant DNA era, and the potential applications of molecular methods to diagnostic microbiology and infectious diseases seemed limitless. Hopkins et al. continued to trace the evolution of antibiotic resistance and discovered that resistance and transmission of resistance markers evolve in very complex ways, demonstrating in a very contemporary way what Louis Pasteur said more than 100 years before the discovery of plasmids and transposons: "The bacteria will always have the last word." Molecular methods are very useful tools for solving epidemiological problems and for detecting and identifying both "old" and "new" pathogens. In addition to their utilities in solving infectious disease "mysteries," in some instances the data derived from these techniques have provided a foundation upon which to approach the study of microbial pathogenesis. This is well illustrated by current studies in the laboratory and in others to investigate the nature of the genes in Rochalimaea species encoding pathogenic determinants; these were spawned by molecular epidemiological studies to detect and characterize the infectious agents that cause bacillary angiomatosis and cat scratch disease. As much as this chapter concerns molecular epidemiology, it also reflects the author's exposure to Stanley's approach to the pathogenesis of infectious diseases.


Between 2008 and 2012, the delivered price of natural gas to the U.S. power sector fell 60 percent. This paper addresses, in theory and in practice, the effects of this negative price shock on electricity consumers and the environment. We demonstrate with a simple model that the larger the effects of gas prices on consumer welfare, the smaller the effects on pollution emissions and the smaller the increase in profits of existing natural gas–fired generators. Using detailed data on electricity prices, fuel consumption, and fuel prices from 2001 to 2012, we confirm this hypothesis. Regions that experience greater reductions in pollution emissions experience smaller reductions in electricity prices and consumer welfare.


Huperzia serrata is a precious medicinal plant used in medicine to support and treat Alzheimer's disease. Currently, this species is in danger of extinction due to indiscriminate exploitation for commercial purposes. Furthermore, this species reproduces slowly and is difficult to cultivate artificially. The reproduction by spores of this species is very long and takes 15−20 years from the spore germination to mature plant, whereas asexual reproduction by tissue culture is also difficult. Therefore, cutting is an effective method to propagate this species on a large scale. In this study, we surveyed the factors affecting the survival rate, the rooting and the number of new leaves of the stem cuttings, including cutting length, growing substrate, and effects of growth-regulating hormones IBA (0 ppm, 500 ppm, 1000 ppm, 2000 ppm and 3000 ppm) and α-NAA (0 ppm, 10 ppm, 20 ppm, 30 ppm and 40 ppm). The experimental results showed that using cuttings of 6 cm in length treated with IBA at a concentration of 1000 ppm for 30 mins and cultured on the substrate mixture of soil, decomposed animal manure and rice husk at a ratio of 3:1:1 was the best for cuttings of H. serrata in Sa Pa. The results of this study will contribute to the conservation and development of genetic source of H. serrata in Vietnam.


The study of long term growth in Africa has recently been invigorated by the work of economists. To date, this literature has been motivated by explaining a divergence of income and has focussed on finding persistent factors that can explain a chronic failure of growth in Africa. This chapter reviews some periods of economic growth in the past two centuries, and suggest that there must be more to learn from studying these periods of economic change and accumulation, particularly because they were accompanied by significant changes in institutions, or how the economy and the society was organized. The African economic history literature does emphasise dynamism - as opposed to persistence, and diversity in outcomes across time and space - in contrast to the average stagnation that has prompted the economic literature. In sum, there is more to learn from studying the history of economic growth in the African past, than what can be gauged from a search for a root cause of African economic underdevelopment.


Summary 1. Understanding the influence of biodiversity on ecosystem functionality is crucial in modern ecosystem management, especially with regard to the resistance and resilience of ecosystems to future environmental changes. In this study, we assessed the effects of three different environmental regimes on the relationship between diversity and biomass production among marsh plants in comparison with a control treatment to elucidate the underlying classes of proximate mechanisms. 2. We subjected assemblages of up to 23 marsh plant species to four different treatments (control, drought, salt, shade) for 4 months. We examined the treatment effect on the relationship between species diversity and biomass production and explored the underlying mechanism. 3. Biomass production in the manipulated treatments showed a stronger positive effect of biodiversity than the control because of greater declines of biomass production in low diversity mixtures. This effect was owing to an increasingly positive complementarity effect, i.e. a benefit of most species, with increasing diversity, particularly in shade treatment. The selection effect, i.e. a benefit for few species at the expense of the others, was increasingly negative with increasing diversity and dominance by species with lower than average monoculture biomass. The variability of biomass production decreased with increasing species richness in all treatments. 4. Synthesis and applications. We show that the productivity of diverse marsh plant communities is more consistent across a range of environmental conditions than that of depauperate communities and that this unexpectedly resulted from complementarity rather than selection effects. Our results demonstrate that loss of vegetation diversity reduces the average biomass production across a range of environmental conditions and emphasizes the importance of maintaining species-rich biotic assemblages, especially in the face of global change.


Introduction. Breast cancer is the second most frequent type of cancer in the world. As the most frequent female cancer type in Poland, breast cancer comes first in terms of incidence. Poland numbers among countries of medium incidence and mortality of this disease. In 2010, 15 784 cases of breast cancer were recorded, which accounted for 22.4% of the total count of incident tumours. The majority of females do realise the possibility of developing cancer, but are unaware of the associated risk factors. The identification and avoidance of modifiable risk factors presents a viable approach to the reduction of the incidence of breast cancer. Aim. The aim of the study was to collect information on the practical use of prophylactic tests by medical personnel and the knowledge of principles and purpose of screening among patients. Material and methods. The survey, which was carried out in the Women's Health Centre in Lubin, lasted from 1 September 2015 to 31 January 2016 and included 129 respondents. The questionnaire consisted of 14 closed questions. The majority of the questions were concerned with undergoing tests within the framework of breast cancer prevention. Results. The majority of the respondents admitted that the person who had shared with them information regarding breast cancer prevention had been the gynaecologist – 63%. At the same time, the surveyed women declared that it had not been the nurse (85%), the family doctor (84%) or the midwife (73%). Conclusions. The gynaecologist is considered as a main source of information on breast cancer prevention. Gynaecologists do not discharge this duty sufficiently. Family doctors do not discharge their duty of clinical breast examination and informing patients of breast cancer. Women do not undergo prophylactic tests related to breast cancer on a regular basis. Menstruating and non-menstruating women's knowledge of the appropriate time that breast self-examination should be performed is insufficient.


There is a growing consensus that evidence of teachers' contributions to student learning should be a component of teacher evaluation systems, along with evidence about the quality of teachers' practice. Value-added models (VAMs), designed to evaluate student test score gains from one year to the next are often promoted as tools to accomplish this goal. However, current research suggests that VAM ratings are not sufficiently reliable or valid to support high-stakes, individual-level decisions about teachers. Other tools for teacher evaluation have shown greater success in measuring and improving teaching, especially those that examine teachers' practices in relation to professional standards.


We develop a general equilibrium model of multiproduct fi…rms with quality differentiated goods. Households are characterized by an heterogeneous taste for the differentiated good and their income level. The use of non-homothetic preferences and vertical product differentiation (product quality) enables us to analyze how distributional changes in income affect the number of vertically differentiated …firms, their product range and prices in the presence of strategic interaction across …rms. The implications of lowering the barriers to trade within this setting are considered as well.


This paper aims to explore factors influencing people's attitudes toward nanofood in Singapore. Drawing on expectancy-value theories, this paper conducted a web-based survey (N=1,001) to measure the influences of beliefs of food technology, evaluations of food naturalness, and media consumption about food safety on attitudes toward nanofood and willingness to purchase nanofood products. Results suggested that attitudes toward nanofood are directly shaped by beliefs of food technology, whose influence is partially mediated by media consumption. Attitudes toward nanofood were also positively related to willingness to purchase nanofood. However, our study found no significant effect of food naturalness evaluations on attitudes toward nanofood. This paper helps to elucidate the significance of favorable perceptions of food technology and informative media messages in encouraging positive attitudes toward nanofood. Keywords-Nanofood attitudes; expectancy-value; food technology; media consumption


The men in plays such as Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman or Sam Shepard's True West are often presented as universal, with little attention given to their gender. Instead, their stories are viewed by author and critic as encompassing dynamics relevant to humanity rather than specifically to men. This study explores how masculinity is presented in the works of such leading male playwrights as Shepard, Miller, Eugene O'Neill, David Mamet, David Rabe, and August Wilson. It becomes apparent that male playwrights return often to the issues of troubled manhood, usually masked in other issues such as business or family. The plays indicate both the attractiveness of traditional masculinity and the illusive nature of this image, which all too often fractures and fails the characters who pursue it.


Background. The motivation of this work is driven on the one hand from the need to understand the medical students' attitude towards medical training in the context of the reform in Morocco and the creation of "family medicine" as a specialty. This study aims to explore the expectations of medical students regarding family medicine and to identify the factors that may influence setting their choices after graduation. Methods. We conducted a cross-sectional study among Moroccan medical students from public faculties during the month of August 2019. The data collection was based on an online self-administered electronic questionnaire. The quantitative data were analyzed by SPSS version 16. The analyses were descriptive univariate (Fisher's test) and multivariate (binary logistic regression) with a value of 5%. The qualitative data were synthesized according to a thematic analysis grid. Results. The medical students in Morocco have a positive perception of family medicine as an important specialty but low interest in it as a future career. Only 6.4% had the intention to choose it as a future career. However, 27.5% chose to become a general practitioner if it is a specialty (family medicine, as part of the new medical reform). The factors associated with the choice of career in general practice were mainly the ambition for career development (OR = 4.8; 95% CI [2.46; 9.51]), income (OR = 2.6; 95% CI [1.11; 6.29]), or the personal experience as a student or patient in contact with a general practitioner (OR = 0.48; 95% CI [0.25; 0.92]). Conclusion. The practical experience with family medicine seems to have an important influence on being attracted to family medicine careerwise. The study findings will inform future planning to introduce the residency program.


This study aimed at evaluating how doing poetry could affect students' understanding of medical practice and at assessing the effectiveness of the evaluation method used. Qualitative research was carried out on the experiences of medical students participating in a poetry workshop, followed by some quantitative analysis. The study was conducted at Peninsula Medical School and St Ives, Cornwall, UK, with three medical students, a poet and a pathologist as participants. Data were collected by interviews, observation and web access. "Doing poetry" with a professional poet was found to assist communication between doctors and patients as it enhanced skills of observation, heightened awareness of the effect of language and fostered deep reflection. Poetry was also found to offer an outlet for medics and patients. The voluntary workshop attracted three participants; however, it might have had an effect on the wider student community because the poetry website received 493 hits in four months. Qualitative methods worked well as a tool for evaluation. "Doing poetry for poetry's sake" seemed to foster the development of skills related to empathy. The opportunity to do poetry should be made available to medical students as part of a wider arts and humanities programme.


Forests worldwide are currently threatened by a number of non-native tree diseases. Widespread death of a tree species will have ecological impacts on species that in some way depend on that tree species to complete their life-cycle. One measure to mitigate these impacts is to establish alternative tree species to replace the threatened tree species. These alternative tree species should be as similar as possible to the threatened tree species in terms of species supported, tree traits and the environmental conditions under which the tree will grow. This study assesses the availability and quality of data to assess the ecological impact of Hymenoscyphus fraxineus on Fraxinus excelsior and the suitability of 48 alternative trees to replace F. excelsior in the UK. To make this assessment data were collected on 1) species use (whether the 955 ash-associated species will use the alternative tree species), 2) traits (bark pH, deciduous, floral reward, fruit type, height, leaf dry matter content, leaf shape, length of flowering time, mycorrhizal association, pollen vector and specific leaf area) and 3) site requirements (occurrence within northern/southern and upland/lowland Britain, detailed climatic and soil nutrient requirements). For all three assessment methods there was lower confidence in the suitability of non-native tree species to replace F. excelsior due to lack of data. Different alternative tree species were ranked most suitable depending on the methods used. We conclude that no one species is suited to all the site types associated with F. excelsior, nor will any one tree species support a high percentage of the ash-associated species while also matching many of the traits of F. excelsior. Our work provides broad guidance on the suitability of the 48 alternatives but site specific information is required to refine this selection at each site. The study highlights a lack of information to make a full assessment of the suitability of many species, particularly non-native species and calls for the collation of biological records so that rapid assessments of the potential ecological impacts of the loss of any given tree species and the suitability of their alternative tree species can be made.


Enterprise Java(TM) Security: Building Secure J2EE(TM) Applications provides application developers and programmers with the know-how they need to utilize the latest Java security technologies in building secure enterprise infrastructures. Written by the leading Java security experts at IBM, this comprehensive guide covers the current status of the Java(TM) 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE), and Java(TM) 2 Platform, Standard Edition (J2SE(TM)), security architectures and offers practical solutions and usage patterns to address the challenges of Java security.To aid developers who need to build secure J2EE applications, Enterprise Java(TM) Security covers at length the J2EE security technologies, including the security aspects of servlets, JavaServer Pages(TM) (JSP(TM)), and Enterprise JavaBeans(TM) (EJB(TM))-technologies that are at the core of the J2EE architecture. In addition, the book covers Web Services security.Examples and sample code are provided throughout the book to give readers a solid understanding of the underlying technology.The relationship between Java and cryptographic technologies is covered in great detail, including: Java Cryptography Architecture (JCA) Java Cryptography Extension (JCE) Public-Key Cryptography Standards (PKCS) Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME) Java Secure Socket Extension (JSSE)


In the present paper is analysed opinions about the tools for sustainable development and the ways to reduce inequality. Has been estimated the importance of regional development programs and strategies as the settlement of the economic and social issues, provided proof of their role in the effective development of regional economic policy. Has been determined the concentration level of economic activity by regions using distribution index to estimate equal development of regions. Has been made the conclusion that none of the regions of Georgia is notably specialized. The concentration level of business sectors in regions is substantiated by the distribution curve. In distribution curve was considered retail and wholesale distribution, as an example of maximally near to ideal distribution. It is proved by the analysis of distribution of curves, that the concentration level of business sectors in Georgian regions is quite unequal and none of them could be highlighted in industry specialization. The paper identifies the problems related to sustainable and equal development of regions, provided conclusions and recommendations to settle the mentioned issue by their estimation. In the process of study has been determined the factors of endogenous development of regions and advisable to improve the quality and efficiency of regional development institutions through the development of trial-programs for regional development.


This paper presents novel methods for generative, discriminative, and hybrid sequence classification for segmentation of Turkish word sequences into sentences. In the literature, this task is generally solved using statistical models that take advantage of lexical information among others. However, Turkish has a productive morphology that generates a very large vocabulary, making the task much harder. In this paper, we introduce a new set of morphological features, extracted from words and their morphological analyses. We also extend the established method of hidden event language modeling (HELM) to factored hidden event language modeling (fHELM) to handle morphological information. In order to capture non-lexical information, we extract a set of prosodic features, which are mainly motivated from our previous work for other languages. We then employ discriminative classification techniques, boosting and conditional random fields (CRFs), combined with fHELM, for the task of Turkish sentence segmentation.


Application of TiO2- Zeolite Nano-Composite for Photodegradation of 4-Chlorophenol
In this research, nanoparticle of b-zeolite was synthesized by solgel method and titanium dioxide was prepared by hydrolysis of titanium isopropoxide. To prepare TiO2-zeolite nano-composite, the synthesized b-zeolite was mixed with requisite amount of TiO2 dispersed in acetone. The mixture was thoroughly homogenized, dried at 110˚C and calcined at 400˚C. The nano composite was characterized by XRD, SEM and TEM techniques. Photocatalytical activity of the nano-composite for degradation of 4-chlorophenol was studied under UV irradiation. The influence of effective parameters including; pollutant initial concentration, amount of TiO2, pH and irradiation time were studied and optimized. The results showed that the synthesized nanocomposite in terms of rate and degradation efficiency was better than bare TiO2. The optimal degradation was obtained at pH=2.5 and initial concentration of 100 mg.L-1 and 10% TiO2 loading. The photocatalyst was recyclable and retained its initial properties after four regeneration cycles.


This paper considers reported speech of slaves in court records from the island of St Helena in the South Atlantic. It constitutes some of the earliest evidence of slaves' language anywhere, and shows that the early slave community on the island of St Helena spoke a creoloid, as well as non-standard Southern English. Nothing is known about the personal history of the slaves apart from some of their names. These names are analysed, and by comparison with name-usage in eighteenth-century London, it is concluded that they betray contemporary British attitudes to slavery. Thus, data is presented on the early linguistic situation of St Helena, showing that creoloidisation happened early on as a result of slavery, and conclusions about master-slave relationships during the period are drawn on the basis of the analysis of names.


Various federal and state statutes in the United States define the role of the court interpreter with clear and unequivocal rules. This definition is based on the underlying principles of the U.S. legal system, which is derived from the Anglo-Saxon common-law tradition. Consequently, the distinctive features of that system, including the jury trial and the concept of adversarial proceedings, make the function of the court interpreter quite different from that of his/her counterparts in other countries. In recent years, the judiciary has made an effort to enhance the public's access to the justice system, but at the same time, the latest wave of immigration comprises individuals from societies in which cultural norms differ greatly from those of the United States. Moreover, many of these immigrants have received little or no formal education. As a result, judiciary interpreters feel somewhat constrained by the rules that govern their profession when they strive to bridge the cultural and linguistic gap. This paper reexamines the function of the court interpreter in light of these circumstances and an analysis of prevailing practices in other countries, and proposes a new approach to the interpreter's role.


Plants are an attractive host system for pharmaceutical protein production. Many therapeutic proteins have been produced and scaled up in plants at a low cost compared to the conventional microbial and animal-based systems. The main technical challenge during this process is to produce sufficient levels of recombinant proteins in plants. Low yield is generally caused by proteolytic degradation during expression and downstream processing of recombinant proteins. The yield of human therapeutic interleukin (IL)-10 produced in transgenic tobacco leaves was found to be below the critical level, and may be due to degradation by tobacco proteases. Here, we identified a total of 60 putative cysteine protease genes (CysP) in tobacco. Based on their predicted expression in leaf tissue, 10 candidate CysPs (CysP1-CysP10) were selected for further characterization. The effect of CysP gene silencing on IL-10 accumulation was examined in tobacco. It was found that the recombinant protein yield in tobacco could be increased by silencing CysP6. Transient expression of CysP6 silencing construct also showed an increase in IL-10 accumulation in comparison to the control. Moreover, CysP6 localizes to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), suggesting that ER may be the site of IL-10 degradation. Overall results suggest that CysP6 is important in determining the yield of recombinant IL-10 in tobacco leaves.


In December 1996, TIME magazine published an article titled "Finding God on the Web," which projected how the Internet would shape information seeking on faith and religion. A decade later, the Web has become a popular tool for gathering religious information as well as information and imagery related to religious travel. Yet there is little research on religious destination imagery online. Imagery—positive or negative, pictographic or narrative—influences the selection of tourism destinations. This study explored online Muslim images in Malaysia via interviews and content analyses of pictures and text on tourism destination websites' homepages. The results reveal minimal portrayal of Muslim images by Malaysian tourism destination organizations. This study adds to the small body of research, especially in Muslim countries, on online religious imagery and suggests avenues for tourism operators in Malaysia and elsewhere to improve their online image with both Muslim and non-Muslim travelers.


Abstract Over the past decades, the increase in occurrence of fires has caused degradation of the forest ecosystem and caused impacts to the environment. The aim of this study was to reveal the peculiarities of Scots pine health condition dynamics in the first 2 years after August fire and to estimate the rate of tree colonisation by stem insects in Central Polissya. Scots pine health condition for the first 2 years after summer ground fire in August 2016 and the rate of tree colonisation by stem insects was studied in Zhytomyr region, Western Ukraine. Stem scorch height was measured for every fire-damaged tree, and the index of fire damage severity was calculated. Vital trees health condition worsened more intensively in the sample plot with the lowest relative stocking density and the highest stem scorch by fire. Generally, the forest health condition has worsened in post-fire period in fire damaged stands. However, 23.1% of trees recovered health condition from category 'drying-up' to 'severely weakened'. In fire-damaged stands, the number of species of stem insects has increased from 8 to 11 during the first 2 years of fire damage. Bark beetles were represented by Tomicus piniperda (Linnaeus, 1758), Tomicus minor (Hartig, 1834), Ips acuminatus (Gyllenhal, 1827) and Ips sexdentatus (Boerner, 1767). Jewel beetles included Anthaxia quadripunctata (Linnaeus, 1758), Phaenops cyaneus (Fabricius, 1775), Melanophila acuminata (DeGeer, 1774) and Chalcophora mariana (Linnaeus, 1758). Longhorn beetles included Monochamus galloprovincialis (Olivier, 1795), Pogonocherus fasciculatus (Degeer, 1775) and Acanthocinus aedilis (Linnaeus, 1758). Tree colonisation by stem insects in the year of fire damage was comparable with control stand, because insect swarming completed before this disturbance. Maximal occurrence of stem insects in 2017 in fire-damaged stand increased up to 66.7% (for I. sexdentatus). The percentage of trees colonised by any insect species at fire-damaged and healthy pine stands differed significantly. The occurrence of stem insects depended mainly on the ratio of trees with different health condition. Our results demonstrate data of tree damage from fire and tree health index as a strong predictor of post-fire mortality of Scots pine and bark beetle occurrence.


As Brazil implements its System for Vigilance of the Amazon (SIVAM) the countrys leadership continues to tout the system as a major effort towards achieving its national security objectives- -especially a) preserving the countrys sovereignty over its territories in that tropical forest region; b) assisting in Amazon law enforcement particularly in deterring illegal flights associated with contraband and narco-trafficking; and c) providing environmental information aimed at promoting sustainable development and the preservation of natural habitats in the Amazon. But while official arguments promise SIVAM will contribute to all three objectives the lack of: a) transparency in the programs development and implementation; and b) greater participation by non-official organizations in how SIVAM will gather process and disseminate information threatens the environmental and human security value of the system. (authors)


Internal stresses dissipate energy in a rotating body, unless it spins about one of its principal axes. If the body is rotating around a non-principal axis, its major-inertia axis and its angular velocity will be nutating about the constant vector of angular momentum. In the course of time, the half-angles of the appropriate precession cones will be slowly shrinking due to dissipative effects. In this way, the body will be approaching the state of minimal kinetic energy. We establish here expressions for the components of the stress tensor in the case of a symmetric ellipsoid continuum body, which is a more suitable shape than the rectangular prism studied in earlier works. Using classical expressions of linear elasticity, we obtain the strain energy per unit volume and the temporal average of the total strain energy. In our model, the relative contribution from the double-frequency mode to the inelastic-dissipation effect is larger than the contribution established by Lazarian & Efroimsky (1999), Efroimsky & Lazarian (2000), and Efroimsky (2001) for a prism. We come up with an expression for the relaxation time and compare it with similar expressions previously derived in the literature. In terms of the overall intensity of the effect, our result is in between the result derived in Lazarian & Efroimsky (1999), Efroimsky & Lazarian (2000), and Efroimsky (2002) and that in Burns & Safronov (1973). We apply our model to the comet P/Halley. Following the model proposed by Belton et al. (1991) for the rotation of Halley's comet, we estimate a relaxation time of 10 2 to 10 4 million years depending on the quality factor assumed.


Biochips are emerging as a useful tool for high-throughput acquisition of biological data and continue to grow in information quality and in discovering new applications. Recent advances include CMOS-based integrated biosensor arrays for deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) expression analysis (Hassibi and Lee, 2005), (Schienle , 2004), and active research is ongoing for the miniaturization and integration of protein microarrays (Kiyonaka , 2004), (Rubina , 2003), (Scrivener , 2003), tissue microarrays (TMAs), (Chen , 2004), (Shergill , 2004), and fluorescence-based multiplexed cytokine immunoassays (Wang , 2002). The main advantages of microfluidic lab-on-a-chip include ease of use, speed of analysis, low sample and reagent consumption, and high reproducibility due to standardization and automation. Without effective data-analysis methods, however, the merit of acquiring massive data through biochips will be marginal. The high-dimensional nature of such data requires novel techniques that can cope with the curse of dimensionality better than conventional data-analysis approaches. In this paper, the authors proposed a pattern-mining method to analyze large-scale biological data obtained from high-throughput biochip experiments. In particular, when a data set is given as a matrix, the method can find patterns appearing in the form of (possibly overlapping) submatrices of the input matrix. The method exploits the techniques developed for the symbolic manipulation of Boolean functions. Leveraged by this approach, the method can find, given a data matrix, all patterns that satisfy specific input parameters. The authors tested the method with several large-scale biochip data and observed that the proposed method outperforms the alternatives in terms of efficiency and the number of patterns discovered.


Cytokeratin (CK) 20, Ki-67, and p53 were applied to 84 noninvasive papillary urothelial tumors graded by the 1973 World Health Organization (WHO) and 1998 WHO/International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) systems. In the WHO/ISUP classification, all benign lesions showed normal CK20 staining and all carcinomas showed abnormal staining. The Ki-67 index was significantly different between benign and malignant lesions (P < .05) and between low- and high-grade carcinomas (P < .001). p53 was negative in all benign lesions, with a significant difference between low- and high-grade carcinomas (P < .001). Tumor recurrence was significantly different between low- and high-grade carcinomas (no recurrences among the papillary urothelial neoplasms of low malignant potential). By the 1973 WHO classification, normal CK20 staining was present both in benign lesions and in carcinomas. Ki-67 staining did not distinguish between grade 2 and grade 3 carcinomas (P > .05), and there was no difference in p53 staining in grades 1 and 2 carcinomas (P > .05). Recurrences were not different between grades 1, 2, and 3 carcinomas. All biologic markers studied and tumor recurrences were significantly different among papillary lesions classified by the WHO/ISUP system but not by the 1973 WHO system, validating the predictive value of the WHO/ISUP system and providing objective markers for the grading of papillary urothelial tumors.


THANKS to the hard work of the American people, the fiscal discipline of the government, and the wise investments we have made as a country, we are beginning the 21st century from a position of unprecedented prosperity. With that prosperity comes unprecedented opportunity and significant responsibility. One of the most important responsibilities that we face is that of educating our people. I believe that education must remain a state and local responsibility, with those closest to our children making daily decisions, but I also know that education must be a national priority, with bold national leadership and ample national investment. Over the last eight years, the Clinton/Gore Administration has fought to ensure that every American has access to the resources that he or she needs to prepare for success in the 21st century. As President, I would continue my commitment to this mission by fighting for an education agenda that would enable all Americans to reach their full potential, through a reasonable balance of investment in education and accountability from educators and students. Over the next 10 years, I would create an Education Reform Trust Fund. This fund would set aside resources to bring revolutionary improvements to our public schools, because ensuring all children the education they need to succeed should not be a year-to-year decision. The trust fund would finance programs that are key to student achievement and the centerpieces of my education agenda: universal preschool, smaller class sizes, and high-quality teachers. Ninety percent of American students attend public schools. Our public schools are a cornerstone of our democracy, and they are critical to ensuring a chance at the American Dream for generations to come. That's why it is imperative that we implement education policies that fundamentally make sense - that ask a lot of our people, but provide them with the means to accomplish much, as well. The foundation of a good education is laid in the earliest years of life. That's why as President, $50 billion of my proposed education spending would go toward ensuring that every 4-year-old in America whose family chooses it can attend preschool. Preschools could be provided in community-based settings, such as public schools, community centers, and Head Start centers, and they would be required to identify developmentally appropriate curricula that would prepare children to learn to read. As I worked to expand early childhood learning and care, I would also work to ensure that the quality of that care is high. My Ready-to-Learn Fund would help finance background checks for child-care workers and regular, unannounced quality checks on child-care facilities. My tax plan would make the child-care tax credit refundable - meaning that families with no tax liabilities could get money back to help defray the expenses of caring for their children. I would also fight for expanded after-school programs - so our children can learn in safe environments at the time of day when young people are at the greatest risk. After providing early childhood education to get children environments where they can learn, I believe the most critical step we can take to help every child learn to read by the end of the third grade is to reduce class size. In addition to offering children more individual attention and learning time, smaller classes have also been shown to lead to better attendance records, lower dropout rates, and fewer discipline problems. In order to provide these smaller classes, we must do two things: hire more teachers and build more schools. My plan would invest $8 billion over the next 10 years to aggressively recruit new teachers, providing up to $10,000 in college aid to those who commit to teach in high-need schools after graduation, and as much in signing bonuses for professionals who switch careers to teach. I would also ensure loan forgiveness for 300,000 students who agree to teach in schools or subject areas that are particularly underserved. …


Since the Lucas-Kanade algorithm was proposed in 1981 image alignment has become one of the most widely used techniques in computer vision. Applications range from optical flow, tracking, and layered motion, to mosaic construction, medical image registration, and face coding. Numerous algorithms have been proposed and a variety of extensions have been made to the original formulation. We present an overview of image alignment, describing most of the algorithms in a consistent framework. We concentrate on the inverse compositional algorithm, an efficient algorithm that we recently proposed. We examine which of the extensions to the Lucas-Kanade algorithm can be used with the inverse compositional algorithm without any significant loss of efficiency, and which cannot. In this paper, Part 3 in a series of papers, we cover the extension of image alignment to allow linear appearance variation. We first consider linear appearance variation when the error function is the Euclidean L2 norm. We describe three different algorithms, the simultaneous, project out, and normalization inverse compositional algorithms, and empirically compare them. Afterwards we consider the combination of linear appearance variation with the robust error functions described in Part 2 of this series. We first derive robust versions of the simultaneous and normalization algorithms. Since both of these algorithms are very inefficient, as in Part 2 we derive efficient approximations based on spatial coherence. We end with an empirical evaluation of the robust algorithms.


Regulatory and governmental authorities in Malaysia provide substantial financial planning to help attract potential investors and improve value for shareholders. Companies are always encouraged to improve the quality of financial reporting. However, some managers tend to manipulate earnings' data to make it appear more attractive. Stakeholders rely on the audit committee to motivate managerial provision of accurate data for accounting processes. Hence, this study examines the impact of financial reporting quality on shareholder value and assesses impacts from the audit committee's influence and its relationship to financial reporting. The proposed study will use modified Jones Model to evaluate the financial reporting quality. Also, the study proposes ordinary least square (OLS) for identifying the impact of (i) independent audit committee; (ii) financial and accounting expertise; and (iii) audit committee size as proxies to investigate the effect of the audit committee on the relationship between financial reporting quality and shareholder value.


Type classes provide a clean, modular and elegant way of writing overloaded functions. Functional logic programming languages (FLP in short) like Toy or Curry have adopted the Damas-Milner type system, so it seems natural to adopt also type classes in FLP. However, type classes has been barely introduced in FLP. A reason for this lack of success is that the usual translation of type classes using dictionaries presents some problems in FLP like the absence of expected answers due to a bad interaction of dictionaries with
the call-time choice semantics for non-determinism adopted in FLP systems.

In this paper we present a type-passing translation of type
classes based on type-indexed functions and type witnesses that is well-typed with respect to a new liberal type system recently proposed for FLP. We argue the suitability of this translation for FLP because it improves the dictionary-based one in three aspects. First, it obtains programs which run as fast or faster—with an speedup from 1.05 to 2.30 in our experiments. Second, it solves the mentioned problem of missing answers. Finally, the proposed translation generates shorter and simpler programs.

(C) ACM, (2011). This is the authors version of the work. It is posted here by permission of ACM for your personal use. Not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in PEPM '11 Proceedings of the 20th ACM SIGPLAN workshop on
Partial evaluation and program manipulation (January 24–25, 2011, Austin, Texas, USA). http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1929501.1929524.


Polar ice cores provide exceptional archives of past environmental conditions. The dating of ice cores and the estimation of the age-scale uncertainty are essential to interpret the climate and environmental records that they contain. It is, however, a complex problem which involves different methods. Here, we present IceChrono1, a new probabilistic model integrating various sources of chronological information to produce a common and optimized chronology for several ice cores, as well as its uncertainty. IceChrono1 is based on the inversion of three quantities: the surface accumulation rate, the lock-in depth (LID) of air bubbles and the thinning function. The chronological information integrated into the model are models of the sedimentation process (accumulation of snow, densification of snow into ice and air trapping, ice flow), ice- and air-dated horizons, ice and air depth intervals with known durations, Δdepth observations (depth shift between synchronous events recorded in the ice and in the air) and finally air and ice stratigraphic links in between ice cores. The optimization is formulated as a least squares problem, implying that all densities of probabilities are assumed to be Gaussian. It is numerically solved using the Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm and a numerical evaluation of the model's Jacobian. IceChrono follows an approach similar to that of the Datice model which was recently used to produce the AICC2012 (Antarctic ice core chronology) for four Antarctic ice cores and one Greenland ice core. IceChrono1 provides improvements and simplifications with respect to Datice from the mathematical, numerical and programming point of views. The capabilities of IceChrono1 are demonstrated on a case study similar to the AICC2012 dating experiment. We find results similar to those of Datice, within a few centuries, which is a confirmation of both IceChrono1 and Datice codes. We also test new functionalities with respect to the original version of Datice: observations as ice intervals with known durations, correlated observations, observations as air intervals with known durations and observations as mixed ice–air stratigraphic links. IceChrono1 is freely available under the General Public License v3 open source license.


International guidelines for school libraries and teacher librarians exist. However, the role of professional library associations in teacher librarian education has been largely overlooked. This exploratory study examines the role of professional library associations in Brazil, Honduras, Nepal, and the United States (specifically California) relative to teacher librarian pre-service education and in-service professional development. The associations are analyzed in light of communities of practice and the contingency theory of socialization. The findings demonstrate how professional library associations provide culturally relevant professional development that melds professional expertise and socialization. Introduction In 1999 the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) approved a School Library Manifesto. Titled The School Library in Teaching and Learning for All, the document asserts that "The school library provides information and ideas that are fundamental to functioning successfully in today's information and knowledge-based society. The school library equips students with life-long learning skills and develops the imagination, enabling them to live as responsible citizens" (p. 1). The manifesto states that the mission of the school library is to "offer learning services, books and resources that enable all members of the school community to become critical thinkers and effective users of information in all formats and media" (p. 1). School Libraries link to the wider library and information network in accord with the principles in the UNESCO Public Library Manifesto. To that end, school library resources should complement textbooks, and include a variety of formats. Services need to be provided equally - and free - to all school community members, and accommodate individuals with special needs. The manifesto concludes that collaboration between teachers and librarians, as well as partnerships with outside entities, result in improved student literacy and communication. School libraries must have adequate and sustained funding for trained staff, materials, technologies and facilities. Trained staffmust be provided to achieve the goals of the manifesto. However, the definition of trained is leftunsaid, as are the provisions of such training. In an ongoing study of experiences of beginning teacher librarians (TL) and expert TLs to ascertain the factors that predict practitioner success, the author has compared southern California TLs (and their academic preparation) with the experiences of TLs in other representative countries (e.g., Australia, Brazil, Canada, European Union, Hong Kong, India, Nepal, Japan, Taiwan, and Turkey (Farmer, 2008). Factors were identified that link to TL preparation, with the intent of determining: 1) at what point in the academic-practice continuum identified skills, knowledge, and dispositions should be addressed; and 2) what pre-service activities optimize learning. In the process, the author tried to uncover universal and culturally determined practices. For the most part, the author used an online survey to collect data. However, she conducted face-to-face observations, interviews, and focus groups in Southern California, Brazil, Honduras, and Nepal. In all cases, the need for librarian and library standards - and professional development to support those standards - has become a strong desire among librarians. In the process, the author discovered the importance of professional library associations in the pre-service and in-service training of TLs. This paper discusses those findings in light of two applicable theories: contingency theory of socialization, and communities of practice. Standards Examination of IFLA's book on library science education (Schniederjurgen,2007) and their book on access to libraries (Bothma, 2007) reveals that TL education and school library practices have been very uneven. …


Background: Deep dermal burns are initially difficult to evaluate. Some of these burns are able to heal spontaneously from the epidermal precursor cells found in hair follicles that were not destroyed by the injury. This type of healing is either slowed considerably or is unable to occur if the burn wound is covered with eschar or granulating surfaces. Leaving this necrotic tissue in place and covering the wound with a skin graft or occlusive dressing will create a closed fluid loculation that can then become infected and destroy viable epidermal cells thus converting a deep partial burn into a full thickness injury. Dermabrasion is a useful alternative to a more invasive and risky tangential excision. In a population with deep dermal partial-thickness (DDPT) burns, does dermabrasion with a biosynthetic wound dressing increase rate of wound healing? Methods: Exhaustive search of available medical literature was conducted using Medline-OVID, CINAHL, Academic Search Premier, and Web of Science. The keywords dermabrasion, burns, and partial-thickness burns were used. Relevant articles were reviewed for studies analyzing patients with DDPT, DDPT combined with superficial partial thickness burns, DDPT combined with full thickness burns, and the use of dermabrasion with an occlusive biosynthetic dressing as a treatment method. Results: Three studies met inclusion criteria and were included in this systematic review. Each study evaluated dermabrasion with a different biosynthetic wound dressing. One study reported a significantly reduced length of stay in an acute care setting, which lead to dramatic cost savings. Two studies evaluated occurrence of infection and reported nearly the same reduction in infection rates when dermabrasion and a biosynthetic dressing were used. Conclusion: Based on the evidence found in the three reviewed studies, it is clear that additional research in the form of randomized control trials needs to be conducted to provide more conclusive evidence about how to treat deep dermal partial-thickness burns. The data presented by the three studies showed a decrease in length of hospital stay due to improved wound healing times, as well as decreased rate of infection. However, due to the limited sample size and the use of observational studies only, a strong recommendation for this treatment method in DDPT wounds cannot be made. Degree Type Capstone Project Degree Name Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies


Three times Randolph Carter dreamed of the marvelous city, and three times was he snatched away while still he paused on the high terrace above it. All golden and lovely it blazed in the sunset, with walls, temples, colonnades and arched bridges of veined marble, silver-basined fountains of prismatic spray in broad squares and perfumed gardens, and wide streets marching between delicate trees and blossom-laden urns and ivory statues in gleaming rows; while on steep northward slopes climbed tiers of red roofs and old peaked gables harbouring little lanes of grassy cobbles. It was a fever of the gods, a fanfare of supernal trumpets and a clash of immortal cymbals. Mystery hung about it as clouds about a fabulous unvisited mountain; and as Carter stood breathless and expectant on that balustraded parapet there swept up to him the poignancy and suspense of almost-vanished memory, the pain of lost things and the maddening need to place again what once had been an awesome and momentous place.


Knowledge of the fascinating world of DNA repeats is continuously being enriched by newly identified elements and their hypothetical or well-established biological relevance. Genomic approaches can be used for comparative studies of major repeats in any group of genomes, regardless of their size and complexity. Such studies are particularly fruitful in large genomes, and useful mainly in crop plants where they provide a rich source of molecular markers or information on indispensable genomic components (e.g., telomeres, centromeres, or ribosomal RNA genes). Surprisingly, in Allium species, a comprehensive comparative study of repeats is lacking. Here we provide such a study of two economically important species, Allium cepa (onion), and A. sativum (garlic), and their distantly related A. ursinum (wild garlic). We present an overview and classification of major repeats in these species and have paid specific attention to sequence conservation and copy numbers of major representatives in each type of repeat, including retrotransposons, rDNA, or newly identified satellite sequences. Prevailing repeats in all three studied species belonged to Ty3/gypsy elements, however they significantly diverged and we did not detect them in common clusters in comparative analysis. Actually, only a low number of clusters was shared by all three species. Such conserved repeats were for example 5S and 45S rDNA genes and surprisingly a specific and quite rare Ty1/copia lineage. Species-specific long satellites were found mainly in A. cepa and A. sativum. We also show in situ localization of selected repeats that could potentially be applicable as chromosomal markers, e.g., in interspecific breeding.


In recent years a number of factors have stimulated an increased awareness of the presence of potentially pathogenic bioaerosols in indoor and outdoor environments and the detrimental health effects associated with them. The incidence of hospital acquired infection is a serious and widespread problem, with an estimated 1 in 10 patients acquiring an infection during a hospital stay. There are a whole range of potentially pathogenic microorganisms associated with nosocomial infections many of which are opportunistic pathogens which frequently cause respiratory infections particularly in immunocompromised patients. In order to determine the extent of the problem it may be necessary to carry out sampling in order to verify and quantify the presence of bioaerosols in the air. There are a large number of different air samplers available and the choice of sampler type will be highly dependent upon the location in which the sample is to be taken and the information required. In sensitive locations such as hospitals the primary consideration may be the need to cause as little disturbance to the patients as possible. Once an airborne route of infection has been identified as a transmission route there are several possible control strategies available including the use of germicidal ultraviolet disinfection. In the USA in particular ultraviolet disinfection systems are currently widely used in hospitals and other health care environments in order to protect patients and healthcare workers. Microorganisms are particularly vulnerable to UV light at wavelengths close to 254nm since this represents the maximum absorption wavelength of their DNA molecule. Photons of UV light strike a biological cell and the energy is absorbed by nucleic acids in the DNA molecule leading to the formation of pyrimidine dimers and other lethal photoproducts. The formation of pyrimadine dimers leads to changes to the double helix structure, cell mutation and ultimately to the death of the cell. Research carried out at the University of Leeds and elsewhere has shown that a whole range of potentially pathogenic bacterial species are susceptible to UV. It has also highlighted the importance of environmental factors such as relative humidity and the positive effect high levels of relative humidity can have on the survival of bacteria after UV exposure. Although history shows that the uptake of UV disinfection has progressed slowly the future looks extremely promising. With increasing concerns over rising numbers of TB outbreaks, new pathogens such as SARS and avian flu and also the increased risk of bioterrorism threats the market for new disinfection technologies is great. In addition to clinical applications, this technology would also be similarly applicable to waste management facilities for controlling potential pathogens such as Aspergillus fumigatus.


The communication should be much secured in Mobile Adhoc Networks in the protective environment such as Military atmosphere and in a disaster relief. Due to the attackers, Mobile Adhoc Networks resulting in denial of Service attacks modify packets, Error packets, Missing Packets, Theft of Nodes, etc. To overcome this problem, We propose a new Symmetric Token Routing Protocol (STRP) for mobile ad hoc networks provides much security against MANET. The proposed protocol distributed a secured shared symmetric token for each node to provide security against hackers and attackers. Simulation results shows the better delivery against the existing protocol in MANET.


Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders, a large fraction of which is resistant to pharmacotherapy. In this light, understanding the mechanisms of epilepsy and its intractable forms in particular could create new targets for pharmacotherapeutic intervention. The current project explores the dynamic changes in neuronal network function in the chronic temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) in rat and human brain in vitro. I focused on the process of establishment of epilepsy (epileptogenesis) in the temporal lobe. Rhythmic behaviour of the hippocampal neuronal networks in healthy animals was explored using spontaneous oscillations in the gamma frequency band (SγO). The use of an improved brain slice preparation technique resulted in the natural occurence (in the absence of pharmacological stimulation) of rhythmic activity, which was then pharmacologically characterised and compared to other models of gamma oscillations (KA- and CCh-induced oscillations) using local field potential recording technique. The results showed that SγO differed from pharmacologically driven models, suggesting higher physiological relevance of SγO. Network activity was also explored in the medial entorhinal cortex (mEC), where spontaneous slow wave oscillations (SWO) were detected. To investigate the course of chronic TLE establishment, a refined Li-pilocarpine-based model of epilepsy (RISE) was developed. The model significantly reduced animal mortality and demonstrated reduced intensity, yet high morbidy with almost 70% mean success rate of developing spontaneous recurrent seizures. We used SγO to characterize changes in the hippocampal neuronal networks throughout the epileptogenesis. The results showed that the network remained largely intact, demonstrating the subtle nature of the RISE model. Despite this, a reduction in network activity was detected during the so-called latent (no seizure) period, which was hypothesized to occur due to network fragmentation and an abnormal function of kainate receptors (KAr). We therefore explored the function of KAr by challenging SγO with kainic acid (KA). The results demonstrated a remarkable decrease in KAr response during the latent period, suggesting KAr dysfunction or altered expression, which will be further investigated using a variety of electrophysiological and immunocytochemical methods. The entorhinal cortex, together with the hippocampus, is known to play an important role in the TLE. Considering this, we investigated neuronal network function of the mEC during epileptogenesis using SWO. The results demonstrated a striking difference in AMPAr function, with possible receptor upregulation or abnormal composition in the early development of epilepsy. Alterations in receptor function inevitably lead to changes in the network function, which may play an important role in the development of epilepsy. Preliminary investigations were made using slices of human brain tissue taken following surgery for intratctable epilepsy. Initial results showed that oscillogenesis could be induced in human brain slices and that such network activity was pharmacologically similar to that observed in rodent brain. Overall, our findings suggest that excitatory glutamatergic transmission is heavily involved in the process of epileptogenesis. Together with other types of receptors, KAr and AMPAr contribute to epilepsy establishment and may be the key to uncovering its mechanism.


"Reality" is a term that appears dozens of times in Pope Francis's Laudato Si'. The term is not directly defined, but appears to signal for Francis a mysterious, relational, created order that imposes limits on humans while also evoking positive feelings like wonder and peace. Francis contrasts this vision of reality with perspectives on the world that are human-centered, fragmented, or reductionist. In this way, his account of reality grounds his sharp critique of narrow, techno-scientific perspectives on life and the world that entail a will to mastery and control. Francis's critique of reductive, fragmentary perspectives is also connected to his concern with a category of humans and nonhuman others whom Francis designates "the excluded" in Laudato Si'. Distorted views of reality perpetuate neglect of these excluded others and prevent us from grasping the integral functioning of human, ecological, and social realms. I conclude by contrasting Francis's version of integral ecology with other forms of integral thought that express naive enthusiasm for technology, and suggest a denial of human and natural limits.


The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has used spring aerial surveys to estimate numbers of migrating sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) staging in the Platte River Valley of Nebraska, USA. Resulting estimates index the abundance of the midcontinent sandhill crane population and inform harvest management decisions. However, annual changes in the index have exceeded biologically plausible changes in population size (>50% of surveys between 1982 and 2013 indicate >±20% change), raising questions about nuisance variation due to factors such as migration chronology. We used locations of cranes marked with very-high-frequency transmitters to estimate migration chronology (i.e., proportions of cranes present within the Platte River Valley). We also used roadside surveys to determine the percentage of cranes staging at the Platte River Valley but outside of the survey area when surveys occur. During March 2001–2007, an average of 86% (71–94%; SD = 7%) of marked cranes were present along the Platte River during scheduled survey dates, and 0–11% of cranes that were present along the Platte River were not within the survey boundaries. Timing of the annual survey generally corresponded with presence of the greatest proportion of marked cranes and with least inter-annual variation; consequently, accuracy of estimates could not have been improved by surveying on different dates. Conducting the survey earlier would miss birds not yet arriving at the staging site; whereas, a later date would occur at a time when a larger portion of birds may have already departed the staging site and when a greater proportion of birds occurred outside of the surveyed area. Index values used to monitor midcontinent sandhill crane abundance vary annually, in part, due to annual variation in migration chronology and to spatial distribution of cranes in the Platte River Valley; therefore, managers should interpret survey results cautiously, with awareness of a continuing need to identify and understand components of variation. Published 2014. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.


Locus of control is an important variable for the explanation of human behavior in organizations. Employees are influenced by both internal and external forces, but the impact of these forces depends a great deal on their own levels of internal and external locus of control This paper compares the Locus of control dimensions of academicians and corporate employees'. In addition, it will identify the the relation of age and hierarchical position in respect to personality orientation of the employees in both types of organization in relation to of the employees.


Under section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), employees are entitled "to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing." Yet union organizing efforts often fail before employees have a chance to vote, at the ballot box, or in subsequent litigation. For decades, scholars and union-side lawyers explained the gap between employee desire for unionization and declining rates of unionization by hypothesizing that employers are able to coerce, intimidate, or persuade employees to abandon their support for unions. Conversely, employer advocates insist that employees do not wish to unionize, that unions are the ones that are guilty of intimidation and coercion during the organizing process, and that unions do not adequately represent the interests of all employees once they establish a bargaining relationship. One way to test these competing hypotheses is to eliminate the long organizing process and allow only those employees who support a union to bargain collectively, leaving other employees free from union representation. This is known as members-only or minority unionism.The law currently allows members-only representation. The question we consider is whether the NLRA may be read to require an employer to negotiate with a union only on behalf of those who join it. Imposing a duty to bargain with a minority union would be a significant change in federal labor law. After exploring current members-only bargaining proposals, this article assesses the advantages and risks of members-only bargaining. We begin with a brief analysis of statutory language and legislative history. We note that cases interpreting the NLRA, especially recent cases, offer only weak support for members-only bargaining. However, as we explain, we find nothing determinative one way or another on the proper interpretation of the NLRA. Because legislative change to the NLRA is unlikely until either the Democratic or the Republican Party controls both houses of Congress, more than sixty seats in the Senate, and the White House, we believe that any change must come from the NLRB. Thus, we believe that prior interpretations of the NLRA by the Board or the courts should be of less interest in the debate than what the statute should be read to say. In Part III, we turn to the heart of our argument, which examines the implications of members-only bargaining. We consider its impact for organizing campaigns (they would become less significant), for unions (they would need actively to seek support from members on an ongoing basis, rather than just at the time of a certification election), for employer-employee relations, and for relations among employees. Requiring members-only bargaining would allow those employees who wish it the benefits of collective representation. It could permit employees to preview the effectiveness of every potential union before electing a representative, thereby empowering employees to exercise their section 7 rights more intelligently. However, it could also permit employers to utilize interunion competition to undermine collective bargaining, thus making full protection of section 7 rights more difficult. We conclude that it is difficult to predict whether the benefits of members-only bargaining would outweigh the costs. We suggest that, at minimum, the NLRB should commence a rulemaking proceeding in order to obtain full and fair input and thorough study of these costs and benefits.


There are numerous nonprofit organizations in the United States that lack the budgets necessary to carry out large-scale public relations or advertising campaigns. Therefore, these organizations must learn about and utilize less expensive techniques to increase awareness and gain support for their institutions and ideas. The present thesis project has been created to help managers and personnel of nonprofit organizations gain a better understanding of those promotional tools and public relations activities most accessible to them. General information about marketing and its four primary functions: distribution, price, product and communication are provided. The emphasis of this thesis is on the communication function of the marketing mix. Common misconceptions about various aspects of marketing are pointed out, including the difference between promotion, public relations and publicity. The manual portion of this thesis project includes detailed information about techniques and tools, provides examples and outlines and offers tips and suggestions to nonprofits. Degree Type Open Access Senior Honors Thesis Department English Language and Literature First Advisor Lolita Hendrix


A probiotic is, by consensus definition, a live microorganism which, when given in adequate amounts confers a health benefit on the host. Extensive clinical evaluation of the human L. reuteri DSM 17938, (parent strain ATCC 55730), for over nearly 20 years confirms the true probiotic properties of this bacterial strain. The safety of this probiotic in humans of all ages has been demonstrated as has its ability to temporarily colonise throughout the human gastrointestinal tract. In acute rotavirus infections, the probiotic together with oral rehydration solution promote recovery whilst prophylactic daily supplementation in nursery infants was able to significantly reduce the incidence of fever, gastrointestinal infections, visits to the doctor, day care absence and the use of antibiotics compared with placebo.


Aim/Purpose: This paper aims to analyze how artisans in Ghana are incorporating mobile commerce into their everyday business and how perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, subjective norms, age, gender, expertise, and educational level affected the adoption and usage of m-commerce.

Background: This study integrates well-established theoretical models to create a new conceptual model that ensures a comprehensive mobile commerce adoption survey.

Methodology: A cross-sectional survey was conducted to measure the constructs and their relations to test the research model.

Contribution: The study's findings confirmed previous results and produced a new conceptual model for mobile commerce adoption and usage.

Findings: Except for gender, perceived ease of use, and subjective norms that did not have specific effects on mobile commerce adoption, age, educational level, perceived usefulness, expertise, attitude, and behavioral intention showed significant effects.

Recommendations for Practitioners: First of all, mobile commerce service providers should strategically pay critical attention to customer-centered factors that positively affect the adoption of mobile commerce innovations than focusing exclusively on technology-related issues. Mobile service providers can attract more users if they carefully consider promoting elements like perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use which directly or indirectly affect the individuals' decision to adopt information technology from consumer perspectives.

Second, mobile commerce service providers should strategically focus more on younger individuals since, per the research findings, they are more likely to adopt mobile commerce innovations than the older folks in Ghana.

Third, service providers should also devise strategies to retain actual users of m-commerce by promoting elements like behavioral intentions and attitude, which according to the research findings, have a higher predictive power on actual usage of m-commerce.

Recommendation for Researchers: The conceptual model developed can be employed by researchers worldwide to analyze technology acceptance research.

Impact on Society: The study's findings suggested that mobile commerce adoption could promote a cashless society that is convenient for making buying things quicker and easier.

Future Research: The research sample size could be increased, and also the study could all sixteen regions in Ghana or any other country for a broader representation.