Capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) have a strong potential to compete piezoelectric transducers in high power applications. In a CMUT, obtaining high port pressure competes with high particle velocity: a small gap is required for high electrostatic force while particle displacement is limited by the gap height. On the other hand, it is shown in [1] that CMUT array exhibits radiation impedance maxima over a relatively narrow frequency band. In this paper, we describe a design approach in which CMUT array elements resonate at the frequency of maximum impedance and have gap heights such that the generated electrostatic force in uncollapsed mode, can sustain particle displacement peak amplitude up to the gap height. The CMUT parameters are optimized for around 3 MHz of operation, using both a SPICE model and FEM. The optimized parameters require a thick membrane and low gap heights to get maximum displacement without collapsing membrane during the operation. We used anodic bonding process to fabricate CMUT arrays. A conductive 100 μm silicon wafer is bonded to a glass wafer. Before the bonding process, the silicon wafer is thermally oxidized to create an insulating layer which prevents break down in the operation. Then, the cavities are formed on the insulating layer by a wet etch. The gap height is set to 100 nm. Meanwhile, the glass wafer is dry etched by 120 nm and the etched area is filled by gold evaporation to create the bottom electrodes. The wafers are dipped into piranha solution and bonding process is done afterwards. The fabricated CMUTs are tested in an oil tank. To eliminate the DC voltage which may cause charging problem in the operation, we tried to drive the CMUT array with large continuous wave signals at half of the operating frequency. We observed 1MPa peak to peak pressure with -23 dB second harmonic at the surface of the array (Fig. 1). The proposed design further extends the operation of CMUTs. Observing low harmonic distortions at high output pressure levels, without any charging problem, make CMUT a big candidate for high power applications.


Cross-cultural education is often understood to mean acquiring cultural knowledge about different cultural groups in order to serve people from diverse groups equitably. However, this article argues that to work effectively in cross-cultural situations, we need to learn about our own culture and develop an approach of respectful curiosity. The first goal of cross-cultural education is to understand how culture influences our thoughts, perceptions, biases, and values at an unconscious level. The second goal is to understand the nature of individual cultural identity as a multidimensional and dynamic construct through exploration of our own cultural identity. This exploration helps us understand the limitations of learning about 'others' through learning categorical information and helps us limit the effect of our implicit biases on our interactions. The approach of respectful curiosity is recommended to question our assumptions, understand each unique individual patient, connect with each patient, and build the therapeutic relationship.


In this paper theoretical and experimental investigations on a wavelength-division-multiplexed (WDM) reconfigurable open ring network are reported. The theoretical study is focused on network component characteristics and ring network structure. These aspects will form the basis of numerical modeling. A powerful computer aided design software "COMSIS" is used for the simulation. The simulation takes into account the most important parameters: node structure, link losses, EDFA characteristics, optical powers of the channels, and signal wavelength arrangements. The power of a new channel added at each node and its wavelength with respect to those present before the node are two important parameters in the performance analysis of this open ring network. If the performance criterion is to receive the channels with high signal to noise ratios (SNR) and a narrow spread /spl Delta/SNR, the optimal length of this ring network can reach 366 km for 4 nodes and 565 km for 8 nodes. The experimental demonstrator is composed of 4 secondary nodes incorporating tunable channel selecting receivers (TCSR's) and erbium doped fiber amplifiers (EDFA's). The reconfiguration and the protection of the ring is computer controlled. Experimental results of a fully connected testbed demonstrator are also presented. >


Mobile communication has been more widely adopted more quickly than any other technology ever (Castells, et al., 2007). It represents a diffusion of communications and computational capacity into a growing part of our research, learning and social activities. It has resonated with emerging youth behaviors, providing support for distinctive patterns of social interaction and group formation, information use and personal expression.

Diffuse networking changes how we coordinate our resources to achieve goals. For example, our use of time and space changes. Timeshifting is routine as students may listen to or watch lectures in the gym or on the train. The use of space to support ad hoc rendezvous and social learning is becoming more important.

As networking spreads, we have multiple connection points which offer different grades of experience (the desktop, the cell phone, the xBox or Wii, the GPS system, the smartphone, the ultra-portable notebook, and so on). While these converge in various ways, they are also optimized for different purposes. A natural accompaniment of this mesh of connection points is a move of many services to the cloud, available on the network across these multiple devices and environments. This means that an exclusive focus on the institutional website as the primary delivery mechanism and the browser as the primary consumption environment is increasingly partial.

Students are results-oriented and value convenience. This emphasis coupled with the design constraints on some devices promotes a need to get to relevance quickly. Socialization, personalization and location awareness become very important.

Libraries have been working to develop network-ready services. Mobile communication intensifies this activity and adds new challenges as they look at what it means to be mobile-ready. This has organizational implications as a shift of emphasis towards workflow integration around the learner or researcher creates new relationships with other service organizations on campus. It also has implications for how space is used, for library skills, and for how collections are developed. We can see the impact of mobile communication on services in two ways. First, services may be made mobile-ready, as with special mobile interfaces for library services, alerting services, and so on. Second, mobilization continues the restructuring of services, organizations and attention that networking has brought about. Think here of how to socialize and personalize services; how to adapt to collection and service use which spans personal, institutional, and cloud environments; how to position and promote the library 'brand' as services become atomized and less 'visible' on the network; and more complex questions about what best to do locally and what to source with collaborative arrangements or third parties.


This paper discusses social protection initiatives in the context of developing countries and explores the opportunities they present for promoting a gender-equality agenda and women's empowerment. The paper begins with a brief introduction on the emergence of social protection (SP) and how it is linked to economic and social policy. Next, it reviews the context, concepts, and definitions relevant to SP policies and identifies gender-specific social and economic risks and corresponding SP instruments, drawing on country-level experiences. The thrust of the paper is to explore how SP instruments can help or hinder the process of altering rigid gendered roles, and offers a critical evaluation of SP interventions from the standpoint of women's inclusion in economic life. Conditional cash transfers and employment guarantee programs are discussed in detail. An extensive annotated bibliography accompanies this paper as a resource for researchers and practitioners.


Background. Personality disorders (PDs) as assessed by questionnaires and personal interviews are heritable. However, we know neither how much unreliability of measurement impacts on heritability estimates nor whether the genetic and environmental risk factors assessed by these two methods are the same. We wish to know whether the same set of PD vulnerability factors are assessed by these two methods. Method. A total of 3334 young adult twin pairs from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health Twin Panel (NIPHTP) completed a questionnaire containing 91 PD items. One to 6 years later, 1386 of these pairs were interviewed with the Structured Interview for DSM-IV Personality (SIDP-IV). Self-report items predicting interview results were selected by regression. Measurement models were fitted using Mx. Results. In the best-fit models, the latent liabilities to paranoid personality disorder (PPD), schizoid personality disorder (SPD) and schizotypal personality disorder (STPD) were all highly heritable with no evidence of shared environmental effects. For PPD and STPD, only unique environmental effects were specific to the interview measure whereas both environmental and genetic effects were found to be specific to the questionnaire assessment. For SPD, the best-fit model contained genetic and environmental effects specific to both forms of assessment. Conclusions. The latent liabilities to the cluster A PDs are highly heritable but are assessed by current methods with only moderate reliability. The personal interviews assessed the genetic risk for the latent trait with excellent specificity for PPD and STPD and good specificity for SPD. However, for all three PDs, the questionnaires were less specific, also indexing an independent set of genetic risk factors.


We present photometry and spectroscopy of the peculiar Type II supernova (SN) SN 2010jp, also named PTF10aaxi. The light curve exhibits a linear decline with a relatively low peak absolute magnitude of only − 15.9 (unfiltered), and a low radioactive decay luminosity at late times, which suggests a low synthesized nickel mass of M ( 56 Ni) (cid:2) 0 . 003 M (cid:2) . Spectra of SN 2010jp display an unprecedented triple-peaked H α line profile, showing (1) a narrow (full width at half-maximum (cid:3) 800 km s − 1 ) central component that suggests shock interaction with dense circumstellar material (CSM); (2) high-velocity blue and red emission features centred at − 12 600 and + 15 400 km s − 1 , respectively; and (3) very broad wings extending from − 22 000 to + 25 000 km s − 1 . These features persist over multiple epochs during the ∼ 100 d after explosion. We propose that this line profile indicates a bipolar jet-driven explosion, with the central component produced by normal SN ejecta and CSM interaction at mid and low latitudes, while the high-velocity bumps and broad-line wings arise in a non-relativistic bipolar jet. Two variations of the jet interpretation seem plausible: (1) a fast jet mixes 56 Ni to high velocities in polar zones of the H-rich envelope; or (2) the reverse shock in the jet produces blue and red bumps in Balmer lines when a jet interacts with dense CSM. Jet-driven Type II SNe are predicted for collapsars resulting from a wide range of initial masses above 25 M (cid:2) , especially at subsolar metallicity. This seems consistent with the SN host environment, which is either an extremely low-luminosity dwarf galaxy or the very remote parts of an interacting pair of star-forming galaxies. It also seems consistent with the apparently low 56 Ni mass that may accompany black hole formation. We speculate that the jet survives to produce observable signatures because the star's H envelope was very low mass, having been mostly stripped away by the previous eruptive mass-loss indicated by the Type IIn features in the spectrum.


Primary central nervous system (PCNS) PTLD is a very rare complication that occurs as a result of immunosuppression in the setting of solid organ transplantation. The median time from transplantation to diagnosis ranges from 1 to 4.4 years. We herein describe the case of a patient who developed EBV-positive PCNS PTLD approximately 12 years post renal transplant. A 50-year-old lady presented with a 12-week history of generalised throbbing headache, progressive vertigo, nausea and vomiting. Twelve years previously, she had a renal transplant for end stage renal failure secondary to atrophic pyelonephritis. Medications included ciclosporin 50 mg, azathioprine 100 mg and prednisolone 5 mg. The axial T2 and FLAIR MRI images demonstrated scattered areas of high signal involving bilateral cerebellar hemispheres, splenium of corpus callosum and right peritrigonal white matter (Abstract 089 figure 1A). Post contrast scans showed nodular enhancement involving both supratentorial and infratentorial compartments (Abstract 089 figure 1B). CSF examination revealed mild lymphocytic pleocytosis. CSF PCR for EBV was positive at 1000 copies/ml; BK virus and JC virus were negative. A biopsy of the posterior fossa lesion showed polymorphic population of lymphoid cells with nuclear atypia and mitotic figures in keeping with polymorphic type PTLD. The evaluation of an immunosuppressed patient presenting with intracranial lesions can be challenging. Indeed, several types of opportunistic infections or tumours can have similar presentations. A high index of suspicion for PTLD should be maintained whenever a transplant patient presents with an intracranial lesion.Abstract 089 Figure 1


Microwave absorption and dielectric spectral detection technology with high time resolution (1 ns) is used for contactless measurement of electron property in solid materials. In this paper, the free photoelectron time-resolved spectra of cubic AgCl emulsion sensitized by green-sensitizing dye are measured by dielectric spectral equipment. The samples are exposed to 35-ps short pulse laser at 355 and 532 nm, respectively. The results show that for the same sensitized sample, the free photoelectron lifetime are 43.1 and 5.8 ns, respectively. And for the same wavelength, the lifetime of sensitized emulsion is shorter than that of pure emulsion. It is thus proved that the adsorption of dyes to silver halide microcrystals increases the Ag_(i)+ concentration.


Dialog is a core building block of human natural language interactions. It contains multi-party utterances used to convey information from one party to another in a dynamic and evolving manner. The ability to compare dialogs is beneficial in many real world use cases, such as conversation analytics for contact center calls and virtual agent design. We propose a novel adaptation of the edit distance metric to the scenario of dialog similarity. Our approach takes into account various conversation aspects such as utterance semantics, conversation flow, and the participants. We evaluate this new approach and compare it to existing document similarity measures on two publicly available datasets. The results demonstrate that our method outperforms the other approaches in capturing dialog flow, and is better aligned with the human perception of conversation similarity.


eleed, Iss. 2005 - The use of XML for representation of eLearning-content and for automatic generation of different kinds of teaching media from this material is with all its advantages nowadays stateof-the-art. In the last years there have been numerous projects that leveraged XML-based production environments. At the end of the financial advancement the created materials have to be maintained with limited (human) resources. In the majority of cases this is only possible, if the authors care for their teaching material without extensive IT-support. From our point of view there has so far been a lack of intuitive usable XML editors. The prototype of such an XML editor "aXess" is introduced with the intention to encourage a broad discussion about the required features to manage the content of eLearning-materials.


Forests are the major source of biodiversity and provide natural sources of wood, fodder, gums, resins, and medicines. Forests encounter damage by nature and human factors, which needs to be monitored for all tree species, whether invasion or intentional damage. This study focuses on the classification of an open tall stand coastal surrounding site for the mapping and classification of tree species and ground features using airborne imagery. So, improving the classification and mapping accuracy of forest in surrounding coastal regions is essential for the restoration and management decisions. The first objective of this thesis is to use segmented Principal Component (PC) images to classify the ground features including different tree species and to improve the classification results. More specific goals include (a) Use of hyperspectral images to map and classify the forest region using a segmented PC image, (b) Investigating the gain in mapping accuracy with segmented PC image as opposed to hyperspectral imagery alone. The second objective is to assess and investigate the fusion of airborne hyperspectral imagery and LiDAR derived Canopy Height Model for classification and assessing the results. These objectives aim at investigating the gain in mapping accuracy with fusion image as opposed to hyperspectral imagery alone. Thus, overall this study assesses the differences in classification outputs using a data fusion technique, segmented PC image and individual hyperspectral images, which differ in accuracy, in Mediterranean forest. MLC based supervised image classification method provided better accuracy (96.3%) with segmented PC images, (~92.9%) with the fusion of CHM and hyperspectral images than with hyperspectral image alone (89.6% with MLC and 67.5% with SAM). According to my results, CHM and HSI provide better classification and mapping results over extensive areas of forests. The overall accuracy of the classified maps ranged from 67.5 to 96.3% and  coefficient was found between 0.61 and 0.95. Segmented PC and PC fusion techniques provided a significant step to improve the distinction and classification results. Using the above methods, tree species and associated features could be classified and mapped, despite the problem of spectral mixing of different features. In future, more high spatial and spectral resolution images will provide a platform for the incorporation of enhanced characteristics for mapping and classification purposes.


INTRODUCTION In May 1989 a British Micropalaeontological Society Symposium Meeting was held at the University of East Anglia under the title "Cenozoic Biostratigraphy and Global Change". Fourteen lectures were given on this theme, many of them originating from investigations of DSDP/IPOD and ODP (Ocean Drilling Program) samples. All addressed the potential of micropalaeontological observations for interpreting the history of global and regional oceanographic and climatic change. Many results of this type of investigation are currently appearing in science journals such as "Paleoceanography" and "Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology" as well as in the "Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program". British micropalaeontologists are taking an active part in this research, but relatively few of the resultant papers have so far appeared in the Journal of Micropalaeontology. Many of the lectures given at the May 1989 Symposium represented work already recently published, or due to be subsequently published in the Proceedings of the Ocean Drilling Program. Four papers, representing ongoing research not then due to be published, have been brought together here as a small thematic set, illustrating a variety of approaches to "Cenozoic Biostratigraphy and Global Change". They range across Ostracoda, Coccolithophorida, Planktonic and Benthic Foraminifera, through the entire Cenozoic, including the latest Quaternary, and they include results from both the North Atlantic and Pacific oceans. TITLES "Global Change and the Biostratigraphy of North Atlantic Cenozoic deep water Ostracoda" - Robin C. Whatley and Graham P. Coles. "Palaeoclimatic control of Upper Pliocene Discoaster assemblages in the North Atlantic" - Alex. Chepstow-Lusty, Jan Backman. . .


We present experimental evidence on favouritism practices. Children compete in teams in a tournament. After the first round of a real effort task, children indicate which group member they would prefer to do the task in the second round, for the benefit of the team. Friends are much more likely to be chosen than others after controlling for performance. We also find that children who are favoured by their friend subsequently increase performance. Consequently, favouritism does not hurt efficiency. These results show the importance of observing performance ex post in order to properly evaluate the efficiency implications of favouritism.


What environmental constraints will materials have to face in the future? Can current measurement tools like LCA (Life Cycle Analysis) support the choices of material and adapt to these constraints to pave the way to a sustainable world? Are there some alternative or complementary approaches to enhance the quality of information for decision makers? The aim of this article is to provide answers to these three questions. The society of tomorrow, in the second half of the 21st century, will be a society where the circular economy will play a more important role and thus will help reduce materials waste. This is a critical aspect of sustainability. To get there, the decisions have to be enlightened and fair, because the decisions (or non-decisions) made today shape the world that future generations will have to manage. Furthermore, Lord Kelvin used to say: "what you can't measure, you can't improve". Therefore, these decisions have to be supported by measurement tools that will properly capture the stakes of reuse and recycling at the end of life of products. Today, LCA is the common tool used to address this matter. However, the present article has shown that LCA cannot incorporate the whole complexity of sustainability. LCA is good at considering micro-scale issues, comparing one solution with another, in a static approach. How can it give right directions to decision makers in order to support the vision of a circular economy? The application of different standards showed that it is not easy at all and that recycling product at their end of life are not rewarded equally and sometimes not promoted at all. Therefore rebound effects leading to contradictory decisions may occur. LCA alone is not enough to make enlightened decisions. It should be complemented by other methods. This was proposed in the last part. Based on the IPAT equation, this approach tries to capture different aspects that are not addressed properly by LCA, due to the fact that the functional unit is too restrictive, that the time dimension and prospective approach should be more integrated, and that it should enlarge the scale of the analysis to the macro-economy and the socio-economy. It should also recognize that the efforts have to be shared by different players including material industry and manufacturers, policy makers and society in general. As a general conclusion, we are convinced that tomorrow's society will recognize the value of materials that are recyclable and reusable, like steel has been for many decades. But there is still a clear need to addressing, in research and development, the improvement of the metrics, combining social, environmental and economic assessment, so that the sustainability value of materials is properly measured. These are the objectives of the Sovamat Initiative and the SAM conferences.


Objective: The aim of the present article was to study the relationship between early maladaptive schemas and the defense styles (mature, immature, and neurotic) in asthmatics, alexithymics and normal subjects. Methods: 216 asthmatic, alexithymic and normal subjects were selected and they completed Young Schema Questionnaire (short form), Defense Style Questionnaire and the Farsi version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Descriptive and inferential statistics such as mean, standard deviation, MANOVA and multiple regressions analysis were used to analyze the research data. Results: Results indicated a significant difference (P<0.05) in all domains of early maladaptive schemas, except other-directedness between the mean scores of the groups of normal subjects and asthmatic patients as well as alexithymic patients. In mature and neurotic defense style, there was not a significant difference between the mean scores of the three groups, while the immature defense style scores of normal subjects and patients with asthma were significantly different (P<0.05) from those of alexithymic. Conclusion: Alexithymia is equivalent to difficulty in self-regulation. When emotional information could not be perceived and evaluated through cognitive processing, it results in the individual's emotional and cognitive confusion. This inability increases the possibility of the immature and neurotic defense styles in stressful situations. A B S T R A C T


We are investigating three kinds of advanced capabilities for computer game characters. First, we want characters to exhibit life-like qualities. They should show distinctive personalities, context-dependent moods, and normal variability in their behavior. Second, we want characters to follow directions . They should accept directions from various external sources, including game designers, game players, and other game components. They should follow both individual directions that are delivered interactively during a game and sets of directions organized into scenarios that are provided in advance. They should be able to follow directions that vary in specificity, ranging from those that prescribe specific behaviors to those that permit alternative interpretations. Finally, we want characters to i m p r o v i s e many different courses of behavior. Their improvisational choices should reflect their individual personalities, their current moods, their current directions, and the situation in their virtual world. Characters should surprise game players by improvising different courses of behavior in similar situations on different occasions.


Japan has been undergoing educational reforms as social changes continually spur especially with the advent of globalization. With special needs children in its populace, the country lays down its own educational paradigm. This aims to discuss the two scenarios in the Japanese educational system, the inclusion and the institutionalization, which serve as answers to the schooling dilemma of children with disabilities. Inclusion is a confusing issue since it is not explicitly stated in the nation's public education rulings but in practice, there is inclusion. On the other hand, institutionalization is aptly considered concrete as it is seen in segregated environment in special schools and in therapeutically – oriented classes. This posits a challenge to the Japanese government in keeping track with the new era. Rich and firm in cultural aspects, Japan has all the reasons to concede onwards for the best interest of the special children's educational provisions.


Despite the apparent reported cooling of sentiment towards eCommerce, recent statistics show that online shopping remains a very important element in the UK retail scene. The College of Estate Management has developed an annual benchmark survey to track and monitor eCommerce progress in relation to property impact. The research is based on two separate cohorts of retailers and investors/developers who have responded to continuing surveys and interviews during 2000, 2001 and 2003 in projects funded by BCSC, European Shopping Centre and RICS Education Trusts. The paper shows key trends in eCommerce from the perspective of both groups, focusing on their strategic response and the barriers and drivers to eCommerce in the retail sector. The position of the UK in the international eCommerce marketplace is also be examined. Finally the policy implications for Government in relation to urban shape and form will be analysed, in the light of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Planning Advisory Group's recommendations.


The Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) of Morris Library, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, holds a treasure trove of primary sources and rare books of interest to researchers worldwide. The collections focus on American philosophy; American, British, and Irish theatre; the Irish Literary Renaissance; British and American expatriate authors, especially for the period between World War I and World War II; and Illinois history and culture. SCRC consists of five curatorial sections: Manuscripts and Photographs, Political Papers, University Archives, Rare Books, and the Southern Illinois Regional Archive Depository. The collections in each of these sections are related to, support, and complement the others. Major Illinois history collections in Manuscripts, Photographs, University Archives, and Faculty Papers were described by Katherine A. Salzmann, then Manuscripts Curator/Archivist of SCRC in, "Documenting Southern Illinois: A Guide to Selected Resources at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale," which appeared in the Autumn 2002 issue of the Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society. This Guide describes another significant group of Illinois history resources, the Vertical File Manuscripts (VFMs). In many libraries, "Vertical Files" consist of ephemera or free government publications, but SCRC's VFMs include small collections of primary sources such as correspondence, manuscripts, photographs, and original documents that range across all of SCRC's subject areas. There are more than 2,000 VFMs in Special Collections. Two series, those related to Ulysses S. Grant and philosopher-educator John Dewey, each numbering more than one hundred VFMs, have been described in published documentary editions, The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant and The Collected Works of John Dewey, 1882-1953, respectively. Those VFMs are not included in this guide. And in the interest of keeping the guide to a reasonable length, VFMs specific to Southern Illinois University, of which there are more than 270, have also been excluded. The 250+VFMs described here range from a single letter or broadside to a hundred or more items. The larger VFMs-those consisting of more than ten or twelve items-have often been inventoried or calendared. The annotation, "see inventory for more complete description," has been added to the citations for these VFMs. Each citation in the guide includes the VFM number, a description of the contents, the date or date range, names of significant individuals, the type of document, e.g., ALS (autograph letter signed) or TMs (typed manuscript), and the size of the collection. Most VFMs are original documents, but some are copies. For those, the type of copy is added at the end of the citation-photocopy, mimeograph, etc. Readers wishing to see any of the materials described in the Guide can contact the author or the Special Collections Research Center at: Special Collections Research Center, Morris Library, Southern Illinois University, 1835 University Press Drive, Mailcode 6632, Carbondale, IL 62901; (618) 453-2818; VFM 1 Miscellaneous papers of George H. Harrison, Marion Illinois, including poll records of local and national elections held at Herring's Prairie Precinct in 1840,1841,1842,1844, and 1845; family letters from 1842,1847, and 1848; a letter, 24 June 1847, from Willis Alien concerning the state constitutional convention; and a petition, 11 March 1864, asking for the relocation of the Marion to Pinckneyville road. See inventory for more complete description. 14 AD, 20 pp; 3 ALS, 8 pp. VFM 5 Three marriage licenses from 1833, issued by the county commissioners court at Equality, Illinois. The marriage returns are recorded on the verso of each license. The brides and grooms are: Phillip C. Buffington and Rodia Ann Stevens; Holmes Thompson and Adeline Bethurin; and Mathew Abney and Matilda Rumsey. 3 ADS, 6 pp. …


A public inquiry into the closure of a GP surgery in north London that was run by a private company says there is "a serious loophole" in the national contract for alternative providers. It raises concerns about two other practices in the area.

Camden Road Surgery closed on 13 April, four years after it was taken over by US health giant UnitedHealth, leaving more than 4500 patients without a doctor.1

The inquiry panel of three councillors—chaired by Labour councillor Angela Mason—said there was an "urgent need" to find a replacement for the closed surgery, adding: "We remain concerned about the remaining two contracts held by The Practice at the Brunswick Centre and King's Cross, as contracts will end in 2013."

The …


According to the National Household Survey (ENAHO), approximately three out of four employment relationships within the formal sector of the Peruvian economy are based on temporary contracts. This percentage is larger than that of any OECD country and also considerably larger to that of any other country of the Latin American region. This study aims to elucidate the role that the 2001 labor reform played on these results and the effect this has had on variables associated to Peruvian workers' well-being. To this end, we exploit the information on contract type and start date (identified by the employment duration), which are reported on the household surveys, to analyze the decision between using fixed-term contracts or indefinite-term contracts. The average impact obtained from a differences-in-differences estimation with matching, having workers with contract but with no health insurance as a control group, is a reduction of 41 percent in the probability of having contracts of indefinite duration in the short term (up to five years after the reform), whereas the long-term impact has been a drop by 70 percent. These results are consistent, and similarly large, as those found in a model of simple differences controlling for workers' characteristics, firms and economic context. The results are robust to placebo tests and estimations by activity sectors and firm size. These results mean that, due to the reform, by 2015 over 900,000 jobs that could have been of indefinite-term were fixed-term contracts instead. Estimates based on Mincer equations suggest that this meant a loss of around 1.5 billion dollars in workers' labor income in 2015. Also, 36,000 workers would have affiliated to a union, had such reform not been implemented. These figures suggest than, instead of increasing workers' protection, the reform implemented by the Constitutional Court left a large portion of them unprotected.


We outline the scope of this special issue of New Zealand Journal of Ecology, which reviews progress in New Zealand ecology to 2009, based on a symposium in 2007. Both the issue and symposium update a 1986 conference and 1989 special issue of NZ J Ecol called "Moas, Mammals and Climate" which has been influential and widely cited. This issue revisits several themes featured in 1989, including the extent of recent and prehistoric extinctions in the New Zealand fauna; effects of introduced mammalian herbivores replacing now-extinct browsing birds such as moa; the impacts of introduced mammalian predators on native birds (hence the Feathers to Fur title); the role of islands as refuges and opportunities for restoration; and the status of bird-plant mutualisms like pollination and fruit dispersal. Several topics not discussed in 1989 are raised, including the unusual size and functional composition of New Zealand's tree flora, and several taxonomic groups (invertebrates, fungi) and habitats (fresh waters) that received little attention in 1989. We summarise four symposium talks which are not included elsewhere in this issue. New Zealand leads the world in ways both unenviable (e.g. levels of impact of introduced species) and enviable (e.g. predator eradication, translocations, rare species management). The recent advances reviewed in this issues have relevance well beyond New Zealand.


Exploration and fabrication of low-cost but highly active electrocatalysts, alternatives to noble metals, have remained a challenge for overall water splitting reaction. To date, few studies have reported that the Earth-abundant pyrite FeS2 is catalytically active for hydrogen evolution reaction, while there is no study on the oxygen evolution reaction and overall water splitting reaction using pyrite FeS2 as an electrocatalyst. Here, we offer a facile hydrothermal approach for the synthesis of FeS2 nanoparticles by the reduction of FeCl3·6H2O with C5H10NS2Na·3H2O. The FeS2/C nanoparticles on Ni foam (NF) deliver 10 mA cm-2 at an overpotential of 240 mV towards the oxygen evolution reaction, which is lower than that of IrO2. It requires 202 mV to drive the hydrogen evolution reaction to reach 10 mA cm-2, while long-term durability and faster charge-transfer kinetics confirm the good hydrogen evolution reaction performance on FeS2/C/Ni foam. Moreover, the pyrite FeS2/C/nanoparticles on Ni foam are assembled as an anode and cathode in a two-electrode alkaline electrolyzer and show good overall water splitting efficiency with 1.72 V at 10 mA cm-2.


Abstract The present study contributes to our understanding of the phonetic implementation of the fortis–lenis plosive contrast in British varieties of English via analyses of pre-aspiration and glottalisation. More specifically, we show that pre-aspiration and (pre-) glottalisation can and do function as correlates of the contrast in British English plosives in non-foot-initial position (latter vs ladder; mat vs mad). This is in addition to rather than at the expense of the other traditionally discussed potential correlates, with the exception of word-final release duration, where the pre-closure laryngeal phenomena are more robust. We also provide evidence that listeners of a range of accents of British English use pre-aspiration as a cue to the contrast, exhibiting clear categorical perception effects (based on data from 19 listeners). We conclude that the gesture of spread glottis is not necessarily tied to the release phase of the plosive in the relevant varieties of British English but instead can be found prior to the release phase, or indeed both prior to as well as during the release phase itself. Our study thus contributes to the pool of languages known to use pre-closure laryngeal features functioning as correlates of and cues to phonological contrasts (see e.g. Clayton 2009; Kingston 1990; Silverman 1995).


: People with hepatitis C are likely to experience psychological distress related to adjustment issues following diagnosis. Objective: The study was conducted to determine the psycho-social stressors accompanying Hepatitis C virus (HCV) chronic infection. The study focused on immediate and later on reactions to being diagnosed as infected HCV patients. Effect of HCV on disruption of patients' relationships in term of family relationship and friendship, employment and financial status was assessed. The magnitude and causes of the social stigma and its relation to awareness about illness, level of education were also assessed. Methods: During this study the subjective experiences of people having HCV was explored through a designed questionnaire targeted 540 cases; 359 males and 181 females from ten out of 21 National Treatment Reference Centers of National Hepatology and Tropical Medicine Research Institutes of Ministry of Health (MOH) hospitals. The study was conducted along a period of six months from September 2011 to March 2012. Results: The study revealed that the financial problems are the commonest problems faced by 75.5 % of the cases. More than 70% of the cases suffered from immediate sadness versus 67.4% suffered from worry. Social stigma was reported by 13 % of HCV +patients, the majority of which were females. Conclusions: Exploring the psychosocial consequences of HCV infection can act as pressing motivators for behavior change needed for limiting HCV endemicity in Egypt.


The purpose of this study was to noninvasively quantify the effects of insulin on capillary blood volume (capBV) and RBC velocity (V(RBC)) in skeletal muscle in vivo with the use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound. We performed contrast ultrasound of the rat hindlimb adductor muscles at baseline and after 2-h infusions of either insulin (3 or 40 mU x kg(-1) x min(-1)) or saline. Saline-treated animals were also studied during contractile exercise. V(RBC) and capBV were calculated from the relation between pulsing interval and video intensity. Femoral artery blood flow, measured by a flow probe, increased with both contractile exercise and insulin. Contractile exercise increased capBV more than twofold and V(RBC) fivefold. Insulin also increased capBV more than twofold in a dose-dependent fashion but did not significantly alter V(RBC). Saline infusion did not significantly alter capBV, V(RBC), or femoral artery blood flow. We conclude that physiological changes in skeletal muscle capillary perfusion can be assessed in vivo with the use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound. Exercise increases both V(RBC) and capBV, whereas hyperinsulinemia selectively increases only capBV, which may enhance skeletal muscle glucose uptake.


Occupational mismatch, defined as a discrepancy between workers' qualifications or skills and those required by their job, is a highly debated phenomenon in developed countries, but rarely addressed in developing economies from a comparative perspective. This study investigates the magnitudes of overeducation and overskilling, and their correlates, in four developing Latin American countries that have undergone a rapid and unregulated expansion of tertiary education participation (i.e. Chile, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru). Using a variety of measures derived from PIAAC data, we find that the magnitudes of subjective overeducation, and objective and subjective overskilling are sizable (particularly in Chile and Mexico), albeit lower than OECD estimates. Differences in objective overskilling between the OECD and LAC countries are largely explained by workforce skill levels. We also find that overeducation, overskilling and credential inflation affect those occupations which arguably require less qualifications. Potential supply and demand side explanations for these patterns are discussed.


A previously undescribed response pattern has been observed in certain single units in the posterior colliculus of Pteronotus suapurensis. These units, constituting about one-third of those tuned to the region of the dominant constant-frequency (CF) components of the orientation sounds, respond to a tone pip with a burst of spikes at a latency of 3 to 6 milliseconds, within the frequency-intensity domain of a normal V-shaped response area. In these units, however, as intensity is dropped below threshold for this response, a response of 5-to 10-milliseconds longer latency appears and persists throughout another 10 to 30 decibels of attenuation. These late responses can be very vigorous, are sharply tuned to frequencies at or just above the CF components of the signal, and are often strongest and of lowest threshold at stimulus durations of 1.5 to 3 milliseconds--approximately the duration of the CF component. These properties imply that the late responses are concerned with analysis of the CF components of echoes, apparently in ways not as prominent in other bats.


Abstract The spirits are, insists Derrida. Humanity is a 'series of ghosts' (Derrida 1994: 138). Since every identity has, beyond its actual existence, a virtual continuity with the past and the future, becoming 'can only maintain itself with some ghosts', certain others, who are no longer or not yet present but nevertheless real (1994: xvii). Indeed, any event, any occurrence of the new, carries with it an injunction to remember, to keep up the 'conversation' with the ghosts, although this conversation lacks reciprocity (1994: xviii). Every time one looks beyond the actual, present life, one evokes ghosts. Thus the tangible intangibility of the ghost never disappears; 'a ghost never dies, it remains always to come and to come-back' (1994: 99). With a spectre, after all, the question is always, at once, to be and not to be, actual phenomenality and virtuality (1994: 11, 17). In this sense all history is repetition, every historical gesture deals with a virtual idea, reiterating, repeating the ghosts of the past, in order to produce difference. How to repeat, then? How to speak of, with and to the ghost? Dealing with this question, the article focuses on Kubrick's Spartacus (1960), a film that seeks to look beyond its own society during the Cold War. In this, the film demonstrates, at once, a desire for repetition and its failure.


The study of nineteenth-century infant mortality in Britain has neglected the rural dimension to a surprising degree. We map the change in infant mortality rate (IMR) between the 1850s and the 1900s at Registration District (RD) level. Latent trajectory analysis, a longitudinal model based clustering method, is used to identify the clusters into which rural RDs fell, based on their IMR trajectories. Relationships between IMR and population density, fertility, female tuberculosis mortality, female illiteracy, male agricultural wages and distance from London are examined in a longitudinal study. The tuberculosis (maternal health), illiteracy (education), and distance variables had the most effect. IMR responded most strongly to improving health and education in the east, less in the central area and least in the north and west. The eastern zone's higher than average mid-century infant mortality therefore declined faster than the national average. A central and southern zone had slightly lower IMRs in mid-century but did not keep up with the rate of decline in the east. The peripheral north and west had the lowest mid-century rates but their decline was overtaken by the other zones. The interpretation of these findings and their relevance to the wider study of infant mortality are discussed.


Background : Job satisfaction is an important determinant of health worker motivation, retention, and performance, all of which are critical to improving the functioning of health systems in low- and middle-income countries. A number of small-scale surveys have measured the job satisfaction and intention to leave of individual health worker cadres in different settings, but there are few multi-country and multi-cadre comparative studies. Objective : The objective of this study was to compare the job satisfaction and intention to leave of different categories of health workers in Tanzania, Malawi, and South Africa. Methods : We undertook a cross-sectional survey of a stratified cluster sample of 2,220 health workers, 564 from Tanzania, 939 from Malawi, and 717 from South Africa. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire, which included demographic information, a 10-item job satisfaction scale, and one question on intention to leave. Multiple regression was used to identify significant predictors of job satisfaction and intention to leave. Results : There were statistically significant differences in job satisfaction and intention to leave between the three countries. Approximately 52.1% of health workers in South Africa were satisfied with their jobs compared to 71% from Malawi and 82.6% from Tanzania (χ2=140.3, p<0.001). 18.8% of health workers in Tanzania and 26.5% in Malawi indicated that they were actively seeking employment elsewhere, compared to 41.4% in South Africa (χ2=83.5, p<0.001). The country differences were confirmed by multiple regression. The study also confirmed that job satisfaction is statistically related to intention to leave. Conclusions : We have shown differences in the levels of job satisfaction and intention to leave between different groups of health workers from Tanzania, Malawi, and South Africa. Our results caution against generalising about the effectiveness of interventions in different contexts and highlight the need for less standardised and more targeted HRH strategies than has been practised to date.


Psychiatric diseases are common. The effective treatment of a psychiatric disease, its (somatic) side effects and any concurrent somatic diseases is important for the patient's overall health and wellbeing. The studies conducted in psychiatric patients generally focus on the continuation of psychiatric medication, but not on the continuation of somatic medications. These studies show that psychiatric patients commonly discontinue their psychiatric medication. However, studies on the overall continuity of pharmaceutical care in patients admitted to and discharged from a psychiatric hospital are scarce and fragmented. Based on the current knowledge, the overall objective of this thesis was to assess the continuation of pharmaceutical care in psychiatric patients.
The use of somatic medications is high in psychiatric patients admitted to psychiatric hospitals. We found that 67.5-76.9% of the patients admitted to a psychiatric hospital in the Netherlands were using at least one somatic medication. It is commonly acknowledged that the risk of discontinuation of medication is high when patients are admitted to or discharged from general hospitals. As indicated by the studies in this thesis, the risk of discontinuity of somatic medication is high when patients are admitted to or discharged from a psychiatric hospital. 38.9% of the patients using somatic medication discontinued the use of at least one somatic medication during the first week of psychiatric hospitalization. For instance, 34.9% of the cardiovascular and acid-and bowel-related medications were discontinued during this first week. In addition, we found that the monitoring of pharmacotherapy may fail during admission to psychiatric hospitals as in almost 25% of the hospitalized patients either anticoagulant medication and/or International Normalized Ratio (INR) monitoring was discontinued. At discharge we found that at least a single medication is discontinued in almost 70% of psychiatric patients. Of all patients using antipsychotics, 25.2% discontinued the use of their antipsychotic medications, and of all patients using cardiovascular medications, 28.4% discontinued a cardiovascular drug.
Obviously, the continuity of pharmaceutical care is important for the treatment and stabilization of psychiatric diseases after discharge. Therefore, we assessed the association between adherence to antipsychotics and psychiatric rehospitalization in patients with psychotic disorders during the first year after discharge. Patients who did not initiate antipsychotic medication use during the follow up had a higher risk of rehospitalization (RR = 3.7; 95% CI: 2.4-5.5) when compared to patients who did initiate use. For patients who initiated the use of psychiatric medication during the first month after the discharge, those who discontinued use had a twofold (RR = 2.3; 95% CI: 1.2-4.5) risk for rehospitalization during 2nd to 12th month after discharge when compared to those continuing use.
It is important to identify which patients are at a greater risk for rehospitalization. In a prospective study in patients with psychotic or bipolar I disorder we found that rehospitalization can be predicted by various factors. We found that rehospitalization could best be predicted when combining information on clinical and medication characteristics, patients' beliefs about medicines (BMQ), and health care provider assessments.


The molecular mechanisms that instigate a healthy cell to become malignant are fueled by (epi)genetic alterations in so-called driver genes. While the Holy Grail of precision medicine is to identify these genetic dependencies and to target them with specific compounds in a personalized fashion, this has proven a daunting task, as tumors are exquisitely characterized by genetic instability and a mutator phenotype. Genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) are uniquely suited for functional in vivo validation of genotype-phenotype relationships, as they enable in vivo assessment of de novo tumorigenesis in a mammalian organism with intact immune and stromal compartments upon perturbation of (combinations of) oncogenes and/or tumor suppressor genes. Somatic modeling of cancer using CRISPR technology in vivo proved to be a true game-changing tool, allowing for rapid functional validation of candidate cancer genes enrolling from forward genetic screens and catalogs of alterations in human tumors. In this work, I showed how CRISPR approaches were deployed to precisely engineer tumorigenic events in the mouse mammary gland for dissecting oncogenic cascades, unraveling new therapeutic vulnerabilities and mechanisms of therapy resistance in different breast cancer subtypes.


To study the evolutionary dynamics of regulatory DNA, we mapped >1.3 million deoxyribonuclease I–hypersensitive sites (DHSs) in 45 mouse cell and tissue types, and systematically compared these with human DHS maps from orthologous compartments. We found that the mouse and human genomes have undergone extensive cis-regulatory rewiring that combines branch-specific evolutionary innovation and loss with widespread repurposing of conserved DHSs to alternative cell fates, and that this process is mediated by turnover of transcription factor (TF) recognition elements. Despite pervasive evolutionary remodeling of the location and content of individual cis-regulatory regions, within orthologous mouse and human cell types the global fraction of regulatory DNA bases encoding recognition sites for each TF has been strictly conserved. Our findings provide new insights into the evolutionary forces shaping mammalian regulatory DNA landscapes. Mouse-to-human genomic comparisons illuminate conserved transcriptional programs despite regulatory rewiring. Rewiring the gene regulatory landscape DNAse I hypersensitive sites (DHSs) correlate with genomic locations that control where messenger RNA is to be produced. DHSs differ, depending on the cell type, developmental stage, and species. Viestra et al. compared mouse and human genome-wide DHS maps. Approximately one-third of the DHSs are conserved between the species, which separated approximately 550 million years ago. Most DHSs fell into tissue-specific cohorts; however, these were generally not conserved between the human and mouse. It seems that the majority of DHSs evolve because of changes in the sequence that gradually change how the region is regulated. Science, this issue p. 1007


When Speech and Audio Signal Processing published in 1999, it stood out from its competition in its breadth of coverage and its accessible, intutiont-based style. This book was aimed at individual students and engineers excited about the broad span of audio processing and curious to understand the available techniques. Since then, with the advent of the iPod in 2001, the field of digital audio and music has exploded, leading to a much greater interest in the technical aspects of audio processing.This Second Edition will update and revise the original book to augment it with new material describing both the enabling technologies of digital music distribution (most significantly the MP3) and a range of exciting new research areas in automatic music content processing (such as automatic transcription, music similarity, etc.) that have emerged in the past five years, driven by the digital music revolution.New chapter topics include:Psychoacoustic Audio Coding, describing MP3 and related audio coding schemes based on psychoacoustic masking of quantization noiseMusic Transcription, including automatically deriving notes, beats, and chords from music signals.Music Information Retrieval, primarily focusing on audio-based genre classification, artist/style identification, and similarity estimation.Audio Source Separation, including multi-microphone beamforming, blind source separation, and the perception-inspired techniques usually referred to as Computational Auditory Scene Analysis (CASA).


Though individuals differ in the degree to which they are predisposed to trust or act trustworthy, we theorize that trust-based behaviors are universally determined by the calibration of conflicting short- and long-sighted behavior regulation programs, and that these programs are calibrated by emotions experienced personally and interpersonally. In this chapter we review both the main-stream and evolutionary theories of emotions that philosophers, psychologists, and behavioral economists have based their work on and which can inform our understanding of trust-based behavior regulation. The standard paradigm for understanding emotions is based on mapping their positive and negative affect valence. While Valence Models often expect that the experience of positive and negative affect is interdependent (leading to the popular use of bipolar affect scales), a multivariate "recalibrational" model based on positive, negative, interpersonal, intrapersonal, short-sighted and long-sighted dimensions predicts and recognizes more complex mixed-valence emotional states. We summarize experimental evidence that supports a model of emotionally-calibrated trust regulation and discuss implications for the use of various emotion measures. Finally, in light of these discussions we suggest future directions for the investigation of emotions and trust psychology.


With rising population numbers, anthropogenic changes to our environment and unprecedented global connectivity, the World Economic Forum ranks the spread of infectious diseases second only to water crises in terms of potential global impact. Addressing the diverse challenges to human health and well-being in the 21st century requires an overarching focus on 'Planetary Health', with input from all sectors of government, non-governmental organisations, academic institutions and industry. To clarify and advance the Planetary Health agenda within Australia, specifically in relation to emerging infectious diseases (EID) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), national experts and key stakeholders were invited to a facilitated workshop. EID themes identified included animal reservoirs, targeted surveillance, mechanisms of emergence and the role of unrecognised human vectors (the 'invisible man') in the spread of infection. Themes related to AMR included antimicrobial use in production and companion animals, antimicrobial stewardship, novel treatment approaches and education of professionals, politicians and the general public. Effective infection control strategies are important in both EID and AMR. We provide an overview of key discussion points, as well as important barriers identified and solutions proposed.


With the advent of the nuclear gauge, rapid determination of density has simplified field density and moisture control during construction significantly. The rapid feedback of information provides the earthworks engineer with a means to adapt to changing field conditions without delay. The acceptance time of layer work can also be considerably reduced.


The increasing demand of wearable electronic devices has promoted the development of high-performance flexible strain sensors which could monitor various physiological parameters. In this work, using silk georgette, which is a commercially available gauzy and lightweight fabric composed of highly twisted yarns in both warp and weft directions as the raw material, an ultrasensitive strain sensor with a wide workable strain range is fabricated through a facile and large-scale process. The obtained strain sensors exhibit remarkable combined features of ultrahigh sensitivity in a wide sensing range (average gauge factor of 29.7 within 40% strain and of 173.0 for a strain of 60–100%), ultralow detection limit (0.01% strain), high durability and stability (10 000 stretching cycles at 100% strain), fast response (<70 ms) and translucence, which could be ascribed to the unique woven structure of silk georgette. Furthermore, the dependence of the performance of the strain sensors on the woven structures has been demonstrated. Finally, the strain sensors based on silk georgette are demonstrated to show potential for applications in monitoring full-range human activities including both vigorous motions and subtle motions.


The solitary confinement of children is remarkably commonplace in the United States, with the best available government data suggesting that thousands of children across the country are subjected to the practice each year. Physical and social isolation of 22 to 24 hours per day for one day or more, the generally accepted definition of solitary confinement, is used by juvenile detention facilities as well as adult jails and prisons to protect, punish and manage children held there. The practice is neither explicitly banned nor directly regulated by federal law. Yet there is a broad consensus that the practice places children at great risk of permanent physical and mental harm and even death, and that it violates international human rights law. Policymakers and judges in the U.S. are beginning to reevaluate the treatment of children in the adult criminal justice system, drawing from new insights and old intuitions about the developmental differences between children and adults. This welcome trend has only recently begun to translate into any systematic change to the practice of subjecting children to solitary confinement in adult jails or prisons, with significant reform in New York City at the leading edge. Despite the beginnings of a trend, there have been few legal challenges to the solitary confinement of children and there is a consequent dearth of jurisprudence to guide advocates and attorneys seeking to protect children in adult facilities from its attendant harms through litigation – or policymakers seeking to prevent or eliminate unconstitutional conduct. This article helps bridge this significant gap. It contributes the first comprehensive account of the application of federal constitutional and statutory frameworks to the solitary confinement of children in adult jails and prisons, with reference to relevant international law as well as medical and correctional standards. In doing so, this article seeks to lay the groundwork for litigation promoting an end to this practice.


Objective Performance of noninvasive prenatal screening (NIPS) methodologies when applied to low fetal fraction samples is not well established. The single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) method fails samples below a predetermined fetal fraction threshold, whereas some laboratories employing the whole-genome sequencing (WGS) method report aneuploidy calls for all samples. Here, the performance of the two methods was compared to determine which approach actually detects more fetal aneuploidies. Methods Computational models were parameterized with up-to-date published data and used to compare the performance of the two methods at calling common fetal trisomies (T21, T18, T13) at low fetal fractions. Furthermore, clinical experience data were reviewed to determine aneuploidy detection rates based on compliance with recent invasive screening recommendations. Results The SNP method's performance is dependent on the origin of the trisomy, and is lowest for the most common trisomies (maternal M1 nondisjunction). Consequently, the SNP method cannot maintain acceptable performance at fetal fractions below ~3%. In contrast, the WGS method maintains high specificity independent of fetal fraction and has >80% sensitivity for trisomies in low fetal fraction samples. Conclusion The WGS method will detect more aneuploidies below the fetal fraction threshold at which many labs issue a no-call result, avoiding unnecessary invasive procedures.


What will happen after a complete sequence of the human genome is available? Eric Lander argues that it will be the beginning of a new phase of research. He presents 10 goals for the future that are related to a global view of biology. The author is at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and the Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.


Abstract. As with many historical buildings around the world, building facades are of special interest; moreover, the details of such windows, stonework, and ornaments give each historic building its individual character. Each object of these buildings must be classified in an architectural object library. Recently, a number of researches have been focusing on this topic in Europe and Canada. From this standpoint, the Hijazi Architectural Objects Library (HAOL) has reproduced Hijazi elements as 3D computer models, which are modelled using a Revit Family (RFA). The HAOL will be dependent on the image survey and point cloud data. The Hijazi Object such as Roshan and Mashrabiyah, become as vocabulary of many Islamic cities in the Hijazi region such as Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, and even for a number of Islamic historic cities such as Istanbul and Cairo. These architectural vocabularies are the main cause of the beauty of these heritage. However, there is a big gap in both the Islamic architectural library and the Hijazi architectural library to provide these unique elements. Besides, both Islamic and Hijazi architecture contains a huge amount of information which has not yet been digitally classified according to period and styles. Due to this issue, this paper will be focusing on developing of Heritage BIM (HBIM) standards and the HAOL library to reduce the cost and the delivering time for heritage and new projects that involve in Hijazi architectural styles. Through this paper, the fundamentals of Hijazi architecture informatics will be provided via developing framework for HBIM models and standards. This framework will provide schema and critical information, for example, classifying the different shapes, models, and forms of structure, construction, and ornamentation of Hijazi architecture in order to digitalize parametric building identity.


Background Potentially inappropriate medicines (PIM) use in older adults has been associated with increased medicines-related problems and morbidity. Investigating the prevalence of this problem is important for the initiation of intervention programmes in order to prevent its occurrence. Purpose To estimate the prevalence of PIM use in older adults and determine the drugs involved. Materials and methods Prospective study carried out in a third level hospital over 8 months (from January to August 2013). All patients older than 65 years were included who were taking ≥5 medicines and were admitted to the hospital's internal medicine service. Each patient's home medicines profile was revised after admission. The frequency of PIM use was analysed according to the Beers criteria 2012. The criteria reviewed covered 2 types of statements: medicines that should generally be avoided in persons 65 years or older and medicines that should not be used in older persons known to have specific medical conditions (drug-disease interaction). Results A total of 216 patients were evaluated in this study. The average age was 78.8 ± 8.8. A total of 193 PIM were detected in 79(36.6%) patients. Frequency of PIM was: long acting benzodiazepines 35(16.2%), digoxin > 0.125 mg/d 38(17.6%), amiodarone 4(1.8%), amitriptyline 6(2.7%), first-generation antihistamines 12(5.5%), doxazosin 11(5.1%), nifedipine immediate release 2(0.9%), aspirin > 325 mg/d 2(0.9%), non–COX-selective NSAIDs 16(7.4%). Frequency of drug-disease interaction was: heart failure-diltiazem 12(5.5%), dementia and cognitive impairment-benzodiazepines 28(13.0%), Parkinson's disease- metoclopramide 5(2.3%), history of gastric or duodenal ulcers- NSAIDs 8(3.7%), serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors-hyponatraemia 4(1.8%), stress or mixed urinary incontinence-doxazosin 10(4.6%). Conclusions The results of this study showed a high prevalence of PIM use in older adults. Inappropriate chronic use of potentially unsafe medicines must be a key issue in medical and pharmaceutical care. Interventions for decreasing drug-related problems should be planned in order to minimise drug-related costs. No conflict of interest.


Forecasting is an integral part of almost all business enterprises. This book provides readers with the tools to analyze their data, develop forecasting models and present the results in Excel. Progressing from data collection, data presentation, to a step-by-step development of the forecasting techniques, this essential text covers techniques that include but not limited to time series moving average, exponential smoothing, trending, simple and multiple regression, and Box-Jenkins. And unlike other products of its kind that require either high-priced statistical software or Excel add-ins, this book does not require such software. It can be used both as a primary text and as a supplementary text.


Video object segmentation is a challenging problem due to the presence of deformable, connected, and articulated objects, intra- and inter-object occlusions, object motion, and poor lighting. Some of these challenges call for object models that can locate a desired object and separate it from its surrounding background, even when both share similar colors and textures. In this work, we extend a fuzzy object model, named cloud system model (CSM), to handle video segmentation, and evaluate it for body pose estimation of toddlers at risk of autism. CSM has been successfully used to model the parts of the brain (cerebrum, left and right brain hemispheres, and cerebellum) in order to automatically locate and separate them from each other, the connected brain stem, and the background in 3D MR-images. In our case, the objects are articulated parts (2D projections) of the human body, which can deform, cause self-occlusions, and move along the video. The proposed CSM extension handles articulation by connecting the individual clouds, body parts, of the system using a 2D stickman model. The stickman representation naturally allows us to extract 2D body pose measures of arm asymmetry patterns during unsupported gait of toddlers, a possible behavioral marker of autism. The results show that our method can provide insightful knowledge to assist the specialist's observations during real in-clinic assessments.


Coordinated through the National Marine Fisheries Service, these programs serve eight coastal states, two commonwealths, three fishery management councils, two interstate commissions, and NMFS. Under the Cooperative Fisheries Statistics Program, scientists collect fishery-dependent data for management and dissemination from a central, common data system. Similarly, the Southeast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program (SEAMAP) uses state and NMFS personnel, facilities and research vessels to collect, manage, and disseminate fishery-independent data. And the Marine Fisheries Initiative (MARFIN) provides research funding to the states, universities, industry, and NMFS for developing information to increase the economic contribution of regional fishery resources, especially for underutilized species.


Although Stegosaurus is one of the most iconic dinosaurs, well-preserved fossils are rare and as a consequence there is still much that remains unknown about the taxon. A new, exceptionally complete individual affords the opportunity to describe the anatomy of Stegosaurus in detail for the first time in over a century, and enables additional comparisons with other stegosaurian dinosaurs. The new specimen is from the Red Canyon Ranch Quarry, near Shell Wyoming, and appears to have been so well preserved because it was buried rapidly in a pond or body of standing water immediately after death. The quarry is probably located in the middle part of the Morrison Formation, which is believed to be Tithonian in age in this area. The specimen is referable to Stegosaurus stenops based on the possession of an edentulous anterior portion of the dentary and elevated postzygapophyses on the cervical vertebrae. New information provided by the specimen concerns the morphology of the vertebrae, the iliosacral block and dermal armor. Several aspects of its morphology indicate the individual was not fully skeletally mature at the time of death, corroborating a previous histological study.


Studies have shown that synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC) can improve oral and pragmatic skills of language learners. This chapter analyzes the text-based SCMC conversation closings between native speakers of Spanish and a Spanish language learner in Livemocha, an online social networking site (SNS) designed for language learners. Using a conversation analytical approach, this study describes one learner's conversation closing strategies and the evolution of these over the course of one academic year. This chapter discusses how the shift from foreshortened closings to extended closings suggests a change in rapport orientation and, thus, illustrates one component of language socialization within Livemocha. Participant interviews reveal learner perceptions of participation in the SNS and confirm Gee's (2004) notion that spaces, and not membership, create the framework in which learning can occur.


Abstract Objective: To examine the influence of admission serum cholesterol levels (SCL) on severity of initial neurological deficit, neurological outcome at month 3 and neurological recovery in patients with acute first-ever ischemic stroke. Methods: Prospectively collected data from 889 consecutive patients with first-ever acute ischemic stroke were retrospectively analysed. Patients who suffered a recurrent ischemic stroke (n=22) or died (n=30) during the follow-up period were excluded from this study. Age, gender, arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, smoking, stroke etiology, SCL and severity of neurological deficit, using the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), at presentation (NIHSS0) and after 3 months (NIHSS1), were assessed. Neurological recovery was defined as difference in NIHSS score (Δ NIHSS), according to Δ NIHSS=NIHSS0 − NIHSS1. Results: Data from 837 patients (66% men, age: 62 ± 14 years) were analysed. NIHSS1 was 2.3 ± 1.8 and Δ NIHSS was 3.4 ± 3. Clinically insignificant correlations between SCL and NIHSS0 (r=−0.13, p=0.0002), NIHSS1 (r=−0.09, p=0.001) and Δ NIHSS (r=−0.1, p=0.03) were evident. Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis revealed smoking (p=0.008), stroke etiology (p=0.023) and NIHSS0 (p<0.001) but not age, gender, arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus or SCL as predictors for Δ NIHSS. Conclusion: Our data suggest that SCL in patients with acute ischemic stroke are not associated with neurological deficit on admission, outcome or neurological recovery.


This book represents the first synthesis of the considerable body of new research into positive definite matrices. These matrices play the same role in noncommutative analysis as positive real numbers do in classical analysis. They have theoretical and computational uses across a broad spectrum of disciplines, including calculus, electrical engineering, statistics, physics, numerical analysis, quantum information theory, and geometry. Through detailed explanations and an authoritative and inspiring writing style, Rajendra Bhatia carefully develops general techniques that have wide applications in the study of such matrices. Bhatia introduces several key topics in functional analysis, operator theory, harmonic analysis, and differential geometry--all built around the central theme of positive definite matrices. He discusses positive and completely positive linear maps, and presents major theorems with simple and direct proofs. He examines matrix means and their applications, and shows how to use positive definite functions to derive operator inequalities that he and others proved in recent years. He guides the reader through the differential geometry of the manifold of positive definite matrices, and explains recent work on the geometric mean of several matrices. Positive Definite Matrices is an informative and useful reference book for mathematicians and other researchers and practitioners. The numerous exercises and notes at the end of each chapter also make it the ideal textbook for graduate-level courses.


The main objective of this chapter is to give insights into how H-BRS as a German University of Applied Sciences supports small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in exploring African markets. The university achieves this objective by engaging its Bachelor and Master level students in applied market research. Students engage in this research as part of their final thesis writing. This chapter lays out a process for successful marketing research projects for German SMEs in nine steps.


From 1989 to 1998, our team of researchers conducted comprehensive floristic and phytocoenological investigations in 18 historical parks in St. Petersburg, Russia. We used sample quadrats to look at plant communities; we also studied native species, nonnative species, "garden escapees," and exotic nonnaturalized woody species in numerous types of park habitat. Rare and endangered plants were mapped and photographed, and we analyzed components of the flora according to their ecological peculiarities, reaction to human influences (anthropotolerance), and origin. The entire park flora consisted of 646 species of vascular plants belonging to 307 genera and 98 families. Our analysis of species distribution in the parks showed a clear tendency toward a decrease in the number of species from the suburbs to the city center. The flora of gardens in the center of St. Petersburg was comprised mainly of weedy, meadow, and forestmeadow species and plants of open disturbed habitats. Rare herbaceous species were registered in almost all historical parks. Our study found large percentages of wetland and aquatic plants in most suburban parks, indicating that disturbances or management practices have impeded the parks' drainage systems. Our floristic investigations led us to identify ten plant indicator groups. These groups can be used for future analysis and monitoring of environmental conditions in the parks. This paper also includes analyses of plant communities in 3 of the 18 parks. Such analyses are useful for determining the success of past restoration projects in parks and other habitats and for planning and implementing future projects.


ABSTRACT
 As with other parts of the public sector, policing has had to confront the principles and processes attached to new public management. This paper examines the impact of police performance management on the 'occupational professionalism' of British policing actors with a particular focus on organisational units concerned with criminal investigation. Based on qualitative empirical research on two major police forces in England and Wales, the paper arrives at three main conclusions. First, there appears to be a clear impact of police performance management, with its instruments of standardised operational procedures, performance monitoring and strengthened internal accountability, on the professional autonomy given to police actors. This takes the form of what others have seen as a shift from 'occupational professionalism' to 'organisational professionalism'. Second, despite this overall trend, tensions and professional rivalries remain between police frontline officers, supervisors and middle managers around the perceived virtues and practices of performance management. In particular concerns are expressed at various levels over the dangers of 'short-termism' in police decision-making. Third, and building on this finding, varied modes of professional adaptation to the police performance regime have occurred in which some sectors, notably those involved with high profile serious criminal investigations, have worked to win professional space and exploit a hierarchy of prestige in order to actively interpret and shape agendas. We conclude that this situation is akin to the 'managed professionalism' found amongst many other public service professions.


We present an experimental study of the pulse shape, delay, and spread of an optical pulse transmitted through a medium containing uniform latex microspheres using a mode-locked Nd:glass laser with a 20-psec pulse width. The delay of the arrival time of the peak intensity and the half-power pulse width for three different particle sizes are shown for an optical distance of up to 45.


Objective To investigate the risks of mild traumatic brain injury and neck injury associated with head banging, a popular dance form accompanying heavy metal music. Design Observational studies, focus group, and biomechanical analysis. Participants Head bangers. Main outcome measures Head Injury Criterion and Neck Injury Criterion were derived for head banging styles and both popular heavy metal songs and easy listening music controls. Results An average head banging song has a tempo of about 146 beats per minute, which is predicted to cause mild head injury when the range of motion is greater than 75°. At higher tempos and greater ranges of motion there is a risk of neck injury. Conclusion To minimise the risk of head and neck injury, head bangers should decrease their range of head and neck motion, head bang to slower tempo songs by replacing heavy metal with adult oriented rock, only head bang to every second beat, or use personal protective equipment.


An anatomo-histopathologic study of the urinary bladder, liver, kidney and spleen from 41 Zebu and crossbreed cattle with different lesions of a disease commonly named as "hematuria" or Machicuras intoxication was carried out in the Oxapampa province (Pasco). A total of 173 animals were inspected and samples from 41 animals with pathological lesions in bladder were collected at the local slaughterhouse. It was found that urinary bladder lesions were multifocal in 85.4% (35/41) of the cases. Tissue samples were processed with Hematoxiline-Eosine stain (HE), Hales histochemical stain for acid mucopolysaccharide and Masson trichromic for fibrous connective tissue with collagen or muscular fibres. The most important microscopic lesions were proliferative polips (24/ 41); the circulatory processes as haemorrhage (28/41), vascular proliferation or "angioblastic nests" (19/41), and inflammatory processes as the non suppurative cystitis (29/41). Neoplasias were found in the 68.3% of the cases (28/41), where 41.7% had epithelial origen and 58.3% were of non epithelial type. The epithelial types were represented by the in situ carcinoma (11/41) and mucous papilloma (4/41), whereas the hemangiosarcoma (14/41), hemangioma (10/41) and mixosarcoma (6/41) were the most frequent non epithelial neoplasias. Single cases of racemous papilloma, squamous cell carcinoma, tubular carci- noma, rhabdomyosarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, hemangiopericytosarcoma, lymphoma, and a lymphoid metastasis were observed. It is concluded that the well known process of "hematuria" corresponded to Bovine Enzootic Hematuria.


Reducing power consumption for server-class computers is important, since increased energy usage causes more heat dissipation, greater cooling requirements, reduced computational density, and higher operating costs. For a typical data center, storage accounts for 27% of energy consumption. Conventional server-class RAIDs cannot easily reduce power because loads are balanced to use all disks, even for light loads.
 We have built the power-aware RAID (PARAID), which reduces energy use of commodity server-class disks without specialized hardware. PARAID uses a skewed striping pattern to adapt to the system load by varying the number of powered disks. By spinning disks down during light loads, PARAID can reduce power consumption, while still meeting performance demands, by matching the number of powered disks to the system load. Reliability is achieved by limiting disk power cycles and using different RAID encoding schemes. Based on our five-disk prototype, PARAID uses up to 34% less power than conventional RAIDs while achieving similar performance and reliability.


This paper highlights the result of a study carried out to examine the Geographic determinants of import traffic distribution at the Port Harcourt Port. A substantial aspect of the study involved building a regression model to estimate import distribution from the Port. The import function was specified in log-linear form. The adequacy of the model was then tested; this, involved statistical experiments to obtain the R-squared, as well as t and f values. Further test on the adequacy of the nwdel was conducted through diagnostic exercises designed to check for inulticollinedrity and heteroscedasticity, in the data used. Results obtained show that road distance and manufacturing industries are significant Geographic determinants of import Cargo distribution at the study Port. It is therefore important to lake the two variables into account in any policy or planning exercise at Port Harcourt Port.


This natural right of self-regulation is a precious possession of a democratic society, for it embodies the principles of independence, self-reliance, equality, integrity, and responsibility, all of which are of inestimable value to any community. (1) It is a call for self-reliance, a way of living in harmony with our neighbors, an endorsement of voluntarism. (2) ********** Having an impartial and neutral judge resolve disputes has been a fundamental goal in the American justice system. (3) But in some arbitrations, party-appointed arbitrators on a tripartite panel are expected to act as "non-neutrals" and may be predisposed to decide in favor of the party who appointed them, while the third arbitrator is neutral. This system presents a problem to those who feel that all adjudicators should be neutral when making a decision. In international arbitration, for example, the rule is firm that arbitrators must act in an independent and impartial manner, unless the parties agree otherwise. (4) Since increasing numbers of commercial disputes are international, professionals within the international community have urged that domestic commercial arbitration standards should more closely resemble international norms. (5) The finality of arbitration is another reason for aspiring to a higher standard of neutrality. Arbitration awards are final and binding, subject to very limited review by the courts. (6) Wide discretion is left to the parties, their attorneys and the arbitrators to fashion the procedure as they wish, without any judicial interference, (7) The binding nature of arbitral awards requires a clear ethics code to create some behavioral benchmark and uphold the integrity of arbitration practice. (8) Currently, the American Arbitration Association ("AAA") and the American Bar Association ("ABA") are working to revise the existing ethics code for commercial arbitrators in a way that encourages neutrality of all arbitrators. This Note refers to a text prepared by a team from the AAA and the ABA (herein called the "2003 Revision"). That text is expected to become effective March 1, 2004, but it must be recognized that at the time of this writing (October 1, 2003), it had not been finally approved by either organization. The text had been approved by the Executive Committee of the AAA, but was subject to further refinement, and it had not yet been acted on by all of the concerned bodies of the ABA. Meanwhile, the existing code of ethics remains in effect. In the following analysis, Part I of this Note describes the importance of the tripartite panel and the new standards that it is expected will be adopted in a revised code of ethics for commercial arbitrators. Part II examines the opposing arguments concerning the role of party-appointed arbitrators with respect to neutrality. Proponents of an all-neutral panel urge that our judicial value system should allow no other alternative, while others support the use of non-neutrals when parties mutually agree to exercise their autonomy to do that. Part III proposes that the revisers educate participants in the arbitral process of the new standards demanded of all arbitrators, so as to maintain confidence and stability in arbitration. Although arbitration is a private process and its construction should be left substantially to the preference of the parties, ethical norms create faith in the system and provide a reliable foundation upon which to structure specific mechanisms for resolution. I. THE ARBITRATION PROCESS Arbitration is an alternative to litigation whereby parties voluntarily submit their dispute to a tribunal of their own choosing to obtain a judicially enforceable decision. (9) It is often chosen over litigation for its speed, cost-effectiveness, privacy, and less hostile atmosphere than the courts. (10) The parties may decide the scope and content of the arbitration, define its procedures, and choose the location of the arbitration by specifying these stipulations in the arbitration agreement. …


Fibres for cement reinforcement generally are added in short-cut form of e.g. 6 mm length. To control the quality of the reinforced cement in an early stage, the tensile properties of the fibres need to be monitored. Because the testing of short-cut fibres is highly difficult, as a common practice fibre producers provide a segment of uncut tow for testing purposes. This practice bears the risk of mix-up and does not consider damage due to fibre stress during cutting. This paper introduces a new approach using a single-fibre tensile tester equipped with specially designed clamps, which open a window for precise determination of the tensile properties of even short-cut fibres. In addition, a special software algorithm allows to compensate the inherent error in elongation measurement, resulting in correct modulus and breaking elongation determination. In case of uncut long filaments the instrument can not only test the tensile properties, but also the linear density according to the well-proved vibroscopic principle. Since the linear density is related to the effective cross-section of the fibre, breaking tensions (e.g. in MPa) can be directly determined with this instrument, too. In the standard version as well as in the automated version the discussed tester it is already widely used by leading producers of PVA and PP fibres world-wide. Finally, for further tests on the uncut filament, the instrument can be equipped with wrap-bollard clamps to measure even coarse and highesttenacity fibres, and with a special device to measure the friction along an individual fibre, which makes the instrument outstandingly suitable for tests on PVA reinforcement fibres


Siemens has received the Certificate of Registration from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to operate a non-banking finance company for its financial services business in India, Siemens Financial Services Private Limited (SFSPL). SFSPL will focus on developing an asset financing business by offering products such as loans, leasing and other finance products as permitted by the RBI to Siemens customers in India in the Industry, Energy and Healthcare sectors, as well as pursuing opportunities in other third party markets. "This represents a major milestone in the development of Siemens Financial Services in the Asia Pacific region. India is a highly dynamic market with a growing demand for financing in many key segments," said Axel Scholz, CEO of Siemens Financial Services Commercial Finance Asia Pacific. "With the non-banking finance company licence, we will be able to offer a range of value added financing solutions to Siemens customers, as well as working with third party vendors and business customers on a direct basis."


Cytokines are critical to the development of distinct lineages of CD4+ T helper (Th) cells. For example, interleukin-12 (IL-12) activates signal transducer and activator of transcription 4 (STAT4) and promotes Th1 differentiation, whereas IL-4 and IL-13 activate STAT6, leading to the development of Th2 cells. Suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) proteins negatively regulate cytokine receptor signaling and thus help determine the fate of the T cell. SOCS3 inhibits IL-12 signaling, whereas IL-4 signaling is negatively regulated by SOCS5. Another feature of Th cell development is that while one set of cytokines (Th1- or Th2-promoting) is produced, production of the opposing set of cytokines is inhibited. Mammary epithelial cells (MECs) are dramatically increased in number during pregnancy and develop into either luminal cells, which produce milk, or myoepithelial cells, which form ducts. Differentiation of MECs is classically thought to be regulated by hormones such as estrogen and progesterone, but Khaled et al. investigated roles for cytokines, cytokine receptors, and their associated transcription factors based on this group's previous finding that STAT6 is highly abundant in mammary glands during development. The authors used reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry to demonstrate that phosphorylation of STAT6 became detectable in the luminal and ductal cells of mouse mammary glands 5 days after the onset of gestation and persisted until the onset of lactation. The mammary glands of pregnant Stat6–/– mice had fewer side branches and alveolar buds than those of pregnant wild-type mice, and, during the course of gestation, Stat6–/– mice had delayed mammary gland development. Western blotting showed that a number of signaling pathways involved in cell proliferation and survival were perturbed in the mammary glands of pregnant Stat6–/– mice, including the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and Akt. RT-PCR assays showed that, early in gestation, expression of the Il4 and Il13 genes was lower in the mammary glands of Stat6–/– mice than in glands from wild-type mice. This led the authors to examine mammary gland development in Il4–/–/Il13–/– double-knockout mice, which was also delayed compared with that in wild-type control mice. Conversely, mammary gland development in Socs5–/– mice (which have enhanced IL-4 and IL-13 signaling) was accelerated compared with that in wild-type mice. Western blotting analysis of a mouse mammary epithelial cell line (KIM-2) that undergoes hormone-induced differentiation in vitro showed that these cells responded to IL-4 and IL-13 with increased phosphorylation of STAT6. Differentiation of KIM-2 cells to the luminal cell lineage was characterized by the early down-regulation of genes encoding Th1 cytokines, such as IL-12, and an accompanying increase in the expression of genes encoding the Th2 cytokines IL-4 and IL-13, as determined by quantitative RT-PCR. This demonstration that Th2 cytokines are necessary for the development of epithelial cells in the mammary gland complicates the accepted scheme that hormones are the primary regulators involved. W. T. Khaled, E. K. C. Read, S. E. Nicholson, F. O. Baxter, A. J. Brennan, P. J. Came, N. Sprigg, A. N. J. McKenzie, C. J. Watson, The IL-4/IL-13/Stat6 signalling pathway promotes luminal mammary epithelial cell development. Development 134, 2739-2750 (2007). [Abstract] [Full Text]


The aim of this study is to examine the basic vertical letters with the opinions of the primary school teachers. This research has been done by phenomenology method which is one of the qualitative research methods. Critical sampling and appropriate sampling methods were used in determining the participants. The participants of the study consisted of 111 classroom teachers working in primary schools in Yozgat city center. In the determination of the participants, the service life as a criterion has been determined as at least 10 years. Semi-structured interview form was used as data collection tool. The researcher has prepared a semi-structured interview form called "vertical basic writing letters writing form". Data were collected in November 2018. 111 class teachers were interviewed with semi-structured interview form. Two types of analysis technique were used for data analysis. Frequency (f) and percentage (%) were used for quantitative data analysis. Content analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data. As a result of sdudy, 89% of the teachers think that the capital letter A is appropriate. It is seen that 11% did not approve of the big letter A. The eligibility for capital letter I is 96%. Eligibility for capital letter J is 84%. The eligibility rate for all other capital letters is 100%. The conformity rate of lowercase letters after capital letters was examined. It is seen that the rate of conformity of the lowercase letter is 97%. Eligibility of small letter f is 62%. The rate of compliance with the letter l (lemon) is 65%. Conformity rate of small t is 81%. The compliance rate of all other lowercase letters is 100%.


We consider a short-term investor who exploits return predictability in stocks and bonds to maximize mean-variance utility. Since the true parameters are unknown, we resort to portfolio optimization in form of linear regression with LASSO in order to mitigate problems related to estimation errors. As standard cross-validation relies on the assumption of i.i.d. returns, we propose a new type of cross-validation that selects $$ \lambda $$ λ from simulated returns sampled from a multivariate normal distribution. We find an inverse U-shaped relationship between the selected $$ \lambda $$ λ and the expected utility, and we show that the optimal value of $$ \lambda $$ λ declines as the number of observations used to estimate the parameters increases. We finally show how our strategy outperforms some commonly employed benchmarks.