OBJECTIVE
Non Alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) associated with hypertension (HTN) is an emerging health issue globally. It is associated with increased levels of apoptotic marker CK18. Main objective of this study was to explore association of cytokeratin18 (CK18) with hypertension (HTN) in NAFLD patients.

METHODS
Descriptive cross sectional study was conducted in Mayo hospital Lahore. Hundred NAFLD subjects were enrolled from OPD of radiology department after approval from ethical review committee. Anthropometric measurements were taken and blood pressure (BP) was measured by mercury sphygmomanometer. Blood samples were drawn from each patient for CK18 levels with ELISA. Data was analyzed by SPSS 20. Continuous variables were presented as mean± SD. Association between CK18 and HTN were analyzed by regression analysis and results were presented as beta coefficient. P <0.05 was taken as significant.

RESULTS
Mean age of studied subjects was 43.8±5.34 with height (m), weight (kg) and BMI 1.59±0.063 m, 78.2±11.17 kg, 30.5±4.07kg/m2 respectively. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were 106±12.8, 72± 12.8mmHg. CK 18 was not significantly associated with systolic (P value 0.55) and diastolic BP (P value 0.37) most probably due to small size of study.

CONCLUSIONS
Most of the NAFLD patients were hypertensive and have raised CK18 levels than normotensive subjects. So, raised levels of CK18 in NAFLD subjects might be helpful in early screening of HTN. However, significant association was not observed probably due to small sample size.


Purpose: Our aim was to isolate mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from mouse umbilical cord and culture them with vitreous body to investigate their capacity to differentiate into lens fiber cells, crystallins are expressed. Methods: Wharton's jelly is the appropriate source of MSCs. After isolation, the cells were cultured and alkaline phosphatase detection kit was used for staining undifferentiated umbilical cord-MSCs. In the experimental groups, MSCs were plated in the maintenance medium supplemented with bovine vitreous body (1:1, 3:1 v/v) for induction up to 10 days. Light microscopy and immunostaining methods used to assess differentiation of the cells. Results: Mouse umbilical cord-MSCs have alkaline phosphatase activity and vitreous body can induce them to differentiate into the lens fiber cells. Conclusion: Lens fiber cells can be produced by umbilical cord-MSCs derived from mouse. MSCs have the potential to be useful source for stem cell researchers.


From the Publisher:
Build reliable, interoperable Bluetooth products—right now!
Practical guidance for building reliable, interoperable Bluetooth products
Covers usage models, profile principles, user expectations and dependencies
Details every foundation profile and key application, from cordless telephony to file transfer
Introduces emerging profiles for personal area networking, imaging, printing and automotive applications
Shows how to build your own new profiles

Bluetooth Profiles are the key to delivering interoperable products that work reliably, "right out of the box." Now, leading Bluetooth expert Dean Anthony Gratton brings the Bluetooth Profiles to life, showing you exactly how to use them to build winning user-centered products. Gratton takes you "under the hood" of every significant Bluetooth Profile, from Bluetooth's essential Foundation Profiles to powerful emerging profiles for personal area networking, automotive applications and imaging. Drawing on his extensive experience with Bluetooth development, Gratton also offers practical guidance for creating innovative new profiles of your own.
Accessible, authoritative coverage of usage models, profile principles, user expectations and dependencies
Presents practical introductions to GAP, SDAP, OBEX and SPP—the Foundation Profiles that underlie most of Bluetooth's application development
Covers all core Bluetooth application profiles: cordless telephony, intercom, headset, dial-up networking, fax, LAN access, object push, file transfer and synchronisation
Previews new profiles for imaging, printing, extended services discand much more
Contains a concise "macro-level" review of current Bluetooth protocol stacks and development kits
Includes a detailed Bluetooth glossary and reference section


rural tourism is often found as a solution for all problems or difficulties for the structural problems of rural areas. many local strategies of the rural areas have included development of tourism as one of their main goals and as a result various financial programs were prepared and conducted in order to support development of tourism. despite of some positive changes, the results in general are not satisfying. based on scientific literature and statistical data, the paper is critically examining the role of tourism in rural areas on the example of rural municipalities in selected eu nutS-2 regions in poland and croatia. the role of tourism is researched through the change of the tourist density ratio and the tourist intensity rate indexes, which are calculated for every single municipality of the researched area for 2004 and 2013. despite significant governmental and local initiatives, minor positive changes of measured tourist indexes that occurred in rural areas made the author argue how the potential socio-economic role of tourism in rural areas is fairly overestimated. the purpose of this paper is to provoke scientific discussion on artificial developing of tourism in rural areas which are not pre-determined for tourism.


This long working paper (EUI interest study) explores the differences between national legal systems and assesses whether they are EU law compliant when it comes to the calculation of interest on damages resulting from antitrust infringements. The first chapter of the working paper addresses three issues: the principles that emerge from the case law of the CJEU when assessing the compliance of national rules in damages actions; the principles that emerge from EU legislation and the case law of the CJEU when considering the notion of interest payments; an assessment, based on the EU law system, of thirteen member state approaches to interest. The subsequent chapters are national reports which form the basis for the assessment to be found in chapter 1. We note that many legal systems require some reconsideration of the national approach to interest to ensure that claimants are afforded full compensation. This study comes at a time when the 28 EU member States are in the process of implementing Directive 2014/104/EU, without however being very specific on the calculation of interest. In presenting the specific features of thirteen national regimes, this working document provides guidance to all interested parties on the scope of interest as fundamental part of the EU right to full compensation. It might prove especially useful to judges in cases that call for the application of foreign laws to damages claims. This EUI interest study has been initiated and supported by CDC Cartel Damage Claims Consulting SPRL, Brussels with the aim to extend the study to the legal systems of all other EU Member States. It seeks to raise awareness of the substantial differences and potentially significant consequences thereof for the right to full compensation of damages following infringements of competition law.


The microgear is a microdisk resonator surrounded by a circular grating. The circular grating increases the modal selectivity of the cavity. In this paper, a two-dimensional (2-D) analytical method that describes the whispering-gallery mode (WGM) in a microgear resonator is presented. The model based on coupled mode theory needs the normalization of the WGM. In the past, some normalizations have been proposed; they all assume the mode to be bound, which is not true as WGMs are leaky modes. A new normalization with no approximation is presented. The numerical integration of the model is compared to 2-D finite-difference time-domain computations. It shows accurate computations of the resonant wavelength with lower numerical complexity. The method can be generalized to any deformation of the microdisk.


Impaired fertility in transgenic mice overexpressing Betacellulin

Peptide growth factors regulate many cellular functions by autocrine, paracrine, juxtacrine or endocrine mechanisms. The epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like peptides are emerging as major players in regulating different aspects of animal and human physiology and pathology. The EGF family elicits essential actions in reproduction. For instance, different Egfr ligands have been shown to be involved in oocyte maturation and ovulation, preimplantational embryonic development, and implantation.
Btc, a member of the Egf family, was initially isolated from a mouse insulinoma cell line, and it is expressed in a wide range of tissues in the mouse, with particularly high levels in the heart, lung, liver, kidney, pancreas, small intestine, colon, testis, ovary and uterus. Btc was identified as one of the Egfr ligands expressed in the mouse uterus exclusively at the time of implantation and can also participate as a mediator of luteinizing hormone (LH), prostaglandins (PGs) and progesterone receptor (PGR).
Mice lacking Btc are viable, fertile and show no overt phenotype, but transgenic mice overexpressing Btc exhibit a whole array of phenotypical alterations.
In the present study, Btc transgenic mice were employed to study the effects of increased growth factor levels in female and male reproduction. The observation of relatively ineffective matings involving transgenic females (non-productive matings and reduced litter size) during routine breeding led us to functionally evaluate the different stages of the reproductive process.
The reduced fertility of Btc transgenic females could be attributed to one or more reproductive dysfunctions, such as a decreased ovulation, fertilization or implantation. Therefore, we have studied different aspects of Btc transgenic female's and male's reproduction, including puberty initiation, ovulation, in vivo and in vitro oocyte maturation, sperm parameters, in vivo and in vitro fertilization, and implantation in order to uncover the reason for their reduced fertility.
Successive matings of Btc transgenic males and females mice with wild-type mice revealed a decrease in litter size as compared with litters produced by control matings. However, the interval to the first litter was not significantly different between groups. Litter size development showed a significant difference between Btc transgenic females and controls females. The onset of puberty occurred essentially at the same age in transgenic and non-transgenic females. The implantation of the Btc transgenic mice was delayed, but this was not the reason for the litter size reduction, because the mean number of total embryos either attached or recovered from the uterus of transgenic females was already markedly reduced when compared to the number of embryos present in the uterus of control females. For this reason, the explanation must be found in processes taking place before implantation (ovulation or fertilization). We evaluated the number of ovulated oocytes and observed that this parameter did not differ between the two genotypes, however, we observed a statistically significant reduction in the percentage of fertilized oocytes in transgenic as compared to control females, identifying the reason for the reduction in the litter size. Next, we carried out in vitro maturation of oocytes. The timing of nuclear maturation differed between transgenic and control oocytes. Therefore, we decided to evaluate the in vitro fertilization rate, which turned out to be impaired in the transgenic group. The expression pattern at the cellular level, studied by immunohistochemistry, revealed a high expression of Btc in the transgenic cumulus cells, which could be an explanation for the altered in vivo and in vitro fertilization.
Although the fertility of Btc transgenic males appears to be impaired, these animals do not display evident alterations in sperm production. This study provides evidence that Btc overexpression does not negatively affect spermatogenesis, sperm motility, progression and concentration values.
Future studies are needed to clarify whether the altered fertilization is in fact caused by the high expression of Btc in the transgenic cumulus cells. Furthermore, experiments involving the overexpression of a non-sheddable form of Btc are underway and will help to clarify the actions of precursor (membrane-bound) versus mature Egfr ligands during oocyte maturation and fertilization.


Abstract Among the class of ABO3-type perovskite oxides, LaMO3 (M=Ga and In) compounds are investigated in cubic (Pm-3m), tetragonal (P4mm), hexagonal (P-3m1), rhombohedral (R-3c) and orthorhombic (Pbnm) phases using generalised gradient approximation (GGA) within the density functional theory. On-site Coulomb interaction is also included in the calculations (GGA + U). After the determination of the stable phase, phase transition pressures have also been calculated. Then, their full structural, mechanical, electronic, optical and vibrational properties have been studied in stable orthorhombic (Pbnm) phase. Both compounds are non-magnetic insulators in their ground states. The energy gaps (Eg) of LaGaO3 and LaInO3 compounds have been found as 3.14 and 2.55 eV, respectively. The calculated elastic constants and phonon dispersion curves confirm the stability of orthorhombic phase mechanically and dynamically.


Political science scholars consider the four-volume work "Transitions from Authoritarian Rule" to be a foundational text for studying the process of democratization, specifically in those cases where an authoritarian regime is giving way to some form of democratic government. The most important of the four books is without a doubt the fourth volume, "Tentative Conclusions about Uncertain Democracies", also known as "the little green book." "Transitions from Authoritarian Rule" was the first book in any language to systematically compare the process of transition from authoritarianism across a broad range of countries. Political democracy is not the only possible outcome. Guillermo O'Donnell, Philippe C. Schmitter, and Laurence Whitehead emphasize that it's not the revolution but the transition that is critical to the growth of a democratic state. This ground-breaking insight remains highly relevant as the ramifications of the Arab Spring continue to play out. This reissue features a new foreword by Cynthia J. Arnson, director of the Latin American Program at the Woodow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and Abraham F. Lowenthal, founding director of the Latin American Program, who wrote the original volume's foreword.


In order to give a warranty of rights on land law certainty, the Prime Regulation
of Agrarian Affairs Number 5 year 1960 has pointed a land registration in all of the
Republic Indonesia territory (section 19). The registry of property donated for religious
or community use (waqaf land) has been regulated by the Government Regulation
Number 28 Year 1977 and the Regulation of Minister of Home Affairs number 6 Year
1977. Most of our society has less consideration of having the registration of rights on
waqaf land; thus, the problems rise very commonly on waqaf lands. In order to avoid
that, we need the cheef of village role as the lowest government instrument to support the
application of rights on waqaf land law certainty.
This thesis discusses about two problems; those are how is the role and what are
problems that have to be handled by the chief of village to support the application of
rights on waqaf land law certainty in Grobogan regency, Central Java Province.
The research of this thesis was held in the territory of Grobogan regency,
Central Java Province. The research used yuridical-empirical method. The data results
were analized qualitatively and written descriptively.
The research result shows the role of the chief of village to support the
application of rights on waqaf land law certainty in Grobogan regency was clasified into
two things; the first role of the chief of village on waqaf land registration are : the giving
of registration administration service and the giving of land affairs information,
especially the importance of the registry of rights on waqaf land. The second role of the
chief of village on waqaf land problem solving are : stand for the counselor and mediatior
for every problem that would be risen in society, and stand for a witness in the execution
process of the court sentence.
The problems that were handled by the chief of village were; first, there was
less counseling and construction for the chief of village. Second, there was a limited
operational fund. Third, there was un willingness of the minor part of society in order to
follow the activity of the village administration. Fourth, there was no written data of the
spoken waqaf process.


OBJECTIVE: To examine costs and cost-effectiveness ratios of a four-year mass media programme previously shown to prevent the onset of smoking among adolescents. DESIGN: A matched control design. SETTING: Two cities in Montana, one in New York and one in Vermont, USA. SUBJECTS: Students in grades 10-12 (ages 15-18). INTERVENTION: A four-year mass media campaign to prevent the onset of smoking. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Cost per student potentially exposed to the mass media campaign; cost per student smoker potentially averted; and cost per life-year gained. Cost estimates were also made for a similar campaign that would be broadcast nationally in the United States. RESULTS: In 1996 dollars, the cost of developing and broadcasting the mass media campaign was $759,436, and the cost per student potentially exposed to the campaign (n = 18,600) was $41. The cost per student smoker averted (n = 1023) was $754 (95% confidence interval (CI) = $531-$1296). The cost per life-year gained discounted at 3% over the life expectancy for young adult smokers was $696 (95% CI = $445-$1269). The estimated cost of developing and broadcasting a similar four-year mass media campaign in all 209 American media markets would be approximately $84.5 million, at a cost of $8 per student potentially exposed to a national campaign, $162 per student smoker averted, and $138 (95% CI = $88-$252) per life-year gained. CONCLUSION: Estimates of the cost-effectiveness ratios of this mass media campaign in preventing the onset of smoking showed it to be economically attractive and to compare favourably with other preventive and therapeutic strategies.


Ambassador Francois Delattre was appointed Ambassador of France to the United States in February 2011 after serving as Ambassador of France to Canada (2008-2011), Consul General in New York (2004-2008) and Press and Communications Director at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C. (1998-2002). A member of President Jacques Chirac's foreign policy team (1995-1998), Francois Delattre was responsible for European and trans-Atlantic defense and security matters and managing the Bosnian crisis. He also served as Deputy Director of the French Foreign Minister's Office (2002-2004) and was a member of Foreign Minister Alain Juppe's cabinet (1993-1995), following two years with the Strategic, Security and Disarmament Department of the French Foreign Ministry (1991-1993). Francois Delattre was posted in Bonn at the French Embassy in Germany (1989-1991), where he was in charge of matters pertaining to the economic impact of Germany's unification and the environment.


BACKGROUND
The recent success achieved with the use of B cell-depleting agents in some patients with minimal change nephrotic syndrome (MCNS) suggests an unexpected role for B lymphocytes in the pathogenesis of this immune-mediated glomerular disease. Nevertheless, no extensive B-cell phenotyping analysis has ever been performed in untreated adult patients soon after MCNS diagnosis.

METHODS
We investigated the distribution of the different B-cell subpopulations in 22 untreated adult patients with biopsy-proven MCNS [MCNS relapse (MCNS-Rel)]. We compared these data with those for 24 healthy controls, 13 MCNS patients in remission (with no specific treatment) and 19 patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN).

RESULTS
Patients with MCNS-Rel or IMN had higher proteinuria and lower serum albumin and gammaglobulin levels (P < 0.0001 for all comparisons) than MCNS patients in remission. Plasmablasts were the only B-cell subsets present at significantly higher levels in MCNS-Rel patients than in the patients of the other three groups (P < 0.05 for all comparisons). The lower albumin levels and higher proteinuria levels were positively correlated with the percentage of circulating plasmablasts (Spearman test's ρ = -0.54, P = 0.01 and ρ = 0.65, P = 0.002, respectively). Similarly, the increase of immunoglobulin M (IgM) and the decrease of IgG levels were significantly associated with the percentage of plasmablasts in MCNS-Rel patients (Spearman's ρ = 0.36, P = 0.01 and Spearman's ρ = -0.60, P = 0.01, respectively). Increased production of interleukin (IL)-21, IL-6 and B-cell activating factor (BAFF) in the serum of MCNS-Rel patients was found significantly correlated with the percentage of plasmablasts (ρ = 0.72, P = 0.0002, ρ = 0.49, P = 0.04 and ρ = 0.62, P = 0.009, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS
An increase in the proportion of circulating plasmablasts seems to be a hallmark of untreated MCNS in adult patients. Further studies are required to more precisely determine the phenotype and functions of these cells.


Two reaches of Aguapeí River, a left‐bank tributary of the Paraná River in western São Paulo state, Brazil, were studied with the objective of assessing the role of bend curvature on channel migration in this wet‐tropical system and examining if land‐use changes or ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation) driven climate anomalies over nearly half a century have changed migration behaviour and planform geometry. Meander‐bend migration rates and morphometric parameters including meander‐bend curvature, sinuosity, meander wavelength and channel width, were measured and the frequency of bend cutoffs was analysed in order to determine the rate of change of channel adjustment over a 48 year period to 2010. Results show that maximum average channel migration rates occur in bends with curvatures of about 2–3 rc/w, similar to other previously studied temperate and subarctic freely meandering rivers although not as pronounced and with a tendency to favour tighter curvature. From 1962 to 2010 the Aguapeí River has undergone a significant reduction in sinuosity, a shift from tightly curving to more open bends, an overall decline in channel migration rates, an associated decrease in the frequency of neck‐cutoffs and an overall increase in channel width. As the majority of the drainage basin (96%) was already deforested in 1962, channel form and process changes were, unlike an interpretation for an adjacent river system, not attributed to altered land‐use but rather to a sharp ENSO‐driven increase in the magnitude of peak flow‐discharges of some 32% since 1972. In summary, this research revealed that recent climate and associated flow regime changes are having a pronounced effect on river channel behaviour in the Aguapeí River investigated here. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


In the last years, dependency parsing has been accomplished by machine learning-based systems showing great accuracy but usually under 90% for Labelled Attachment Score (LAS). Maltparser is one of such systems. Machine learning allows to obtain parsers for every language having an adequate training corpus. Since generally such systems can not be modified the following question arises: Can we beat this 90% LAS by using better training corpora? In the present paper we show some prospective works on it. We studied some strategies considering training corpus' size and its sentences' length in order to obtain better parsing accuracy.


Abstract. The Texas-Louisiana shelf in the Northern Gulf of Mexico receives large inputs of nutrients and freshwater from the Mississippi/Atchafalaya River system. The nutrients stimulate high rates of primary production in the river plume, which contributes to the development of a large and recurring hypoxic area in summer, but the mechanistic links between hypoxia and river discharge of freshwater and nutrients are complex as the accumulation and vertical export of organic matter, the establishment and maintenance of vertical stratification, and the microbial degradation of organic matter are controlled by a non-linear interplay of factors. Unraveling these interactions will have to rely on a combination of observations and models. Here we present results from a realistic, 3-dimensional, physical-biological model with focus on a quantification of nutrient-stimulated phytoplankton growth, its variability and the fate of this organic matter. We demonstrate that the model realistically reproduces many features of observed nitrate and phytoplankton dynamics including observed property distributions and rates. We then contrast the environmental factors and phytoplankton source and sink terms characteristic of three model subregions that represent an ecological gradient from eutrophic to oligotrophic conditions. We analyze specifically the reasons behind the counterintuitive observation that primary production in the light-limited plume region near the Mississippi River delta is positively correlated with river nutrient input, and find that, while primary production and phytoplankton biomass are positively correlated with nutrient load, phytoplankton growth rate is not. This suggests that accumulation of biomass in this region is not primarily controlled bottom up by nutrient-stimulation, but top down by systematic differences in the loss processes.


Songwriter Cole Porter is unusual in having had two biopics based on his life: Night and Day (1946) starring Cary Grant, and De-Lovely (2004), starring Kevin Kline. The differences in the treatment of the character of Cole Porter between the films are striking, and indicate a change in the way that society envisions its artists, and the very act of creativity. Night and Day was conceived partly as a showcase of Porter's songs, but also as a means of providing inspiration to soldiers returning wounded from World War II, based on Porter's recovery from a traumatic riding accident. It depicts Porter as an everyman following a trajectory of achievement, from having little to great success, which was positioned as easy to emulate. De-Lovely , on the other hand, is about the relationship between Porter and his wife Linda, and the way that his creativity was influenced by his changing relationships with various people. Drawing on the work on biopics of scholars such as G.F.Custen, together with research into the shifting ideas of how creativity operates and is popularly understood, this article uses these biopics as case studies to examine the representation of changing concepts of the artist and the act of creativity through Hollywood film. It also considers how these changing conceptions and representations connect to shifts in American society.


Holland, N. D., Campbell, T. G., Garey, J. R., Holland, L. Z. and Wilson, N. G. 2009. The Florida amphioxus (Cephalochordata) hosts larvae of the tapeworm Acanthobothrium brevissime : natural history, anatomy and taxonomic identification of the parasite. — Acta Zoologica (Stockholm) 90 : 75-86. Plerocercoid larvae of a tapeworm are frequently found in the hindgut lumen of the Florida amphioxus ( Branchiostoma floridae ) in central west Florida. About three-quarters of the adult amphioxus are parasitized. On average, each adult amphioxus hosts about five tapeworm larvae. The residence time of the parasites in the amphioxus gut appears to be in the order of several months, which is considerably shorter than the potential lifetime of the host. The living larvae range in length (when fully extended) from 300 to 850 ∝ m and are approximately cone-shaped, tapering to a point posteriorly and bearing a single large sucker anteriorly. Toward the anterior end of the body are four hookless bothridia, each indented by three loculi plus an inconspicuous accessory sucker. The larvae initiate the early stages of hook formation when they are cultured for a few days in urea-saline (mimicking the gut fluid of the definitive host, which is an elasmobranch). The tapeworm larvae are identifiable to genus and species on the basis of correspondences between their nuclear ribosomal DNA genes and those of adult specimens of Acanthobothrium brevissime recovered from the spiral valve of a stingray from the same environment.


Factoid question answering (QA) has recently benefited from the development of deep learning (DL) systems. Neural network models outperform traditional approaches in domains where large datasets exist, such as SQuAD (ca. 100,000 questions) for Wikipedia articles. However, these systems have not yet been applied to QA in more specific domains, such as biomedicine, because datasets are generally too small to train a DL system from scratch. For example, the BioASQ dataset for biomedical QA comprises less then 900 factoid (single answer) and list (multiple answers) QA instances. In this work, we adapt a neural QA system trained on a large open-domain dataset (SQuAD, source) to a biomedical dataset (BioASQ, target) by employing various transfer learning techniques. Our network architecture is based on a state-of-the-art QA system, extended with biomedical word embeddings and a novel mechanism to answer list questions. In contrast to existing biomedical QA systems, our system does not rely on domain-specific ontologies, parsers or entity taggers, which are expensive to create. Despite this fact, our systems achieve state-of-the-art results on factoid questions and competitive results on list questions.


In this article the authors present the study of assessing the needs of academic libraries modernization was conducted within the framework of the project "Modernization of academic library services in Moldova" carried out during October 2016 - May 2017 with the financial support from the Norwegian Centre for International Cooperation in Education (SIU). In the course of the assessment study 25 managers of academic libraries from the Republic of Moldova formed a working team to train on strategic planning, to evaluate the activity of academic libraries, as well as to provide a methodological support for the formulation of their own Development Strategies.In order to facilitate the development of strategies there was hired a specialized company which carried out a functional analysis, operational and institutional capacity assessment and guided the development of strategic plans for academic libraries by organizing focus groups and online or informal interviews.With the help of the Institute of Legal and Political Research of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova there was carried out a quantitative sociological research that determined the development trends of academic libraries over the long run under the conditions of the competitive information environment. The assessment study results that reflected the views of both library managers and the users of their services served as an empirical basis for the development of strategic documents. The novelty of the study is a planning exercise done for the whole network of libraries, based on the study of the needs for modernization carried out by the experts outside the library domain.The method used can be replicated for other libraries networks that develop strategic plans in the new technological and economic context.


Understanding how exogenous and endogenous factors control the distribution, production and mortality of fine roots is fundamental to assessing the implications of global change, yet our knowledge of control over fine root dynamics remains rudimentary. To improve understanding of these processes, the present study developed regression relationships between environmental variables and fine root dynamics within a northern hardwood forest in New Hampshire, USA, which was experimentally manipulated with a snow removal treatment. Fine roots (< 1 mm diameter) were observed using minirhizotrons for 2 years in sugar maple and yellow birch stands and analyzed in relation to temperature, water and nutrient availability. Fine root dynamics at this site fluctuated seasonally, with growth and mortality peaking during warmer months. Monthly fine root production was strongly associated with mean monthly air temperature and neither soil moisture nor nutrient availability added additional predictive power to this relationship. This relationship exhibited a seasonal temperature hysteresis, which was altered by snow removal treatment. These results suggest that both exogenous and endogenous cues may be important in controlling fine root growth in this system. Proportional fine root mortality was directly associated with mean monthly soil temperature, and proportional fine root mortality during the over‐winter interval was strongly related to whether the soil froze. The strong relationship between fine root production and air temperature reported herein contrasts with findings from some hardwood forest sites and indicates that controls on fine root dynamics vary geographically. Future research must more clearly distinguish between endogenous and exogenous control over fine root dynamics in various ecosystems.


This study aimed to reconstruct environmental changes in the Wkra River Valley near Bielawy Goluskie (central Poland) based on geochemical, palynological and subfossil Cladocera analysis of deposits filling a palaeo-oxbow lake. Two sediment boreholes collected from the palaeochannel bend (BG-1) and neck (BG-2) include full sequences of organic deposits lying on clastic deposits. The lower part of the BG-1 borehole contains gyttja that accumulated during the Younger Dryas and the Preboreal, which is covered by reed peat of Preboreal and Boreal age. On top of this is alder peat that accumulated during the Atlantic. The ages of the gyttja and peat were confirmed by both radiocarbon dating and palynological analysis. The peats are characterized by a significant content of organic matter, which is relatively stable over time. This indicates a low intensity of mechanical denudation in the catchment, which is supported by low concentrations of aluminum and potassium. Calcium values greatly exceed these elements, suggesting that the lake was mainly fed by groundwater. Variation in trophic conditions over time is indicated by a vertical variability in the content of nitrogen, as well as by the Cladocera population. The strong decomposition of peat in the top layer of the mire, and increased concentrations of phosphorus and heavy metals, testify to increasing human activity during the most recent time periods


Objectives
This study evaluated the uptake, satisfaction and intentions of health care providers (HCP) after completing an accredited online learning module focused on how they can support women in achieving a healthy diet, physical activity and appropriate gestational weight gain (GWG).

Methods
Alberta Health Services, University of Calgary, and the ENRICH Research team partnered to launch an accredited e-learning module in June 2018, aimed at HCP (MDs, nurses, RDs, others) involved in perinatal care in Alberta. The aim of the module is to improve HCP knowledge and strategies for discussing healthy GWG and related behaviours with pregnant women. Results were obtained in Dec 2018 from an evaluation survey assessing participants' perceived changes in knowledge, skills (5-point Likert scale) and intentions (open-ended questions) to incorporate new strategies into their practice in the next 3 months as a result of completing the module.

Results
By Dec 2018, 216 people had registered for the module (70 MDs (40%), 61 RNs (28%), 31 RDs (14%) and 54 others); 80 (38%) had completed the module and 77 (96%) of them submitted the evaluation survey Mean satisfaction rating was 4.42/5. Self-assessment of knowledge and skills also increased after completing the module. Registrants reported that the case scenarios and inclusion of tools and resources were important (mean rating 4.2 and 4.1 respectively) components of the module. The majority of registrants found the module easy to navigate and information was appropriate to their learning needs. Most completers agreed (31/77) or strongly agreed (44/77) that they learned something in the module that they will incorporate into practice. Registrants reported that they intended to: improve their counselling strategies (21; by using empowering, client-centred language), use a tool mentioned in the module (11), improve patient education opportunities (8), and find ways to support a collaborative approach to prenatal care (7).

Conclusions
The module appears to positively impact self-reported knowledge of healthy pregnancy weight gain concepts and counselling skills. Supporting health care providers to have effective discussions with pregnant women about lifestyle and GWG is an important step towards better compliance with recommendations and improving perinatal outcomes.

Funding Sources
Funding was provided through a Collaborative Research and Innovation Opportunity (CRIO) Program grant from Alberta Innovates as part of the ENRICH research program.


This is a case history that discusses diagnosis and correction of a AC synchronous generator problem. The problem involved loss of mechanical integrity between the generator's rim assembly and its rotor spider following a load rejection and transient overspeed. The loss of mechanical integrity caused severe vibration during operation which threatened failure of the generator rotor. A series of noise and vibration tests performed on the generator suggested that loss of mechanical integrity involved wearing of the rim to spider interface. The tests identified that the laminated rotor rim had loosened from its cast steel spider. A unique repair was designed and implemented that did not require generator disassembly. The repair fully restored the rotor's mechanical integrity. In January 1990, Unit Number Eight was returned to commercial service without restrictions. The unit has been producing electric power since this time. Several problems associated with hydro-electric machinery designed and manufactured at the turn of the century are discussed. In some cases, these problems can be resolved. Economic benefits of returning this Unit to service are also discussed.


OBJECT
The radical scavenger (+/-)-N,N'-propylenedinicotinamide (AVS) was shown recently to ameliorate delayed neurological deficits resulting from ischemia in patients who have had an aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of AVS administration after experimental SAH on 1) behavioral deficits; 2) angiographically confirmed basilar artery (BA) spasm; and 3) blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability changes.

METHODS
These parameters were measured by 1) using a battery of well-characterized chronic assessment tasks over a 5-day observation period; 2) assessing in vivo the mean vessel diameter 2 days after SAH; and 3) evaluating the extravasation of protein-bound Evans Blue dye by using a spectrophotofluorimetric technique 2 days after SAH. Groups of eight to 10 rats received injections of 400 microl of autologous blood into the cisterna magna. Within 5 minutes after the surgical procedures were completed the rats were treated with an intravenously administered continuous infusion of saline (Group III) or AVS (1 mg/kg/minutes, Group IV). Results were compared with those in sham-operated animals treated with intravenously administered saline (Group I) or AVS (Group II). The AVS-treated rats had significantly improved balance beam scores on Days 1 to 2 (p < 0.05), shorter beam traverse times on Day 1 (p < 0.05), and better beam walking performance on Days 1 to 4 (p < 0.01), but no significant effect was seen in terms of SAH-related changes in body weight. Treatment with AVS also attenuated the SAH-induced BA spasm (p < 0.05) and decreased BBB permeability changes in frontal, temporal, parietal, occipital, and cerebellar cortices, and in the subcortical and cerebellar gray matter and brainstem (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS
These results demonstrate useful antivasospastic and brain-protective actions of AVS after induction of experimental SAH and provide support for observations of beneficial effects of AVS made in the clinical setting.


This work analyses the link between the geometry of a vertical-axis straight-bladed wind turbine and its performance (power coefficient). The geometry of a vertical-axis wind turbine cause Reynolds number variations. Any changes in the power coefficient which can also be studied to derive how its variation affect turbine performance. Using a calculation code based on the Double Multiple Stream Tube , symmetrical straight-bladed wind turbine performance was evaluated as for various solidity . This numerical analysis highlighted how turbine performance is strongly influenced by the Reynolds number of the rotor blade. Also A dimensional analysis is introduced and is to be considered to generalize the design for different turbine specifications. One of the qualities of dimensional analysis is that geometrically similar turbines will produce the same non- dimensional results. This allows one to make comparison between different size wind turbines in terms of power output and other related variables.


Background: Diabetes mellitus is widespread metabolic disorders with long-term complications, which include significant psychosocial dysfunctions such as depression and physiological dysfunctions such as diabetic foot (DF). Related to diabetic studies in general, the prevalence of depression is high and causes deterioration in health related outcomes and quality of life, whereas the studies about depression and diabetic foot in specific are meager and insufficient. Purposes: The purposes of this study were to assess the prevalence of depression, to identify factors associated with depression, and to identify the rate of unscreened depression among diabetic foot patients. Methods: The design of this study is cross-sectional. A convenience sampling of 216 diabetic foot patients was recruited from diabetic clinics of government hospitals in Jordan during the period from January 2016 to March 2016. Data was collected using a structured self-report questionnaire which consisted of 2 sections including socio-demographic questions with one self-reported question, and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scale to assess depression. Results: The current study showed that 179 diabetic foot patients (82.9%) had depression according to PHQ-9 scale with different levels of depression, namely, mild, moderate, moderately severe, and severe that consist 25%, 25.5%, 18.5%, and 13.9% of the total sample respectively. Multiple linear regression showed that the availability of social support by the family and being a nurse as main healthcare provider were associated with low depression scores among DF patients, also high glycated hemoglobin was associated with high depression scores (F=8.923, p=0.001). Conclusion: Prevalence of depression among Jordanian diabetic foot patients and the rate of unscreened depression were high, which indicates an urgent need for thorough assessment of depression level that may help in early detection, treatment, and prevention of depression among diabetic foot patients. Several factors viewed to be associated with depression level that should take into consideration in the diabetic foot care plans.


The aim of the present thesis is to investigate several aspects of: the proteins mechanics, interprotein interactions and to study also new techniques, theoretical and technical, to obtain and analyze the force spectroscopy experiments. The first section is dedicated to the statistical properties of the unfolding forces in a chain of homomeric multimodular proteins. The basic idea of this kind of statistic is to divide the peaks observed in a force extension curve in separate groups and then analyze these groups considering their position in the force curves. In fact in a multimodular homomeric protein the unfolding force is related to the number of not yet unfolded modules (we call it "N"). Such effect yields to a linear dependence of the most probable unfolding force of a peak on ln(N). We demonstrate how such dependence can be used to extract the kinetic parameters and how, ignoring it, could lead to significant errors. Following this topic we continue with non kinetic methods that, using the resampling from the rupture forces of any peak, could reconstruct the rupture forces for all the other peaks in a chain. Then a discussion about the Monte Carlo simulation for protein pulling is present. In fact a theoretical framework for such methodology has to be introduced to understand the various simulations done. In this chapter we also introduce a methodology to study the ligand receptor interactions when we directly functionalize the AFM tip and the substrate. In fact, in many of our experiments, we see a "cloud of points" in the force vs loading rate graph. We have modeled a system composed by "N" parallel springs, and studying the distribution of forces obtained in the force vs loading rate graph we have establish a procedure to restore the kinetic parameters used. Such procedure has then been used to discuss real experiments similar to biotin-avidin interaction. In the following chapter we discuss a first order approximation of the Bell-Evans model where a more explicit form of the potential is considered. In particular the dependence of the curvature of the potential on the applied force at the minimum and at the metastable state is considered. In the well known Bell-Evans model the prefactors of the transition rate are fixed at any force, however this is not what happen in nature, where the prefactors (that are the second local derivative of the interacting energy with respect to the reaction coordinate in its minimum and maximum) depend on the force applied. The results obtained with the force spectroscopy of the Laminin-binding-protein are discussed, in particular this protein showed a phase transition when the pH was changed. The behavior of this protein changes, from a normal WLC behavior to a plateau behavior. The analysis of the force spectroscopy curves shows a distribution of length where the maximum of the first prominent peak correspond to the full length of the protein. However, length that could be associated with dimers and trymers are also present in this distribution. Later a new approach to study the lock and key mechanism, using "handles" with a specific force extension pattern, is introduced. In particular handles of (I27)3 and (I27–SNase)3 were biochemically attached to: strept-actin molecules, biotin molecules, RNase and Angiogenin. The main idea is to have a system composed by "handle-(molecule A)-(molecule B)-handle" where the handles are covalently attached to the respective molecules and the two molecules "A and B" are attached by secondary bonds. This approach allows a better recognition of the protein-protein interaction enabling us to filter out spurious events. Doing a statistic on the rupture forces and comparing this with the statistic of the detachments of the system of the bare handles, we are able to extract the information of the interaction between the molecule A and B. The two last chapters are of more preliminary character that the previous part of the thesis. A section is dedicated to the estimation of effective mass and viscous drag of the cantilevers studied by autocorrelation and noise power spectrum. Usually the noise power spectrum method is the most used, however the autocorrelation should give approximately the same information. The parameters obtained are important in high frequency modulation techniques. In fact, they are needed to interpret the results. The results of these two methods show a good agreement in the estimation of the mass and the viscous drag of the various cantilever used. Afterwards a chapter is dedicated to the discussion of the force spectroscopy experiments using a low frequency modulation of the cantilever base. Such experiments allow us to record the phase and the amplitude shift of the modulation signal used. Using the amplitude channel we managed to restore the static force signal with a lower level of noise. Moreover these signals give us direct information about the dynamic stiffness and the lose of energy in the system, information that, using the standard technique would be difficult (or even impossible) to obtain.


Summary

1
Afforestation of agricultural land has become an important issue in Europe during the past two decades. In particular, broadleaf plantations have been promoted as multifunctional forests for biodiversity, timber production and recreation. The aim of this study was to analyse how the colonization of ground-layer plants in recently planted woodlands is affected by stand age, spatial isolation, former land-use type and canopy species.

2
Colonization was studied in 50 plantations of pedunculate oak Quercus robur and 16 plantations of European sycamore Acer pseudoplatanus on former arable land and open pastures in the Torup–Skabersjo area of southern Sweden. Twelve oak plantations and 10 sycamore plantations on ancient woodland sites were used as reference areas.

3
Woodland species richness increased continuously with stand age in plantations contiguous with ancient woodland. The oldest plantations (70–80 years) approached the species richness of ancient oak woodland. Species richness decreased with increasing distance from ancient woodlands, and there was no significant increase in species richness between stands aged 20 and 80 years in isolated plantations. Most species that regularly colonized isolated plantations had adhesive seeds or small, wind-dispersed diaspores.

4
Ordination analysis showed clear differentiation between former land-use categories and spatiotemporal stand categories (recently isolated, recently contiguous and ancient). No consistent differences were found in vegetation patterns in oak and sycamore stands. Woodland species richness was similar on former arable land and open pastures. Pasture plantations were characterized by the presence of more acid-tolerant species, whereas the frequency of some acid-sensitive species was higher on former fields.

5
Synthesis and applications. This study demonstrates that new woodland should build out from cores of ancient woodland for optimal ground vegetation development. A species-rich ground vegetation can be achieved by spontaneous colonization within 70–80 years when plantations are contiguous with ancient woods. Formerly cultivated soils are generally well suited for understorey plants of forests on base-rich loamy soils as long as closed canopy conditions are maintained. However, many typical forest species are not able to disperse across open fields and their establishment in isolated stands will require sowing or planting.


It is not easy to track increment in efficiency and its reasons for an organization, especially after acquisition. However, several techniques are used as proxies to evaluate them. Working Capital Management is one of the constructive techniques to gauge and improve a firm's performance. There is significant evidence about the negative relationship between working capital, presented in the form of cash conversion cycle and efficiency of an organization, measured as return on assets, indicating that a reduction in working capital can lead to increment in performance. Focusing on this relationship, private equity firms pay more attention on improving working capital in their target firms which results in improved operational efficiency. In this paper, I obtain significant results on the role of private equity firms in improving efficiency after acquisition. The results depict a decrease in cash conversion cycle for PE-backed firms after acquisition, paired simultaneously with an increase in return on assets. The sample being used consists of 30 PE-backed firms compared with 30 similar non-PE backed firms. Regression is used as the major tool for qualitative and quantitative analysis. Key-Words: Private Equity, Efficiency, Working Capital, Operational Performance


In this work, we report the Carrier-Envelope Phase Effects on the Spatial Coherence of High-order Harmonics driven by phase-stabilized few-cycle mid-infrared laser pulses. The degree of coherence varies with carrier-envelope phase periodically with a period of π. At the same time, as the harmonic orders increase, the extreme points on the curve of coherence degree vs. carrier-envelope phase shift toward the direction of carrier-envelope phase increasing. Through theoretical analysis, we find that the ionization induced frequency chirp plays an important role in the Carrier-Envelope Phase Effects on the Spatial Coherence. This effect suggests a possible method to optimize the spatial coherence of harmonics by tuning the carrier-envelope phase of the driving field.


Hyper- and hypothyroidism states are known to alter testicular antioxidant defence parameters in adult as well as in immature rats. Glutathione peroxidases represent a family of enzymes which metabolizes toxic hydroperoxides and are, along with superoxide dismutase and catalase, part of the enzymatic antioxidant defenses to protect cells from free-radical-mediated attacks. In mammalian testis, total GPx activity is contributed by both Selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidases (Se-D GPxs) and the Se-independent glutathione peroxidaes (Se-I GPx). Due to persistent hypothyroidism, both Se-D-GPx and Se-I-GPx were reduced in adult testicular post-mitochondrial as well as in mitochondrial fraction (MF);while, during transient hypothyroidism, both Se-D-GPx and Se-I-GPx were reduced in adult testicular post-mitochondrial fraction (PMF) with only decrease in mitochondrial Se-D-GPx activity. However, both Se-dependent and Se-independent GPx activities elevated in adult testicular PMF of L-thyroxine treated (group- T4), T4 with vitamin E (group- T4+Vit.E), T4along with curcumin and vitamin E (group- T4+Cur+Vit.E)with only increase in SeD-GPx in T4 with curcumin (group- T4+Cur) treated rats. In case of MF, Sedependent GPx showed no alteration in response to curcumin and/or vitamin E treatment to T4 treated rats (groups-T4+Cur, T4+Vit.E and T4+Cur+Vit.E), however its level increased in T4 treated rats (group-T4). Se-independent GPx elevated significantly in response to T4 (group-T4), T4 with curcumin (group- T4+Cur), T4 with vitamin E (group- T4+Vit.E) and T4 along with curcumin and vitamin E (group- T4+Cur+Vit.E) treated rats respectively. Hence, hypothyroid as well as hyperthyroid states influencing testicular Se-D- and Se-I-GPx activities along with other antioxidant defence enzymes, might regulate testicular physiology and oxidative stress.


Emotional reactions are stimulated when humans are presented with a stimulus, triggering a series of voluntary and involuntary responses. Human emotions can be measured from facial expressions and physiological processes. The iMotions biometric platform is able to detect and analyze the responses of different individuals, which are personalized. The iMotions software allows for the quantification of seven basic emotions: joy, sadness, anger, fear, contempt, surprise, and disgust. Along with iMotions, galvanic skin response (GSR) and heart rate sensors from the Shimmer Kit were used. GSR refers to the phenomenon wherein the skin temporarily becomes a better conductor of electricity due to elevated sweat gland activity. In this study, participants were shown videos associated with different emotions while their facial expressions were recorded and their heart rate/skin conductance data collected. Using iMotions and the Shimmer kit, this project aims to identify a possible correlation between the participants' facial reactions and their physiological responses, namely, their heart rate and skin conductance, when exposed to different stimuli. The results indicated that there is a slightly higher correlation between emotion and GSR compared to emotion and heart rate. From the findings, it can be inferred that individuals react differently to the same stimulus. The iMotions software has great potential in forensic biometric analysis of human emotions.


This paper explores how entrepreneurs can use initial coin offerings — whereby they issue crypto tokens and commit to only accept those tokens as payment for their products — to fund venture start-up costs. We show that the ICO mechanism allows entrepreneurs to generate buyer competition for the token, giving it value. We also find that venture returns are independent of any committed growth in the supply of tokens over time, but that initial funds raised are maximized by setting that growth to zero to encourage saving by early participants. Nonetheless, since the value of the tokens depends on a single period of demand, the ability to raise funds is more limited than in traditional equity finance. Furthermore, a lack of commitment in monetary policy undermines saving behavior, hence the cost of using tokens to fund start-up costs is inflexibility in future capital raises. Crypto tokens can also facilitate coordination among stakeholders within digital ecosystems when network effects are present.


We model social choice problems in which self interested agents with private utility functions have to agree on values for a set of variables subject to side constraints. The goal is to implement the efficient solution, maximizing the total utility across all agents. Existing techniques for this problem fall into two groups. Distributed constraint optimization algorithms can find the solution without any central authority but are vulnerable to manipulation. Incentive compatible mechanisms can ensure that agents report truthful information about their utilities and prevent manipulation of the outcome but require centralized computation. Following the agenda of {\em distributed implementation} \cite{parkes04}, we integrate these methods and introduce {\em M-DPOP}, the first distributed optimization protocol that {\em faithfully} implements the Vickrey-Clarke-Groves (VCG) mechanism for this problem of efficient social choice. No agent can benefit by unilaterally deviating from any aspect of the protocol, neither information-revelation, computation, nor communication, and whatever the private information of other agents. The only central authority required is a bank that can extract payments from agents. We exploit structure in the problem to develop a faithful method to redistribute some of the VCG payments back to agents. Although this method is not guaranteed to achieve complete budget-balance, experimental results show that it performs significantly better than the basic VCG scheme. For problems with more than 10 agents, we always observe redistribution above 80%, and sometimes even up to 100% redistribution of the VCG taxes. % We extend the redistribution scheme to provide complete budget balance. The new scheme works by renouncing optimality: each agent's influence is forcibly limited to a restricted area, which allows us to effectively redistribute all VCG payments in a faithful way.


The paper outlines current challenges in Romanian food industry, its potential to overcome them and be competitive on both the national and international market using a key performance indicator (KPI) methodology. Although it has the capacity to assure internal consumption and competition on the market is high the Romanian food sector is struggling to meet internal demand, imports heavily exceed exports while food consumption is decreasing. The retail sector is an important part of the supply chain, but the harsh competition among the different stores has made them pass the risks only towards the upstream links which is straining food processors and producers and threatening the sustainable development of the food supply chain. High taxation, unfair competition and delayed payments towards food processors add extra pressure on the weaker links of the chain. Moreover authorities are inefficient in assuring duly market conditions whereas scandals further degrade industry image and cause important losses. The lack of synergic efforts within the industry and the scarce collaboration efforts between business partners affect individual company performance and thus global industry competitiveness. The research provides solutions that address its structural issues and develops performance indicators to improve the efficiency of companies in order to assure their sustainable development within the supply chain and become more competitive on the global food.


Stage management is an all-encompassing job that requires a wide range of skills for a stage manager to successfully support and execute a show. They must possess practical knowledge of both the creation and production aspects of theatre, as they need to successfully communicate with personnel from both branches, and ultimately marry the two in performances. College theatre programs across Texas utilize a wide variety of educational components to teach students the necessary skills to become a successful stage manager. Their approaches predominantly consist of classroom instruction, textbook tutelage, or practical application through stage managing shows produced by the theatre program. This work argues that a comprehensive approach incorporating use of all three of these educational components will produce the best results where training and career preparation are concerned for beginning stage managers. While each approach has unique educational value, one single approach can only prepare students so much. Without the combined inclusion of supporting texts, classroom preparation, and practical application, students will not have a well-rounded perspective on stage management, which is essential for professional stage managers.


New epistemic regimes and institutional forms — it has been maintained for some time now — are co-produced. This paper seeks to examine the process of the colonial transplantation of a modern institutional structure for the reproduction and production of scientific knowledge in colonial India. This attempt at re-engineering the system of education was complicated not just by the diverse motivations of colonial officials, missionaries, British educationists and policy makers but was deeply entangled within local institutional frameworks and ways of knowing. This entanglement generated processes of domestication of institutions and of knowledge forms of British or European provenance that resulted in the very metamorphosis of these institutional and peda-gogical structures. This paper attempts a genealogy of the entanglement of colonial knowledge and power with the aspirations of a modernizing class of colonial subjects who would transform these structures to fashion a new cultural identity and orient the university to other developmental agendas.


This memoir of the Lowry family concentrates on Vanya's father Bob, talented printer and famed partygiver, and her mother Irene. It offers glimpses into Auckland's literary life of the 50s and 60s, and is illustrated with drawings and examples of Lowry's typography. As a child in the 1950s and 1960s Vanya watched her family and their friends from the wisteria bush. She offers a child's perspective of the warmth, talent and gaiety of her parents and an intimate picture of a family with grandparents, holiday places, hand-me-downs and their own jokes. However, there were too many parties and they came to an end - Bob and Irene died - and life moved on, but echoes, memories and mementoes remain.


This article examines how well two parallel behavioral approaches, one in economics and the other in anthropology, explain the economic evolution of Neolithic societies, particularly their transit from foraging to agriculture. Both assume rational optimizing behavior. It is argued that satisficing theories provide a superior explanation of transition (and non-transition) by some hunter-gatherers. Furthermore, many of the concepts associated with neoclassical economics are shown to be inadequate for analyzing the choice problems involved. Moreover, it is argued that all behavioral theories considering the relationship between human behavior and economic evolution need to pay attention to the way that decision-making is embedded in social structures. It is unlikely that a single theory will be able to explain the economic evolution of all societies when social structures and other relevant variables differ between communities.


In the field of organ transplantation, donor-specific anti-HLA antibodies (DSA) have gained more popularity, as antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) has been recognized as an important factor to determine allograft survival. Thus, it is reasonable to believe that appropriate control of DSA is directly linked to well-managed immunosuppression, resulting in free from AMR. First, in order to prevent and manage AMR, it is of vital importance to be familiar with updated knowledge regarding crossmatch test and DSA detection methods, including intra-graft DSA. Second, it is also crucial to understand the standard criteria to diagnose AMR. Although pathological diagnosis and serum DSA (s-DSA) detection play the central role, the recent trend seems to be detection of intra-graft DSA (g-DSA). Third, regarding organ transplantation between sensitized pairs, the acceptable outcomes are obtained owing to recent preoperative desensitization protocols: depletion/modification of B cells, apheresis for antibodies, and inhibition of reaction between DSA and HLA. Finally, we would like to discuss the treatment of AMR. Further advances in diagnosis methods and emergences of effective treatments would be expected for acceptable control of AMR. In this chapter, we will review from the basics to recent topics in order to understand DSA and AMR.


Groundwater as one of the most valuable natural resources supports human health, economic development and ecological diversity. The activities of many constituents related to groundwater such as micro-organisms, gases, inorganic and organic materials can lead to contamination of well water, municipal drinking water sources and the environment. Therefore, geochemical analyses of domestic groundwater sources within Iju, Southwestern Nigeria have been conducted to determine the groundwater properties of water samples from available hand-dug wells and boreholes within the area. Fifteen (15) water samples sourced from wells and boreholes within the study area were analyzed for their major trace elements using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) in the laboratory and physiochemical characteristics such as pH, total dissolved solids and conductivity were calculated to determine the suitability of such water for agricultural and domestic consumption. The bulk analysis on the water samples revealed that majority of the trace elements when compared with the World Health Organization (WHO) drinking water standards and Acme Laboratory Canada Method Detection Limits (MDL) have values that agree with the recommended limit. These findings show that the present status of groundwater in Iju is good for domestic and agricultural purposes. However, the presence of trace elements such as Lead, Bromide, Copper, Potassium, Manganese, Rubidium and Silicon in fairly high quantities in the groundwater samples which may be as a result of treatment in the water or dissolved salts in the groundwater may constitute major health hazards if not quickly checked. In spite of groundwater studies done in Ota, important information on groundwater resources in Iju is still largely unavailable. Thus, groundwater management can be effectively planned based on these results for the study area.


ABSTRACT Introduction: To determine the impact of time from biopsy to surgery on outcomes following radical prostatectomy (RP) as the optimal interval between prostate biopsy and RP is unknown. Material and methods: We identified 7, 350 men who underwent RP at our institution between 1994 and 2012 and had a prostate biopsy within one year of surgery. Patients were grouped into five time intervals for analysis: ≤ 3 weeks, 4-6 weeks, 7-12 weeks, 12-26 weeks, and > 26 weeks. Oncologic outcomes were stratified by NCCN disease risk for comparison. The associations of time interval with clinicopathologic features and survival were evaluated using multivariate logistic and Cox regression analyses. Results: Median time from biopsy to surgery was 61 days (IQR 37, 84). Median follow-up after RP was 7.1 years (IQR 4.2, 11.7) while the overall perioperative complication rate was 19.7% (1,448/7,350). Adjusting for pre-operative variables, men waiting 12-26 weeks until RP had the highest likelihood of nerve sparing (OR: 1.45, p = 0.02) while those in the 4-6 week group had higher overall complications (OR: 1.33, p = 0.01). High risk men waiting more than 6 months had higher rates of biochemical recurrence (HR: 3.38, p = 0.05). Limitations include the retrospective design. Conclusions: Surgery in the 4-6 week time period after biopsy is associated with higher complications. There appears to be increased biochemical recurrence rates in delaying RP after biopsy, for men with both low and high risk disease.


The focus of this study has been to examine a number of municipalities that, in different ways, work to recruit more men to work in preschools. The aim of the study has been to identify ways of working, initiatives and processes conducted by municipalities aiming to recruit more men to work in preschools. The concepts of agency and preparedness are central in this matter. The study includes seven municipalities, all included in one network specially aiming at raising the number of men working in preschool. Between 2014 and 2016, the network met ve times. Interviews and discussions were carried out with key persons involved in the local work to recruit more men to preschools. This analysis can show trends in initiating the concrete work to encourage more men to work in preschools. The results show that an organisation is needed, several measures are to be conducted and the formulation of objectives provides the organisation with a mandate and, ideally, also the time and resources for the work. The organisation and objectives contribute to continuity in the work, something that long-term areas for change often need.


Conductive polymer/sulfur composite materials were prepared by heating the mixture of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and sublimed sulfur. During the heating process, PAN was dehydrogenated by sulfur, forming a conductive main chain similar to polyacetylene. At the same time, the high‐polarity functional group –CN cyclized at the melt state, forming a thermally stable heterocyclic compound in which sulfur was embedded. The nanodispersed composites showed excellent electrochemical properties. Tested as cathode material in a non‐aqueous lithium cell based on poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) gel electrolyte at room temperature, the composite exhibited a specific capacity up to 850 mA h g–1 in the initial cycle. Its specific capacity remained above 600 mA h g–1 after 50 cycles, about five times that of LiCoO2, and recovered partly after replacement of the anode with a fresh lithium sheet. The utilization of the electrochemically active sulfur was about 90 % assuming a complete reaction to the product, Li2S.


Investment in private offerings of securities, those that take place off of public exchanges and that are exempt from federal disclosure rules applicable to public offerings, is primarily available to investors on the basis of wealth. The wealthy are presumed sophisticated enough to make informed decisions about what to buy without mandatory disclosures applicable to public offerings. Yet the financial crisis of 2008 made clear that wealthy and ostensibly sophisticated investors can make tremendous mistakes and suffer enormous losses. Those losses are a problem when the investor serves a public goal, such as providing income to public sector employees. This Article argues that investment in private offerings by institutions serving a public mission should be limited to ensure that public ends are protected.


Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Depressed Older Adults is the first clinical book on how to conduct Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) with persons 65 years of age and older. This growing cohort in the United States is expected to rise substantially after 2010, when the baby boom cohort enters that age category. To help clinicians learn effective care, the authors draw upon a wealth of experience to provide a comprehensive review of theory and research as well as practical guidance on clinical interventions. The authors review late life depression's presentation, health consequences, prevalence, interpersonal dynamics, clinical assessment, and treatment. Particularly valuable is the inclusion of actual clinical cases to illustrate the use of IPT in each phase of treatment. A case is made for why IPT is especially well suited for older persons by drawing upon theory and research on aging, the author's clinical experience in using IPT with older adults, and clinical research studies of IPT with the aged. By showing how the science of gerontology can best inform the practice of clinical geropsychology, the authors have written a book that will be an invaluable resource to any mental health professionals working with older adults.


When local adpositions, whatever their own sources, are metaphorically extended to the domain of numerical approximation (as in 'around five bottles'), as they not uncommonly are, and when such expressions are then admitted to grammatical relations otherwise reserved for noun phrases, such as subject and direct object, as is only natural, a conflict is bound to arise: the internal structure of such expressions is that of an adpositional phrase, headed by the ex-local adposition, but their external distribution is that of a noun phrase. German and several other languages demonstrate that repair is inevitable in this dilemma, unless wholly different ways of expressing numerical approximation were to be resorted to. By necessity, such approximative numerical expressions will gradually be reanalysed from being adpositional phrases to being noun phrases for many, most, or indeed all external and internal purposes, such as subcategorization, verb agreement, case assignment, and determination. Instead of new grammar emerging as in grammaticalization, the old grammar of phrase types is reasserting itself in such reanalyses.


As the response to a recent BMJ editorial showed, unhappy doctors are a worldwide phenomenon. In this article, based on workshops with doctors in the United States and United Kingdom, Nigel Edwards and colleagues suggest that the cause is a breakdown in the implicit compact between doctors and society: the individual orientation that doctors were trained for does not fit with the demands of current healthcare systems. They outline what a new compact might look like

Richard Smith's editorial in the BMJ about unhappiness in the medical profession provoked a huge response and confirmed that this is an international and widespread problem.1–4 We describe here the views of doctors themselves, gleaned from workshops in the United States and the United Kingdom, on the problem and what might be done about it.

#### Summary points

Several reports from around the world describe declining morale among doctors, but little is known about the reasons

Workload and pay, though important, do not fully explain the problem

A key factor seems to be a change in the psychological compact between the profession, employers, patients, and society so that the job is now different from what doctors expected

Developing a new compact that is more acceptable to the profession is important

Clinical leaders have a potentially crucial role in developing a new compact

There is limited evidence to inform the debate, and therefore this article and our longer report5 are based on literature on the subject and seminars held in Massachusetts last August and in London in October. As with Smith's original article the ideas should be treated as tentative.

In the US seminar the participants were managers and medical executives from various healthcare systems including Kaiser Permanente. The UK participants were mostly senior members of the medical profession, educators, officers of the BMA, …


We assess the performance of wire leaders, which some jurisdictions have banned to reduce shark mortality from pelagic longline fishing. Experiments were conducted on commercial vessels that deployed equal numbers of wire and nylon monofilament leaders randomly along their longlines. Catch rates of several species, including sharks, were significantly lower on nylon than on wire leaders, probably because those animals often escape by severing the nylon leaders. High bite- off rates indicate that as many animals escape from nylon leaders as are caught on nylon leaders. The fate of escaped animals is not known, although large sharks are more likely to survive than are small animals. By contrast, catch rates of valuable bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) were higher on nylon than on wire leaders. Bigeye tuna are probably able to see wire leaders and avoid those hooks. The financial benefits of increased bigeye tuna catches outweigh the costs associated with banning wire leaders, such as increased rates of gear loss. Thus, banning wire leaders is an effective way of reducing shark catches that fishers should be keen to adopt.


Historical amnesia often distorts Western perceptions of the Middle East. In a manner comparable to that taken in the run-up to the US-led invasion of Iraq, Western policymakers attempting to develop an effective strategy for dealing with Iran are experiencing troubling lapses of historical memory regarding the colonial and post-colonial past. Such analytical failures could make the world pay the dreadful price of a new regional conflagration that would result from a US or Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear installations. Seasoned analysts such as Seymour Hersh of The New Yorker have already published forecasts of such an attack. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I arrived in Beirut in 1965 as the Christian Science Monitor's Middle East correspondent after covering North Africa's colonial and post-colonial wars. Our small community of correspondents was covering the Ba'ath party's 1963 seizure of power in Syria as well as its efforts to gain similar control in Iraq with the support of a ruthlessly ambitious and CIA-assisted politician known as Saddam Hussein. Four decades later, the administration of US President George W. Bush was able to convince the US public and Congress that the same Saddam Hussein's largely nonexistent weapons of mass destruction (WMD) program posed a clear and imminent threat to US security. A cabal of Bush's neoconservative advisers, influenced and informed by Israel, had convinced many US citizens of this alleged threat. They drew the United States into a costly conflict that has drained US manpower and has helped to push the budget deficit close to its statutory red line of US$ 11.8 trillion. Now in 2006, history and more authentic intelligence point to regional dangers from a possibly nuclear Iran. But in order to develop an effective understanding of what ought to be done regarding this situation in Iran, it is necessary to understand first how historical amnesia contributed to the US decision to engage in a costly and destabilizing military invasion of Iraq. Iraq and Israel: An Ancient Enmity One of the most commonly overlooked dimensions of the US occupation of Iraq is the historical relationship between Iraq and Israel. The United States' failure to factor this rivalry into its calculations in the run-up to the war in Iraq may have contributed to a bias toward Israel that warped its perception of the security threat posed by Iraq. The millenia-long rivalry between the Jews and the Mesopotamians has its roots in the biblical Babylonian captivity of the Israelites. These tensions were later manifested in the enmity between Israel and Iraq. By 1948 the Israeli-Palestinian conflict had become the central point of contention between Iraq and Israel. Israel's founder, David Ben-Gurion, and his fledgling intelligence apparatus oversaw the covert and overt evacuation of about 300,000 Iraqi Jews to Israel between the late 1940s and 1951. Iraq's Hashemite monarchy and its wily senior minister, Nuri al-Said, managed to remain allies with Britain, the United States, and Turkey while simultaneously opposing the rise of Israel beginning with the 1948 to 1949 Arab-Israeli War. The traumatic 1947 to 1951 exodus of Iraqi Jews, including many prosperous and highly educated professionals, reinforced the enmity. It was further exacerbated by Israel's alliance with Iraq's Kurds, an alliance that was temporarily strengthened in the 1970s with help from the Shah of Iran and the Nixon-Kissinger leadership in the United States. As a result, Iraq, unlike Egypt, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon, is the only Arab belligerent never to have signed a peace treaty, temporary armistice, or cease-fire with Israel. Until now, this history has remained a persistent backdrop for Iraq's role in Arab-Israeli confrontations over Palestine. Complicating this relationship was the Desert Storm military expedition to expel Saddam Hussein's forces from Kuwait in 1991, which eradicated the preexisting US support for Saddam Hussein and his opposition to revolutionary Iran. …


Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the number of outside directors on the board of directors and dividend payout are substitutes or complements mechanisms applied by UK firms to control agency conflicts of interest within the firm. Design/methodology/approach - The authors use tobit and logit regression models to examine the extent to which firms with a majority of outside directors on their boards experience significantly lower or higher dividend payout after controlling for insider ownership, profitability, liquidity, asset structure, business risk, firm size, firms' growth rate and borrowing ratio. Findings - Based on a sample of 400 non-financial firms listed at London Stock Exchange for the period from 1991 to 2002, it was found that dividend payout is negatively associated with the number of outside directors on the board of directors. Originality/value - The results suggest that firms pay lower dividends when higher number of outside directors is employed on the board. This evidence is consistent with the substitution hypothesis, which indicated that firms with weak corporate governance need to establish a reputation by paying dividends. In other words, dividends substitute for independent directors on the board. This finding offers novel insights to policy makers interested in agency conflicts of interest within the firm. It also provides evidence on the use of different substitute mechanisms for reducing agency costs.


Ten-week-old lean and obese Zucker rats were sham lesioned or received bilateral, electrolytic lesions of the lateral hypothalamus (LH). They were maintained on a wet mash diet until killing at 15 or 32 wk of age; control lean and obese rats were also killed at 6 and 10 wk. Body composition analyses were performed and adipocyte cellularity of epididymal, retroperitoneal, and subcutaneous depots were calculated. Changes in body composition of LH-lesioned rats, though similar in the two genotypes on an absolute basis, differed on a percentage basis due to the extreme adiposity of the obese rats. Retarded development of protein depots in both lesioned lean and obese rats was apparent at 15 but not 32 wk. Relative to genotypic controls, lesioned lean and obese rats had smaller adipose depots by 32 wk due to decreased adipocyte size in lean rats and reduced adipocyte number in the obese. This genotype-specific response was probably due to the chronic hyperplasia of adipocytes unique to the obese rats. This distinctive developmental pattern of the epididymal depot is discussed.


The work presented here is concerned with theoretical investigations of electronic states in small-scale semiconductor structures. This last term encompasses layered structures made up of two dissimilar, but lattice-matched, semiconductors. The semiconductors of interest here are mostly the tetrahedrally bonded zincblende semiconductors GaAs and the alloy Ga1-xAlxAs. The thesis is subdivided in three major chapters. The first chapter is concerned with electrical doping of Ga1-xAlxAs-GaAs-Ga1-xAlxAs quantum well structures. The second chapter addresses the question of the transport of electrons through GaAs-Ga1-xAlxAs double heterojunction structures. In the final chapter, we develop a theory of the electronic structure of semiconductor superlattices particularly suitable for the study of the optical properties and the recombination mechanisms. In Chapter 2, we study the energy spectrum of ground state and excited states of shallow donor states in Ga1-xAlxAs-GaAs-Ga1-xAlxAs quantum well structures. In this system, an impurity atom is located within a GaAs slab of finite thickness. The GaAs slab is, in turn, centered between two semi-infinite layers of Ga1-xAlxAs. We use a variational method to solve the effective mass equation for the donor envelope function. We study the variation of the binding energy as a function of ∘ thickness of the GaAs containing the impurity, ∘ alloy composition x in Ga1-xAlxAs, and ∘ position of the impurity in the GaAs slab. Two cases are treated: (i) In the first case we assume that the potential well is formed by finite conduction band offsets at the GaAs-Ga1-xAlxAs interface (imperfect confinement). (ii) In the second case we consider infinite confining potential at the GaAs-Ga1-xAlxAs interface (perfect confinement). The major result of this study is that the binding energy of the donor ground state is considerably modified as the thickness of the GaAs slab containing the impurity is varied. At large GaAs slab thicknesses, the binding energy is that of shallow donors in bulk GaAs. At small GaAs slab thicknesses, the binding energy is that of shallow donors in bulk Ga1-xAlxAs for the case of imperfect confinement, but corresponds to the two-dimensional Coulomb limit in the case of perfect confinement. It is also found that the binding energy depends on the position of the impurity atom within the GaAs slab. Thus, we have a confinement-induced lifting of the Coulomb energy levels. In Chapter 3, we study the transport characteristics of electrons through GaAs-Ga1-xAlxAs-GaAs double heterojunction structures. In this system, a Ga1-xAlxAs slab of finite thickness is centered between two semi-infinite layers of GaAs. An electron is incoming from the GaAs onto the Ga1-xAlxAs barrier. Transport coefficients are calculated using the formalism of the complex-k energy band structure within the empirical tight-binding method. Transmission into states derived from different energy extrema of the GaAs lowest conduction band obtained. We consider both the (111) and the (100) GaAs-Ga1-xAlxAs interfaces. Transport coefficients are calculated as a function of ∘ GaAs conduction band minimum from which the electron state is derived, ∘ energy of the electron incoming on the Ga1-xAlxAs barrier, ∘ thickness of the Ga1-xAlxAs barrier, and ∘ alloy composition x in the Ga1-xAlxAs. The major result of the study is that states derived from different energy extrema of the GaAs lowest conduction band appear to couple weakly across the GaAs-Ga1-xAlxAs interface. Thus, if we consider the (111) interface, is seems possible to reflect the L-point component of the current while transmitting the Γ-point component. There exists two regimes of transport: tunneling transport and propagating transport. In the case where the energy incoming electron is below the energy barrier, transmission is small and the transport occurs via a tunneling process. However, in the case where the energy incoming electron is above the energy barrier, transmission is large and the transport occurs via a propagating process. Depending on the Ga1-xAlxAs slab thickness, it is possible to induce resonances whereby the transmission coefficient is unity. In Chapter 4, we develop a theoretical framework to investigate the electronic structure of semiconductor superlattices. The theoretical formulation is based on the k • p method derived from an accurate local pseudopotential method. The formalism developed is particularly well suited for the study of the optical properties and the investigation of the recombination mechanisms in semiconductor superlattices. Here again, we make extensive use of the complex-k energy band structure obtained via the k • p method. Realistic boundary conditions are imposed on the multi-component superlattice envelope function. From these boundary conditions, the energy spectrum of the superlattice is deduced. For the first time, we develop a scheme whereby the superlattice state function in both solids is expanded in terms of the same set of basis functions. By doing so, we relax the often used approximation that assumed that the basis functions are the same for all zincblende semiconductors.


In addition to its relevant astrophysical and cosmological significance, the Extragalactic Background Light (EBL) is a fundamental source of opacity for cosmic high energy photons, as well as a limitation for the propagation of high-energy particles in the Universe. We review our previously published determinations of the EBL photon density in the Universe and its evolution with cosmic time, in the light of recent surveys of IR sources at long wavelengths. We exploit deep survey observations by the Herschel Space Observatory and the Spitzer telescope, matched to optical and near-IR photometric and spectroscopic data, to re-estimate number counts and luminosity functions longwards of a few microns, and the contribution of resolved sources to the EBL. These new data indicate slightly lower photon densities in the mid- and far-infrared and sub-millimeter compared to previous determinations. This implies slightly lower cosmic opacity for photon-photon interactions. The new data do not modify previously published EBL modeling in the UV-optical and near-IR up to several microns, while reducing the photon density at longer wavelengths. This improved model of the EBL alleviates some tension that had emerged in the interpretation of the highest-energy TeV observations of local \textit{blazar}s, reducing the case for new physics beyond the standard model (like violations of the Lorenz Invariance, LIV, at the highest particle energies), or for exotic astrophysics, that had sometimes been called for to explain it. Applications of this improved EBL model on current data are considered, as well as perspectives for future instrumentation, the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) in particular.


An analytical solution for the bending problem of micropolar plates is derived based on the symplectic approach. By applying Legendre's transformation, we obtain the Hamiltonian canonical equation for the bending problem of a micropolar plate. According to the method of separation of variables, the homogenous Hamiltonian canonical equation can be transformed into an eigenvalue problem of the Hamiltonian operator matrix. We derive the eigensolutions of the eigenvalue problem for the simply-supported, free and clamped boundary conditions at the two opposite sides. Based on the adjoint symplectic orthogonal relation of the eigensolutions, the solution of the bending problem of micropolar plate is expressed as a series expansion of eigensolutions. Numerical results confirm the validity of the present approach for the bending problem of micropolar plates under various boundary conditions and demonstrate the capability of the proposed approach to capture the size-dependent behavior of micropolar plates.


The Supporting Healthy Marriage (SHM) evaluation was launched in 2003 to test the effectiveness of a skills-based relationship education program designed to help low-income married couples strengthen their relationships and, in turn, to support more stable and more nurturing home environments and more positive outcomes for parents and their children. The evaluation is led by MDRC, in collaboration with Abt Associates and other partners, and is sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services. The SHM program is a voluntary, yearlong, relationship and marriage education program for lowincome, married couples who have children or are expecting a child. The program provides group workshops based on structured curricula; supplemental activities to build on workshop themes; and family support services to address participation barriers, connect families with other services, and reinforce curricular themes. The study's rigorous random assignment design compares outcomes for families who are offered SHM's services with outcomes for a similar group of families who are not offered SHM's services but can access other services. This report presents estimated impacts on the program's targeted outcomes about one year after couples entered the study.


Geoffrey Firmin, a former British consul, has come to Quauhnahuac, Mexico. His debilitating malaise is drinking, an activity that has overshadowed his life. On the most fateful day of the consul's life-- the Day of the Dead, 1938-- his wife, Yvonne, arrives in Quauhnahuac, inspired by a vision of life together away from Mexico and the circumstances that have driven their relationship to the brink of collapse. She is determined to rescue Firmin and their failing marriage, but her mission is further complicated by the presence of Hugh, the consul's half brother, and Jacques, a childhood friend. The events of this one significant day unfold against an unforgettable backdrop of a Mexico at once magical and diabolical. "Under the Volcano" remains one of literature's most powerful and lyrical statements on the human condition, and a brilliant portrayal of one man's constant struggle against the elemental forces that threaten to destroy him.


This study explores the consequences of the European Union's fishing agreements with a number of African countries for individuals in local communities. The empirical results show that European fishing in African waters has destructive consequences for local fishing communities and leads to increasing migration from fishing communities to Europe, where immigrants are facing increasing discrimination. It is argued that social work should consider new global transformations and build global alliances in order to fight against structural inequalities and improve individual life chances.


TEACHER BELIEFS AND PRACTICES IN DESIGNING AND IMPLEMENTING PROBLEM BASED LEARNING IN THE SECONDARY MATHEMATICS CLASSROOM: A CASE STUDY By Umamaheswari Subramanian Problem-based learning (PBL), an instructional approach anchored in the framework of the learning theory "constructivism," is a shift toward student-centered learning; students build content knowledge and problem-solving skills by solving real world problems (Hmelo-Silver, 2004; Savery, 2006; Stepien & Gallagher, 1993). Most of the existing literature on PBL comes from the higher education setting. However, researchers (Hmelo-Silver, 2004; Maxwell, Mergendoller, & Bellisimo, 2005; Ravitz, 2009; Savery, 2006; Strobel & van Barneveld, 2009) have stressed the need for more PBL research that examines its effectiveness in the K through 12 classrooms. The purpose of this dissertation study was to examine the factors affecting teachers' design and implementation of PBL in the high school mathematics classroom after a prolonged engagement in a professional learning on PBL implementation. The research question for the study was: After prolonged engagement in professional learning on problem-based learning (PBL), what factors influence teachers' beliefs in designing and implementing PBL as an instructional approach in the high school mathematics classroom? The research question was answered by examining the changes in teachers' beliefs about mathematics teaching and learning, changes in their instructional practices and by analyzing their challenges while implementing PBL in the classroom. This dissertation uses the characteristics of PBL (Savery & Duffy, 2001) as a framework, and Green's (1971) analysis of beliefs as a lens, to answer the research question. A qualitative case study approach was selected in the current study and teacher beliefs, instructional practices were analyzed (Merriam, 1988 and Yin, 1989). Teachers from a high school located in an urban area in the southeastern region of the United States participated in a prolonged professional development on PBL for a total of 60 hours each year by being a part of the project called "Collaboration for Mathematics and Science Achievement" during 2011, and 2012. Three teachers that attended both professional development sessions were purposefully selected for this case study. I collected data through surveys, interviews, and observations and also utilized field notes and teachers' journal entries. Results of this dissertation could be beneficial to classroom teachers and could influence curriculum writers to support classroom teachers in implementing PBL in the mathematics classroom. The findings from this qualitative research study revealed four major themes: 1) Teacher collaboration is essential in influencing teacher beliefs in the design and implementation of PBL, 2) Pressure from the school district to increase students test scores in standardized tests prioritized learning of mathematics in the classroom, 3) Changes in terms of teaching assignment, and changes in the current curriculum discouraged teachers from embracing any innovative reform-based instructional practices like PBL in the classroom and 4) Low expectations in students' ability and performance dissuaded teachers from implementing reformbased instructional practices like PBL in the classroom. A major implication from the current study is that in general, teachers should hold the core belief that "All students can learn." This statement implies that all students can learn according to the standards set forth by challenging curriculum. Mathematics teachers will have to create opportunities for students to explore inquiry-based lessons and cognitively demanding tasks such as PBL cases. TEACHER BELIEFS AND PRACTICES IN DESIGNING AND IMPLEMENTING PROBLEM BASED LEARNING IN THE SECONDARY MATHEMATICS CLASSROOM: A CASE STUDY