This study uses the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to explain why some people play the lottery, and it examines how the TPB's variables and variable relationships differ due to ethnicity, or gender, or their interaction. A telephone interview conducted in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin resulted in data on the lottery play intentions of 208 Chinese/Canadians (97 males, 111 females) and 220 British/Canadians (112 males, 108 females). When intention to play the lottery was regressed on six TPB variables, it was found that: (a) affective attitude was an important predictor for all four groups, while instrumental attitude was only important for British/Canadian males; (b) injunctive norm was an important predictor only for Chinese/Canadian males, while descriptive norm was an important predictor only for British/Canadian males; (c) controllability was an important predictor only for Chinese/Canadian females, with a negative coefficient suggesting secondary control; and (d) self-efficacy was not an important predictor for any of the groups. A follow-up mail questionnaire provided additional data on the self-reported lottery play behavior of 100 Chinese/Canadians (51 males, 49 females) and 115 British/Canadians (57 males, 58 females) 30 days after the initial telephone interview was conducted. When lottery play behavior was regressed on self-efficacy, controllability, and intention, intention was found to be an important predictor for all four groups. These findings are discussed in light of recent research on the TPB, leisure and gambling, and ethnicity and gender.


Requirements-related scenarios capture typical examples of system behaviors through sequences of desired interactions between the software-to-be and its environment. Their concrete, narrative style of expression makes them very effective for eliciting software requirements and for validating behavior models. However, scenarios raise coverage problems as they only capture partial histories of interaction among-system component instances. Moreover, they often leave the actual requirements implicit. Numerous efforts have therefore been made recently to synthesize requirements or behavior models inductively from scenarios. Two problems arise from those efforts. On the one hand, the, scenarios must be complemented with additional input such as state assertions along episodes or flowcharts on such episodes. This makes such techniques difficult to use by the nonexpert end-users who provide the scenarios. On the other hand, the generated state machines may be hard to understand as their nodes generally convey no domain- specific properties. Their validation by analysts, complementary to model checking and animation by may therefore be quite difficult. This paper describes tool-supported techniques that overcome those two problems. Our tool generates a labeled transition system (LTS) for each system component from simple forms of message sequence charts (MSC) taken as examples or counterexamples of desired behavior. No additional input is required. A global LTS for the entire system is synthesized first. This LTS covers all scenario examples and excludes all counterexamples. It is inductively generated through an interactive procedure that extends known learning techniques for grammar induction. The procedure is incremental on training examples. It interactively produces additional scenarios that the end-user has to classify as examples or counterexamples of desired behavior. The LTS synthesis procedure may thus also be used independently for requirements elicitation through scenario questions generated by the tool. The synthesized system LTS is then projected on local LTS for each system component. For model validation by analysts, the tool generates state invariants that decorate the nodes of the local LTS.


A new voltage-programmed pixel circuit using hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin-film transistors (TFTs) for active-matrix organic light-emitting diodes (AMOLEDs) is presented. In addition to compensating for the shift in threshold voltage of TFTs, the circuit is capable of compensating for OLED luminance degradation by employing the shift in OLED voltage as a feedback of OLED degradation


In bioprinting, biomaterials are deposited layer-by-layer to fabricate structures. Bioprinting has many potential applications in drug screening, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. Both animal cells and plant cells can be used to synthesize bioinks. Green bioprinting uses bioinks that have been synthesized using plant cells. Constructs fabricated via green bioprinting contain immobilized plant cells, with these cells arranged at desired locations. The constructs provide scaffolds for cell growth. Printing parameters affecting the growth of cells in green bioprinted constructs include print speed, needle diameter, extrusion temperature, and extrusion pressure. This paper reports a study to examine effects of extrusion pressure on cell growth (measured by cell count) in bioprinted constructs, using bioink containing Chlamydomonas reinhardtii algae cells. Three levels of extrusion pressure were used: 3, 5, and 7 bar. Cell counts in the bioprinted constructs were measured on the third and sixth days after bioprinting. It was found that, as extrusion pressure increased, cell count decreased on both the third and sixth days after bioprinting. Furthermore, the difference in cell counts between the third and the sixth days decreased as extrusion pressure increased. These trends suggest that increasing extrusion pressure during green bioprinting negatively affects cell growth. A possible reason for these trends is physical damage to or death of cells in the bioprinted constructs when extrusion pressure became higher.


The small native caribou population (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus) of Nuussuaq Peninsula was supplemented in 1968 with 10 semi-domestic reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus). Hunting was prohibited in the early 1990s, but resumed with a quota of 100 animals in 1996 after the population was estimated to be around 400. Despite local criticism that herd size had increased, managers kept the estimate unchanged and permitted similar quotas for the next 5 years. To ascertain current status of the population, a late winter ground survey for minimum count, recruitment and distribution was done in April 2002 employing local hunters. Data collected included group size, location and animal sex/age. Only two age classes were used; calf ( 1 year). The 2002 ground survey observed 1164 individuals and a calf percentage of approximately 30%. The bull to cow ratio was 0.32. This data did not allow a calculation of population size, because areas where maximum animal numbers were expected were preferentially sampled. Spatial segregation of these two subspecies is suggested, given the observed and unexpected dissimilar behavior, pheno-type and spatial distribution. If true, then by 2002 feral reindeer had established a successful population, while native caribou had recovered to number several hundred. Genetic sampling is necessary to examine this hypothesis. At current late winter recruitment rates animal density could increase rapidly making both range expansion and genetic mixing likely in future. Since the total non-ice covered area available is about 6000 km2, greater caribou/reindeer densities may not be compatible with sustainable range use. Harvest quotas were increased in 2002 and 2003, and may reduce densities and preserve caribou range for the future.


The SPACER server provides an interactive framework for exploring allosteric communication in proteins with different sizes, degrees of oligomerization and function. SPACER uses recently developed theoretical concepts based on the thermodynamic view of allostery. It proposes easily tractable and meaningful measures that allow users to analyze the effect of ligand binding on the intrinsic protein dynamics. The server shows potential allosteric sites and allows users to explore communication between the regulatory and functional sites. It is possible to explore, for instance, potential effector binding sites in a given structure as targets for allosteric drugs. As input, the server only requires a single structure. The server is freely available at http://allostery.bii.a-star.edu.sg/.


This paper reports an action research study in which we explore the problems of organisational change within a large non-profit organisation – a so-called "third sector" – organisation. We focus on the mutual interaction of an organisational change initiative and the motivation of the workforce. We review the nature of the social service delivery sector, of which the focal organisation is a part, and develop, in the context of this study, an analogy with the class of systems described as organisational networks. We argue that the findings from this study may be expected to have application in organisational change within organisational networks, generally.


The future of industry 4.0 revolution has begun. Since the World Economic Forum in 2015, the world leaders have realised the need and imperative to respond to the continuing transformation of the knowledge and digital Economy. Many traditional jobs will be lost, but many new jobs and opportunities created. Skill and career life-spans are getting shorter. Already, we witness the impact on current generation of workforce from fresh school leavers to mid-career, and beyond. Today, the educationists all over the world are facing a daunting task to educate and prepare the whole generation of students for the new economy. And we know the scale and complexity of the challenge is unprecedental. Using Singapore as a case study, the speaker shall share from his professional and personal experience and observations on challenge we face.


News p 216p 270

Uwe Reinhardt, the American health economist, thinks that all health systems may eventually converge to a three tier system that offers high quality, fee for service care to the very rich; insurance based managed care to the expanding middle class; and rough and ready care for the poor. The United States and much of South American already have such a system. Could it happen in Britain? The current media frenzy over the latest NHS crisis prompts speculation on how the NHS might end.

Most institutions on the scale of the NHS end not with a bang but with a whimper, and the current "crisis" will probably pass like so many before it as the media move on to other stories. The NHS will not simply collapse. Nor is any government in the foreseeable future likely to seek a radical solution and privatise the service. But one possible endgame is that the middle classes lose confidence in the service and begin to make other arrangements. If comfortable Britain begins to seek health insurance and private care on a large scale resources …


In 1911, a 2-km 3 (0.5-mi 3 ) earthquake-triggered rock slide blocked the Murgab River, southeastern Tajikistan, forming a still-existing, 600-m-high (1,970-ft-high) natural dam—the highest dam, natural or man-made, in the world. Lake Sarez, impounded by this blockage, is 60 km (37 mi) long, with a maximum depth of 550 m (1,800 ft) and a volume of approximately 17 km 3 (∼4 mi 3 ). This lake, which has never overtopped the dam, exits the downstream face as a series of large springs that regroup as the Murgab River. Freeboard between lake surface and the lowest point on the dam crest currently is approximately 50 m (∼165 ft), and the lake is rising at an average rate of 18.5 cm/yr (7.3 in./yr). If the blockage were to fail, a worst-case scenario could endanger tens or possibly hundreds of thousands of people in the Murgab, Bartang, Panj, and Amu Darya valleys downstream. Dam failure potentially could result from: 1) seismic shaking, 2) catastrophic overtopping caused by a landslide entering the lake from the valley wall at high velocity, 3) surface erosion caused by natural overtopping by the rising lake, 4) internal erosion (piping), 5) instability caused by lake pressure against the dam, or 6) slope instability of the dam faces. Occurrence of an overtopping wave resulting from a potential landslide high on the right bank of Lake Sarez seems to be the most realistic of these slight possibilities for failure. Because of the high cost of installing physical remediation to the dam in this rugged mountain area (no roads lead to the site), the main protective measures now being undertaken are hydrological monitoring at the dam and installation of a flood early warning system downstream.


This series of Readers containing original, unsimplified stories written by famous classic and modern writers, now features four new titles. All the collections come with substantial support material for each story, including a short summary, a description of major themes, pre-reading vocabulary activities, post-reading language and comprehension exercises, a literary analysis section and essay questions. "The Macmillan Literature Collections" will help ease students' transition from graded Readers to authentic reading, giving them the joy of feeling that they are finally reading and studying literature just as it was written.


Glioblastomas exploit various molecular pathways to promote glutamate- dependent growth by activating the AMPA (2-amino-3-(3-hydroxy-5-methyl-isoxazol-4-yl) propanoic acid) receptor, the group II metabotropic glutamate receptor, mGluR, and the epidermal growth factor receptor, EGFR. We hypothesized that targeting more than one of these pathways would be more effective in inhibiting glutamate-dependent growth. Using a model of U87 cell line, we show that blocking glutamate release by Riluzole inhibits cell proliferation. Glutamate-dependent growth is effectively inhibited by a combination of Iressa, an inhibitor of EGFR activation and LY341495, a group II mGluR inhibitor. Treatment of U87 cells with a combination of Iressa and LY341495 inhibits proliferation as indicated by Ki-67 staining, induces apoptosis and inhibits migration of U87 cells more effectively than the treatment by Iressa or LY341495 alone. These results demonstrate that a combinatorial therapy with Iressa and LY341495 is more effective due to synergistic effects of these drugs in inhibiting the growth of glioblastoma.


Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review the recent critique of the discovery view of opportunities and by implication the current state of the so-called creation view of opportunities. Design/methodology/approach – A systematic review of articles published from 2000-2010 which feature a critique of the discovery view of opportunities. The review uses an open coding approach to identify central themes in the critique. Four central themes are identified, and from within-theme patterns three distinct groups within the literature are identified. Findings – The four themes suggest that the discovery view is incomplete, that social and relational interactions are more pervading and important than the discovery view suggests, that opportunities are created and that the role of individuality and subjectivity needs to be emphasized more. Three distinct groups within the literature are identified, each presenting different critiques of the discovery view, theoretical foci and implications for method and practice. Furthermore, the discussion suggests that the opportunity concept is a focal point for important debates in the entrepreneurship field, that the creation view is diverse and should not be referred to in the singular and that seeking reconciliation between the discovery and creation views is a problematic strategy. Finally, it is suggested that a continued dialog exploring differences both between the discovery and creation views as well as between the creation views is a fruitful strategy for the development of the field. Originality/value – The article presents a review of both the critique of the discovery view and the so-called creation view, thereby supplementing and advancing from existing reviews of the opportunity concept in entrepreneurship. This furthers our understanding of the role of opportunities in entrepreneurial processes.


The general tendency among theorists in nationalism and national identity has been to assume that the modernization process in Asia and Africa is a kind of distorted reflection of a Western precedent; Asian forms of the nation have rarely been seen as independent, alternative models. Among today's leading theoreticians, there is a growing tendency to take Asia seriously, and to include Asian examples in the general discussion. The aim of the present collection is to build on and reinforce this tendency. It does not postulate any specifically Asian form of the nation, as opposed to a Western one. Rather, it seeks to demonstrate that in Asia, as well as in Europe, each nation forms a unique amalgam which can be compared fruitfully with others. History, culture and geography have posed various kinds of limits to what can be imagined (as Benedict Anderson puts it). The relationship between geographical space and national construction is explored in depth here.


In humans, the limbic and paralimbic systems, including the insular cortex, are the central autonomic networks responsible for maintaining cardiovascular autonomic control. The right insular cortex plays a predominant role in establishing sympathetic tone while the left insular cortex in establishing parasympathetic tone of the heart. Disturbances in the autonomic system due to cerebrovascular diseases, such as an ischemic stroke in the territory of the middle cerebral artery, could lead to impairment in the cardiovascular balance, consequently increasing the incidence of tachyarrhythmia. Abnormalities of cardiovascular autonomic control may retain prognostic relevance, as they have been associated with adverse clinical outcomes after stroke. Acute ischemic stroke has been shown to increase the rate of cardiac-related mortality as a pathophysiological consequence of an acute stress response in patients with no cardiovascular comorbidities due to the dysfunction of the brain-heart axis. This case report highlights an instance when this axis was disturbed leading to non-ischemic cardiomyopathy. J Med Cases. 2016;7(3):94-97 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/jmc2426w


Since the signature of the ITER treaty in 2006, a new research programme targeting the emergence of a new generation of NBI system for the future fusion reactor (DEMO) has been underway between several laboratories in Europe. The specifications required to operate a NBI system on a Fusion reactor (DEMO) are very demanding: the system has to provide plasma heating, current drive and plasma control at a very high level of power (up to 150 MW) and energy (1 or 2 MeV), including high performances in term of wall-plug efficiency (η > 60%), high availability and reliability. To this aim, a novel NBI concept based on the photo-detachment of the energetic negative ion beam is under study. The keystone of this new concept is the achievement of a photo-neutralizer where a high power photon flux (~3 MW) generated within a Fabry Perot cavity will overlap, cross and partially photo-detach the intense negative ion beam accelerated at high energy (1 or 2 MeV). The aspect ratio of the beam-line (source, accelerator, etc...) is specifically designed to maximize the overlap of the photon beam with the ion beam. It is shown that this new concept has the capability to provide several tens of MW of D 0 per beam line with a wall-plug efficiency higher than 60% leading to a significant reduction of the cost (a factor 2) of the NBI system. A feasibility study of the concept has been launched between different laboratories to address the different physics aspects, i.e., negative ion source, plasma modelling, ion accelerator simulation, photoneutralization and high voltage holding under vacuum. The paper describes the present status of the project and the main achievements of the developments in laboratories.


Coercive rules and their implementation are,in liberal democratic societies at least, subject to ethical constraints. The state's moral authority requires these constraints to be both cogent and effectively realised in doctrine. In short, the enterprise of subjecting individuals to coercive rules must be consistent with the delivery of criminal justice. Contemporary criminal theory is much exercised by the apparent contradictions and ambiguities characterising criminal law doctrine. Is this an inevitable part of the territory leading us to question the very possibility of criminal law delivering justice? Or, as the author prefers, is criminal justice an achievement in which one of the tasks of criminal theory is to set goals and identify deficiencies in a constant effort to improve the form and content of rules and procedures? Informed by this premise the book explores some of the key questions in criminal theory, addressing first the ethics of criminalisation and punishment. It continues with an examination of the structure of criminal liability with its emphasis on separating consideration of the objective conditions of wrongdoing from the features which make a person responsible for it. Finally it examines attempts and accessoryship with a view to exploring the doctrinal tensions which may arise when competing justifications for criminalisation and punishment collide. The book gives an account of the present state of criminal theory in an accessible style which will welcomed by those embarking upon courses in advanced criminal law and criminal theory, teachers, and more generally by practitioners and scholars.


Abstract This article introduces the concept of popular urbanization to describe a specific urbanization process based on collective initiatives, self-organization and the activities of inhabitants. We understand popular urbanization as an urban strategy through which an urban territory is produced, transformed and appropriated by the people. This concept results from a theoretically guided and empirically grounded comparison of Mexico City, Istanbul and Lagos. Based on postcolonial critiques of urban theory and on the epistemologies of planetary urbanization, we bring urbanization processes in these urban regions into conversation with each other through a multidimensional theoretical framework inspired by Henri Lefebvre focusing on material interaction, territorial regulation, and everyday experience. In this way, popular urbanization emerged as a distinct urbanization process, which we identified in all three contexts. While this process is often subsumed under the broader concept of ?urban informality?, we suggest that it may be helpful to distinguish popular urbanization as primarily led by the people, while commodification and state agencies play minor roles. As popular urbanization unfolds in diverse ways dependent upon the wider urban context, specific political constellations and actions, it results in a variety of spatial outcomes and temporal trajectories. This is therefore a revisable and open concept. In proposing the concept of popular urbanization for further examination, we seek to contribute to the collective development of a decentered vocabulary of urbanization.


Power system harmonics are a menace to electric power systems with disastrous consequences. The line current harmonics cause increase in losses, instability, and also voltage distortion. With the proliferation of the power electronics converters and increased use of magnetic, power lines have become highly polluted. Both passive and active filters have been used near harmonic producing loads or at the point of common coupling to block current harmonics. Shunt filters still dominate the harmonic compensation at medium/high voltage level, whereas active filters have
been proclaimed for low/medium voltage ratings. With diverse applications involving reactive power together with harmonic compensation, passive filters are found suitable [41]. Passive filtering has been preferred for harmonic compensation in distribution systems due to low cost,
simplicity, reliability, and control less operation [42].
The uncontrolled ac-dc converter suffers from operating problems of poor power factor, injection of harmonics into the ac mains, variations in dc link voltage of input ac supply, equipment overheating due to harmonic current absorption, voltage distortion due to the voltage drop caused by harmonic currents flowing through system impedances, interference on telephone and communication line etc. The circuit topologies such as passive filters, ac-dc converter, based improved power quality ac-dc converters are designed, modeled and implemented. The main emphasis of this investigation has been on a compactness of configurations, simplicity in control, reduction in rating of components, thus finally leading to saving in overall cost. Based on thesis considerations, a wide range of configurations of power quality mitigators are developed, which is expected to provide detailed exposure to design engineers to choose a particular configuration for a specific application under the given constraints of economy and desired performance. For bidirectional power flow applications, the current source converter is designed and simulated with R-L load.
The necessary modeling and simulations are carried out in MATLAB environment using SIMULINK and power system block set toolboxes. The behavior of different configurations of
passive tuned filters on power quality is studied. One of the way out to resolve the issue of reactive power would be using filters and TCR, TSC with combination in the power system.
Installing a filter for nonlinear loads connected in power system would help in reducing the harmonic effect. The filters are widely used for reduction of harmonics. With the increase of nonlinear loads in the power system, more and more filters are required. The combinations of passive filters with TCR and TSC are also designed and analyzed to improve the power quality at ac mains. This scheme has resulted in improved power quality with overall reduced rating of passive components used in front end ac-dc converters with R-L load.


Quickly preventing the retrieval of (inappropriate) long-term memories might recruit a similar control mechanism as rapid action-stopping. A very specific characteristic of rapid action-stopping is "global motor suppression": When a single response is rapidly stopped, there is a broad skeletomotor suppression. This is shown by the technique of TMS placed over a task-irrelevant part of the primary motor cortex (M1) to measure motor-evoked potentials. Here, we used this same TMS method to test if rapidly preventing long-term memory retrieval also shows this broad skeletomotor suppression effect. Twenty human participants underwent a Think/No-Think task. In the first phase, they learned word pairs. In the second phase, they received the left-hand word as a cue and had to either retrieve the associated right-hand word ("Think") or stop retrieval ("No-Think"). At the end of each trial, they reported whether they had experienced an intrusion of the associated memory. Behaviorally, on No-Think trials, they reported fewer intrusions than Think trials, and the reporting of intrusions decreased with practice. Physiologically, we observed that the motor-evoked potential, measured from the hand (which was irrelevant to the task), was reduced on No-Think trials in the time frame of 300–500 msec, especially on trials where they did report an intrusion. This unexpected result contradicted our preregistered prediction that we would find such a decrease on No-Think trials where the intrusion was not reported. These data suggest that one form of executive control over (inappropriate) long-term memory retrieval is a rapid and broad stop, akin to action-stopping, that is triggered by the intrusion itself.


This report summarizes preliminary research into uncertainty quantification for pattern ana- lytics within the context of the Pattern Analytics to Support High-Performance Exploitation and Reasoning (PANTHER) project. The primary focus of PANTHER was to make large quantities of remote sensing data searchable by analysts. The work described in this re- port adds nuance to both the initial data preparation steps and the search process. Search queries are transformed from does the specified pattern exist in the data? to how certain is the system that the returned results match the query? We show example results for both data processing and search, and discuss a number of possible improvements for each.


The aim of this paper is drawing attention to a passage of the Ethiopian Stories by Heliodorus of Emesa (9,9,3) on the divinization of the Nile borrowed from Life of Moses (2,195) by Philo of Alexandria. This textual relationship, well known to Philo's scholars, has so far not been considered instead by most Heliodorus' scholars. Other possible intertextual references (lexical parallels, stylisations and analogies), noticed in this paper, point to the work by Philon as deliberately exploited inspiration for some passages of Heliodorus' novel. All this is of greater importance for the Ethiopian novel and his author.


It has been proposed that the relatively nonselective dopamine receptor antagonist flupenthixol may be useful in the treatment of cocaine dependence. Drugs used in the treatment of cocaine dependence are administered chronically; however, most preclinical studies have examined only the acute effects of flupenthixol treatment on the effects of cocaine. Consequently, the purpose of the present study was to compare the effects of acute and chronic treatment with flupenthixol (0.0032-0.032 mg/kg) on the discriminative stimulus and reinforcing effects to cocaine in rhesus monkeys. One group of six monkeys was trained to discriminate 0.4 mg/kg cocaine (i.m.) from saline in a two-lever, food-reinforced, drug discrimination procedure. A second group of four monkeys was trained to respond for 0.032 mg/kg/injection cocaine (i.v.) and 1-g banana-flavored food pellets during alternating daily cycles of cocaine and food availability. Neither acute nor chronic treatment with a low dose of flupenthixol (0.0032 mg/kg) significantly altered the discriminative stimulus or reinforcing effects of cocaine. Higher doses of flupenthixol (0.01-0.032 mg/kg) produced a surmountable blockade of both the discriminative stimulus and reinforcing effects of cocaine, shifting the dose-effect curves for both cocaine discrimination and cocaine self-administration up to 0.5 log unit to the right. However, doses of flupenthixol that altered cocaine discrimination also decreased response rates. Similarly, doses of flupenthixol that decreased cocaine self-administration also often decreased rates of food-maintained responding. Consequently, nonselective behavioral effects of flupenthixol may have contributed to its effects on cocaine discrimination and self-administration. Moreover, the effects of flupenthixol on cocaine discrimination and self-administration diminished over time. After only 3 to 5 days of chronic treatment, flupenthixol did not consistently shift the cocaine discrimination dose-effect curve to the right. Similarly, rates of cocaine self-administration that were initially decreased by flupenthixol often recovered partially or completely during a 10-day regimen of chronic flupenthixol treatment. These results suggest that flupenthixol may have limited utility in the long-term treatment of cocaine dependence.


BACKGROUND
Cervical radicular pain (CRP) is a common problem in the adult population. When conservative treatment fails and the severe pain persist, surgical treatment is considered. However, surgery is associated with some serious risks. To reduce these risks, new minimally invasive techniques have been developed, such as percutaneous nucleoplasty. Several studies have shown that percutaneous nucleoplasty is a safe and effective technique for the treatment of CRP, but until now no randomized controlled trials have been conducted that compare percutaneous cervical nucleoplasty (PCN) to anterior cervical discectomy (ACD) in patients with a single-level contained soft-disc herniation.

OBJECTIVES
To compare the effects of PCN and ACD in a group of patients with CRP caused by a single-level contained soft-disc herniation.

STUDY DESIGN
A randomized, controlled, multi-center trial.

SETTING
Medical University Center and local hospitals.

METHODS
Forty-eight patients with CRP as a result of a single-level contained soft-disc herniation were randomized to one of the following 2 treatments: PCN or ACD. The primary outcome measure was arm pain intensity, measured with a Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Secondary outcomes were arm pain intensity during heavy effort, neck pain, global perceived effect, Neck Disability Index (NDI), and the patients' general health (Short Form Generated Health Survey [SF-36]). All parameters were measured at baseline (T0), 3 months after intervention (T2), and one year after intervention (T3). One week after the intervention (T1), an intermediate assessment of arm pain, arm pain during heavy effort, neck pain, satisfaction, and improvement were performed.

RESULTS
At 3 months, the intention to treat analyses revealed a statistical significant interaction between the groups on the primary outcome, arm pain intensity, and on the secondary outcome of the SF-36 item pain, in favor of the ACD group. On the other secondary outcomes, no statistical significant differences were found between the groups over time. At 12 months, there was a trend for more improvement of arm pain in favor of the ACD group and no statistical interactions were found on the secondary outcomes.

LIMITATIONS
Firstly, the inclusion by the participating hospitals was limited. Secondly, the trial was ended before reaching the required sample size. Thirdly, at baseline, after the inclusion by the neurosurgeon, 13 patients scored less than 50.0 mm on the VAS. Fourthly, the withdrawal of the physiotherapy (PT) group and finally, the patients and interventionists could not be blinded for the treatment.

CONCLUSIONS
At 3 months, the ACD group performed significantly better on arm pain reduction than the PCN group in patients with CRP as a result of a single-level contained soft-disc hernia. However, the clinical relevancy of this treatment effect can be debated. For all parameters, after one year, no significant differences between the groups were found. When it comes to the longer-term effectiveness, we conclude that PCN can be a good alternative for ACD.


Increasingly, firms engage in environmental certification programmes to reconcile external constituents and ensure financial viability. Some firms decouple the formal programme from core operations to obtain the signalling benefits of certification without investing scarce resources and time on costly substantive environmental actions. Despite growing awareness that adoption can lead to a ceremonial or superficial behaviour, the efficaciousness of decoupling for enhancing financial performance has been left largely unexplored. This study advances existing literature by moving beyond the act of certification to focus on practice variations at the firm level. The study joins the literatures on sustainable entrepreneurship, the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm and signalling theory to explain how signal fit strengthens the certification resource signal and enables firms with superior performance. Regression analyses confirmed that only those small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that reported the compounded signal of high fit reported enhanced financial performance. Implications are discussed.


In the past there have been made various attempts to define the spectrum of a non-commutative C∗-algebra. But all these definitions have certain drawbacks — e.g. C.J. Mulvey's definition does not coincide with the standard definition of the spectrum in the commutative case. The aim of this paper is to give an alternative definition of the spectrum which does not suffer under this deficit — i.e. coincides with the standard situation in the commutative setting. For this purpose we recall some properties of balanced and bisymmetric quantales, introduce a definition of the spectrum of a C∗-algebra working for the general case and develop subsequently its topological representation.


The flow field and body aerodynamic loads on the DrivAer reference model have been extensively investigated since its introduction in 2012. However, there is a relative lack of information relating to the models wake development resulting from the different rear-body configurations, particularly in the far-field. Given current interest in the aerodynamic interaction between two or more vehicles, the results from a preliminary CFD study are presented to address the development of the wake from the Fastback, Notchback, and Estateback DrivAer configurations. The primary focus is on the differences in the far-field wake and simulations are assessed in the range up to three vehicle lengths downstream, at Reynolds and Mach numbers of 5.2 × 10 6 and 0.13, respectively. Wake development is modelled using the results from a Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulation within a computational mesh having nominally 1.0 × 10 7 cells. This approach was chosen to reflect a simple, cost-effective solution, using an industry-standard CFD solver. Each vehicle configuration has a smooth underbody, with exterior rear-view mirrors. The computational modelling includes a ground simulation set, and all simulations are for zero freestream yaw angle. A mesh sensitivity study was undertaken and the simulation validated against published experimental data for the body pressure distribution and aerodynamic drag. Critical assessment of the results highlights the benefits of focussed mesh refinement and specific numerical strategies for optimum performance of the CFD solver. Comparison of the far-field aerodynamic wake for the three model configurations exhibits significant differences in both extent and structure within the wake region up to three vehicle lengths downstream of the base. Total pressure loss coefficient is used as the primary aerodynamic parameter for analysis. The study is an element of a larger programme related to vehicle wake simulation and strategies are identified for possible wake modelling using simplified, computationally and experimentally efficient, shapes.


Stormwater in urban areas is polluted with suspended materials which transport heavy metals and degrade the quality of the receiving waters. Since open detention ponds improve water quality, an investigation of a constructed pilot-scale detention pond was carried out.
Measurements of inflow and outflow were performed and two flow-weighted samplers were used to collect representative samples of suspended solids and heavy metals. The particle
size distribution was analysed to allow an estimation of the settling of suspended solids. Particle removal from a rain event was defined as two different phases where the first phase occurs during the rain event and the second phase after the event. In this paper only the first
phase is considered. A FEM-software package (FIDAP) was used to calculate the three dimensional velocity flow field for one rain event. A sedimentation approach was applied to the flow field where paths were calculated through the detention pond for different particle sizes. The results from four different particle sizes show satisfactory agreement between FEM-calculated and observed particle removal. The results show that FIDAP is a useful tool to predict pollutant removal for open detention ponds with arbitrary geometry.


Purpose
Human resource (HR) philosophy and an organization's commitment to employees (OCE) are important components of a human resource management (HRM) system, yet the influences of these variables on the effectiveness of HRM implementation has been less evident. Similarly, few studies have examined the effect of intended and implemented HR practices on line managers' perceptions of HR department effectiveness. The purpose of this paper is to examine how these factors could result in a positive evaluation of HR department effectiveness in Vietnam.

Design/methodology/approach
Study 1 consisted of 405 line managers and the authors used this sample to test the proposed research model. Study 2, comprising 192 line managers, was used to validate the findings from Study 1.

Findings
The authors found empirical evidence of how HR managers should leverage their relationships with line managers to enhance HR department effectiveness in a developing economy such as Vietnam.

Research limitations/implications
As data were from line managers in one point in time, this study could be affected by common method bias. However, the authors conducted three common method variance checks and the analyses showed that this issue was not a major concern. Future studies could extend the sample of respondents by collecting information from CEOs, employees, and HR managers.

Originality/value
This study contributes to the extant literature empirical evidence of determinants of HR department effectiveness. First, the study shows the simultaneous impacts of HR philosophy and OCE on the actual implementation of HR practices. Second, the authors provide an understanding of line managers' evaluation of HR department effectiveness through their experience with implemented HR practices.


This report evaluates the quality mix of public support programs for science, technology, and innovation (STI) in Ukraine and provides recommendations for the improvement of the public support programs' effectiveness. The evaluation aims to determine the coherence in the allocation of STI expenditures in addressing the main innovation challenges in the country, as well as the main gaps and redundancies. The objective of the review is to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of STI public expenditure and maximize impact. The methodology used builds upon the Public Expenditure Reviews (PER) for STI (Correa 2014) and compares the demand for innovation policies arising from an innovation ecosystem diagnostic with the actual expenditure on STI. Given the lack of budget programming, STI expenditure sourced from the BOOST database only approximates actual expenditure due to the lack of budget codes for all STI-related expenditure. The fact that most expenditure is disbursed as block funding reduced the granularity of the analysis. The analysis uncovered significant gaps related to STI policies and revealed general trends in STI expenditure. It finds that existing innovation policy mix and relevant public funding do not respond to the critical needs of the Ukrainian National Innovation System. Additionally, the analysis finds that current governance arrangements with large transfers of block funding to the national academies do not provide strong incentives to business innovation. Based on these findings, the report makes three policy recommendation: First, Ukrainian policy practitioners should strengthen governance, planning, and learning mechanisms for better innovation policy efficiency. Second, they should shift budget allocation to induce enterprise innovation. Finally, Ukraine should invest resources in instruments that build firm capability, induce industry-specific research collaboration for business innovation, and improve the enabling environment of innovative firms.


Impacting particles or static aggregated particles at high temperature may undergo a permanent change of shape modifying the microstructure. Two particles in contact can develop some bonds within sub-second time. This fast sintering force in the particular case of the snow contribute to the rheological behavior and grain rearrangement [1]. Understanding the kinetics of sintering in granular material is of great importance in some engineering applications. For decades, diffusional processes have received more attention in investigations related to the mechanisms behind sintering [2]. Some works have suggested that the plastic flow might be neglected in sintering process for stresses are not high enough to cause dislocation. However, some studies have showed that stresses experienced in fine particles necks can be high enough and even lead to plasticity driven sintering. The importance of each mechanism in the sintering process may lie in the temporal and spatial scale of interest. Increasing importance is being accorded to the role of plastic flow in sintering. however, several investigations have proved that the conventional plasticity theory may fail to predict plastic activity at micro-scale, The objective of this work is to develop adequate computational model that includes instantaneous and time-dependent plastic flow at micro-scale. We aim at extending existing models of sintering and plasticity to cope with multiple spatial and temporal scales simulations using Extended Discrete Element Method. The numerical results are compare to experimental data on snow.


Professionalism is a concept widely articulated within the legal community, yet a clear and uniform definition remains elusive. Legal commentators from the academy, the judiciary, and the practicing bar continuously attempt to define professionalism with negligible resolution. It is a term that is often used, perhaps overused in conversation, and at times underutilized in legal practice, thereby transforming itself from an ideal into a cliche over time. As a result, professionalism holds various meanings and the contextual nature of professionalism requires a definitional reshaping as circumstances and players change. In an effort to examine the concept of professionalism from various perspectives, this article explores the meaning of professionalism from our own perspectives, as well as those of students, clients, adversaries, and judges. The purposes of this Article are threefold: (1) to emphasize the dynamic and adaptable nature of professionalism, especially in the context of litigation; (2) to explore the various points of view of professionalism, with a focus upon clinical law practice; and (3) to suggest that we, as clinical law professors, utilize these observations of adapting professionalism in our teaching. Additionally, this Article explores how, as clinical law professors, we may use the various perspectives of professionalism as lessons and learning tools for our law students. This Article is divided into six parts. Part I examines the role and perspective of the clinical law professor in teaching and defining professionalism in context. Part II identifies the perspectives of law students who are learning about professionalism. Part III documents many of our clients' perspectives and how we can teach law students professional behavior through representation of clients. Parts IV and V address the unique perspectives of the bar and bench and how we should teach law students to recognize and respond to opponents' and judges' concepts of professional behavior. Part VI summarizes our thesis - that professionalism should be taught explicitly in the clinical setting from a variety of contexts.


As members of society, artists have historically served a dualistic purpose—to reflect the ideologies of the world in which they live, and to challenge those ideologies. By challenging ideologies, artists may enter into a world of social and political activism. However, can art be an effective form of protest? In this paper I explore the characteristics that allow dance to function as a form of social and political activism. Furthermore, I explore the potential implications of the female dancing body as it pertains to dance as an activist art form.


This article, drawn from my doctoral research into children's public service broadcasting (PSB) in the UK in the 21st century, examines the role that the child's voice plays in the construction of the child audience made by producers of children's television in their texts, production practices and discourse. It is argued that both the literal and figurative concept of the "child's own voice" is a doctrine frequently deployed by producers to claim an authenticity or transparency to their representations. Through this doctrine, producers stress the relevance and appeal of representations of the child audience and thus foreground television's probity as a beneficial cultural artefact under the aegis of public service broadcasting. By analysis of a specific case study, drawn from my role as participant-observer in the BBC Scotland Children's department under the AHRC's collaborative doctoral award scheme, I illustrate and discuss the key elements of the doctrine of child's own voice that producers of public service children's media frequently invoke.


Functionalizing noble metal nanoparticles
is often necessary to tailor their properties, in particular for biological applications
such as drug delivery, therapy and imaging.
However, this process is highly challenging, due to the complications in
maintaining similar geometrical parameters of the nanoparticles as of without
functionalization. The heptapeptide H-Lys-[Pro-Gly-Lys]2-NH2
was found to be an efficient additive for the formation and stabilization of
small and monodisperse platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs). We show that the same additive
peptide can be used as a platform for the functionalization of PtNPs, as demonstrated
by the introducion of three different moieties: coumarin for monitoring
cellular uptake of the PtNPs; biotin for detecting their stability in human
blood serum; and an arginine-containing peptide for enhanced cell penetration. The
peptide-coated PtNPs can be functionalized both before and after reduction of
the metal ions, in aqueus environment, emphasizing the high robustness of the
system.


Heavy water (D2O) is used as the moderator as well as the coolant in pressurized heavy water nuclear reactors (PHWRs). To ensure neutron economy and best moderator performance, the isotopic purity of heavy water has to be ensured at about 99.95 % and above at all times during reactor operation. Vacuum distillation is the most widely practiced method for heavy water enrichment to nuclear reactor grade from pre concentrated (15% or more D2O in H2O) feed. A simple, versatile mathematical model for simulating the dynamic behaviour of such a column is presented in this work. Liquid hold up, pressure drop and flooding point calculations have been performed for the tower using known packing characteristics and fluid properties. To simulate the column performance, it has been modeled as an equivalent tray tower using a known value of the height equivalent to theoretical plate (HETP) and its dynamic behaviour under total reflux operation as well as its separation performance under continuous feeding with product withdrawal is predicted. The effect of parameters like temperature, reflux ratio, feed point location and feed composition on the final isotopic purity of top and bottom products at steady state has also been studied.


The knowledge of the azimuth of the reference mark is of crucial importance in the determination of the declination which is defined as the ellipsoidal (geodetic) azimuth of the geomagnetic meridian. The accuracy of the azimuth determination has direct impact on the accuracy of the declination. The orientation of the Declination-Inclination Magnetometer is usually carried out by sighting the reference mark in two telescope faces in order to improve the reliability of the observations and eliminate some instrumental errors. In this paper, different coordinate as well as azimuth determination methods using GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) observation techniques within VPPS (High-Precision Positioning Service) and GPPS (Geodetic-Precision Positioning Service) services of the CROPOS (CROatian POsitioning System) system were explained. The azimuth determination by the observation of the Polaris was exposed and it was subsequently compared with the observation of the Sun using hour-angle and zenith-distance method. The procedure of the calculation of the geodetic azimuth from the astronomic azimuth was explained. The azimuth results obtained by different methods were compared and the recommendations on the minimal distance between repeat station and azimuth mark were given. The results shown in this paper were based on the observations taken on the POKU_SV repeat station.


Section 49 of the Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977 (the Act), may in the South African context be traced back to s 1 of Ordinance 2 of 1837 (Cape), s 44 of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act 31 of 1917 and the subsequent s 37 of the Criminal Procedure Act 56 of 1955 (see Milton Gedenkbundel HL Swanepoel (1976) 140 and Matlou v Makhubedu 1978 (1) SA 946 (A) 953-956). Predictions that the development of our law in this regard has not yet reached its full conclusion were proved correct with the signing and publication of the Judicial Matters Second Amendment Act 122 of 1998 (published in GG 19590/11-12-1998). The Amendment Act - whose date of inception must still be set and proclaimed by the President - holds promises to alter the law in this field irrevocably. In this article a brief look will be taken at the existing position, the reasons for the further development as envisaged in the Amendment Act and its possible consequences.


Many system errors do not emerge unless some intricate sequence of events occurs. In practice, this means that most systems have errors that only trigger after days or weeks of execution. Model checking [4] is an effective way to find such subtle errors. It takes a simplified description of the code and exhaustively tests it on all inputs, using techniques to explore vast state spaces efficiently. Unfortunately, while model checking systems code would be wonderful , it is almost never done in practice: building models is just too hard. It can take significantly more time to write a model than it did to write the code. Furthermore, by checking an abstraction of the code rather than the code itself, it is easy to miss errors. The paper's first contribution is a new model checker, CMC, which checks C and C++ implementations directly, eliminating the need for a separate abstract description of the system behavior. This has two major advantages: it reduces the effort to use model checking, and it reduces missed errors as well as time-wasting false error reports resulting from inconsistencies between the abstract description and the actual implementation. In addition, changes in the implementation can be checked immediately without updating a high-level description. The paper's second contribution is demonstrating that CMC works well on real code by applying it to three implementations of the Ad-hoc On-demand Distance Vector (AODV) networking protocol [7]. We found 34 distinct errors (roughly one bug per 328 lines of code), including a bug in the AODV specification itself. Given our experience building systems, it appears that the approach will work well in other contexts, and especially well for other networking protocols.


Since the time of Sībawayh over twelve hundred years ago the phenomenon of manner assimilation among sonorant coronal consonants in Arabic has been recognised. In this chapter we present analysis of electropalatographic and acoustic data from three female speakers of Syrian Arabic to investigate the assimilation of word-final /l/ to word-initial /r/. The results show that assimilation is optional at slow, normal and fast speech rates and most common at the fast rate. They also show that assimilation is complete at the fast rate, and may be either complete or gradient at the slow and normal rates. We argue for a phonological model of assimilation in which complete assimilation does not precipitate a phonological category change unless there are no differences in the set of possible realisations of an assimilated and an unassimilated consonant in the same phonological context, which is not the case in Syrian Arabic manner assimilation.


The survival of important pieces of our architectural and sculptural heritage is challenged by irreparable damage due to crystallization of soluble salts. Mineral precipitation is also a problem in many industrial processes, leading to costly scale formation. Most of the mechanisms that control these crystallization reactions can be modified or slowed down by using specific additives. Recent advances in elucidating the mechanisms of mineral nucleation and growth and molecular-level mineral–additive interactions have led to the development of novel treatments for the prevention of mineral scale and salt damage.


Millennium Eyewitness is a fascinating look at the last 1000 years. This anthology comprises over 250 eyewitness accounts of historical events and vanished ways of life throughout the world. What was it like to have survived the Great Fire of London? Or the Great Plague? How did it feel to escape from Auschwitz? To witness the Titanic sink? To see the assassination of JFK? To discover Tutankhamen's Tomb? To fly across the Atlantic for the first time? To meet Nelson Mandela? To be held hostage in Beirut? To be the first man on the moon? Millennium Eyewitness provides an exciting insight into a wide range of key events and daily activities from the last millennium. These eyewitness reports begin with the Battle of Hastings and bring the reader up to date with accounts of major occurrences in today's modern world. We are taken on a compelling chronological tour of infinite diversity which reveals how colorful and varied human culture has been over the last 1000 years. Passionately written, Millennium Eyewitness addresses a host of topics from war and peace to birth, death, and marriage; from great disasters to women's issues; from artists, writers, and composers to social conditions. Beautifully illustrated, this wonderful collection of witness accounts is the perfect way to celebrate 1000 years of world history.


Energy consumption in High Performance Computing has become a major topic. Thus various approaches to improve the performance per watt have been developed. One way is to instrument an application with instructions that change the idle and performance states of the hardware. The major purpose of this thesis is to demonstrate the potential savings by instrumenting parallel message passing applications. For successful instrumentation critical regions in terms of performance and power consumption have to be identified. Most scientific applications can be divided into phases that utilize different parts of the hardware. The goal is to conserve energy by switching the hardware to different states depending on the workload in a specific phase. To identify those phases two tracing tools are used. Two examples will be instrumented: a parallel earth simulation model written in Fortran and a parallel partial differential equation solver written in C. Instrumented applications should consume less energy but may also show a increase in runtime. It is discussed if it is worthwhile to make a compromise in that case. The applications are analyzed and instrumented on two x64 architectures. Differences concerning runtime and power consumption are investigated.


The chronic inflammatory state that accompanies obesity is a major contributor to insulin resistance and other dysfunctional adaptations in adipose tissue. Cellular and secreted factors promote the inflammatory milieu of obesity, but the transcriptional pathways that drive these processes are not well described. Although the canonical inflammatory transcription factor NF-κB is considered to be the major driver of adipocyte inflammation, members of the interferon regulatory factor (IRF) family may also play a role in this process. Here, we determined that IRF3 expression is upregulated in the adipocytes of obese mice and humans. Signaling through TLR3 and TLR4, which lie upstream of IRF3, induced insulin resistance in murine adipocytes, while IRF3 knockdown prevented insulin resistance. Furthermore, improved insulin sensitivity in IRF3-deficient mice was associated with reductions in intra-adipose and systemic inflammation in the high fat-fed state, enhanced browning of subcutaneous fat, and increased adipose expression of GLUT4. Taken together, the data indicate that IRF3 is a major transcriptional regulator of adipose inflammation and is involved in maintaining systemic glucose and energy homeostasis.


In this thesis I primarily address those within media and communications studies who research mass
media audiences and their engagement with a diverse range of texts. I ask in what ways our knowledge
about the interpretation of genres, emergent from many decades of empirical research with mass media
audiences, is useful in understanding engagement with new media. This conceptual task is pursued
empirically by applying a conceptual repertoire derived from reception analysis to interviews with
youthful users of the online genre of social networking sites (SNSs). The thesis presents findings on the
heterogeneity of children's experiences in using SNSs following their perceptions of authorial presence,
their notions of others using the text, their expertise with the interface and pushing textual boundaries. I
explore four tasks involved in the act of interpretation – those being intertextual, critical, collaborative
and problem-resolving. In analysis, I also reflect on a selection of the core conceptual tools that have
been animated in this thesis, in research design as well as analysis and interpretation. It is concluded that
inherited concepts - text and interpretation, continue to be useful in extension from the world of
television audiences to the world of the internet. Second, inherited priorities from audience reception
research which connect clearly to the conversation on media and digital literacies prove to be important
by connecting resistance and the broader task of critique to the demands of being analytical, evaluative
and critical users of new media. Third, the notion of interpretation as work is useful overall, to retain in
research with new media use, for there is a range of tasks and responsibilities involved in making sense
of new media.


According to conventional Western wisdom, liberal ideas are unpopular among Egyptians, despite what some enthusiastic young people said in Tahrir Square in early 2011. Yet while it is true that social mores have become more conservative in Egypt in recent decades, it is not true that core liberal ideas are in retreat. On the contrary, the essentials of political liberalism—citizens' rights, government accountability, the rule of law, limits on state power—have become so popular that the liberal ideological field has become crowded.


Background:Patients with HIV exposed to the antiretroviral drug abacavir may have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). There is concern that this association arises because of a channeling bias. Even if exposure is a risk, it is not clear how that risk changes as exposure cumulates. Methods:We assess the effect of exposure to abacavir on the risk of CVD events in the Swiss HIV Cohort Study. We use a new marginal structural Cox model to estimate the effect of abacavir as a flexible function of past exposures while accounting for risk factors that potentially lie on a causal pathway between exposure to abacavir and CVD. Results:A total of 11,856 patients were followed for a median of 6.6 years; 365 patients had a CVD event (4.6 events per 1000 patient-years). In a conventional Cox model, recent—but not cumulative—exposure to abacavir increased the risk of a CVD event. In the new marginal structural Cox model, continued exposure to abacavir during the past 4 years increased the risk of a CVD event (hazard ratio = 2.06; 95% confidence interval: 1.43 to 2.98). The estimated function for the effect of past exposures suggests that exposure during the past 6–36 months caused the greatest increase in risk. Conclusions:Abacavir increases the risk of a CVD event: the effect of exposure is not immediate, rather the risk increases as exposure cumulates over the past few years. This gradual increase in risk is not consistent with a rapidly acting mechanism, such as acute inflammation.


Fan, Heckman and Wand (1995) proposed locally weighted kernel polynomial regression methods for generalized linear models and quasilikelihood functions. When the covariate variables are missing at random, we propose a weighted estimator based on the inverse selection probability weights. Distribution theory is derived when the selection probabilities are estimated nonparametrically. We show that the asymptotic variance of the resulting nonparametric estimator of the mean function in the main regression model is the same as that when the selection probabilities are known, while the biases are generally different. This is different from results in parametric problems, where it is known that estimating weights actually decreases asymptotic variance. To reconcile the difference between the parametric and nonparametric problems, we obtain a second-order variance result for the nonparametric case. We generalize this result to local estimating equations. Finite sample performance is examined via simulation studies. The proposed method is demonstrated via an analysis of data from a casecontrol study.


There have been considerable developments in sprayed concrete materials,
specification, application technology and performance testing in recent years in Europe. Some
of these reflect changes elsewhere, such as North America, but others are unique to Europe.
This paper gives a brief history of sprayed concrete (shotcrete) development and describes
some of the changes in practice that have occurred in recent years, as viewed from the
perspectives of the construction process, materials, design, quality and standards. Obstacles to
further development of the product and its more widespread use, are described together with
some examples of attempts to address such issues in Europe, including the EFNARC
specification and development of European (CEN) standards.


Biometrical analyses were performed on nearly 3200 specimens of distinct coccolith species from the time-series station ESTOC (European Station for Time-series in the Ocean, Canary Islands). Originally begun for calculation of modern species-specific carbonate fluxes, this study was further intensified, both to improve our knowledge of the morphological variability for each of the investigated species, and to check the seasonal size-variations of the various species. Besides the dominant taxa Emiliania huxleyi and Florisphaera profunda, intensive measurements of various parameters have been made on Calcidiscus leptoporus, Gephyrocapsa spp., Helicosphaera carteri, Syracosphaera pulchra, and Umbilicosphaera sibogae. Generally, the species are unimodally distributed, with respect to length/diameter, and show only slight seasonal variation.


The human visual system possesses the remarkable ability to pick out salient objects in images. Even more impressive is its ability to do the very same in the presence of disturbances. In particular, the ability persists despite the presence of noise, poor weather, and other impediments to perfect vision. Meanwhile, noise can significantly degrade the accuracy of automated computational saliency detection algorithms. In this article, we set out to remedy this shortcoming. Existing computational saliency models generally assume that the given image is clean, and a fundamental and explicit treatment of saliency in noisy images is missing from the literature. Here we propose a novel and statistically sound method for estimating saliency based on a nonparametric regression framework and investigate the stability of saliency models for noisy images and analyze how state-of-the-art computational models respond to noisy visual stimuli. The proposed model of saliency at a pixel of interest is a data-dependent weighted average of dissimilarities between a center patch around that pixel and other patches. To further enhance the degree of accuracy in predicting the human fixations and of stability to noise, we incorporate a global and multiscale approach by extending the local analysis window to the entire input image, even further to multiple scaled copies of the image. Our method consistently outperforms six other state-of-the-art models (Bruce & Tsotsos, 2009; Garcia-Diaz, Fdez-Vidal, Pardo, & Dosil, 2012; Goferman, Zelnik-Manor, & Tal, 2010; Hou & Zhang, 2007; Seo & Milanfar, 2009; Zhang, Tong, & Marks, 2008) for both noise-free and noisy cases.


Childhood and growing up in Mimboland, Cameroon are infused with fascinating stories and adventures. Discover life in Abakwa with Tom and his friend, as they are chased through an orchard for secretly harvesting avocadoes and mangoes. Smile as Mathias Chi's overloaded canoe almost loses balance. Shiver as Roland runs through the dark streets and bleeding corridors of Mvog Mvog. And cry when Big Brother discovers how his siblings suffered when he was away at school. What happens to Esther when she finds the courage to make an announcement at the Abakwa Mountain Foot Radio Station about her husband's disappearance? Will Prudencia and Collette kill or give life? How does Prisca Lum deal with her dwarf husband? Some characters will remind you of people you know - or even of yourself. Drum beats and church bells, thunder and lightning, princes and princesses, visions and deceptions fill the pages. Discover your favorite stories waiting to be told and retold, again and again.


PURPOSE
Toptimization of clinical MR image quality through protocol design on modern scanners requires understanding a wide variety of image acquisition options. Using ACR phantom analysis results for comparison, we sought to understand the effect of these options on the resulting image quality measurements.

METHODS
Twenty-six series were acquired with different combinations of normalization, filtration, distortion correction, radiofrequency mode, and gradient mode using a Siemens Aera (Erlangen, Germany) 1.5T scanner with 20-channel head/neck phased-array coil. The ACR T1-weighted phantom protocol (transverse, TR=500 ms, TE=20 ms, 256×256 matrix, 5mm thickness and gap, 25 cm FOV) was used to scan a large ACR MRI phantom (J.M. Specialty Parts, San Diego, California). All images were acquired in the same session without repositioning the phantom. Automated ACR analysis was implemented in MATLAB (Mathworks, Natlick, Massachusetts) for most tests. The software results were compared to manual analysis for five series. High-contrast resolution, slice thickness, and low-contrast detectability (LCD) were evaluated manually for all scans following the recommendations in the ACR's Phantom Test Guidance manual (http://www.acr.org/~/media/∼/media/ACR /Documents/Accreditation/MRI/LargePhantomGuidance.pdf).

RESULTS
Scans without normalization failed ACR uniformity (1.5T) and slice thickness requirements and had lower LCD scores. Filtering with the Raw Filter degraded resolution to 1.1 mm and increased the ghosting ratio but resulted in decreased noise. On this scanner 2D (in-plane) distortion correction can be applied prospectively or retrospectively. Results showed that prospective correction provided better geometric accuracy performance. Images acquired using whisper and fast gradient modes, as well as fast and low SAR options, resulted in poorer LCD scores compared to normal gradient and radiofrequency modes.

CONCLUSION
MR protocol optimization requires compromise to achieve relative balance between signal, noise, uniformity, resolution, geometric accuracy and other image metrics. Phantom studies with quantitative metrics provide a robust method of determining how imaging options affect these image parameters.


Background Medical diagnosis, like all products of human cognition, is subject to error. We tested the hypothesis that errors of diagnosis in the realm of fracture classification can be reduced by a consensus (group) diagnosis; and that digital imaging and Internet access makes feasible the compilation of a diagnostic consensus in real time. Methods Twelve orthopaedic surgeons were asked to evaluate 20 hip radiographs demonstrating a femoral neck fracture. The surgeons were asked to determine if the fractures were displaced or not. Because no reference standard is available, the maximal accuracy of the diagnosis of displacement can be inferred from inter-observer reliability: if two readers disagree about displacement, one of them must be wrong. That method was employed here. Additionally, virtual reader groups of 3 and 5 individual members were amalgamated, with the response of those groups defined by majority vote. The purpose of this step was to see if increasing the number of readers would improve accuracy. In a second experiment, to study the feasibility of amassing a reader group on the Internet in real time, 40 volunteers were sent 10 periodic email requests to answer questions and their response times were assessed. Results The mean kappa coefficient for individual inter-observer reliability for the diagnosis of displacement was 0.69, comparable to prior published values. For 3-member virtual reader groups, inter-observer reliability was 0.77; and for 5-member groups, it was 0.80. In the experiment studying the feasibility of amassing a reader group in real time, the mean response time was 594 minutes. For all cases, a 9-member group (theoretically 99% accurate) was amassed in 135.8 minutes or less. Conclusions Consensus may improve diagnosis. Amassing a group for this purpose on the Internet is feasible.


In this paper, plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) treatments of carbon fibers (CFs) are performed in order to induce modifications of chemical and physical properties of the CF surface aimed to improve the thermoplastic composite performance. The samples to be treated were immersed in nitrogen or air glow discharge plasma and pulsed at -3.0 kV for 2.0, 5.0, 10.0, and 15.0 min. After PIII processing, the specimens were characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Surface morphology of as-received CFs exhibited some scratches aligned along the fibers due to the fiber manufacturing process. After both treatments, these features became deeper, and also, a number of small particles nonuniformly distributed on the fiber surface can be observed. These particles are product of CF surface sputtering during the PIII treatment, which removes the epoxy layer that covers as-received samples. AFM analyses of CF samples treated with nitrogen depicted a large increase of the surface roughness (Rrms value approximately six times higher than that of the untreated sample). The increase of the roughness was also observed for samples treated by air PIII. Raman spectra of all samples presented the characteristic D- and G-bands at approximately 1355 and 1582 cm-1, respectively. Analysis of the surface chemical composition provided by the XPS showed that nitrogen and oxygen are incorporated onto the surface. The polar radicals formed on the surface lead to increasing of the CF surface energy. Both the modification of surface roughness and the surface oxidation are expected to contribute for the enhancement of CF adhesion to the polymeric matrix used for composite manufacturing.


The school environment adapted to the diversity of students is an important goal, but it is a challenge when it comes to the diversity of students with disabilities. The aim of this study was to describe the use of graphics systems in the routine of a preschool classroom through a collaborative program. The study included a teacher, 22 children of a preschool classroom in a school located in a large city in southeastern of Brazil, the mother of a child with disabilities and a special education teacher. A program of collaborative action was carried out among the researcher, the teacher and the students to insert the graphic system in the routine of educational activities for four months. The activities were recorded through a log book, filming and digital recording of interviews. The results obtained from the analysis of the themes identified that the children used the graphic system in the routine of the school tasks, the graphic system helped children in reading the words, the teacher facilitated the insertion of the graphic system from the mediation of the researcher, and the routine of educational activities planned by the teacher facilitated the insertion of the graphic system in the classroom among the students. The study reinforced the need for a training program aimed at school interlocutors to include students with disabilities.


Every year, a major cause of human disease and death worldwide is infection with the various pathogens—viruses, bacteria, fungi, and protozoa—that are intrinsic to our ecosystem. In efforts to control the prevalence of infectious disease and develop improved therapies, the scientific community has focused on building a molecular picture of pathogen infection and spread. These studies have been aimed at defining the cellular mechanisms that allow pathogen entry into hosts cells, their replication and transmission, as well as the core mechanisms of host defense against pathogens. The past two decades have demonstrated the valuable implementation of proteomic methods in all these areas of infectious disease research. Here, we provide a perspective on the contributions of mass spectrometry and other proteomics approaches to understanding the molecular details of pathogen infection. Specifically, we highlight methods used for defining the composition of viral and bacterial pathogens and the dynamic interaction with their hosts in space and time. We discuss the promise of MS-based proteomics in supporting the development of diagnostics and therapies, and the growing need for multiomics strategies for gaining a systems view of pathogen infection.


Each period of time has its own revolution, and with each revolution comes its own organisational model. We find ourselves in the 4th industrial revolution, where the internet of things connects autonomous embedded systems that live both in the virtual 'cyber' world, and in the real 'physical' world. These so-called Cyber-Physical Systems follow modern organisational models like self-management and can take proactive actions themselves. The thesis zooms in from the Cyber-Physical perspective to manufacturing systems that are both reconfigurable, autonomous, and flexible. This is achieved by developing new methods and using technologies that enable flexibility. However, efficiency has to be improved as well, e.g. by making assembly so flexible that it becomes cost-efficient to automate the production of low quantities of different products: so-called high-mix, low-volume production. The ability to automatically manufacture high-mix, low-volume production will drive the market for mass customisation, and bring about a shorter time to market. In practice, the move for flexibility will be achieved by creating new methods and tools, combining new technologies, and applied testing with simulators and newly-developed manufacturing systems. This thesis start by introducing the concept behind the manufacturing methodology, called 'Grid Manufacturing'. Grid Manufacturing takes place using autonomous entities, i.e. agents for both the equipment and the product itself. Products live in the 'cyber' world even before they are created in the 'physical' world and are aware of how they should be manufactured. They communicate and negotiate with reconfigurable manufacturing machines, called 'equiplets'. The equiplets offer generic services, e.g. pick & place, which a variety of products can use on demand by negotiating with the equiplets. This study focuses on the design and technology behind equiplets specifically and the infrastructure in general that is required to develop such a flexible and reconfigurable manufacturing system. To enable Grid Manufacturing, a whole set of technological challenges has been investigated. Where the main effort was put into the creation of automated flexibility for the manufacturing systems itself. This starts in the Chapter Object Awareness, which introduces an approach to dynamically handle and localise products by combining knowledge from different autonomous systems. The chapter is followed by Chapter Reconfiguration, which shows how products can communicate and control equiplets without being aware of the equiplet hardware configuration. The same chapter also shows how the hardware cannot just be used by a product, but can also be changed, making it possible to adapt the hardware configuration without reprogramming the system. Subsequently, in Chapter Architecture, the study focuses on combining performance and flexibility in a hybrid architecture that is used to control the 'grid' with equiplets, showing a hybrid platform made up of both a Multi-Agent System and the Robot Operating System platform for hardware control. After the architecture is established, the thesis focuses on how the architecture can be used safely, and introduces the control systems and system behaviour to be able to predict the behaviour of the equiplets. Now these fundamental systems for Grid Manufacturing have been covered it is time to continue with Chapter Validation and Utilisation, which looks from a grid perspective and shows how a grid can be used in new ways, with either a heterarchical control — in which all systems are equal — or not, when this is more efficient. The chapter also tests the grid with different simulated cases, to show that reconfiguration and the heterarchical approach can have several benefits.


Electoral clientelism and vote buying are widely perceived as major obstacles to economic development. This is because they may limit the provision of public goods. In this paper, we review the literature on clientelism and vote buying and propose the use of field experiments to evaluate empirically the consequences of these phenomena. We provide an overview, discuss implementation, and interpret the main results of recent field experiments conducted by the authors in West African countries. Clientelism and vote buying seem to be effective and to enjoy widespread electoral support. The results suggest that increased access to information and political participation by women may limit clientelism. In addition, voter education campaigns may undermine the effects of vote buying on voting behaviour. We argue that our findings may inform the design of development aid interventions, as a way effectively to increase public-good political accountability. We also discuss directions for fruitful future research. Copyright 2009, Oxford University Press.


Abstract. Microwave remote sensing is important for observing the mass of ice hydrometeors. One of the main error sources of microwave ice mass retrievals is that approximations around the shape of the particles are unavoidable. One common approach to represent particles of irregular shape is the soft particle approximation (SPA). We show that it is possible to define a SPA that mimics mean optical particles of available reference data over narrow frequency ranges, considering a single observation technique at the time, but that SPA does not work in a broader context. Most critically, the required air fraction varies with frequency and application, as well as with particle size. In addition, the air fraction matching established density parameterisations results in far too soft particles, at least for frequencies above 90 GHz. That is, alternatives to SPA must be found. One alternative was recently presented by Geer and Baordo (2014). They used a subset of the same reference data and simply selected as "shape model" the particle type giving the best overall agreement with observations. We present a way to perform the same selection of a representative particle shape but without involving assumptions on particle size distribution and actual ice mass contents. Only an assumption on the occurrence frequency of different particle shapes is still required. Our analysis leads to the same selection of representative shape as found by Geer and Baordo (2014). In addition, we show that the selected particle shape has the desired properties at higher frequencies as well as for radar applications. Finally, we demonstrate that in this context the assumption on particle shape is likely less critical when using mass equivalent diameter to characterise particle size compared to using maximum dimension, but a better understanding of the variability of size distributions is required to fully characterise the advantage. Further advancements on these subjects are presently difficult to achieve due to a lack of reference data. One main problem is that most available databases of precalculated optical properties assume completely random particle orientation, while for certain conditions a horizontal alignment is expected. In addition, the only database covering frequencies above 340 GHz has a poor representation of absorption as it is based on outdated refractive index data as well as only covering particles having a maximum dimension below 2 mm and a single temperature.


Circulating fatty acids (FAs) have an unclear relationship to insulin sensitivity. During fasting and exercise, FAs from white adipose tissue (WAT) lipolysis are delivered to peripheral tissue to meet energy needs. In obesity, excess circulating FAs are thought to drive the development of insulin resistance. Girousse et al., through a variety of in vivo and in vitro human and mouse studies, probe this relationship between WAT lipolysis to insulin sensitivity. First, using human WAT explants from subjects with a large range of BMIs and also preand post-bariatric surgery subjects, decreasing WAT lipolysis rate was associated with improving insulin sensitivity. Next, the authors identifi ed a mouse model (haploinsuffi cient hormone-sensitive lipase [HSL] mice) with reduced lipolysis rates and unchanged fat mass to explore this relationship. Using this model, HSL mice were found to have unaltered FA levels, but did have diminished FA uptake and storage in peripheral tissue. Importantly, HSL mice had improved insulin tolerance and glucose metabolism during highfat diets, where WAT, skeletal muscle, and liver in the HSL mice each had evidence of improved insulin/glucose tolerance. Probing this question by a different approach, high-fat diet–fed mice were treated for 7 days with an HSL inhibitor, resulting in improved insulin tolerance without a change in fat mass. Confi rming these fi ndings in a human model, studies using human adipocytes with HSL knockdown had decreased FA oxidation rates in conjunction with elevated insulin–stimulated glucose uptake. Taken together, these compelling data raise the question of whether partial inhibition of WAT lipolysis can be a strategy to improve insulin sensitivity. — Brian T. Layden, MD, PhD


Strategic processes in many organisations do not adequately incorporate or model the effects of quality processes. Rather, quality is treated as being part of operations as distinct from strategy. Similarly, many quality processes are introduced only at the "continuous improvement" level focusing on small-scale changes. Thus, it becomes difficult to develop and interrelate strategy and quality processes at the strategic level of inquiry. The aim of this paper is to explore the cross-mapping of strategic and quality processes to improve business strategy and Quality implementation in organisations. Using a best practice case, it is shown that quality processes must be recognised as being strategic in addition to being operationally focused. It is shown that quality processes, such as those involved in the Baldrige Model, the ISO 9000:2000 revisions, and the ISO 14000 Environmental Management System processes, can be effectively mapped into an organisation's strategic processes. The findings indicate that effective cross-mapping can lead to more grounded and effective business strategies and quality management effectiveness.


Leeds United AFC was formed in 1919 following the disbanding of Leeds City FC by the Football League. The team took over the Elland Road stadium and have won three First Division League titles, one FA Cup and one League Cup. The club also won two Inter-Cities Fairs cups. The majority of the honours were won under the management of Don Revie in the golden age of the 1960s and '70s. In Leeds United: A History, author Dave Tomlinson relates the complete and definitive history of the club from foundation to the present day. He reveals the voices of the people involved with the club, including supporters, players and former players, owners, administrators and local writers, to describe the club's history within its social context, how changes have affected the club and how developments in football itself have made an indelible impact upon both the football club and the wider community. This is a must-have for any fan of the 'Mighty Whites'.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the age of peak bone mass (PBM) in Mexican women and factors associated with both BMDa and corrected BMD (BMDcorr) at the femoral neck and the spine (L2-L4).

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Data on 461 women between 9 and 24 years old was used. An interview was performed and height and weight were measured. BMDa was measured by a densitometer and BMDcorr by the method proposed by Kröger et al. (1992).

RESULTS
PBM at the spine (L2-L4) was observed later than at the femoral neck. Both BMDa and BMDcorr at the lumbar spine correlate with age, socio-economic status, body fat percentage and height. BMDa at the femoral neck correlates with overweight and obesity, body fat percentage, height and moderate physical activity; the same variables were associated with BMDcorr except for height.

CONCLUSIONS
The method proposed by Kröger et al. was more precise at the femoral neck than at the spine.


Scientists often need to know how data was derived in addition to what it is. The detailed tracking of data transformation or provenance allows result reproducibility, knowledge reuse and data analysis. Scientific workflows are increasingly being used to represent provenance as they are capable of recording complicated processes at various levels of detail. In context of knowledge reuse and sharing; search technology is of paramount importance specially considering the huge and ever increasing amount of scientific data. It is computationally hard to produce a single exact answer to the user's query due to sheer volume and complicated structure of provenance. One solution to this difficult problem is to produce a list of candidate matches and let user select the most relevant result. Here search result presentation becomes very important as the user is required to make the final decision by looking at the workflows in the result list. Presentation of these candidate matches needs to be brief, precise, clear and revealing. This is a challenging task in case of workflows as they contain textual content as well as graphical structure. Current workflow search engines such as Yahoo Pipes! or myExperiment ignore the actual workflow specification and use metadata to create summaries. Workflows which lack metadata do not make good summaries even if they are useful and relevant as search criteria. This work investigates the possibility of creating meaningful and usable summaries or snippets based on structure and specification of workflows. We shall (1) present relevant published work done regarding snippet building techniques (2) explain how we mapped current techniques to our work (3) describe how we identified techniques from interface design theory in order to make usable graphical interface (4) present implementation of two new algorithms for workflow graph compression and their complexity analysis (5) identify future work in our implementation and outline open research problems in snippet building field.


Background Incidence of syphilis has been rising in recent years and disproportionately affects young adults, racial/ethnic minority men, and people living with HIV. This study describes patterns of syphilis infection and syphilis-related care utilization among adolescents and young adults living with HIV (AYALH) in Philadelphia. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of AYALH receiving care at an adolescent-specialty clinic who received a syphilis test and/or benzathine penicillin for syphilis treatment from 2011 to 2018 (N = 335). Syphilis incidence rates were calculated by baseline demographic characteristics and by calendar year. Recurrent survival analysis was used to explore how demographic and neighborhood-level factors were associated with incident syphilis and syphilis-related care utilization. Results Syphilis-related care was provided 145 times and there were 109 episodes of confirmed syphilis among 83 unique participants between 2011 and 2018. The overall syphilis incidence rate was 13.50 (95% CI: 10.9–16.5) cases per hundred person-years. Participants assigned male sex at birth had higher hazards of infection (HR: 6.12, 95% CI: 1.53–24.48), while older participants (HR: 0.64, 95% CI: 0.58–0.72) and those living further from the clinic had lower hazards of infection (HR: 0.97, 95% CI: 0.94–1.00). Race, insurance status, neighborhood diversity index, and neighborhood social disadvantage index were not associated with hazard of infection or syphilis-related care utilization. Conclusions Our study found high incidence of syphilis infection among a cohort of AYALH. Integrating comprehensive sexually transmitted infection prevention services into HIV care and improving syphilis prevention services in communities with high syphilis rates should be a priority in future intervention work.


Objectives: In this study, we present our surgical experience for carotid body tumors (CBT), which are rare neoplasms arising from the paraganglion cells. Patients and methods: Between January 2000 and December 2009, a total of 12 patients with CBT (4 males, 8 females; mean age 50.3±8.4 years; range, 35 to 70 years) who underwent surgical excision in our clinic were retrospectively analyzed. Magnetic resonance imaging was used for the diagnosis. The patients were evaluated in terms of clinical and operative parameters, and postoperative complications. Results: The mean follow-up was 7.5 years. One of the patients was operated bilaterally after two years. Three patients underwent endovascular embolization before surgery. As our standard procedure, the tumor was dissected from the carotid artery subadventitially, while three patients underwent internal carotid artery (ICA) revascularization due to ICA invasion. The external carotid artery (ECA) was also ligated in three patients. Lymph node dissection was performed in two patients. However, pathology result was reported as a reactive lymph node. None of the patients received radiotherapy. Left hemiplegia occurred in one patient after surgery, and the same patient died at the third year due to a non-surgical cause. No recurrences or major complications were seen during follow-up of other patients. Conclusion: The definitive treatment of KCTs which are clinically considered malignant due to their localization is surgical excision. The ICA and ECA ligation may be required in the advanced stages of tumors. However, ICA revascularization has a vital importance in these patients. In addition, utmost meticulousness is required to avoid nerve and vessel injuries during surgery. Although recurrent lesions have been reported in these patients, long-term results are satisfactory.


Background: High prevalence of risky behaviors in alcohol dependents have been shown in several studies, but correlation between alcohol abuse and risky behaviors and relapse in patients with opiate dependence has been less investigated. This study aimed to determine the effect of alcohol abuse in rate of risk-taking behaviors in opiate dependents patients treated on maintenance program in North Khorasan addiction rehabilitation clinics in northeastern of Iran.
Methods: We conducted a cross sectional survey of patients sampled from North khorasan addiction rehabilitation clinics database. Data was collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire, which included the alcohol abuse self-report and risk-taking behaviors checklist and socio-demographic and substance use characteristics. Chi-square test was used for comparison of results.  Statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS 22 software. Differences were considered significant at P<0.05.
Results: We interviewed 7133 patients (82.5% were men). The median age was 32.4 years. 953 patients (13.4%) had a history of risk-taking behavior in last year. Risk-taking behavior in patients with alcohol abuse was significantly higher compared with patients without history of alcohol abuse (49.7% vs. 12.3 %, P < 0.001). History of being in jail in last year was significantly higher in alcohol abusers compared to non-abuser group (12.7% vs. 5.1% P<0.05). The prevalence of risk-taking behaviors in patients with opium dependence was 9.6%, with heroin dependence was 35.9% and in subjects with concomitant use of heroin and methamphetamine was 54.6%.
Conclusion: Alcohol abuse among patients undergoing MMT is associated with an increased rate of risky behaviors. Moreover, risky behaviors were significantly correlated with type of substance abused. Concurrent treatment of alcohol-related problems including systematic monitoring of alcohol use is recommended to reduce the risk for relapse into illicit drug use and improve harm reduction program.