Women writing Africa: the Southern Region (The Women Writing Africa Project, Volume 1); edited by M.J. Daymond and others. New York: The Feminist Press at the City University of New York, 2003, xxx, 554 pp. ISBN 1-55861-406-0, pbk 1-55861-407-9. (Hardback) $60, (pbk) $23.96 Women writing Africa: West Africa and the Sahel (The Women Writing Africa Project, Volume 2); edited by Esi Sutherland-Addy and Aminata Diaw. New York: The Feminist Press at the City University of New York, 2005. ISBN 1-55861-501-6, pbk 1-55861-500-8. (Hardback) $60,(pbk) $23.96 The mission statement of the Women Writing Africa Project is set out opposite each title page: Women Writing Africa, a project of cultural reconstruction, aims to restore African women's voices to the public sphere. Through the publication of a series of regional anthologies, each collecting oral and written narratives as well as a variety of historical and literary texts, the project will make visible the oral and written literary expression of African women. The definition of "writing" has been broadened to include songs, praise poems and significant oral texts as well as fiction, poetry, journalism, and historical and legal documents. The project has been undertaken with the expectation that the publication of these texts will allow for new readings of African women's history. The project had its origins in conversations between interested scholars in 1990 and the inspiration of a volume on Women Writing in India 600 BC to Present also published by the Feminist Press. It is an impressive enterprise involving the mobilisation of funding and teams of national committees and regional research teams, editors and translators (150 of them working in 11 countries and 26 languages for vol. 2). Two further volumes on East and on North Africa are scheduled to follow. The West Africa volume will also be published in a French edition. The teams were always aware of oral tradition. "Writing in Women Writing Africa metonymically suggests a blend of verbal and written forms of expression embodying the experience of African women in envisioning their lives in relations to their societies." So "Women verbalising Africa" would be a more accurate if less euphonious title. The editors of the West Africa volume express their awareness that many of these texts are experienced in performance and their hope to produce an accompanying audio disc. The editors approached their task with great seriousness, an awareness that the project "represented] the largest undertaking of our lives, a responsibility to set the reality of African women's lives in history and in the present before a world that is only just waking up to their importance." They are open about their ideological and feminist/ womanist agendas and methodology. So the editors of the West African volume write that their general principle was that the "authority of African women scholars should be presumed primary in shaping intellectual parameters of the project; that egalitarian partnerships between African and non-African scholars should be maintained; that collaborative feminist work should be promoted." They are honest enough to admit occasional tensions, painful compromises, problems of definition (how inclusive should they be of women of the West African diaspora who had spent most of their life abroad? …


Over 35 million people are living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1). The mechanisms causing integrated provirus to become latent, the diversity of spliced viral transcripts and the cellular response to infection are not fully characterized and hinder the eradication of HIV-1. We applied high-throughput sequencing to investigate the effects of host chromatin on proviral latency and variation of expression and splicing in both the host and virus during infection. To evaluate the link between host chromatin and proviral latency, we compared genomic and epigenetic features to HIV-1 integration site data for latent and active provirus from five cell culture models. Latency was associated with chromosomal position within individual models. However, no shared mechanisms of latency were observed between cell culture models. These differences suggest that cell culture models may not completely reflect latency in patients. We carried out two studies to explore mRNA populations during HIV infection. Single-molecule amplification and sequencing revealed that the clinical isolate HIV89.6 produces at least 109 different spliced mRNAs. Viral message populations differed between cell types, between human donors and longitudinally during infection. We then sequenced mRNA from control and HIV89.6-infected primary human T cells. Over 17 percent of cellular genes showed altered activity associated with infection. These gene expression patterns differed from HIV infection in cell lines but paralleled infections in primary cells. Infection with HIV89.6 increased intron retention in cellular genes and abundance of RNA from human endogenous retroviruses. We also quantified the frequency and location of chimeric HIV-host RNAs. These two studies together provided a detailed accounting of both HIV89.6 and host expression and alternative splicing. A more cost-effective method of detecting viral load would aid patients with poor access to healthcare. We developed improved methods for assaying HIV-1 RNA using loop-mediated isothermal amplification based on primers targeting regions of the HIV-1 genome conserved across subtypes. Combined with lab-on-a-chip technology, these techniques allow quantitative measurements of viral load in a point-of-care device targeted to resource-limited settings. This work disclosed novel HIV-host interactions and developed techniques and knowledge that will aid in the study and management of HIV-1 infection. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Genomics & Computational Biology First Advisor Frederic D. Bushman This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/2008


The ATLAS detector is the biggest experiment operated at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. In the context of the ATLAS upgrade program for the High-Luminosity LHC, a new ATLAS Inner Tracker is designed. The increasing requirements in radiation hardness lead to the investigation of new silicon sensor technologies. Depleted Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors produced in commercial CMOS imaging processes are considered to be a promising alternative to hybrid pixel sensors. Containing the complete readout chain in one chip, there is no need for the expensive flip-chip assembly, resulting in cost reduction and material savings.
The TowerJazz Investigator test chip, produced in a 180nm imaging process, showed the remarkable performance of a low-capacitance design before irradiation. In order to increase the performance after irradiation, a process modification for enhanced depletion was tested. In the context of this thesis, a dedicated test setup was built and irradiated sensors of the Modified Process were investigated in laboratory measurements as well as in different testbeam campaigns. Source scans were used to analyse the analogue signals created in the pixel cell in dependence of geometric parameters. X-ray fluorescence experiments gave inside into the pixel gain, and measurements at the DIAMOND synchrotron facility allowed systematic investigation of charge sharing between neighbouring pixels, both before and after irradiation.
The hit-detection efficiency of the sensors produced in the Modified Process was measured at the CERN SPS testbeam using a high-resolution telescope.
The Modified Process proved the aimed enhancement in depletion and a significant improvement in performance after irradiation. Based on the obtained results, sensors produced in this technology are a highly promising option for the outer layers of the future ATLAS ITk.


There have never been more opportunities to promote yourself digitally or in print, but to succeed you need to master the art of visual communication - combining type, image, and colour into an appealing, accessible message. Graphic Design for Everyone shows you how to define your brand and your message, then takes you through the principles of good graphic design. Find out how to create a brand plan, discover how a typeface sets the mood, and learn how colour theory can add power and meaning to your designs.

Once you've learned the basics, the ten step-by-step projects will help you create your own stunning designs - including business stationery, an invitation, sales brochure, website, newsletter and online shop. There's also plenty of practical advice on publishing online, dealing with printers, commissioning professionals and much more.

Whether you're a design newcomer or keen to build on what you know, Graphic Design for Everyone is the only resource you'll ever need.


Intersectional approaches are needed in sport research and administration to create significant changes in access, participation, and leadership. The operationalizing intersectionality framework—graphically represented as a wheel with spokes and points of traction—offers a nonexhaustive, evolving structure that can facilitate contextual, deliberate actions to disrupt overlapping systems of oppression. The framework was assembled to guide E-Alliance, the gender equity in sport in Canada research hub, in embodying its commitment to intersectional approaches and designed for broader application to sport. Current gender equity efforts mostly continue to prioritize the knowledge and needs of White, middle–upper-class, nondisabled, not fat, heteronormative, binary, cisgender women and have yet to achieve parity. Acting meaningfully on commitments to intersectional approaches means focusing on how axes work together and influence each other. The framework can help advance cultural sport psychology and ultimately improve athletic well-being.


Harnessing light to achieve manipulation and motility in meso and mm-scale systems offers the ability to remotely trigger actuation without requiring on-board power. Central to achieving macroscopic photomotility is the generation of asymmetric interaction between the light-responsive actuator and a substrate. Here, we demonstrate a facile route for achieving indexable, stepped translation of structures fabricated from azobenzene-functionalize liquid crystalline polymers (ALCP). The symmetry breaking in the dynamics of coiling (during irradiation) and uncoiling (when the light is turned off) as a function of the director orientation in splayed ALCP strips leads to asymmetric reaction forces in the interaction with a surface. The broken symmetry leads to directional translation of the center of mass in discrete steps for each on/off cycle of irradiation. Creating composite structures offers a route for hard-coding the trajectories of motility across a range of trajectories that are either rectilinear or curvilinear. Expanding this approach can offer a framework for achieving steerable light-powered microrobots that can translate on arbitrary surface topographies.


Security forces are one of the main targets of political violence. This article examines the effect of their casualties on electoral outcomes. Between two general elections in 2015, Turkey experienced a series of attacks that killed 153 members of its security forces. Based on the as-if random assignment of their funerals across the country, I estimate that government vote share increases in the funeral places of security force terror victims. However, in the localities with recurring funerals, it decreases by a similar percentage. These non-linear changes provide strong evidence for the rally theory.


Markovian growth-fragmentation processes describe a family of particles which can grow larger or smaller with time, and occasionally split in a conservative manner. They were introduced in a work of Bertoin, where special attention was given to the self-similar case. A Malthusian condition was notably given under which the process does not locally explode, in the sense that for all times, the masses of all the particles can be listed in non-increasing order. Our main result in this work states the converse: when this condition is not verified, then the growth-fragmentation process explodes almost surely. Our proof involves using the additive martingale to bias the probability measure and obtain a spine decomposition of the process, as well as properties of self-similar Markov processes.


Implementation of ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) requires a clear conceptual and quantitative framework for assessing how different harvest options can modify benefits to ecosystem and human beneficiaries. We address this social-ecological need for Pacific salmon fisheries, which are economically valuable but intercept much of the annual pulse of nutrient subsidies that salmon provide to terrestrial and aquatic food webs. We used grizzly bears, vectors of salmon nutrients and animals with densities strongly coupled to salmon abundance, as surrogates for ''salmon ecosystem'' function. Combining salmon biomass and stock-recruitment data with stable isotope analysis, we assess potential tradeoffs between fishery yields and bear population densities for six sockeye salmon stocks in Bristol Bay, Alaska, and British Columbia (BC), Canada. For the coastal stocks, we find that both bear densities and fishery yields would increase substantially if ecosystem allocations of salmon increase from currently applied lower to upper goals and beyond. This aligning of benefits comes at a potential cost, however, with the possibility of forgoing harvests in low productivity years. In contrast, we detect acute tradeoffs between bear densities and fishery yields in interior stocks within the Fraser River, BC, where biomass from other salmon species is low. There, increasing salmon allocations to ecosystems would benefit threatened bear populations at the cost of reduced long-term yields. To resolve this conflict, we propose an EBFM goal that values fisheries and bears (and by extension, the ecosystem) equally. At such targets, ecosystem benefits are unexpectedly large compared with losses in fishery yields. To explore other management options, we generate tradeoff curves that provide stock-specific accounting of the expected loss to fishers and gain to bears as more salmon escape the fishery. Our approach, modified to suit multiple scenarios, provides a generalizable method to resolve conflicts over shared resources in other systems.


This brief essay explores the relationship between law, religion, and the university. Religion asks the fundamental questions of human existence. Law is the means through which we impose our beliefs on our fellow citizens. The particulars of law and religion expose the differences among us. We respond to those differences with chaos, control, or coexistence. Coexistence requires tolerance, humility, and patience, and it requires institutions to habituate these practices within us. It is not clear that this country presently has such institutions, but if we are discover them among us, the university is one possible contender. The people, place, and purpose of the university can facilitate a more generous dialogue across difference. We might also keep in mind that participants in the university are also citizens in a larger political project, where the stakes are much higher, the differences much starker, and the possibilities for dialogue often much smaller.


Following a concise overview of fluid mechanics informed by numerous engineering applications and examples, this reference presents and analyzes major types of fluid machinery and the major classes of turbines, as well as pump technology. It offers professionals and students in hydraulic engineering with background concepts as well as practical coverage of modern turbine technologies, fully explaining the advantages of both steam and gas turbines. Description, design, and operational information for the Pelton, Francis, Propeller, and Kaplan turbines are provided, as are outlines of various types of power plants. It provides solved examples, chapter problems, and a thorough case study.


Abstract Since 1990, South–South (S–S) trade has been growing much faster than overall world trade. The global financial crisis has, if anything, accentuated this trend, with S–S trade flows proving much more resilient than North–North flows. This has occurred despite the fact that developing countries still apply much higher tariffs to S–S trade than they do on trade with the North. On the basis of a computable general equilibrium model, we simulate reductions of tariff levels on S–S trade and find that the welfare gains are almost double those achievable through a similar reduction in applied tariffs between northern and southern countries. This suggests scope for instilling even more dynamism in S–S trade flows through further reduction of barriers to S–S trade. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Three types of water-soluble fullerene derivatives were synthesized and their biological activities were investigated. C60-dimalonic acid, an anionic fullerene derivative, showed antioxidant activity such as quenching of superoxide and relief from growth inhibition of E. coli by paraquat. C60-bis(7V,7V-dimethylpyrrolidinium iodide), a cationic fullerene derivative, has antibacterial activity and antiproliferative effect on cancer cell lines. The mechanism is suggested to be respiratory chain inhibition by reactive oxygen species produced by the cationic fullerene derivative. Proline-type fullerene derivatives showed strong inhibition activities on HIV-reverse transcriptase. The IC50 values were remarkably lower than nevirapine, a clinically used anti-HIV drug. Fullerene derivatives have a big potential for a new type of lead compound to be used as medicine.


New hardware can substantially increase the speed and efficiency of deep neural network training. To guide the development of future hardware architectures, it is pertinent to explore the hardware and machine learning properties of alternative training algorithms. In this work we evaluate the use of small batch, fine-grained Pipelined Backpropagation, an asynchronous pipeline parallel training algorithm that has significant hardware advantages. We introduce two methods, Spike Compensation and Linear Weight Prediction, that effectively mitigate the downsides caused by the asynchronicity of Pipelined Backpropagation and outperform existing techniques in our setting. We show that appropriate normalization and small batch sizes can also aid training. With our methods, fine-grained Pipelined Backpropagation using a batch size of one can match the accuracy of SGD for multiple networks trained on CIFAR-10 and ImageNet. Simple scaling rules allow the use of existing hyperparamaters for traditional training without additional tuning.


INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: The CARMENA phase III randomized trial reported that overall survival with sunitinib alone is noninferior to the combination of nephrectomy followed by sunitinib in patients with intermediate-to-poor risk metastatic renal-cell carcinoma (RCC). Our aim was to test the external validity of the trial in US patients. METHODS: We identified 2800 with metastatic clear cell RCC who underwent cytoreductive nephrectomy, between 2010 and 2015, within the National Cancer Database (NCDB), and met the inclusion criteria of CARMENA trial (Figure 1). Demographic characteristics, namely, age, tumor size, number of metastatic sites, gender, Fuhrman′s grade, pathological T stage, and the sites of metastases were then compared with the CARMENA cohort. RESULTS: We found that CARMENA recruited older patients (median age 62.5 vs. 60 years), with a higher number of metastatic sites (median 2 vs. 1) involved. The burden of metastasis in lymph nodes (35% vs. 26% in the NCDB), lung (79% vs. 62% in NCDB), and bone (36% vs. 30% in NCDB) was higher in the trial compared to NCDB (all p < 0.001). Interestingly, this was despite the higher tumor grade (Fuhrman grade 3/4: 2143/2800 [77%] vs. 147/306 [48%]), and higher T stage (T3/T4: 2022/2800 [72%] vs. 72/116 [62%]) in the NCDB cohort (both p < 0.001) (see table 1). CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates that the CARMENA trial recruited patients with higher metastatic burden than those seen in US practice, which may have affected the trial outcomes. Our findings emphasize the role of appropriate patient selection during clinical practice, as well as during interpretation of the results of the trials on this subject. Figure. No caption available. Table. No title available. Source of Funding: None


Background: Direct evidence for molecular interdependence between transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and Wnt pathways in mesenchymal gene regulation during epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is limited. Results: TGF-β induction of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) involves ternary complex formation among Smad3, β-catenin, and CBP. Conclusion: TGF-β and β-catenin/CBP-dependent pathways coordinately regulate α-SMA induction. Significance: Inhibition of β-catenin/CBP-dependent effects of TGF-β suggests a novel therapeutic approach to EMT/fibrosis. Interactions between transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and Wnt are crucial to many biological processes, although specific targets, rationale for divergent outcomes (differentiation versus block of epithelial proliferation versus epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)) and precise mechanisms in many cases remain unknown. We investigated β-catenin-dependent and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) interactions in pulmonary alveolar epithelial cells (AEC) in the context of EMT and pulmonary fibrosis. We previously demonstrated that ICG-001, a small molecule specific inhibitor of the β-catenin/CBP (but not β-catenin/p300) interaction, ameliorates and reverses pulmonary fibrosis and inhibits TGF-β1-mediated α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and collagen induction in AEC. We now demonstrate that TGF-β1 induces LEF/TCF TOPFLASH reporter activation and nuclear β-catenin accumulation, while LiCl augments TGF-β-induced α-SMA expression, further confirming co-operation between β-catenin- and TGF-β-dependent signaling pathways. Inhibition and knockdown of Smad3, knockdown of β-catenin and overexpression of ICAT abrogated effects of TGF-β1 on α-SMA transcription/expression, indicating a requirement for β-catenin in these Smad3-dependent effects. Following TGF-β treatment, co-immunoprecipitation demonstrated direct interaction between endogenous Smad3 and β-catenin, while chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-re-ChIP identified spatial and temporal regulation of α-SMA via complex formation among Smad3, β-catenin, and CBP. ICG-001 inhibited α-SMA expression/transcription in response to TGF-β as well as α-SMA promoter occupancy by β-catenin and CBP, demonstrating a previously unknown requisite TGF-β1/β-catenin/CBP-mediated pro-EMT signaling pathway. Clinical relevance was shown by β-catenin/Smad3 co-localization and CBP expression in AEC of IPF patients. These findings suggest a new therapeutic approach to pulmonary fibrosis by specifically uncoupling CBP/catenin-dependent signaling downstream of TGF-β.


Although Rithy Panh's films are seldom screened in the United States, except in festival venues and college campuses, (1) and conspicuously absent from scholarly discussion, with rare exceptions, (2) they deserve to be better known because they are a much needed antidote to Hollywood's filmic representation of Southeast Asia, which has been almost exclusively devoted to the Vietnam War and its after effects on America and Americans. They also merit the sustained critical attention of film and cultural critics because they supplement, in important ways, the exotic images deployed by Franco-Vietnamese filmmaker, Tran Ann Hung, in such films as The Scent of Green Papaya (1993), Cyclo (1995), and The Vertical Ray of the Sun (2000). In a growing corpus of films--his most recent being his adaptation of Marguerite Duras's novel, Un Barrage contre le Pacifique (2008)--Rithy Panh bears witness to history and the Cambodian tragedy. His uncompromising and ethical way of "filming speech" reveals the sense of urgency with which he engages momentous subjects like war, genocide, indentured labor, geographic displacement, survival in refugee camps, prostitution, and the everyday practices of those who survived both the Vietnam War and the Khmer Rouge regime. By capturing the sounds of everyday life and the voices of these "damned of the earth" on the film strip, Rithy Panh also succeeds in developing a particular film aesthetic, a cinema that demands that viewers reflect on the role of cinema, its responsibility, its ethics, a cinema that is haunted by history. By focusing on the work of Rithy Panh, my aim is to consider cinema as a form of filmic testimonial and eye witnessing that problematizes the very notion of documentary filmmaking and its limits; to address the specificity of the Cambodian situation, while situating it within the larger context of regional conflicts and transnational development; and finally, to reflect on the nature of cinematic signification. Three of his documentaries. Site 2 (1989), The Land of Wandering Souls (2000), and Paper Cannot Wrap Amber (2007) will help me frame these questions. On Trauma, Aphasia and Filmmaking I contend that all of Rithy Panh's films set in Cambodia originated in the experience of trauma. Having escaped the killing fields of the Khmer Rouge regime in power between 1975 and 1979, he witnessed and survived its murderous impulse. From his very first film, Site, a documentary on life in a refugee camp on the Thai-Cambodian border, to S-21, his 2002 film that brought face to face survivors of a detention and torture center that had once been a lycee and their Khmer Rouge torturers, who now lead a peaceful (if remorseful) life, and more recently, Paper Cannot Wrap Amber (2007), Rithy Panh bears witness to and memorializes the life of Cambodians who were among the two million dead killed by the Khmer Rouge. His films, then, can be seen as the ghostly traces of the work of mourning and the haunting testimonial that attests and documents the genocide, the deliberate and systematic destruction of Cambodians who posed a putative--and almost always imaginary--threat to the Khmer Rouge regime. His films also excavate deeply repressed memories of the genocide and the tragic consequences of thirty years of war on the Cambodian people so that these events can never be forgotten. (3) How he has come to use the art of cinema as an important tool to memorialize these events will detain us below. "Trauma," as Cathy Caruth has written so eloquently in Unclaimed Experience, "describes an overwhelming experience of sudden or catastrophic events in which the response to the event occurs in the often delayed, uncontrolled repetitive appearance of hallucinations and other intrusive phenomena" (Caruth 11). Caruth also adds that it is in that "bewildering encounter with trauma--both in its occurrence and in the attempt to understand it--that we can begin to recognize the possibility of a history that is no longer straightforwardly referential (that is, no longer based on simple models of experience and reference)" (Caruth 11). …


Background and Objective: The south of European Russia (geographically - the southern part of the Central Russian Upland) has large biological and plant genetic resources. There is a concept considering the region as the second anthropogenic microgen center of formation of economically valuable plants. In the south of the Central Russian Upland, the genus Hyssopus L. is represented by two species: Hyssopus cretaceus Dubjan. and Hyssopus officinalis L. We accomplished the study of biological resources of species of the genus Hyssopus L. in vivo and in vitro. Several geobotanical expeditions were carried out to identify local, stable in space and time, self-renewal cenopopulations of the species Hyssopus L. which have a number of economically useful traits. Methods: There were revealed vast populations of the species H. Cretaceous Dubjan in Belgorod region, particularly in Alexeyevsky disrtict. The frequency of occurrence of the species amounts 26.7%, and on the, especially, protected natural territory of the tract Varvarovka it can reach 75.0%. The species H. cretaceous Dubjan. is also distributed on chalky slopes of the river basins Quiet Pine (Tichaya Sosna), Black Kalitva (Chernaya Kalitva), Aidar, and Demina. With the aim of introducing, and reintroducing, as well as the industrial production of raw materials there was created a collection of valuable ecotypes of H. cretaceous Dubjan. in vitro. Results: The vast population of H. officinalis L. was found on the slopes of the Oskol River near the villages Lower and Upper Lubyanka of Volokonovsky district of Belgorod region. The starting material of the wild population formed the basis for the creation of a new hybrid of H. officinalis L. – Volokonovsky. The hybrid is suitable for commercial seed growing. Seed productivity of the hybrid Volokonovsky is more than 350 kg/ha. Conclusion: As a result of the completed research, there was created a new hybrid of H. officinalis L. - Volokonovsky. The hybrid has high-seed productivity, potential melliferous capacity, and good decorative properties. It is suitable for using as a plant for the green building, as well as for commercial seed growing.


Perhaps the most important goal of law and policy is improving people's lives. But what constitutes improvement? What is quality of life, and how can it be measured? In previous articles, we have used insights from the new field of hedonic psychology to analyze central questions in civil and criminal justice, and we now apply those insights to a broader inquiry: how can the law make life better? The leading accounts of human welfare in law, economics, and philosophy are preference-satisfaction - getting what one wants - and objective list approaches - possessing an enumerated set of capabilities. This Article argues against both major views and in favor of a third, defining welfare as subjective well-being. As a result, we advocate the replacement of cost-benefit analysis (CBA, the tool of the preference-based approach) with well-being analysis (WBA). Like its sibling CBA, WBA compares the costs and benefits associated with enacting some law or policy. But while CBA requires monetizing costs and benefits to make them commensurable, WBA simply considers their direct effects on reported well-being. Groundbreaking new research in hedonic psychology makes this possible, and we discuss how it can be accomplished.


BACKGROUND
Psychosocial factors have a role in the onset of chronic orofacial pain. However, current management involves invasive therapies like occlusal adjustments and splints which lack an evidence base.

OBJECTIVES
To determine the efficacy of non-pharmacologic psychosocial interventions for chronic orofacial pain.

SEARCH METHODS
The following electronic databases were searched: the Cochrane Oral Health Group Trials Register (to 25 October 2010), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2010, Issue 4), MEDLINE via OVID (1950 to 25 October 2010), EMBASE via OVID (1980 to 25 October 2010) and PsycINFO via OVID (1950 to 25 October 2010). There were no restrictions regarding language or date of publication.

SELECTION CRITERIA
Randomised controlled trials which included non-pharmacological psychosocial interventions for adults with chronic orofacial pain compared with any other form of treatment (e.g. usual care like intraoral splints, pharmacological treatment and/or physiotherapy).

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Data were independently extracted in duplicate. Trial authors were contacted for details of randomisation and loss to follow-up, and also to provide means and standard deviations for outcome measures where these were not available. Risk of bias was assessed and disagreements between review authors were discussed and another review author involved where necessary.

MAIN RESULTS
Seventeen trials were eligible for inclusion into the review. Psychosocial interventions improved long-term pain intensity (standardised mean difference (SMD) -0.34, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.50 to -0.18) and depression (SMD -0.35, 95% CI -0.54 to -0.16). However, the risk of bias was high for almost all studies. A subgroup analysis revealed that cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) either alone or in combination with biofeedback improved long-term pain intensity, activity interference and depression. However the studies pooled had high risk of bias and were few in number. The pooled trials were all related to temporomandibular disorder (TMD).

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
There is weak evidence to support the use of psychosocial interventions for chronic orofacial pain. Although significant effects were observed for outcome measures where pooling was possible, the studies were few in number and had high risk of bias. However, given the non-invasive nature of such interventions they should be used in preference to other invasive and irreversible treatments which also have limited or no efficacy. Further high quality trials are needed to explore the effects of psychosocial interventions on chronic orofacial pain.


In European Union (EU) countries, public debates about immigrants and citizenship are increasingly framed in cultural terms. Yet, there is no agreement within the citizenship literature on whether a cultural citizenship representation can be distinguished from the more established ethnic and civic representations and on how its measures relate to anti-immigrant attitudes. The present study tested measures of citizenship representations among high school students (N = 1476) in six EU countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, and Sweden). Factor analyses favored a three-factor model of citizenship representations (i.e., ethnic, cultural, and civic factors), which showed partial metric invariance. Across countries, ethnic and cultural scales correlated positively with each other and negatively with the civic scale. Moreover, ethnic and cultural scales related positively and the civic scale negatively to anti-immigrant attitudes. However, when analyzed simultaneously, relations of the ethnic scale with anti-immigrant attitudes were no longer significant, while those of the cultural and civic scales proved to be robust. Implications of these findings are discussed.


The paper presents a comparative analysis of a live project study carried out to understand the impact and performance of ICT initiatives taken by the Universities located in the Western Himalayan Region of India. A basic four-tier framework has been used to carry out this study. Accordingly, a pre- structured questionnaire on ICT initiatives, status and accomplishments, 117 questions divided in 18 groups, was prepared and given to the Head of the Department (HOD) of ICT in the Universities, who along with his technical team, supplied the feedback on a five- point scale. In each of the groups, one question was related to performance (as performance indicator) which was identified and thus another special group 'S' was created with 18 responses. In order to assess the respective performance and impact, a standard statistical analysis was carried out in terms of the weighted mean and the correlation (Pearson's) coefficient (CC). The findings of the study are: O A dynamic academic leadership and a properly trained skilled human resource yield better performance and impact leading to effective problem solving capability, research output and actual placements. This aspect is being implemented in most of the universities effectively and the performance is found to vary from one to another university O For most of the groups the CC, with the 'S' group, was found to be significant, indicating a positive ICT- based performance in the universities (iii) The universities, to a greater extent, have been found to act as nuclei towards creating skilled professionals with enhanced core competence.


Over the last decades the healthcare domain has seen a tremendous increase and interest in methods for making inference about patient care using large quantities of medical data. Such data is often stored in electronic health records and administrative health registries. As these data sources have grown increasingly complex, with millions of patients represented by thousands of attributes, static or time evolving, finding relevant and accurate patterns that can be used for predictive or descriptive modelling is impractical for human experts. In this paper, we concentrate our review on Swedish Administrative Health Registries (AHRs) and Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and provide an overview of recent and ongoing work in the area with focus on adverse drug events (ADEs) and heart failure.


Rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulata) were subjected to a place finding task in a rectangular room perfectly homogeneous and without distinctive featural information. Results of Experiment 1 show that monkeys rely on the large-scale geometry of the room to retrieve a food reward. Experiments 2 and 3 indicate that subjects use also nongeometric information (colored wall) to reorient. Data of Experiments 4 and 5 suggest that monkeys do not use small angular cues but that they are sensitive to the size of the cues (Experiments 6, 7, and 8). Our findings strengthen the idea that a mechanism based on the geometry of the environment is at work in several mammalian species. In addition, the present data offer new perspectives on spatial cognition in animals that are phylogenetically close to humans. Specifically, the joint use of both geometric and landmark-based cues by rhesus monkeys tends to demonstrate that spatial processing became more flexible with evolution


Different molecular weight fractions of lignosulfonates (LS), LS having different cations, and modified LS with different degree of sulfonation and intrinsic viscosity were prepared and used as dispersants for Dimethomorph water-dispersible granules (DWG). The suspending ratio of DWG was tested to evaluate the effectiveness of LS as a dispersant. Moreover, the stability of DWG suspensions was measured by a new instrument (Turbiscan LabExpert). The suspending ratios of DWG having different molecular weight fraction of LS increased with increasing molecular weight in a suitable range. The kind of cation associated with the LS didn't have an obvious influence the effectiveness of LS as a dispersant. Furthermore, the higher degree of sulfonation of LS, of which the intrinsic viscosity was similar, the better was its effectiveness as a dispersant. When the intrinsic viscosity increased within a suitable range, the effectiveness of LS as a dispersant increased. Similar findings were achieved by evaluating the stability of DWG suspensions with all the LS as dispersants, and larger molecular weight could decrease the growth of particle size.


: The main idea of article «The Role of Non-Material Factors in Increasing Labor Productivity » is that social –psychological climate in collective is the major factor of economic - social progress in the country. In Kazakhstani market conditions the understanding of the person as productive force has amplified and his personal features are ignored. However in conditions of teamwork moral qualities of each member of labor collective become a component of productive force of all collective. In this research paper the social - psychological climate, its development and influence on productivity are key objects of economic measurement. Research has been carried out in copper-smelting factory in the city of Dzhezkazgan. The main purpose of the research was to study a social psychological climate of a primary work collective (factors of a psychological climate, general job satisfaction, mutuality, neutrality, potential conflict, concurrence of the formal and informal leader in collective, intensity of potential fluidity, interpersonal compatibility, an evaluation of the master) and its influence on labor productivity. The greatest possible value of productivity has been designed at an ideal social - psychological climate on the basis of economic-mathematical model. It has been identified that on average it is possible to increase productivity up to 30 % due to the moral factors, not attracting additional investments. It is proved that economic relations should be bound with social – psychological ones, forming a single whole.


A Pseudomonas sp. strain IOCa11 exhibiting broad substrate profile for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) degradation was isolated by enrichment techniques from oil-contaminated soil. We applied genome shuffling of Pseudomonas sp. strain IOCa11 to achieve improved degradation of PAHs. The initial mutant population was generated by nitrosoguanidine treatment and population exhibiting improved phenotype was subjected to multiple round of protoplast fusion in order to allow recombination between genomes. Mutant, designated as SF-IOC11-16A, obtained after recursive protoplast fusion showed substantial improvement in ability to degrade PAHs in liquid media. It could degrade 98% DBT in 72 hours in comparison to 74% by the wild parent strain. Similar improvement in degradation of the naphthalene (NAP), phenanthrene (PHE), and benzo (α) pyrene (BAP) was also observed in shuffled strain. The shuffled strain was also able to grow at higher concentration of PAHs and degrade them efficiently. The results indicate that genome shuffling can successfully be used to improve the PAHs degradation capability of bacteria.


INTRODUCTION
A structured and rigorous methodology was developed for the formulation of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines (EBCPGs), then was used to develop EBCPGs for selected rehabilitation interventions for the management of neck pain.

METHODS
Evidence from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies was identified and synthesized using methods defined by the Cochrane Collaboration that minimize bias by using a systematic approach to literature search, study selection, data extraction, and data synthesis. Meta-analysis was conducted where possible. The strength of evidence was graded as level I for RCTs or level II for nonrandomized studies.

DEVELOPING RECOMMENDATIONS
An expert panel was formed by inviting stakeholder professional organizations to nominate a representative. This panel developed a set of criteria for grading the strength of both the evidence and the recommendation. The panel decided that evidence of clinically important benefit (defined as 15% greater relative to a control based on panel expertise and empiric results) in patient-important outcomes was required for a recommendation. Statistical significance was also required but was insufficient alone. Patient-important outcomes were decided by consensus as being pain, function, patient global assessment, quality of life, and return to work, providing that these outcomes were assessed with a scale for which measurement reliability and validity have been established.

VALIDATING THE RECOMMENDATIONS
A feedback survey questionnaire was sent to 324 practitioners from 6 professional organizations. The response rate was 51%.

RESULTS
For neck pain, therapeutic exercises were the only intervention with clinically important benefit relative to a control (grade A for pain and function, grade B for patient global assessment). There was good agreement with this recommendation from practitioners (93%). For several interventions and indications (eg, thermotherapy, therapeutic ultrasound, massage, electrical stimulation), there was a lack of evidence regarding efficacy.

CONCLUSIONS
This methodology of developing EBCPGs provides a structured approach to assessing the literature and developing guidelines that incorporates clinicians' feedback and is widely acceptable to practicing clinicians. Further well-designed RCTs are warranted regarding the use of several interventions for patients with neck pain where evidence was insufficient to make recommendations.


The exopolysaccharide alginate of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was shown to be important in determining the degree of cell detachment from an agar surface. Nonmucoid strain 8822 gave rise to 50-fold more sloughed cells than mucoid strains 8821 and 8830. Alginate anchors the bacteria to the agar surface, thereby influencing the extent of detachment. The role of the P. aeruginosa alginate lyase in the process of cell sloughing was investigated. Increased expression of the alginate lyase in mucoid strain 8830 led to alginate degradation and increased cell detachment. Similar effects were seen both when the alginate lyase was induced at the initial stage of cell inoculation and when it was induced at a later stage of growth. It appears that high-molecular-weight alginate polymers are required to efficiently retain the bacteria within the growth film. When expressed from a regulated promoter, the alginate lyase can induce enhanced sloughing of cells because of degradation of the alginate. This suggests a possible role for the lyase in the development of bacterial growth films.


The cross section for the removal of high-momentum protons from 16 O is calculated for high missing energies. The admixture of high-momentum nucleons in the 16 O ground state is obtained by calculating the single-hole spectral function directly in the finite nucleus with the inclusion of short-range and tensor correlations induced by a realistic meson-exchange interaction. The presence of high-momentum nucleons in the transition to final states in 15 N at 60-100 MeV missing energy is converted to the coincidence cross section for the (e, e ′ p) reaction by including the coupling to the electromagnetic probe and 1 the final state interactions of the outgoing proton in the same way as in the standard analysis of the experimental data. Detectable cross sections for the removal of a single proton at these high missing energies are obtained which are considerably larger at higher missing momentum than the corresponding cross sections for the p-wave quasihole transitions. Cross sections for these quasihole transitions are compared with the most recent experimental data available.


Improved safety is one of the main drivers for microreactor application in chemical process development and small-scale production. Typical examples of hazardous chemistry are presented indicating potential risks also in miniaturized equipment. Energy balance and kinetic parameters describe the heat production potential and, together with heat transfer capability, the temperature development in a continuous flow reactor. Besides these calculation procedures, checklists for laboratory safety and risk assessment are the basis for improved laboratory work as well as for equipment-related safety discussions. For complete and larger chemical plants, hazard and operation (HAZOP) studies are the appropriate method of handling hazardous processes and their scale-up.


THE DEATH PENALTY EXISTS AS THE MOST SEVERE FORM OF PUNISHMENT AVAILABLE worldwide. Over one-half of all nation-states have abolished the death penalty either by law or by not conducting executions. The United States is one country that actively uses capital punishment. The Death Penalty Information Center (2000) reported that the year 2000 was "perhaps the most significant single year affecting death penalty opinion in United States history." In that year, Governor George Ryan of Illinois temporarily suspended the use of capital punishment in Illinois and appointed a commission to investigate errors made in capital cases. Gallup and Harris Polls reported that public support for capital punishment had dipped to 64% -- the lowest level in 19 years. Harris Polls showed the support rate decreased to 50% when respondents were given other options, such as imprisonment for life without parole (Ibid.). Recent social science research also supports this contention (Jones, 1994; McGarrell and Sandys, 1996; Sandys and M cGarrell, 1995; Whitehead, 1998). The death penalty abolitionist movement has been stronger in Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and parts of South Africa. From a worldwide view, the United States has been criticized by other countries and by human rights groups for continuing to use capital punishment, especially for minors under 18 and mentally ill persons (New York Times, March 28, 1999). Capital punishment generally retains moderate public and political support in North America, South America, Eastern Europe, and countries of the former Soviet Republic. Death penalty practices are used in North Africa, the Middle East, and Asian countries such as China, Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan (Hood, 1996). According to Table 1 (located at the end of the article), 87 out of 195 (44.5%) nations and territories in the world currently retain the use of the death penalty as a form of punishment. Thirteen countries have abolished the death penalty for most civilian crimes, but capital punishment is still used in "exceptional circumstances," such as wartime or under military law. For 20 countries (10%), the death penalty is retained under statute for civilian capital crimes, but an execution has not taken place in the last 10 years. Finally, 38% of all nation-states have abolished the death penalty for all crimes (Amnesty International, 2000). The United Nations conducted a survey to determine why some retentionist countries were reluctant to abandon the death penalty. The countries cited a number of reasons, including retribution, cultural customs, early law (e.g., Islamic), general deterrence, specific deterrence, political unrest, political instability, and religious influences (Hood, 1996). Religious Influences and the Death Penalty The relationship between religious views and attitudes toward capital punishment has found support in the literature. Studies conducted in the U.S. found that Protestant fundamentalists (defined as those who interpret the Bible to be the literal word of God) were more likely to hold attitudes in favor of the death penalty than were members of other religious factions and denominations (Borg, 1997; Grasmick et al., 1993; Young, 1992). Even though most mainstream religious philosophies oppose violence and the taking of human lives, including death associated with capital punishment, the death penalty is indeed debated from religious views (Hanks, 1997; McBride, 1995). Both abolitionists and supporters of the death penalty often use the New Testament to defend their opinions, with supporters also favoring the Hebrew scriptures to justify their beliefs (House, 1991; Langan, 1993; Sharp, 1994; Szumski, Hall, and Bursell, 1986; Williams, 1992). While one view may quote the "eye for an eye" Bible passage, Pope John Paul II recently issued a statement calling for an end to capital punishment. Religion thus remains a powerful societal force in criminology and criminal justice. …


Developing countries regularly conclude international investment agreements with the objective of attracting foreign investment. Such agreements form commitments to far-reaching international rules on investment issues, and usually allow foreign investors to sue countries for compensation in cases of non-compliance with treaty provisions.

This study argues that such non-compliance is a result of inconsistencies between national investment laws and measures and international treaty commitments. Through an in-depth empirical examination of Indonesia's investment law, the study analyses the complexities of managing this interaction between national investment law and international investment agreements, and identifies appropriate strategies and governance mechanisms to enhance coherence between these two areas. The implications for national policy space and economic development are considered throughout.


This thesis is concerned with the synthesis and characterisation of five new types of solvatochromic systems and preliminary investigations into the synthesis of some new systems involving several such chromophoric units. Confirmation of the structure of these systems was carried out by NMR ([31]P and [1]H), and mass spectral analysis, together with the results of microanalysis. The solvatochromic behaviour was investigated in detail, by dissolution in a range of solvents and measurement of their longest-wavelength absorption bands using UV/Visible spectroscopy.A range of long chain phosphoniophenyl-imidazolide betaine systems and long chain 4-N-(o-phosphoniobenzylidene) iminophenolate betaines has been prepared and their properties compared to the respective triphenylphosphonio analogues already reported in the literature. The formation of Langmuir Blodgett (LB) films by three of the amphiphilic betaines has been studied in collaboration with the University of Cranfield.The effects of annelation of a benzene ring in the triphenylphosphoniophenyl-imidazolide and -benzylidene iminophenolate systems has been investigated and the effects on the solvatochromism of the resulting compounds has been explored. As part of this study two N-hexadecylquinolinium iminophenolate betaines have been prepared and their solvatochromism compared to that of the pyridinium counterparts. LB film formation of one of the quinolinium betaines has been studied, and nonlinear optical properties observed, together with other properties that may form the basis of sensor techniques.The first solvatochromic arsonium and stibonium iminophenolate betaines have been prepared by a new synthetic procedure, and compared to their phosphonium counterparts.All of the betaines studied display negative solvatochromism as the solvent polarity increases and their absorption maxima are linearly related with the standard E NT values for the Reichardt betaine dye, which suggests a possible application of these betaines as indicators of solvent polarity.A new family of triphenylphosphonium salts employing different donor groups has been synthesised and converted into related phosphine oxides. The compounds were found not to be greatly solvatochromic.Attempts to synthesise a range of "3-D" multi-chromophoric iminophenolate betaines have been carried out. However, at the present time the level of chromophore substitution is unknown, and the insolubility of the precursor salts has made isolation of the betaines very difficult. In situ formation of the betaines in the UV cell in a few solvents has shown the systems to be solvatochromic. A quinolinium iminophenolate betaine has been covalently attached to a soluble polystyrene support. An LB film of the polymer bound betaine was formed at Cranfield University; however subsequent Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) studies were unsuccessful.


Research on small groups played an important role in the early formulation of social psychology. By the 1970s, however, the field had lost the interest of most social psychologists. Theory and Research on Small Groups reintegrates that work back into the mainstream of social psychology. The more recent issues-oriented' approach has not only resulted in many interesting findings-it has also applied basic social psychological theory in new ways and, moreover, led to new theoretical developments that deserve more attention. This volume, which features the work of esteemed researchers from around the world, is a bountiful resource worthy of notice by all social psychologists.


Background and objectives: Rotator cuff tears are a common cause of shoulder pain, that can diminish a patient's functionality and quality of life. The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of open repair of rotator cuff tears by evaluating functional outcomes and health-related quality of life. Design: A prospective cohort study. Methods: We evaluated the functional outcome and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of 120 patients with rotator cuff tears, aged 40 to 65 years, repaired by an open technique applying two questionnaires, the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Standardized Shoulder Assessment Form (ASES) and a shortened form (12 items) of the Short Form 36 Health Survey version 2 (SF12v2) preoperatively, and at 3, 6 and 12 months postoperatively. Functional outcomes were categorized as Excellent (88–100), Good (75–87), Fair (62–74) or Bad (61 or less) depending on the ASES score. The HRQoL was divided into its physical and mental components (physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS), respectively) by using QualityMetric Health Outcomes™ version 4.5, and was categorized as under the norm, at the norm, or above the norm. We also evaluated if a relationship existed between sex, side, tear size, or tear pattern, with the functional outcome or the HRQoL. Results: We found a statistically significant difference between the preoperative ASES and PCS scores with the 6- and 12-month follow-up results and between preoperative MCS score with the 12-month follow-up result (P 0.05). Conclusion: Open repair of rotator cuff tears remains a valid and effective option, despite the current trend of arthroscopic repair, obtaining satisfactory results at around 6 months after surgery. Trial registration: This study was registered at SIRELCIS, with the identifier R-2011-3401-43 CLIS 3401.


Aims: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of a probiotic drop containing Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Bifidobacterium infantis, and Lactobacillus reuteri on salivary counts of Streptococcus mutans (SM) and Lactobacillus (LB) in children 3–6 years of age. Settings and Design: Sixty-one healthy children were randomly allocated into two parallel blocks in this double-blind, randomized controlled trial (IRCT2014120320202N1) from May to June 2015. Subjects and Methods: Finally 53 participants consumed five drops of placebo (n = 23) or probiotic (n = 30) every night for 2 weeks. Before intervention and 1 day after completion of the intervention, unstimulated salivary samples were collected, and microbiologic evaluations were carried out. Statistical Analysis: Data were analyzed with descriptive statistical methods Wilcoxon signed ranks, Mann–Whitney, and logistic regression. Results: SM level decreased significantly in probiotic group after intervention (P = 0.045), and there were significant differences in salivary SM counts after intervention between two groups (P = 0.04). In probiotic group, LB counts decreased significantly after intervention (P = 0.048); however, there were no significant differences between two groups (P = 0.216). Conclusions: Use of this probiotic drop decreased salivary counts of SM; however, LB counts did not change. In addition, use of the drop in children with higher salivary counts appeared to be more effective.


A fiber laser is stabilized by introducing a calcium fluoride (CaF(2)) whispering-gallery-mode resonator as a filtering element in a ring cavity. It is set up using a semiconductor optical amplifier as a gain medium. The resonator is critically coupled through prisms, and used as a filtering element to suppress the laser linewidth. A three-cornered-hat method is used and shows a stability of 10(-11) after 10 micros. Using the self-heterodyne beat technique, the linewidth is determined to be 13 kHz. This implies an enhancement factor of 10(3) with respect to the passive cavity linewidth.


Focal therapy in prostate cancer aims to treat only the part of the gland harboring clinically significant disease while preserving the rest of the tissue. This approach may substantially reduce treatment-related toxicity without compromising disease control outcomes. Short- to medium-term functional and oncological results in prospective interventional studies are promising, but comparative effectiveness research against standard of care is required to incorporate focal therapy among standard options. In this review, we discuss the actual stage of assessment and results of sources of energy commonly used to deliver focal therapy. We also provide our viewpoint on how the field will evolve in the near future.


" After the fall of formal beauty, the sublime was the only aesthetic idea left to modernism" (Adorno 1997: 197). Positioning at its core the category of the sublime, the modernist aesthetic famously engenders a problematic relationship between music – characterised as an autonomous, self‑relating agent of nonrepresentational negativity pursuing on its own terms a powerful critique of the Western metaphysic of presence – and its embeddedness in cultural contexts. At its most radical, like in Lyotard's aesthetic, music's 'immaterial matter' becomes a traumatic, 'in‑human' Otherness, a sublime, otherworldly sound-event, "which is not addressed […and] does not address" (Lyotard 1991a: 142). The musicologist Susan McClary recently highlighted how in the last few decades a new generation of composers has arisen, which by still drawing on the modernist tradition nonetheless engages more directly with signification and the cultural inscription of music. On this basis McClary calls for rehabilitating the allegedly feminine category of the beautiful, thus relocating music's essence within the anthropological boundaries of pleasure and opening it for cultural diversity and contextuality. Yet, is the beautiful the more apt category for aesthetically framing this artistic development? As Catherine Belsey has pointed out, the specific twist at the core of Žižek's philosophy consists in its conflating Lacan's psychoanalytical theory of sublimation with Kant's concept of the sublime (Belsey 2005: 141). Žižek's sublime object thus intermingles not only pleasure and pain but also the absolute negativity of the Lacanian Real and the positive features of its cultural inscription. In my paper I explore the potential this theoretical frame offers for reading these recent artistic developments neither in terms of a domesticated modernism nor as a return to the aesthetic category of beauty as a culturally embedded fit between form and content. Instead, I will propose that we read them as the exploration of a specific, twisted space at the crossroad of the 'meaningful' positivity of culture and that 'sublime' negativity that the modernist aesthetic sees as the nonrepresentational essence of music.


Background . Image post-processing gives computed radiography (CR) a considerable advantage over film-screen systems. After digitisation of information from CR plates, data are routinely processed using manufacturer-specific software. Agfa CR readers use MUSICA software, and an upgrade with significantly different image appearance was recently released: MUSICA2. Aim . This study quantitatively compares the image quality of images acquired without post-processing (flatfield) with images processed using these two software packages. Methods . Four aspects of image quality were evaluated. An aluminium step-wedge was imaged using constant mA at tube voltages varying from 40 to 117 kV. Signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) and contrast-to-noise ratios (CNRs) were calculated from all steps. Contrast variation with object size was evaluated with visual assessment of images of a Perspex contrast-detail phantom, and an image quality figure (IQF) was calculated. Resolution was assessed using modulation transfer functions (MTFs). Results . SNRs for MUSICA2 were generally higher than the other two methods. The CNRs were comparable between the two software versions, although MUSICA2 had slightly higher values at lower kV. The flatfield CNR values were better than those for the processed images. All images showed a decrease in CNRs with tube voltage. The contrast-detail measurements showed that both MUSICA programmes improved the contrast of smaller objects. MUSICA2 was found to give the lowest (best) IQF; MTF measurements confirmed this, with values at 3.5 lp/mm of 10% for MUSICA2, 8% for MUSICA and 5% for flatfield. Conclusion . Both MUSICA software packages produced images with better contrast resolution than unprocessed images. MUSICA2 has slightly improved image quality than MUSICA.


When newcomers try to join an open source software (OSS) project, they face many barriers that hinder their first contribution, leading in many cases to their dropping out. Many projects leverage the contribution of outsiders, and the sustainability of the project relies on retaining some of these newcomers. This research aims to identify the barriers that hinder newcomers' onboarding to OSS projects. Our method consisted of a qualitative study conducted with data obtained from four different sources: (i) systematic literature review; (ii) feedback from nine graduate and undergraduate students after they tried to join OSS projects; (iii) 24 responses to a questionnaire sent to 9 OSS projects; and (iv) semi-structured interviews with 36 subjects from 14 different projects, including newcomers and experienced members. The method to select the candidate papers in the systematic literature review was querying four digital libraries and backward snowballing. The data obtained from the practitioners from all three sources, and the primary studies obtained in the systematic review were analyzed using used procedures of Grounded Theory's open and axial coding. The analysis resulted in a conceptual model composed of 58 barriers, grouped into six different categories: cultural differences, newcomers' characteristics, reception issues, orientation, technical hurdles, and documentation problems. We could observe recurrent barriers evidenced in different data sources. We could notice that the onboarding process of a newcomer to an OSS can be a tough task. This research brings empirical support relying on data from different sources, organizes and discusses the existing common wisdom about barriers faced by newcomers to OSS projects, which deserve attention from researchers and OSS communities.


This paper describes an experiment used in an undergraduate civil engineering course to familiarize students with interfacing electronic instruments mounted on a construction machine to a microcomputer for data collection. The class, 'CE 125 - Computers in Civil Engineering', is a survey designed to show how computers are used in a wide range of applications, ranging from geotechnical analysis through structural design to construction. The experiment and its related theory are taught in one week of the course. The purpose of the experiment is to instrument a model crane to monitor load and boom angle so that the actual tipping moment can be monitored and compared to the safe moment for the specified machine and load. Since crane accidents are very common in spite of new types of instrumentation, it also enables the instructor to address practical issues about instrumentation, such as filtering noise from the data, how much control to delegate to automation vs. the operator, hardening the instruments for field conditions, etc.


The aim was to evaluate the effects of Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (FESS) on nasal aerodynamic flow patterns using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. A 3-dimensional model of nasal cavity was first constructed from CT scans of a human subject with FESS interventions on left nasal cavity. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were then carried out for unsteady airflow inside the nasal cavity as well as the sinuses. Comparisons of the local velocity magnitude and streamline distributions inside the left and right nasal cavity and maxillary sinus regions were presented. Existence and distributions of local circulations (vortexes) were found to be different at different phases, which showed the importance of local inertial effects especially in the sinus around FESS operated region. Possible outcomes on functional performances of the nose were also examined and discussed. Such physical assessments of nasal airflow based on a model from the patient's CT scans may help clinicians to determine the best treatment in advance.


Conditions experienced by individuals during prenatal development can have long-term effects on their phenotype. Maternally transmitted resources are important mediators of such prenatal effects, but the potential interactive effects among them in shaping offspring phenotype have never been studied. Maternally derived testosterone is known to stimulate growth, but these benefits may be counterbalanced by an increase in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Maternally transmitted carotenoids might have the capacity to scavenge ROS and thereby buffer an increase in oxidative stress caused by prenatal exposure to high testosterone levels. Here, we experimentally tested for such interactive effects between maternal yolk testosterone and carotenoid in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica). We found that hatching mass was reduced and reactive oxygen metabolites (ROMs) levels at the end of the period of maximal growth increased in chicks from eggs injected with either testosterone or carotenoid (only a tendency in chicks from testosterone-injected eggs). However, when both egg compounds were manipulated simultaneously, hatching mass and ROM levels were not affected, showing that both carotenoid and testosterone lose their detrimental effects when the ratio between the 2 compounds is balanced. Our study provides the first experimental evidence for interactive effects of 2 maternally derived egg compounds on offspring phenotype and suggests that developmental cues are tightly coadjusted within an egg.


Financial market recommendations for less industrialized economies, particularly in the wake of the recent financial crises, have included a push for more international financial competition. The entry of multinational banks (MNBs) into developing economies is supposed to create more market discipline for domestic banks, thus making them more efficient, and enhancing financial stability. Using data from the BIS and the IMF, we look at the impact of MNBs on credit supply and on financial stability in less industrialized economies. MNBs focus their activities predominantly on serving MNCs, and on providing services that domestic banks cannot offer to domestic corporations, and high net worth individual. This increased competition in certain low risk market segments entices domestic banks to lower their credit exposure in the early stages of international financial competition. However, as MNBs continue to operate and to grow their market shares in less industrialized economies, domestic banks become more confident with the new competitive situation, eventually increasing their loans, especially to the enterprise sector. Both consequences of increased international financial competition - early credit crunches, and later credit growth - can have real implications in the form of lowered business investment or financial instabilities, unless adequate regulatory and supervisory structures are installed.


The major histocompatibility (MHC) class I-b molecule H-2M3a binds and presents N-formylated peptides to cytotoxic T lymphocytes. This requirement potentially places severe constraints on the number of peptides that M3a can present to the immune system. Consistent with this idea, the M3a-Ld MHC class I chimera is expressed at very low levels on the cell surface, but can be induced significantly by the addition of specific peptides at 27 degrees C. Using this assay, we show that M3a binds many very short N-formyl peptides, including N- formyl chemotactic peptides and canonical octapeptides. This observation is in sharp contrast to the paradigmatic size range of peptides of 8-10 amino acids binding to most class I-a molecules and the class I-b molecule Qa-2. Stabilization by fMLF-benzyl amide could be detected at peptide concentrations as low as 100 nM. While N-formyl peptides as short as two amino acids in length stabilized expression of M3a-Ld, increasing the length of these peptides added to the stability of peptide-MHC complexes as determined by 27-37 degrees C temperature shift experiments. We propose that relaxation of the length rule may represent a compensatory adaptation to maximize the number of peptides that can be presented by H-2M3a.


Maputo Development Corridor (MDC), what actors and stakeholders are involved in the policy- and decision-making processes, and draws some lessons for future development corridors and spatial development initiatives (SDIs) in the broader Southern African region. The analysis reveals that the institutional structure of the MDC - which is based on such aspects as 'political champions', 'fast-tracking' of project design and implementation, the crowding-in of private investment and a minimalist approach to institutions - is designed for the facilitation of 'bankable' private investments projects and public-private partnerships (PPPs), but contains several institutional and organisational weaknesses which have negative consequences for broader 'development' goals, job creation and the integration of provincial and local governments and communities in the process. These drawbacks in combination with the radically different conditions prevailing in the neighbouring countries suggest that the MDC approach needs to be considerably revised if it is to be applied to regional SDIs, especially if these are aiming beyond transport routes and huge investment initiatives.


: Immunoglobulins are molecules produced by activated B cells and plasma cells in response to exposure to antigens. Upon antigen exposure, these molecules are secreted allowing the immune system to recognize and effectively respond to a myriad of pathogens. Immunoglobulin or antibody secreting cells are the mature form of B lymphocytes, which during their development undergo gene rearrangements and selection in the bone marrow ultimately leading to the generation of B cells, each expressing a single antigen-specific receptor/immunoglobulin molecule. Each individual immunoglobulin molecule has an affinity for a unique motif, or epitope, found on a given antigen. When presented with an antigen, activated B cells differentiate into either plasma cells (which secrete large amounts of antibody that is specific for the inducing antigen), or memory B cells (which are long-lived and elicit a stronger and faster response if the host is re-exposed to the same antigen). The secreted form of immunoglobulin, when bound to an antigen, serves as an effector molecule that directs other cells of the immune system to facilitate the neutralization of soluble antigen or the eradication of the antigen-expressing pathogen. This review will focus on the regulation of secreted immunoglobulin by long-lived normal or disease-associated plasma cells. Specifically, the focus will be on signaling and transcriptional events that regulate the development and homeostasis of long-lived immunoglobulin secreting plasma cells


A modified version of the spinless Anderson model is studied by means of the continuous-time quantum Monte Carlo method. This study is motivated by the peculiar heavy-fermion behavior observed in certain Samarium compounds, which is insensitive to magnetic field. The model involves M channels for conduction electrons, all of which interact with local f electron via the Coulomb repulsion Ufc, while only one channel has hybridization with the local state. The effective hybridization is reduced by the Anderson orthogonality effect, and a quantum critical point occurs with increasing M and/or increasing Ufc. The numerical results at finite temperature of the local charge susceptibility are well fitted by a simple scaling theory for all M. However, the single-particle spectrum is described by a double Lorentzian for M>1, in contrast with the single Lorentzian with M=1. A quasi-particle perturbation theory is presented that reproduces the quantum critical point for large M. The quasi-particle theory gives not only the renormalized energy scale, but its extrapolation toward higher energies being consistent with the double Lorentzian spectrum.


Of great concern and puzzlement to many has been the decline in the U.S. personal saving rate. From 8 percent of personal income 20 years ago, saving has fallen to less than 4 percent. This is a matter of concern because saving and investment are closely linked, and investment is believed critical to productivity gains and a rising standard of living. The decline in saving is also a source of puzzlement because it runs counter to many people's perception of what is happening.> This article investigates the decline in saving, focusing on "where the money went." The authors find that rising expenditures on medical services are absorbing a growing fraction of income. Thus, the saving problem is not about thrift versus profligacy, but rather a competition between more and better medical care, on the one hand, and more investment, on the other. They point out that efforts to stimulate saving are only one way to increase the economy's productive capacity, and that the ultimate goal is higher standards of living.


A three-band index was previously proposed and successfully utilized to estimate the chlorophyll-a concentration (Chl-a) in case-II waters. However, this index shows uncertainties in highly turbid situations. In this study, an enhanced three-band index is proposed to solve this problem. Since the new index employs bands that are identical to those of the original threeband index, it can be applied to Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) data. The performance of the index was evaluated using the data collected from two turbid Asian lakes: Lake Kasumigaura, Japan, and Lake Dianchi, China. The results showed that the Chl-a predicted by the enhanced threeband index was strongly correlated with the measured Chl-a (R2 > 0.83), and the root-mean-square error (rmse) and the normalized root-mean-square error (NRMS) were both reduced for the two lakes (for Lake Kasumigaura, rmse from 13.97 to 8.68 mg · m-3 and NRMS from 19.01% to 12.30%; for Lake Dianchi, rmse from 41.29 to 15.28 mg · m-3 and NRMS from 35.83% to 21.34%). These findings imply that, if accurately atmospheric-corrected MERIS data are available, the enhanced three-band index could be used for mapping Chl-a even in highly turbid case-II waters.


Background : Caesarean delivery is associated with greater morbidity than vaginal delivery. Care should therefore be taken to ensure that each decision for an emergency cesarean delivery is carefully considered to ascertain that the operation is warranted. Objective: To determine the proportion of sub optimal diagnoses for the common indications of emergency caesarean delivery. Methods : Cross sectional study at the Kenyatta National Hospital. Case notes of patients undergoing emergency caesarean section for the six common indications (dystocia, non reassuring fetal status, previous uterine scar, breech presentation, hypertensive disease in pregnancy and third trimester bleeding) were reviewed to determine how each diagnosis was arrived at. We compared this to predetermined diagnostic criteria and evaluated for optimality. Results : One thousand and eighty women were delivered during the study duration, 409 (37.9%) through caesarean section. Of the 327 women, for whom a  decision to undergo caesarean section was made, 306 were recruited. When evaluated against the diagnostic criteria, 156 (51%) had a sub optimal diagnosis. Prior uterine scar and presumed fetal compromise were the indications that contributed most (72%) to the sub optimal diagnoses. Conclusions : Strategies should be devised to improve optimality of diagnosis by paying attention to the six commonest indications. Key words: Optimality of diagnosis, emergency caesarean section, Kenyatta National Hospital


When patent holders employ the threat of an injunction as a weapon against competitors, it raises eyebrows among antitrust lawyers and agencies instinctively. Such is the case when standard-essential patents are used to hold members of standard setting organizations hostage by threatening sunk technology investments. Prominently last year, Google purchased Motorola Mobility Inc., which included 17,000 patents predominately relating to smartphones, and Apple and Microsoft acquired Nortel Networks and its 6,000 telecommunications patents. The FTC and the DOJ reacted with concern about potential patent abuse in light of the ever-more salient "smartphone patent wars."In this setting, Renata Hesse, Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the DOJ, and Joseph F. Wayland, then Assistant Attorney General of the FTC, published governance suggestions aimed at lessening the likelihood of hold-up in the standardization process. This article applies a law and economics analysis to three of the suggestions: disclosure requirements, cross-licensing provisions, and limitations of exclusion through injunctions. The discussion addresses problems relating to joint negotiation and monopsony, as well as royalty stacking and cournot complements. It demonstrates how cross-licensing among upstream firms can effectively raise their downstream rivals' costs, and it explores the concept of "reverse hold-up."The article finally concludes that Hesse and Wayland identify critical issues, but fail to provide a fully satisfying solution to the problem of standard-essential patent hold-up.


Urban public spaces are sites of struggles over gentrification. In increasingly diverse cities, these public spaces also host interactions among people of different class, race, ethnicity, and immigration status. How do people share public spaces in contexts of diversity and gentrification? I analyze the conflicting ways of imagining shared spaces by drawing on an ethnographic study of a community garden in a diverse and gentrifying neighborhood in New York City, conducted between 2011 and 2013. I examine how conflicts among gardeners about the aesthetics of the garden and norms of conduct reproduce larger gentrification struggles over culture and resources. Those who wanted the garden to be a lush and orderly space drew on their privilege and resources to leverage support from institutional actors and push through a vision that resonated with aesthetic preferences of affluent residents and developers. At the same time, I found that the diversity, combined with several other characteristics, created openings for cultural disruption. Utilizing relationships built across dramatic lines of class, race, and immigration difference, less privileged gardeners were able to destabilize hierarchies and defend their visions of this public space. Conflict and messy deliberation — rather than harmonious community — facilitated engagement with difference.


Ring-Transformations in the Reaction of 3-(Dimethylamino)-2,2-dimethyl-2H-azirines with 1-Substituted Imidazolidine-2,4,5-triones

Reaction of 1-substituted imidazolidine-2,4,5-triones ( = N-substituted parabanic acids; 2) and 3-(dimethylamino)-2,2-dimethyl-2H-azirine (1) in i-PrOH or MeCN at room temperature yields 5,6,7,7a-tetrahydro-3H-imidazo[3,4-a]imidazole-5,7-diones 3 (Scheme 1). By 15N-NMR studies, using (3-15N)-2a, it has been shown that only N(1) in (15N)-3a is labelled and, hence, N(4) stems from 1, e.g. the azirine reacts via cleavage of the N(1)=C(3) bond. In MeCN at room temperature, the azacyclols 3 rearrange slowly to give monocyclic 2H, 5H-imidazol-2-ones 4 (Scheme 3); the 15N-label in (15N)-4a is in position 1. Both reactions proceed via deep-seated skeletal rearrangements, most probably via ring-expansion/ring-contraction processes.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this article is to determine the prevalence of celiac disease (CD), Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and gastroesophageal reflux (GER) in patients with resistant iron deficiency anemia (IDA).

PATIENTS
The study included 25 patients <18 years of age with refractory IDA (not responding to iron therapy for 3 months in a dose of 6 mg elemental iron/kg/day).

METHODS
All patients included in the study were subjected to careful history taking and thorough clinical examination. Blood sample was taken for analysis of antibodies for CD including: antigliadin antibody (AGA), antiendomysial antibody (EMA), antireticulin antibody (ARA) and antitissue Transglutaminase (tTg) IgG antibody. Anti-H. pylori IgG antibodies and a (13)C-urea breath test (UBT) was done to all patients to diagnose H. pylori. Upper gastrointestinal tract endoscopy was done for all patients to evaluate for the presence of some etiologies of intractable anemia as chronic blood loss. These included: CD, H. pylori infection and GER. The upper gastrointestinal tract endoscopy was also done to evaluate the presence of bleeding spots, ulcers or angiomatous malformations. In addition, gastric antral biopsies were taken for diagnosis of H. pylori infection by the following tests: rapid urease test, histopathological examination and culture.

RESULTS
CD was positive in 11 out of 25 patients (44%), H. pylori infection in 12 out of 25 patients (48%), while GER was diagnosed in 11 out of 25 patients (44%). Patients with CD had age of presentation < or =2 years in two patients (18.2%) while the remaining nine patients (81.8%) had age of presentation >2 years and it was statistically significant (p = 0.05*). Also patients with H. pylori had age of presentation < or =4 years in five patients (41.7%) and the remaining seven patients (81.8%) had age of presentation >4 years and it was statistically significant (p = 0.03*). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the risk factors for severity of anemia were age of patients and duration of anemia. On the other hand, other parameters have no significant influence on the severity of anemia. Also risk factors of short stature were age of presentation of anemia, degree of anemia and H. pylori infection. AGA had the highest sensitivity (100%) followed by antiendomysium antibody (81.8%) while the tTG antibody had the highest specificity (85.7%) for diagnosis of CD. UBT and histopathology had the highest sensitivity (100%) for diagnosis of H. pylori while rapid urease test, culture, H. pylori stool antigen and anti-H. pylori IgG antibody had the highest specificity (100%). In conclusion, refractory IDA may be due to clinically unapparent H. pylori gastritis and CD. CD is one of the most common causes of intestinal malabsorption during childhood which leads to impairment of iron absorption. Apart from offering them gluten-free diet rich in iron, early detection and treatment of IDA and prophylactic iron and folic acid supplementation will go a long way to optimize their mental and psychological functions. Eradication of H. pylori infection with concomitant iron therapy should correct the anemia.


Salvia sclarea (Lamiaceae) commonly known as clarysage, is a medicinally important herb showing broad range of biological activities. This plant is mainly known because of its pleasantly smelling essential oils rich in linalool and linalyl acetate. In addition to linalool and linalyl acetate (major essential oil secondary metabolites), the peculiar aromatic note of the essential oil is because of the minor constituents including α-terpineol, geranyl acetate, (E)-caryophyllene, limonene, thymol, nerol, geranyl acetate etc. Phytochemical investigation of the aerial parts of this plant yielded nine compounds i.e. β-sitosterol, α-amyrin, ursolic acid, oleanolic acid, betulinic acid, sclareol, salvigenin, acacetin and norartocarpetin. The structures of these compounds have been established by spectroscopic methods (UV, IR, 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR and MS) in light of literature. Structure of ursolic acid has also been established by HMBC experiments. Ursolic acid, oleanolic acid, betulinic acid, salvigenin, acacetin and norartocarpetin are reported for the first time from this plant.


Multilayered cell sheets have been produced from bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for investigating their adhesion properties onto native porcine heart tissue. Once MSCs reached confluence after a 7-day culture on a temperature-responsive culture dish, a MSCs monolayer spontaneously detached itself from the dish, when the culture temperature was reduced from 37 to 20°C. The basal extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins of the single cell sheet are preserved, because this technique requires no proteolytic enzymes for harvesting cell sheet, which become a basic building block for assembling a multilayer cell sheet. The thickness of multilayered cell sheets made from three MSC sheets was found to be approximately 60 μm. For investigating the adhesion properties of the basal and apical sides, the multilayered cell sheets were transplanted onto the surface of the heart's left ventricle. Multilayered cell sheets were histological investigated at 15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes after transplantation by hematoxylin eosin (HE) and azan dyes to determine required time for the adhesion of the multilayered sheets following cell-sheet transplantation. The results showed that only the basal side of multilayered cell sheets significantly enhanced the sheets adhesion onto the surface of heart 30 minutes after transplantation. This study concluded that (1) cell sheets had to be transplanted with its basal side onto the surface of heart tissue and (2) at least 30 minutes were necessary for obtaining the histological adhesion of the sheets to the heart tissue. This study provided clinical evidence and parameters for the successful application of MSC sheets to the myocardium and allowed cell sheet technology to be adapted clinical cell-therapy for myocardial diseases.


Strong winds crossing elevated terrain and descending to its lee occur over mountainous areas worldwide. Winds fulfilling these two criteria are called foehn in this paper although different names exist depending on the region, the sign of the temperature change at onset, and the depth of the overflowing layer. These winds affect the local weather and climate and impact society. Classification is difficult because other wind systems might be superimposed on them or share some characteristics. Additionally, no unanimously agreed-upon name, definition, nor indications for such winds exist. The most trusted classifications have been performed by human experts. A classification experiment for different foehn locations in the Alps and different classifier groups addressed hitherto unanswered questions about the uncertainty of these classifications, their reproducibility, and dependence on the level of expertise. One group consisted of mountain meteorology experts, the other two of master's degree students who had taken mountain meteorology courses, and a further two of objective algorithms. Sixty periods of 48 h were classified for foehn–no foehn conditions at five Alpine foehn locations. The intra-human-classifier detection varies by about 10 percentage points (interquartile range). Experts and students are nearly indistinguishable. The algorithms are in the range of human classifications. One difficult case appeared twice in order to examine the reproducibility of classified foehn duration, which turned out to be 50% or less. The classification dataset can now serve as a test bed for automatic classification algorithms, which—if successful—eliminate the drawbacks of manual classifications: lack of scalability and reproducibility.


This study on trade enhancement Characteristics of sweet (dessert) banana fruit and estimation of transaction costs was conducted in Okigwe Metropolis of Imo State, Nigeria. Stratified random sampling technique was adopted in selecting 80 respondents comprising 40 dessert banana traders (panelists) and 40 dessert banana consumers. Monthly trade data was collected from the respondents using pretested semi-structured questionnaire during dry season (November-April) and rain season (May-October) for the year 2012. Data collected were subjected to descriptive statistical analysis; with transaction costs estimated as ex ante and ex post components. Hedonic pricing regression model was used in determining buyer socioeconomic/banana attributes that influenced willingness to pay price. Fruit characteristics that significantly enhanced trade of sweet banana in descending order were taste (3.83), fruit variety (3.57), and fruit skin colour (3.50). Other significant factors were level of ripeness (3.49), availability in off-season (3.46), fruit size (3.20) and cleanliness (3.20). Mean ex-ante transaction costs for sweet banana was N77, 800.00/trader and its mean ex-post transaction cost was N25,080.00/trader. We recommended that traders should take advantage of Global Mobile System (GSM) to overcome information barriers on banana trading. Government and health institutions should intensify consumer safety education, and encourage horticultural unions to heighten postharvest monitoring of stored and displayed dessert banana fruits to enforce observance of ripening standards.


Smart Schools (Sekolah Bestari) and In cultured schools with Smart Technology (Pembestarian Sekolah) into institutions of excellence are two statements which discuss the direction of national education. This paper seeks to clarify the concept of Smart Schools and the in cultured schools with smart technology into institutions of excellence as a national agenda of utmost importance for the realization of Malaysia as a developed nation. This paper will outline the chronology of Bestari (Excellence) training which had been carried out in the period from 1998 to 2008. This article will also examine the concept of transfer of training specifically for the rationale and importance of Bestari training. Subsequent to that it will touch on some study papers on the training of Bestari teachers with the aim of assessing the extent of training transfer that had taken place amongst teachers who have attended the courses and related training – this is to
highlight what have been done in Bestari training. It is hoped that, with this essay, the essentials of Bestari training from the aspects of support and hindrances can be identified and efforts for the improvements of training can be made from time to time.


The chapter begins with a discussion of the linguistic and sociolinguistic motivations that lead to the creation of distinctive linguistic features in new varieties of English. This will include a review of issues connected with language contact, nativisation and the nature of code-mixing. The second part of the chapter will focus on the major issues confronting regional language policy makers associated with the teaching and learning of different languages for different needs. A consideration of the continuing use of local languages given the domain spread of English and regional lingua francas, including the increasingly important Putonghua, concludes the chapter.


This exploratory study aimed to determine firstly the non-consumptive value of five marine species (whales, the Great White shark, penguins, dolphins and seals) and secondly the socio-demographic and behavioural variables that influence willingness to pay to see these species. This was achieved by means of a structured questionnaire survey conducted at Table Mountain National Park, the largest urban national park in South Africa. The data consisted of 319 fully-completed questionnaires. These were analysed using factor analyses and Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression analysis. The results showed that the variables influencing willingness to pay differed from species to species, with the largest differences being found in behavioural rather than socio-demographic variables. In showing how much respondents were willing to pay to see the various species and which species they preferred, the results also highlighted the non-consumptive value of the species.


In fractal compression technique, an image is partitioned into sub blocks called range blocks, each of which is encoded by matching it (after an appropriate affine transformation) with a block chosen from a large pool of domain blocks, which is constructed from the image itself. The problem is that the encoding is very time consuming because of the need to search in a very large domain pool. Our proposed approach presents a speed algorithm to reduce the encoding time called Classification Range Blocks. This technique will be reducing the size of the domain pool. The proposed method yields superior performance over conventional fractal encoding. In our proposed speeding technique, we partitioned the image by using fixed block size partitioning and computing the mean and variance for each blocks. The blocks have the variance ranging from (250, 500, 750, 1000, and 1250) only used in matching process between pair range-domain blocks.


Statistics is often difficult for students, since it requires coordination of quantitative and graphical insights with mathematical ability. Furthermore, ever-increasing special knowledge of statistics is demanded, since data of increasing complexity and size need to be understood and analyzed. In the face of this changing demand on educated statisticians, our methods of teaching statistics is obsolete, continuing to rely on the blackboard, textbooks, and handwritten homework. With only these materials, it's impossible to teach some modern statistical techniques without confusing the student in a plethora of formulas and numbers. There is clearly a need for introducing more adaptive teaching methods to address this demand. In this article, we isolate three important dimensions of teaching statistics and propose how to map them onto a web-language-based computer teaching aid, called MM*STAT.