Health-care providers are at major high-risk for contracting blood-borne infections during the discharge of their duties. Universal precautions framed into daily operation procedures at health-care facilities will probably increase percentage of compliance, which will transit to minimal occurrence of infection(s). This study aimed at assessing information, motivation and behavioural skills of nurses as predictors of utilization of universal precautions among nurses in health facilities in Sagamu, Ogun state, Nigeria. A cross sectional design was adopted for this study, and all-inclusive sampling technique was used to enroll two hundred and nine qualified nurses from the total population of nurses from health facilities in the study location. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire consisting of 41-items on demographic characteristics, information on universal precautions, motivation towards utilization of universal precautions, behavioural-skills to utilize universal precautions and adherence practice of universal precautions. Frequency, correlation and regression analysis were conducted to give statistical responses to the research question and hypothesis using the SPSS v21. The mean age of participants was 38.09 ± 10.47years. The females (93.3%) were more than males (6.7%). Majority (80.4%) of the participants were Yorubas while 14.4%, 0.5% were Igbos and Hausas respectively and 4.8% belonged to the other ethnic groups. Although 66.0% of the participants were married, 26.6%, 2.4%, 4.8% and 0.5% were single, separated, widowed and divorced respectively. The least qualification of participants was Registered Nurses (23.4%) and the highest qualification was Master's Degree in nursing (1.9%). The highest occupational level of participants was Director of Nursing Services (0.5%) while the least was Nursing Officers I (27.8%). Among participants, 24.9% had worked less than 5years and 13.9% had practiced nursing more than 25years.Participants had a mean score of 10.31± 2.09 in level of information on utilization of universal precautions measured on a 13-point rating scale, 31.93±5.12 in level of motivation to utilize universal precautions measured on a 45-point rating scale, 12.44±2.06 in level of behavioural-skills to utilize universal precautions measured on a 15-point rating scale and 9.86±2.62 in level of adherence practice of universal precautions measured on a 15-point rating scale. The relationship between information and adherence was insignificant (R=0.068; R 2 =0.005; P>0.05). There was a relationship between motivation and adherence practice of universal precautions (R=0.274; R 2 =0.075; P˂0.05), and behavioural-skills predicted the adherence practice of universal precautions (R=0.563; R 2 =0.317; P˂0.000). Adherence practice of universal precaution was common among nurses with more years (20-25years) of working experience (11.83; 95% CI: 10.66-12.99). In conclusion the study addressed various issues on non-compliance to universal precautions among nurses. It is recommended that activities should be geared towards improving the behavioural-skills of the nurses. Training and retraining will improve the nurses' knowledge through adequate information on safe handling of all equipment, and necessary provision of kits to utilize universal precautions.


Spatial sampling is traditionally studied in a static setting where static sensors scattered around space take measurements of the spatial field at their locations. In this paper, we study the emerging paradigm of sampling and reconstructing spatial fields using sensors that move through space. We show that mobile sensing offers some unique advantages over static sensing in sensing bandlimited spatial fields. Since a moving sensor encounters such a spatial field along its path as a time-domain signal, a time-domain anti-aliasing filter can be employed prior to sampling the signal received at the sensor. Such a filtering procedure, when used by a configuration of sensors moving at constant speeds along equispaced parallel lines, leads to a complete suppression of spatial aliasing in the direction of motion of the sensors. We analytically quantify the advantage of using such a sampling scheme over a static sampling scheme by computing the reduction in sampling noise due to the filter. We also analyze the effects of nonuniform sensor speeds on the reconstruction accuracy. Using simulation examples, we demonstrate the advantages of mobile sampling over static sampling in practical problems. We extend our analysis to sampling and reconstruction schemes for monitoring time-varying bandlimited fields using mobile sensors. We demonstrate that in some situations we require a lower density of sensors when using a mobile sensing scheme instead of the conventional static sensing scheme. The exact advantage is quantified for a problem of sampling and reconstructing an audio field.


Nowadays, the unprecedented increase in road traffic congestion has led to severe consequences on individuals, economy and environment, especially in urban areas in most of big cities worldwide. The most critical among the above consequences is the delay of emergency vehicles, such as ambulances and police cars, leading to increased deaths on roads and substantial financial losses. To alleviate the impact of this problem, we design an advanced adaptive traffic control system that enables faster emergency services response in smart cities while maintaining a minimal increase in congestion level around the route of the emergency vehicle. This can be achieved with a Traffic Management System (TMS) capable of implementing changes to the road network's control and driving policies following an appropriate and well-tuned adaptation strategy. This latter is determined based on the severity of the emergency situation and current traffic conditions estimated using a fuzzy logic-based scheme. The obtained simulation results, using a set of typical road networks, have demonstrated the effectiveness of our approach in terms of the significant reduction of emergency vehicles' response time and the negligible disruption caused to the non-emergency vehicles travelling on the same road network.


Abstract:This article examines religion, violence, and westward migration in early national and antebellum America. In treating the Mountain Meadows Massacre of 1857, the authors demonstrate how recognition of religion enriches understanding of the event and its roots in culture and geography. Close attention to and careful interpretation of the lives of the leaders of Methodist migrants (who were killed at Mountain Meadows) and the local Mormon militia (who did the killing) yield vitally connected strands of personal and spiritual history. Placing both men in their religious communities and probing their family strategies reveals how much they had in common. These shared beliefs and practices affected Mormons'and Methodists' understanding of the meaning of migration, as well as the role and nature of the Kingdom of God in American expansion. The approach taken here takes a panoramic view of the fatal convergence in southern Utah, and integrates religious history with scholarship on empire, slavery, patriarchy, Native dispossession, westward migration, and their reverberations in history. In light of these overlapping beliefs and histories, the massacre is revealed as more intimate, a fratricide among white men who imagined that their religious identities were locked in fatal conflict, but many of whose basic assumptions were shared. This article also engages with the challenges presented by an incomplete archive (all records of the train were lost – likely destroyed by the perpetrators), and the rewards as well as perils of using family histories and survivors' accounts, as well as more traditional archival materials.


new unpublished material. We encourage our readers to submit poetry or songs for consideration, either their own material or work by other authors. Poems may be submitted to Anders G.J. Rhodin at Chelonian Research Foundation, E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com. Our desire is to share with our readers the beauty and wonder of turtles as expressed through the art of the poem or song. In the sense that the relationship between man and turtles is multifaceted, so too is turtle poetry. The poems we publish here will reflect that complexity, from poems of pure admiration for the creatures themselves to others reflecting the utilization of turtles and their products. Some poems will reflect man's use of the turtle for sustenance, others will stress man's need to preserve and protect turtles. Some will deal with our emotional interactions with turtles, others will treat turtles light-heartedly or with seeming disrespect, but all will hopefully help us to better understand both the human and the chelonian condition and remind us that the turtle holds a sacred place in all our hearts.


Rehabilitation robots have become important tools in stroke rehabilitation. Compared to manual arm training, robot-supported training can be more intensive, of longer duration and more repetitive. Therefore, robots have the potential to improve the rehabilitation process in stroke patients. Whereas a majority of previous work in upper limb rehabilitation robotics has focused on end-effector-based robots, a shift towards exoskeleton robots is taking place because they offer a better guidance of the human arm, especially for movements with a large range of motion. However, the implementation of an exoskeleton device introduces the challenge of reproducing the motion of the human shoulder, which is one of the most complex joints of the body. Thus, this paper starts with describing a simplified model of the human shoulder. On the basis of that model, a new ergonomic shoulder actuation principle that provides motion of the humerus head is proposed, and its implementation in the ARMin III arm therapy robot is described. The focus lies on the mechanics and actuation principle. The ARMin III robot provides three actuated degrees of freedom for the shoulder and one for the elbow joint. An additional module provides actuated lower arm pro/supination and wrist flexion/extension. Five ARMin III devices have been manufactured and they are currently undergoing clinical evaluation in hospitals in Switzerland and in the United States.


Arthur Miller, best known for his works "The Crucible and Death of a Salesman", is one of America's most important dramatists. "Critical Companion to Arthur Miller" provides a reliable, up-to-date, and encyclopedic source of information on Miller for high school and college-level students, teachers, and the general public. This accessible volume covers his entire canon, including plays, screenplays, fiction, short stories, and poetry, as well as many of his important essays and critical pieces. Also included are detailed entries on literary, theatrical, and personal figures important to Miller; key terms and topics connected to his work; and various theatrical companies and places with which he has been associated. Coverage includes: A concise but comprehensive biography of Miller; Synopses and critical assessments of Miller's major and minor works; Descriptions of Miller's characters, from Willy Loman to John Proctor; Entries on people, places, and topics important to Miller's life and work, including Brooklyn, democracy, Elia Kazan, and Marilyn Monroe; and, Helpful bibliographies and a chronology of Miller's life.


This article examines joint development as a value capture strategy for funding public transportation. We start from the concept of joint development, its rationale, a brief history, and the extent of its use. Joint development projects in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tokyo, and Thailand are profiled, as well as domestic examples in Washington, DC, New York, NY, and Portland, OR, etc. Then we provide a framework to classify joint development models by ownerships (public or private) and by types of transaction (real property or development rights). Next, joint development is evaluated along four revenue criteria including efficiency, equity, sustainability and feasibility. Finally, we summarize the advantages and disadvantages of joint development as a transportation finance strategy, and provide recommendations for policy consideration or implementation.


In "Hume and Julius Caesar," G.E.M. Anscombe argues that some historical claims, such as "Julius Caesar was assassinated," serve as touchstones for historical knowledge. Only Cartesian doubt can call them into question. I examine her reasons for thinking that the discipline of history must be grounded in claims that it is powerless to discredit. I argue that she is right to recognize that some historical claims are harder to dislodge than others, but wrong to contend that any are invulnerable to non-Cartesian doubt.


As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more powerful and widespread, the AI alignment problem - how to ensure that AI systems pursue the goals that we want them to pursue - has garnered growing attention. This article distinguishes two types of alignment problems depending on whose goals we consider, and analyzes the different solutions necessitated by each. The direct alignment problem considers whether an AI system accomplishes the goals of the entity operating it. In contrast, the social alignment problem considers the effects of an AI system on larger groups or on society more broadly. In particular, it also considers whether the system imposes externalities on others. Whereas solutions to the direct alignment problem center around more robust implementation, social alignment problems typically arise because of conflicts between individual and group-level goals, elevating the importance of AI governance to mediate such conflicts. Addressing the social alignment problem requires both enforcing existing norms on their developers and operators and designing new norms that apply directly to AI systems.


A comprehensive carbon budget was constructed to quantify carbon flows through the freshwater‐marine continuum of a temperate, microtidal estuary. We performed coordinated measurements of dissolved inorganic carbon and total organic carbon fluxes to resolve spatial variability between and along the channel and shoals and diel variability across the entire estuary for 2 yr. Net ecosystem metabolism (NEM) was the most significant control on carbon flow within estuary regions. However, metabolic rates were spatially coupled such that counteracting fluxes across the channel‐shoal gradient or along the river‐ocean gradient resulted in system‐wide NEM that was closely in balance (–3.0 ± 3.3 to 1.1 ± 4.4 molC m−2 yr−1). Similarly, large diel and seasonal variability in air–water CO2 fluxes were observed during 72 spatial surveys, but these short‐term variations generally cancelled out when aggregated to annual budget terms. Although atmospheric exchanges were small (–0.2 ± 0.1 to 2.0 ± 0.4 molC m−2 yr−1), they were subject to large errors (± 4 molC m−2 yr−1) if diel variability was neglected. Internal mechanisms that maintained balanced carbon flows were strongly impacted by river discharge and were only apparent by separately quantifying channel and shoal fluxes. Notably, metabolic responses of the shoal to river forcing outweighed the responses of the channel, and the net impact was contrary to prior relationships derived from synthesis of lower‐resolution carbon budgets. Our budget demonstrates that resolution of carbon fluxes at appropriate scales, including channel‐shoal and diel variability, is critical to characterizing ecosystem function and the fate of carbon within the river‐ocean continuum.


The Messinian salinity crisis (MSC) is characterized by gigantic erosion that remodels the margins while a thick, essentially evaporitic and detrital, sedimentary sequence forms in the deep basins. Based on recent (MAURESC, 2003) and earlier (MESEA 1, 1990; MAGIRAA, 1996; GEOBREST, 2002) seismic reflection data, this work brings to light the record of the MSC on the Provencal margin, which has until now been rarely explored from this perspective. Beyond its strictly regional interest, this study fits into a larger synthesis of MSC seismic markers in the Mediterranean and Black Sea marine domain [Lofi et al., 2011] and employs the new nomenclature established on this occasion. The results obtained reveal a Messinian detrital body (CU unit) of 625 metres maximum thickness at the foot of the margin, accumulating at the mouths of the principal canyons. Its form, facies and extension assimilate it to clastic fans, fed by subaerial erosion linked to the MSC. The relative geometry of CU and the Messinian units MU and UU deposited in the deep basin give indications to their chronostratigraphic relations. The deposition of the CU unit is posterior to the basal part of the mobile unit consisting of halite (MU), but contemporary to its top. These results agree with the recent scenarii, which propose that the precipitation of MU in the basin began early, during the lowering of the sea level, and ended at a low level during the MSC [Blanc, 2000; Martin et al., 2001; Sage et al., 2005; Ryan, 2009]. The UU unit surmounts MU and is subdivided into two sub-units with perceptibly different seismic facies : UU1 at the base and UU2 at the summit. UU1 could correspond to a unit containing more halite and/or more clastic material than UU2. The UU1 sub-unit could be partially contemporary to the CU unit. Concerning salt tectonics and its markers, three structural provinces have been evidenced in the sector of study, respectively : an upslope domain in extension (normal faults), an intermediary domain in translation (tabular MU) and a downslope domain in contraction (salt diapirs). These domains are directly linked to the gravity spreading and/or gliding of the brittle sedimentary cover formed by the CU, UU and Plio-Quatenary units and of the mobile level, MU. In the study area, a close relation between the distribution and thickness of CU and salt tectonics has additionally been evidenced at the mouths of the large Messinian canyons, being best expressed where CU is thick.


Modern vernacular comedy took shape in early sixteenth-century Italy with the many plays adapted from and modeled on Plautine New Comedy. As Jackson I. Cope demonstrates in this study, some Italian dramatists reacted to the widespread success of this genre with a counterparadigm, a comedy that exploits secrecy as form. In both historically and critically engaging fashion, Cope identifies and examines this major development in Italian theater. Though outwardly similar to New Comedy with its characteristically harmonious closure, this essentially anti-Plautine form employs a secret - known by the audience but unequally shared among the players - to introduce a radical discrepancy between simultaneous stories unfolding in a single action doubly understood. The result is a plot that is misleading at the surface, contingent and unfinished at its end. The audience, in a position of enforced collusion with regard to the secret, becomes a formal ingredient in the production.The play, more cynical than carnivalesque, opens onto vistas of disruption and deception rather than closing on a note of renewed social harmony. Cope's close and original readings of both classic and lesser-known plays by Machiavelli, Ruzante, Cecchi, Grazzini, Fagiuoli, Maggi, and others follow this peculiarly Italian, anti-Plautine paradigm through variations across three centuries to its masterful and complex culmination in Carlo Goldoni's villeggiatura trilogy. Establishing a new comedic canon that demands a revision of Italian dramatic history and the history of European dramatic theory, "Secret Sharers in Italian Comedy" makes an important contribution to Italian studies and will also attract readers among theater scholars in English, comparative literature, and drama.


Over the last decade, due to the rapid developments in information technology (IT), a new breed of information systems has appeared such as geographic information systems that introduced new challenges for researchers, developers and users. One of its applications is the car navigation system, which allows drivers to receive navigation instructions without taking their eyes off the road. Using a Global Positioning System (GPS) in the car navigation system enables the driver to perform a wide range of queries, from locating the car position, to finding a route from a source to a destination, or dynamically selecting the best route in real time. Several types of spatial queries (e.g., nearest neighbour - NN, K nearest neighbours - KNN, continuous k nearest neighbours - CKNN, reverse nearest neighbour - RNN) have been proposed and studied in the context of spatial databases. With spatial network databases (SNDB), objects are restricted to move on pre-defined paths (e.g., roads) that are specified by an underlying network. In our previous work, we proposed a novel approach, termed Progressive Incremental Network Expansion (PINE), to efficiently support NN and KNN queries. In this work, we utilize our developed PINE system to efficiently support other spatial queries such as CKNN. The continuous K nearest neighbour (CKNN) query is an important type of query that finds continuously the K nearest objects to a query point on a given path. We focus on moving queries issued on stationary objects in Spatial Network Database (SNDB) (e.g., continuously report the five nearest gas stations while I am driving.) The result of this type of query is a set of intervals (defined by split points) and their corresponding KNNs. This means that the KNN of an object travelling on one interval of the path remains the same all through that interval, until it reaches a split point where its KNNs change. Existing methods for CKNN are based on Euclidean distances. In this paper we propose a new algorithm for answering CKNN in SNDB where the important measure for the shortest path is network distances rather than Euclidean distances. Our solution addresses a new type of query that is plausible to many applications where the answer to the query not only depends on the distances of the nearest neighbours, but also on the user or application need. By distinguishing between two types of split points, we reduce the number of computations to retrieve the continuous KNN of a moving object. We compared our algorithm with CKNN based on VN 3 using IE (Intersection Examination). Our experiments show that our approach has better response time than approaches that are based on IE, and requires fewer shortest distance computations and KNN queries.


We present a technique for automatically verifying cryptographic protocols specified in the mainstream specification language CAPSL. Our work is based on model checking multi-agent systems against properties given in AI logics. We present PC2IS, a compiler from CAPSL to ISPL, the input language of MCMAS, a symbolic model checker for MAS. The technique also reduces automatically the state space to be considered by the model checker, thereby maximising the number of protocols and sessions that can be verified. We evaluate the technique on protocols in the Clark-Jacobs library against custom secrecy and authentication requirements as well as against more advanced properties that are expressible in this epistemic-based approach.


Dark tourism is the act of travel and visitation to sites, attractions and exhibitions that (re)present death, disaster or the seemingly macabre. The phenomenon has received increasing media and academic attention, especially within the context of consumer behaviour at such 'dark sites', and the potential relationship of dark tourism with wider notions of death and dying. This paper examines the relationship between dark tourism consumption and mortality within contemporary society. Adopting a conceptual framework as proposed by Stone and Sharpley (2008), dark tourism and its relationship with contemporary mortality are explored, and in doing so, particular consequences for individuals' ontological security and personal meaningfulness are highlighted. The role of education and the notion of memorial, as well as media influences, are considered within dark tourism consumption. Moreover, the paper suggests particular motivators may exist for 'dark tourists', including, but not limited to, mortality contemplation. Ultimately, however, the paper suggests that wider ontological and thanatological themes may be consequential to a 'dark tourism' visit, rather than being a primary motivating factor. Key words: Dark Tourism, Thanatourism, Death, Society, Thanatology, Ontological Security.


1. Discrete muscular sphincters have been discovered on the hepatic veins of elasmobranch fishes. Their anatomy has been studied by gross dissection and by histological techniques. Their functional significance has been assessed by application of drugs to excised sphincters and by measurements of intravascular pressures in free-swimming fishes by means of chronically indwelling catheters.

2. Topical application of acetylcholine caused contraction of the sphincters and adrenaline facilitated relaxation.

3. Pressure measurements disclosed that the hepatic venous pressures in general exceed those in the central systemic veins, thus indicating partial or complete closure of the hepatic vein sphincters. The hepatic vein pressures showed spontaneous phasic changes reflecting closure and opening of the sphincters.

4. It is suggested that hepatic vein sphincters are of particular significance in elasmobranchs since negative pressures prevail in the sinus venosus and central venous sinuses, exerting suctional attraction for venous blood. A sphincteric release of hepatic blood provides a structural basis for delicate adjustments of the volume and transit time of blood in the liver and for mobilization of blood stored in the liver at times of increased demand on cardiac output.

5. The findings are discussed in relation to general mechanics of venous return in fishes and are compared with studies of hepatic vascular sphincters in other vertebrates.

Supported by grant GB-4038 from the National Science Foundation and grant GM-1194-02 from the U.S. Public Health Service. This work was done during the tenure of an Established Investigatorship of the American HeartAssociation and supported by the Northeastern Chapter of the Washington State Heart Association.


Today's smart-grids have seen a clear rise in new ways of energy generation, transmission, and storage. This has not only introduced a huge degree of variability, but also a continual shift away from traditionally centralized generation and storage to distributed energy resources (DERs). In addition, the distributed sensors, energy generators and storage devices, and networking have led to a huge increase in attack vectors that make the grid vulnerable to a variety of attacks. The interconnection between computational and physical components through a largely open, IP-based communication network enables an attacker to cause physical damage through remote cyber-attacks or attack on software-controlled grid operations via physical- or cyber-attacks. Transactive Energy (TE) is an emerging approach for managing increasing DERs in the smart-grids through economic and control techniques. Transactive Smart-Grids use the TE approach to improve grid reliability and efficiency. However, skepticism remains in their full-scale viability for ensuring grid reliability. In addition, different TE approaches, in specific situations, can lead to very different outcomes in grid operations. In this paper, we present a comprehensive web-based platform for evaluating resilience of smart-grids against a variety of cyber- and physical-attacks and evaluating impact of various TE approaches on grid performance. We also provide several case-studies demonstrating evaluation of TE approaches as well as grid resilience against cyber and physical attacks.


Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is one of the most aggressive human cancers. It displays many different chromosomal abnormalities and mutations. By using 244 K high‐resolution array‐comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) we studied the genome alterations of 39 fine‐needle aspirations from pancreatic adenocarcinoma and eight human adenocarcinoma pancreatic cell lines. Using both visual inspection and GISTIC analysis, recurrent losses were observed on 1p, 3p, 4p, 6, 8p, 9, 10, 11q, 15q, 17, 18, 19p, 20p, 21, and 22 and comprised several known or suspected tumor suppressor genes such as ARHGEF10, ARID1A, CDKN2A/B, FHIT, PTEN, RB1, RUNX1‐3, SMAD4, STK11/LKB1, TP53, and TUSC3. Heterozygous deletion of the 1p35‐p36 chromosomal region was identified in one‐third of the tumors and three of the cell lines. This region, commonly deleted in human cancers, contains several tumor suppressor genes including ARID1A and RUNX3. We identified frequent genetic gains on chromosome arms 1q, 3q, 5p, 6p, 7q, 8q, 12q, 15q, 18q, 19q, and 20q. Amplifications were observed in 16 tumors. AKT2, CCND3, CDK4, FOXA2, GATA6, MDM2, MYC, and SMURF1 genes were gained or amplified. The most obvious amplification was located at 18q11.2 and targeted the GATA6 gene, which plays a predominant role in the initial specification of the pancreas and in pancreatic cell type differentiation. In conclusion, we have identified novel biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets in pancreatic adenocarcinoma. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


In
this project, CNN has been applied as a training tool to process image
classification and object avoidance on remote robotic cars built with the Nvidia Jetson Nano developer kit. The kit was programmed using the wireless programming
environment, Jupyter notebook. In addition, two different CNN models have been applied to
analyze the output result performance. The main purpose is to
train the robot to identify objects and improve its accuracy. The recognition
and accuracy rate under different conditions can be observed by comparing the
two models with different graphic inputs conditions. This project adopts the
pre-train model for real time
demonstrations and can be executed in a cloudless environment (without networks
involved). As a result, the robot can achieve a high accuracy rate in both CNN
models output result performance. Moreover, the pre train model can execute in
local service to accomplish cloudless.


PINCHLENI is a software for energy integration of industrial processes based on Pinch Analysis. The software in version 2.0 allows: - the visualisation of the composite curves and the grand composite curve - the choice of the optimal pinch based on economic or exergetic criteria - the design of heat exchanger networks - the integration of power units (engines and heat pumps) - the establishment of a global exergy balance and a graphic representation of exergy factors - the analysis of batch processes, drawing of the composite curves for each time slice, choice of storages. Initially developed for Macintosh, the PINCHLENI version 2.0 software is now available on PC computers running Windows in french, german or english version with an installation manuel and a user guide. The PINCHLENI version 2.0 software will be sold CHF 1600.- for industrial companies and CHF 500.- for universities by: Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne Laboratoire d'Energetique Industrielle (DGM) 1015 Lausanne tel: (021) 693 35 06 fax: (021) 693 35 02 email: email@example.com


Objective: To determine some aspects of patient's satisfaction of pharmaceutical services provided by the community pharmacist. To assess consumer's attitude towards the services provided in the community pharmacy. Methods: An anonymous pre-piloted questionnaire-based study was conducted in the various Emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Data were analyzed using SPSS and results were expressed as frequency and percentage of respondents. Results: The response rate was 93.8% with more female than male respondents. The majority of participants were Arabs (80.5%) of young age and with no medical background. Slightly more than half of the respondents (198, 52.8%) visited the pharmacy to collect prescriptions, and 50.5% of them were able to collect the prescriptions straight away. Only 31.7% of respondents visited the pharmacy to purchase items and of these group 289 (77.1%) were satisfied with the pharmacist's help. When asked to describe their usual pharmacist, "experienced," "trustworthy," and "confident" were the descriptions given by 27.7%, 22.9%, and 67.9% respondents, respectively. The majority (74.1%) of respondents agreed that the pharmacist delivers their medicines in a polite way, and 43.7% agreed that the instructions were clearly labeled by the pharmacist on each medication and 24.5% agreed that the pharmacists provided them with information on drug storage. About 38.4% agreed that the place of pharmaceutical counseling respects their privacy. Conclusion: Results of the present study showed a general patient's satisfaction of the help provided by the community pharmacist. However, the pharmacist needs to fully practice his/her role to the advantage of the patients and the latter needs to be aware of what to expect and demand from the community pharmacist.


This thesis evaluates the claim that the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games were a "Green Olympics". Beijing was under intense international pressure to address the desperate state of the environment in preparation for the Games. Along with various human rights issues, China's environmental crisis was a primary source of the criticism that Beijing endured in the western media in 2008. The Chinese media reporting gave the opposite evaluation, that the Green Olympics were a great success. Part One investigates prevailing theories of sustainable development in China and reconciles them into a single model, called the Green Path. Despite the polemics in the media, Chinese activists and officials tend to agree with Western experts about the challenges that China faces on the path to sustainable development, and the actions necessary to overcome them. The consensus is that green technology and investment alone is not enough to rescue China from environmental crisis. Without actual political, economic, and cultural transformation, China is destined to continue its environmentally destructive behavior until the tipping point. Part Two compares the concrete actions taken in preparation for the Green Olympics to the criteria of the Green Path. The issue of water supply is used to exemplify the approach to sustainability that Beijing took and the shortcomings of the existing environmental evaluations of the Games. Although the campaigns and major projects were the most obvious green actions, there were also some substantive structural reforms as described in the Green Path theory. The 2008 Beijing Olympics were an important expedient of the positive transformation to the Green Path for China. By drawing international attention to the environmental practices of the capital city, the Olympics forced China to take measurable action within a given time-frame. Most of this action was in relative compliance with the Green Path agreed upon by the experts. It is impossible, however, to declare China or the Olympics sustainable or unsustainable. Sustainability is ultimately not a destination, but in the process itself. The 2008 Olympic Games prove that China is working hard to realize the way.


From Peter Pan to Harry Potter, from David Copperfield to levitating toys, there is magic in conquering gravity. In this first-ever popular introduction to "maglev"-- the use of magnetic forces to overcome gravity and friction--James D. Livingston takes lay readers on a journey of discovery, from basic concepts to today's most thrilling applications. The tour begins with examples of our historical fascination with levitation, both real and fake. At the next stop, Livingston introduces readers to the components of maglev: gravitational and magnetic forces in the universe, force fields, diamagnetism and stabilization, superdiamagnetism and supercurrents, maglev nanotechnology, and more. He explores the development of the superconductors that are making large-scale levitation devices possible, and the use of magnetic bearings in products ranging from implanted blood pumps to wind turbines, integrated circuit fabrication, and centrifuges to enrich uranium. In the last chapters, we arrive at the science behind maglev transportation systems, such as Chinese trains that travel 250 miles per hour without touching the tracks. Packed with fascinating anecdotes about the colorful personalities who have "fought friction by fighting gravity," the book maintains accuracy throughout while it entertains and informs technical and nontechnical readers alike. With so many new applications for magnetic levitation on the horizon, Rising Force is sure to retain its own magic for years to come.


The utilization of biomaterials as novel carrier materials for lipase immobilization has been investigated by many research groups over recent years. Biomaterials such as agarose, starch, chitin, chitosan, cellulose, and their derivatives have been extensively studied since they are non-toxic materials, can be obtained from a wide range of sources and are easy to modify, due to the high variety of functional groups on their surfaces. However, although many lipases have been immobilized on biomaterials and have shown potential for application in biocatalysis, special features are required when the biocatalyst is used in non-conventional media, for example, in organic solvents, which are required for most reactions in organic synthesis. In this article, we discuss the use of biomaterials for lipase immobilization, highlighting recent developments in the synthesis and functionalization of biomaterials using different methods. Examples of effective strategies designed to result in improved activity and stability and drawbacks of the different immobilization protocols are discussed. Furthermore, the versatility of different biocatalysts for the production of compounds of interest in organic synthesis is also described.


Immunocontraception, or contraception mediated by the immune system, is being widely studied as an alternative, humane form of population control. The induction of an immune response against a specific component of the mammalian oocyte, termed zona pellucida (ZP) has been shown to be an effective immunocontraceptive in several species. Comparatively little work has been done investigating the use of ZP antigens in the domestic cat. This study aimed to investigate porcine ZP(B+C) and feline ZPA, B and C as immunogens in the domestic cat, and further to elucidate their effects on reproduction. Immunisation of female cats with porcine ZP(B+C) failed to elicit a detectable antibody response as assessed by ELISA, immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry. Additionally, there was no effect on the structure of the ovaries nor on breeding performance. Feline ZPA, B and C were cloned into the pkCMVint.polyli mammalian expression vector and used to immunise female cats. ELISA revealed that immunisation with either pkCMVint.fZP(B+C) or pkCMVint.fZPA DNA (Treated) resulted in a low-level circulating antibody response, which was apparently short-lived. Immunoblotting did not reveal any common pattern of recognition of antigenic polypeptides between responding animals. Ovaries from fZP Treated animals, however, showed antibody binding specifically on the ZP of follicles from late primary / early secondary, through to antral stages. Despite the antibody binding, the overall structure of the ovaries remained unaffected in all but two of the fZP Treated cats. Two fZPA immunised cats exhibited ovaries that had no recognisable follicular structures, however, the observed abnormalities could not be conclusively linked to fZPA immunisation. Overall, a significant lymphoproliferative response was shown in fZP Treated cats when compared with Controls. Fertility was not significantly affected in fZP Treated cats, although there was a tendency towards increased incidence of unsuccessful matings or pregnancies. The fZP DNA preparations studied here exhibit potential as an immunocontraceptive, with the ability to generate a lymphoproliferative response against fZP and elicit antibodies specifically recognizing fZP in situ. Further studies should continue to investigate the immunogenicity of, and characterise the immune response against, such fZP DNA preparations.


A recent analysis of magic tricks suggests the existence of a perceptual illusion where the space hidden behind an occluding object is experienced as empty in a strangely compelling way. Here, we show that this illusion of absence is not just a trivial consequence of the lack of retinal stimulation but rather the result of an active process of perceptual construction. The results of a simple experiment show that this perceptual illusion of absence can in turn trigger perceptual processes which generate an immediate perceptual impression of levitation via a percept–percept coupling. This suggests that magical illusions of levitation are partially driven by an immediate perceptual impression of floating in thin air. The perceptual mechanisms underlying the illusion of absence are hitherto unknown, but our results provide support for a potential explanation based on the generic view principle.


Background Like other medical specialties, psychiatry has traditionally sought to develop treatments targeted at ameliorating a deficit of the patient. However, there are different therapeutic models that focus on utilising patients' personal and social resources instead of ameliorating presumed deficits. A synopsis of such models might help to guide further research and improve therapeutic interventions. Aims To conduct a conceptual review of resource-oriented therapeutic models in psychiatry, in order to identify their shared characteristics. Method The literature was searched to identify a range of resource-oriented therapeutic models, particularly for patients with severe mental illness. Key texts for each model were analysed using a narrative approach to synthesise the concepts and their characteristics. Results Ten models were included: befriending, client-centred therapy, creative music therapy, open dialogue, peer support workers, positive psychotherapy, self-help groups, solution-focused therapy, systemic family therapy and therapeutic communities. Six types of resources were utilised: social relationships, patients' decision-making ability, experiential knowledge, patients' individual strengths, recreational activities and self-actualising tendencies. Social relationships are a key resource in all the models, including relationships with professionals, peers, friends and family. Two relationship dimensions – reciprocity and expertise – differed across the models. Conclusions The review suggests that a range of different therapeutic models in psychiatry address resources rather than deficits. In various ways, they all utilise social relationships to induce therapeutic change. A better understanding of how social relationships affect mental health may inform the development and application of resource-oriented approaches.


The Defence Forces (DF) has gone through a decade and a half of unprecedented change. Changes have come about as a result of external forces and internal necessity. A number of reports and initiatives impacting on the DF during this period have led to a reduction in the overall strength of the DF and a decrease in the number of Officers vis-a-vis the number of enlisted personnel. A White Paper (WP) for defence, published in Feb 2000, set out Government policy on defence for the medium term (5-10 years). All the reports and initiatives made recommendations for the induction of Officers into the DF. Many of the recommendations made were not implemented. Sustaining Progress 2003-2005 includes a modernisation agenda that specifically requires a change in the induction system for Officers into the DF.
One of the roles articulated in the WP is DF participation in missions mandated by the United Nations in the cause of International Peace and Security. There has been a process
of globalisation in international military operations while at the same time new tasks are being generated. Multinational military co-operation requires high levels of interoperability between contributing nations. Logic dictates, in this context, that foreign national army selection systems are examined to gauge international "best practice". A number of accession systems from countries that are current or future partners involved in multinational military missions with the DF have been explored for this purpose.
Internally the pressure for change results from the need to address junior Officer shortages at Unit level, to introduce mechanisms to offset the reduction in the number of applications for cadetships, to provide a more inclusive accession model that encourages service member accession and to reduce the ad-hoc nature of the current selection model.
A selection model for Officers in the DF is proposed that focuses on a "two-tier" system catering for graduate and school leaver entry, increased opportunity for service member entry and clear policies for Direct Entry Officers. The central tenet of this model proposes that all officers must have a University Degree; prior to entry or have the necessary academic standard to obtain a Degree after commissioning. All officers must complete elements of the "one system" of Officer training proposed. The proposal recommends a reduction in the initial Officer training programme from 21 months to a period of 12 to 14 months.


SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) is a comprehensive, semi-distributed river basin model that requires a large number of input parameters, which complicates model parameterization and calibration. Several calibration techniques have been developed for SWAT, including manual calibration procedures and automated procedures using the shuffled complex evolution method and other common methods. In addition, SWAT-CUP was recently developed and provides a decision-making framework that incorporates a semi-automated approach (SUFI2) using both manual and automated calibration and incorporating sensitivity and uncertainty analysis. In SWAT-CUP, users can manually adjust parameters and ranges iteratively between autocalibration runs. Parameter sensitivity analysis helps focus the calibration and uncertainty analysis and is used to provide statistics for goodness-of-fit. The user interaction or manual component of the SWAT-CUP calibration forces the user to obtain a better understanding of the overall hydrologic processes (e.g., baseflow ratios, ET, sediment sources and sinks, crop yields, and nutrient balances) and of parameter sensitivity. It is important for future calibration developments to spatially account for hydrologic processes; improve model run time efficiency; include the impact of uncertainty in the conceptual model, model parameters, and measured variables used in calibration; and assist users in checking for model errors. When calibrating a physically based model like SWAT, it is important to remember that all model input parameters must be kept within a realistic uncertainty range and that no automatic procedure can substitute for actual physical knowledge of the watershed.


Plants and trees have significant value in maintaining the balance cycle of the environment. The purpose of this study was to describe the awareness of the nearby residents on the presence of plants in a landfill and their perception on the uses and role of these plants particularly in pollution mitigation. A survey questionnaire composed of three main topics, namely on: [a] the operation of the landfill; [b] the awareness and perception of the residents on plants growing in the landfill and [c] their perception on the role of plants on the uptake of pollutants, was developed. Majority of the respondents agreed that the waste materials thrown to the landfill were pollutive, hazardous to human health and can contaminate the surrounding areas. The respondents were not aware that the pollution problem can also be mitigated with the application of chemicals, and they deemed that they did not get any benefits from the plants, except for the medicinal value of some plants. The majority of the respondents were not aware that plants can help mitigate the pollution problem. However, they agreed that plants and trees should be planted in the landfill to absorb excess water or the pollutants.


Summary

Recently, a series of experiments demonstrated that direct stimulation of the olfactory system by means of an odor inhaler targets brain areas associated with stress reduction and pain relief. This paper follows up on these findings and investigates whether such effects can also be found for inhalers specially designed to increase attention and concentration. In a three-armed, randomized, controlled experiment participants' cognitive ability to discriminate between similar visual stimuli was tested either with or without the use of an odor inhaler. Concentration, visual scanning speed, and accuracy were assessed to gauge differential effects. Both odor inhalers outperformed the control condition where no odor was used. The effects were large and showed in all parameters. The direct application of specially designed essential oil compositions enhances attention and concentration when used during short-term breaks in a stressful and attention-demanding cognitive task.Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


In April 2001, 265 participants from twenty countries including representatives of the governments, intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, UNHCR, and former refugees met in Norrkoping, Sweden, for the International Conference on the Reception and Integration of Resettled Refugees. Fundamentally, the success of the conference resulted from the overarching operating principles in the planning process which affirmed that all resettlement countries, traditional or emerging, had something positive and unique to contribute, and that no hierarchy would influence the equal value of comments made. As a result, a spirit of cooperation and trust was built that characterised the spirit of the conference and continues to influence the post-conference phase of the Integration Initiative.


The thesis contributes to evolving debates on spatial theorising in the discipline of International Relations (IR). It argues that spatial interpretation in the discipline is both gendered, through its focus on public institutions of politics, and state-centric, through a neo/Realist hegemony of ideas in its discourse. These discursive parameters are argued to impose limitations on the study of transnational phenomena, and the thesis therefore develops a framework for analysis apposite to
research into political activity that is not state-centred. This analytical frarnework is based initially upon the work of Henri Lefebvre, and identifies three categories of analysis: spatial practice, representations of space and space of representation. In this respect the thesis introduces a form of spatial methodology to the discipline. The thesis argues that these categories provide a more
flexible model for analysis of complex interactions in the international arena than extant approaches in the discipline can provide, by permitting examination of political activity at the level of agency. The spatial categories are applied to two transnational phenomena of relevance to the discipline: the international political practices of non-governmental organizations(NGOs), and
their use of information and communications technologies (ICTs). A survey of the use of ICT's by Amnesty International, Christian Aid, Friends of the Earth, the Institute for Journalism in Transition and Oxfam is undertaken. The thesis then analyses the use of ICTs as a political tool by these organizations, using spatial theories as a framework. The application of spatial theories
as a methodological approach aims to extend the discursive parameters of the discipline by introducing a less gendered, more flexible analytical model, appropriate to research into complex political practices.


This article examines the treatment of the interjection in the Latin grammatical tradition, from Varro to the 17th Century. The author focuses on the originality and specificity of this part of speech from different points of view: the etymology of the word 'interiectio' and its exploitation by grammarians; the coining of a specific term and the recognition of a subspecies within a word class; the definition of interiectio and its semiotic, phonological and syntactic functions. The interjection has a paradoxical status among Latin grammarians: lacking the status of a (full) word, and not being clearly structured, the interjection is often equivalent to an entire sentence, and is at times pragmatically more 'efficient' than a sentence.


The main objective of this study is the establishment of innovative purification systems through the conceptualisation of reactive barriers in soil for artificial recharge of groundwater with treated wastewater. Numerical integration of hydrodynamics and biogeochemical processes controlling the effectiveness of this engineering system is applied to design soil column experiments. This leads to the elaboration of a combined aerobic/anaerobic environment to ensure the successive nitrification of rich ammonium wastewater and the denitrification mechanisms reducing NO 3 – according to heterotrophic denitrification and pyrite oxidation. A MIN3P reactive flow and transport model is used to reproduce an experimental flow-through column. Calculated concentrations of CH 2 O and NO 3 − are consistent with experimental results. Agreement between model and experimental results makes it possible to understand major processes taking place in the column and optimises future treatment experiments.


PURPOSE
The authors investigated whether trigeminal sensitization occurs in response to bright light with the retina disconnected from the rest of the central nervous system by optic nerve section.

METHODS
In urethane-anesthetized rats, trigeminal reflex blinks were evoked with air puff stimuli directed at the cornea in darkness and at three different light intensities. After normative data were collected, the optic nerve was lesioned and the rats were retested. In an alert rat, reflex blinks were evoked by stimulation of the supraorbital branch of the trigeminal nerve in the dark and in the light.

RESULTS
A 9.1 × 10(3) μW/cm(2) and a 15.1 × 10(3) μW/cm(2) light significantly enhanced the magnitude of reflex blinks relative to blinks evoked by the same trigeminal stimulus when the rats were in the dark. In addition, rats exhibited a significant increase in spontaneous blinking in the light relative to the blink rate in darkness. After lesioning of the optic nerve, the 15.1 × 10(3) μW/cm(2) light still significantly increased the magnitude of trigeminal reflex blinks.

CONCLUSIONS
Bright lights increase trigeminal reflex blink amplitude and the rate of spontaneous blinking in rodents. Light can modify trigeminal activity without involving the central visual system.


In this paper, a discrete analog of the beta-Rayleigh distribution is studied. This new distribution contains the generalized discrete Rayleigh and discrete Rayleigh distributions as special sub-models. Some distributional and moment properties of the new discrete distribution as well as its order statistics are discussed. We will see that the hazard rate function of the new model can be increasing, bathtub-shaped and upside-down bathtub. Estimation of the parameters is illustrated and, finally, the model with a real data set is examined.


As a hallmark of epigenetic regulation, DNA methylation plays an important role in regulating gene expression. The TET methylcytosine dioxygenase enzymes (TET1/2/3) catalyze the conversion of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), and can further oxidize 5hmC to 5-formylcytosine (5fC) and 5-carboxylcytosine (5caC). Participating in the initial steps of active DNA demethylation, TETs are important regulators of cytosine methylation in the genome. Mutations and/or deletions of the TET2 gene have been reported to frequently occur in myeloid malignancies. We and others have reported that Tet2 loss dysregulates HSC/HPC function, leading to the development of myeloid malignancies in mice. Therefore, TET2 acts as a tumor suppressor in myelopoiesis. Although the HSC/HPC-autonomous effects of Tet2 loss on the malignant process is well established, it remains to be explored whether non-hematopoietic cells contribute to Tet2 loss mediated malignant process. Specifically, Tet2 loss may dysregulate the integrity of bone marrow niche, by which affects the malignant progression.

Here, we show that while both Tet2f/f;Mx1Cre (conditional Tet2 -inactivation in hematopoietic cells) and Tet2f/f;MxfCre (germ line Tet2 -inactivation) developed myeloid malignancies in mice, Tet2f/f;MxfCre mice had a significantly shortened survival compared to Tet2f/f;Mx1Cre mice. When WT and Tet2-/- recipient mice were transplanted with WT or Tet2-/- Lin-Sca-1+c-Kit+(LSK) cells, both genotypes of recipients receiving Tet2-/- but not WT LSK cells developed abnormal hematopoietic characteristics including monocytosis/neutrophilia and splenomegaly, resembling CMML and MPN. Interestingly, Tet2-/- recipient mice exhibited a higher incident of myeloid malignancies and a significantly reduced survival rate compare to WT recipient mice. These data indicate that Tet2-/- bone marrow niche might promote the progression of myeloid malignancies in Tet2-/- mice. To identify the specific niche components that are responsible for the accelerated progression of myeloid malignancies in Tet2-/- mice, we selectively deleted Tet2 from candidate niche cell components and characterized the effects on myeloid malignancy development. Deletion of Tet2 in osteoblasts ( Col2.3 -cre), endothelial cells ( Ve-Cadherin -cre) and osteoclasts ( LysM -cre) have little effects on the initiation/progression of Tet2-/- -driven myeloid malignancies. Strikingly, deletion of Tet2 in mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) using Prx1 -cre is associated with a significantly accelerated malignancy progression and shortened survival, suggesting that MSCs are the cell components in Tet2-/- mice play a role in the initiation/progression of Tet2-/- -driven myeloid malignancies. Furthermore, Tet2-/- MSCs displayed a significantly increased self-renewal, proliferating and differentiation capability as assayed by the frequency of CFU-F and commitment towards osteoblasts. In addition, Tet2-/- but not WT MSCs exhibited a significantly increased supportive capacity to Tet2-/- HSC/HPC proliferation. RNA-sequencing analysis revealed that Tet2-/- MSCs exhibited a distinct gene expression profiles with 468 dysregulated genes as compared to WT MSCs. Quantitative real-time PCR confirmed that multiple genes critical for cell proliferation, osteoblast differentiation and stem cell pluripotency were down- ( Cxcl12 , Lom1, Cxcl14, Nt5e, Lfit1 and Comp ) or up- ( Sox2 , Nanog, Sp7, Bmp2, Bmp4 and Il6 ) regulated in Tet2 -/- MSCs compared to WT MSCs. Furthermore, the number of 5-hmC peaks were significantly decreased in Tet2-/- MSCs compared to WT MSCs based on whole genomic 5-hmC profiling. The majority of TET2-dependent 5hmC modifications in MSCs are located within genes. We then examined TET2 gene expression in MSCs derived from human myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) patients and healthy individuals and found that TET2 and 5-hmC was moderately down-regulated in MPN MSCs as compared to healthy controls. In summary, these results indicate that Tet2 loss dysregulates hydroxylation of 5-mC and gene expression in MSCs, which in turn alters their behavior and ability to promote Tet2-/- -driven myeloid malignancy progression. These studies could lead to the identification of additional therapeutic targets for patients with myeloid malignancies.

Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


In spatial econometrics, W refers to the matrix that weights the value of the spatially lagged variable of other units. As unimportant as it may appear, W specifies, or at least ought to specify, why and how other units of analysis affect the unit under observation. We show that theory must inform five crucial specification choices taken by researchers. Specifically, the connectivity variable employed in W must capture the causal mechanism of spatial dependence. The specification of W further determines the relative relevance of source units from which spatial dependence emanates and whether receiving units are assumed identically or differentially exposed to spatial stimulus. Multiple dimensions of spatial dependence can be modelled as independent, substitutive or conditional links. Finally, spatial effects need not go exclusively in one direction, but can be bi-directional instead, with recipients simultaneously experiencing positive spatial dependence from some sources and negative dependence from others. The importance of W stands in stark contrast to applied researchers typically employing crude proxy variables for true connectivity such as geographical proximity and adopting standard modelling convention for specifying W rather than substantive theory. We demonstrate which assumptions convention imposes on specification choices and argue that theories of spatial dependence will often conflict with them.


Cell engager and adoptive cell therapeutics have emerged as efficacious and durable treatments in patients with B-cell malignancies. Though many analogous strategies are under development in solid tumors, none have received approval. Preclinical development of these therapies requires cell labeling of immortalized cell lines and/or primary expanded T cells to distinguish target and effector cells. However, cell engager and adoptive cell therapies have had limited evidence of reproducibility in primary patient-derived models such as tumor organoid cultures thus far. Here, we build upon our tumor organoid platform1 to measure organoid specific responses to these therapies. Utilizing machine vision coupled with time-lapse-microscopy, we obtain multiparameter kinetic readouts of patient-derived tumor organoid cell killing and allogeneic MHC-matched primary peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).The patient-derived tumor organoids were co-cultured with PBMCs in the presence of engagers/activators and vital dyes and incubated for 96 hrs. Cell death was measured by quantifying the caspase 3/7 vital dye pixel intensities at different time points using high throughput imaging. As a first step, a fully convolutional neural network was trained to segment out organoids from brightfield images comprised of organoids, immune cells and potential background artifacts. This segmentation mask was then transferred over to registered caspase 3/7 images to quantify tumor cell specific phenotypes in a rapid and automated manner.The time-lapse imaging assay allowed for both the tracking of the organoid growth over time as well as the quantification of the kinetics of engagers/activators in comparison to controls resulting in accurate and precise technical reproducibility. Further, this assay allowed for the co-localization of the organoids and the immune cells over time, thus, enabling a spatiotemporal summary of dose dependent efficacy of candidate therapeutics.We demonstrate the scalability and throughput of a machine vision tumor organoid immune co-culture platform across multiple unique patient-derived tumor organoid lines bearing a target of interest, enabling future discovery of biomarkers of therapeutic response and resistance.Larsen B, Kannan M, Langer LF, Khan AA, Salahudeen AA, A pan-cancer organoid platform for precision medicine. Cell Reports 2021; 36:109429


We combined field monitoring and laboratory experiments to examine the population ecology of both the microscopic and macroscopic stages of a new invasion of Undaria pinnatifida in California. Over the course of 1 yr, we observed 2 distinct recruitment pulses of individuals in the Santa Barbara harbor; the appearance of these pulses was strongly correlated with a 4°C drop in ocean temperature approximately 2 mo prior to recruitment. Cultures of zoospores and successive microscopic stages revealed thermal tolerances consistent with field recruitment data; individuals grown at 13°C had significantly higher survivorship than individuals grown at higher temperatures (harbor temperatures annually ranged from 12 to 21°C). The 2 cohorts also differed greatly in individual size, growth rate, and survival to maturity. Grazing by herbivores, predominately the native kelp crab Pugettia producta, effectively prevented nearly all individuals in the second cohort from reaching reproductive maturity. Grazer control was effective despite far higher rates of recruitment during the second recruitment pulse. Our results highlight the potential for extreme variability in U. pinnatifida demography mediated by local oceanographic and biotic factors. Understanding controls on U. pinnatifida demography helps to explain variation in the spread and impact of this invader worldwide, and allows better prediction of when and where U. pinnatifida may continue its invasion along the west coast of North America.


This paper assesses the effect of Tax audit on tax compliance in Nigeria a case of Bauchi State Board of Internal Revenue. The methodology employed for data collection is only primary source, which involved the use of questionnaires, in which 48 questionnaire were administered to the staff of Bauchi State Board of Internal Revenue, some selected individuals tax payers and corporate bodies within Bauchi State out of which only 42 questionnaires were completed and returned. The data generated for the study were interpreted using simple percentage. The main finding of the study include among other; the Relevant Tax Authority (RTA) employed tax audit towards achieving target revenue, that tax audit reduce the problems of tax evasion, that tax payers do not usually cooperated with tax audit personnel during the exercise. etc The paper recommends that; the RTA at all levels should improve the standard of tax audit employed for effectiveness and efficiency, tax audit should aim at reducing the level of tax evasion and RTA should provide a policy that would allow the tax payers to cooperate during the period of tax audit.. Key words: Relevant Tax Authority (RTA), Tax payers, Tax audit, Tax compliance, Bauchi State Board of Internal Revenue


Abstract Increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration decreases stomatal conductance in many species, but the savings of water from reduced transpiration may permit the forest to retain greater leaf area index (L). Therefore, the net effect on water use in forest ecosystems under a higher CO2 atmosphere is difficult to predict. The free air CO2 enrichment (FACE) facility (n = 3) in a 14‐m tall (in 1996) Pinus taeda L. stand was designed to reduce uncertainties in predicting such responses. Continuous measurements of precipitation, throughfall precipitation, sap flux, and soil moisture were made over 3.5 years under ambient (CO2a) and elevated (CO2e) ambient + 200 µmol mol−1). Annual stand transpiration under ambient CO2 conditions accounted for 84–96% of latent heat flux measured with the eddy‐covariance technique above the canopy. Under CO2e, P. taeda transpired less per unit of leaf area only when soil drought was severe. Liquidambar styraciflua, the other major species in the forest, used progressively less water, settling at 25% reduction in sap flux density after 3.5 years under CO2e. Because P. taeda dominated the stand, and severe drought periods were of relatively short duration, the direct impact of CO2e on water savings in the stand was undetectable. Moreover, the forest used progressively more water under CO2e, probably because soil moisture availability progressively increased, probably owing to a reduction in soil evaporation caused by more litter buildup in the CO2e plots. The results suggest that, in this forest, the effect of CO2e on transpiration was greater indirectly through enhanced litter production than directly through reduced stomatal conductance. In forests composed of species more similar to L. styraciflua, water savings from stomatal closure may dominate the response to CO2e.


This study investigates the potentialities of ERS SAR imagery for the urban micro-climate and air quality, over the city of Nantes, France. The temporal variability of the SAR signal over the city has been assessed by analyzing five images in descending mode. Beside the speckle effect, the quality of the signal is highly variable from one image to the other. Meteorological effects. make contrasts between objects and their surroundings to be more or less pronounced. Urban features are mostly present in each image, but the structures are not always well perceived within a single image. It is concluded that it is necessary to have several images. Their redundancy allows a better exploitation of the urban features. Further it decreases the level of speckle. Screening of the average SAR image clearly indicates that the perception of the roads is highly dependent on the flight direction of the spacecraft. The main factors for the perception of the morphological features are the height of the buildings, its orientation relative to the spacecraft orbit, its horizontal surface, its materials. Multiresolution analysis, by means of wavelet transform or structure function, provides a good discrimination between unbuilt areas, residential areas, industrial areas, and large groups of buildings. This preliminary study has demonstrated that urban morphological features and their typologies with relation to the air flow drag were well-perceived in SAR imagery once properly processed. Further studies are required to assess definitely the benefits and the limits of such images in urban micro-climate and air quality.


: This paper explores the effect of party system institutionalization on the reliance of tax systems on the personal income tax. As a first step, the paper re-examines the relationship between party system institutionalization and taxation patterns employing the recently launched Government Revenue Dataset. In a second step, the relationship in tested in different country subgroups, based on governance structures, availability of alternative sources of revenue, and geographical location. The main results remain fairly robust using the Government Revenue Dataset: where bureaucratic capacity is low, the effect of party system institutionalization is large and highly significant, whereas where bureaucratic capacity is high this effect disappears. Furthermore, the analysis using the Government Revenue Dataset provides additional insights into the large variance between groups of countries. The results indicate that the effect is particularly strong and robust in democratic regimes and where alternative sources of revenue are abundant. Overall, the findings can be considered to provide additional support for two claims: first, that taxation is best understood as a problem of credible commitment, particularly where bureaucratic capacity tends to be limited, and second, that institutionalized collective actors, such as political parties, play a key role in solving this problem.


Background. National and international guidelines recommend radical prostatectomy (RP) and radiotherapy (EBRT) as standard treatment for intermediateand highrisk prostate cancer. Survival benefit of RP in prostate cancer has been proven in prospectively randomized trials. In contrast, the benefit of EBRT as well as the direct comparison of EBRT and RP have been investigated in several retrospective analyses, but are limited by typical problems associated with retrospective studies. Results. Most of the studies comparing RP with EBRT favor RP with regard to overall survival and cancer-specific survival. Especially in young patients with high-grade prostate cancer, RP seems to be superior in comparison with EBRT. These patient are at high risk of a PSA recurrence and subsequently need an additional radiotherapy. Mortality and morbidity related to these both methods are low. Main complications of RP are urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction. In contrast, rectal sequelae, erectile dysfunction, and irritative urinary symptoms are the main cause for postinterventional morbidity in patients after EBRT.


Abstract.— Ecological or geological phenomena can impose limits on geographic diversification that cause biogeographical patterns of distantly related but sympatrically occurring taxa to be similar. Concordant patterns of diversity facilitate conservation management because strategic designation of protected areas can capture complementary rather than redundant components of variation. Here we demonstrate that on the biodiverse Indonesian island of Sulawesi, seemingly idiosyncratic distributions of diversity in endemic monkeys (Macaca species) and toads (Bufo celebensis) are actually virtually identical on a fine geographic scale. It appears that range fragmentation has generated seven multi‐taxon areas of genetic endemism, each of which should be targeted for conservation. Joint consideration of molecular phylogeography, morphology, and demography helps resolve apparent contradictions in paraphyletic macaque mitochondrial DNA and in undifferentiated toad morphology, and facilitates an understanding of biogeography and conservation genetics of Sulawesi fauna.


The Elwha River is located on the Olympic Peninsula in the State of Washington. In the early 1900s two hydroelectric dams were built on the Elwha River. Construction of Glines Canyon and Elwha dams blocked the spawning migration of salmon and steelhead. As a result of this and other factors, fish stocks have fallen to critical levels. The economy, culture, and religious practices of the Lower Elwha S'Klallam Tribe are dependent on the river and the fish stock. The tribe's well being has diminished along with the resource. Commercial fishing is no longer viable and recreational fishing has been halted. Removal of these two dams to re-establish the fish stock is being investigated. Sediment deposits stored behind the dam and downstream water quality dependent uses complicate the removal process and are a significant project cost. The economic benefits to commercial and recreational anglers along with the existence value of restoring the salmon runs have been quantified. These benefits appear to far outweigh the cost of dam removal.


Abstract. Panchromatic Remote-sensing Instrument for Stereo Mapping (PRISM), one of onboard sensors carried by Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS), was designed to generate worldwide topographic data with its optical stereoscopic observation. It has an exclusive ability to perform a triplet stereo observation which views forward, nadir, and backward along the satellite track in 2.5 m ground resolution, and collected its derived images all over the world during the mission life of the satellite from 2006 through 2011. A new project, which generates global elevation datasets with the image archives, was started in 2014. The data is processed in unprecedented 5 m grid spacing utilizing the original triplet stereo images in 2.5 m resolution. As the number of processed data is growing steadily so that the global land areas are almost covered, a trend of global data qualities became apparent. This paper reports on up-to-date results of the validations for the accuracy of data products as well as the status of data coverage in global areas. The accuracies and error characteristics of datasets are analyzed by the comparison with existing global datasets such as Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) data, as well as ground control points (GCPs) and the reference Digital Elevation Model (DEM) derived from the airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR).


Education has been on the minds of peacemakers since the end of the Cold War, contrary to expectations. An examination of how education is addressed in full and partial post-Cold War peace agreements shows that education is mentioned in a large number of the agreements. However, the way in which education is addressed and incorporated into peace agreements varies significantly in terms of what is mandated to occur in the education sector after the signing of the peace agreement, including what kind of education will be provided and to whom and how education is viewed in these agreements.


In this paper, a Fourier series based learning controller (FLC) with a novel phase compensation method is proposed for the tracking control of a class of uncertain nonlinear systems. Without a priori knowledge of the system model, all the nonlinearities and uncertainties are lumped together and compensated for by FLC. The learning algorithm of FLC is designed in the Fourier space, which converts the tracking problem in the time domain into a number of regulation problems in the frequency domain. Due to the clear physical meaning of FLC, the influence of the phase lags between the system input and output can be reduced by the phase compensation method. Therefore, more frequency components can be employed in FLC and the control performance will be greatly improved. Experiments are conducted on a belt-driven positioning table to verify the effectiveness of the proposed control method.


During the early Cold War, a refugee crisis in Hong Kong captured international attention. The failure of the United Nations to respond gave rise to a complicated cooperative relief effort involving British authorities, the U.S. government, and many private voluntary organizations. This article focuses on the history of one organization, Aid Refugee Chinese Intellectuals (ARCI), and demonstrates how its work with the U.S. Refugee Relief Program (RRP) contributed to the politicization of the migrants and became a mutually beneficial collaboration for both bodies: ARCI facilitated RRP's claims to be aiding Chinese refugees, and RRP funded ARCI. Although both ARCI and the RRP fulfilled some of their own goals and aided some refugees, their history shows that Cold War politics still usually won out over strictly humanitarian concerns.


Central Asia is potential support being some sort of the global region-donor for restructure and expansion of economy of the Russian Federation, the United States and China. One of the purposes which the Russian Federation constantly pursues is the creation and preservation of unified economic space of the CIS. However, in spite of the fact that trade, economic and social relations of the Russian Federation with the countries of Central Asia have greatly weakened more than in ten years, they are still more structured on their contents than similar ones, for example, of the European countries or the USA. The Central Asian region is rich in natural resources and mineral reserves. There are large volumes of oil, natural gas, gold, cotton production. Central Asia is also a sales market of the Russian equipment and industrial goods and also a source of some resources which Russia comes short of such as food, vegetables, cotton, and so on. The Central Asian region is quite rich in oil resources and natural gas, but earlier the ways of their transportation were under the full control of Russia. Taking advantages of a geographical location and control over capital construction projects, Russia has almost completely monopolized the transportation of energy carriers from Central Asia that provides the great influence on policy of the countries of the region and great economic benefit. Keywords : geopolitics, commodity turnover, resources, world powers JEL Classifications : D72, O13, O32


The Feand Ru-promoted vanadium phosphorus oxide (VPO) catalysts were synthesized via the organic route in iso-butanol to form the VPO precursor, VOHPO4·0.5H2O. The resulting precursor was then activated in a stream of nitrogen to form an amorphous (VO)2P2O7, which crystallized after conditioning in the reactor in the presence of n-butane. The promoted catalysts were synthesized at 0.1%, 0.3% and 1% loading, pelletized and sieved to give a 300-600 μm pellet size. The catalysts were tested in a fixed-bed continuous flow micro-reactor and the products were analyzed by GC's equipped with a flame ionization detector (FID) to monitor maleic anhydride and n-butane and a thermal conductivity detector (TCD) to monitor the carbon oxides. A range of characterization techniques were employed to determine the influence of the promoting elements on a VPO catalyst and to associate the composition of the catalysts obtained from such techniques with their performance. The characterization techniques used include X-ray diffraction (XRD), BET-surface area, ICP-OES, EDS, PNMR, TPR, redox titrations, ATR and SEM to determine the phase composition of the catalysts, the surface area of the promoted catalysts relative to the un-promoted VPO, elemental mole ratios, the reducibility of the catalysts, average vanadium oxidation state, determination of the anions present in the surface of the catalysts and the variations in the morphology of the catalysts, respectively. Optimization of the system involved variation of the GHSV, the reactor temperature and the promoter loading. (Activation of a 0.75% n-butane in air mixture was performed at an optimum temperature of 400C while varying the gas hourly space velocity to establish a range of feed conversions and subsequently determine the activity of each catalyst with respect to n-butane conversion). The promoted catalysts modified the morphology of the catalysts as evidenced by the scanning electron microscopy and the X-ray diffraction patterns. Furthermore an improved conversion was obtained with these catalysts. However, only the 0.1% iron-promoted catalyst improved maleic anhydride yield leading to ca. 10% maleic anhydride yield increment. Yields of 46% and 55% were obtained at GHSVs of 2573 and 1450 per hour respectively and a temperature of 400C. Electronic and structural modifications were encountered leading to an improved catalytic performance. The performance of this catalyst is associated with a vanadyl pyrophosphate phase (XRD), and a limited and controlled amount of V species as illustrated in the TPR, and solid state P NMR data. Moreover, this modification can be considered both structural and electronic in nature as observed in the SEM images and FTIR spectra of this catalyst. Furthermore, this improved performance is possible at higher conversions 80 to 90% conversion.


High-resolution X-ray spectroscopy with Hitomi was expected to resolve the origin of the faint unidentified emission line reported in several low-resolution studies of various massive systems, such as galaxies and clusters, including the Perseus cluster. We have analyzed the Hitomi first-light observation of the Perseus cluster. The emission line expected for Perseus based on the XMM-Newton signal from the large cluster sample under the dark matter decay scenario is too faint to be detectable in the Hitomi data. However, the previously reported 3.5 keV flux from Perseus was anomalously high compared to the sample-based prediction. We find no unidentified line at the reported high flux level. Taking into account the XMM measurement uncertainties for this region, the inconsistency with Hitomi is at a 99% significance for a broad dark matter line and at 99.7% for a narrow line from the gas. We do not find anomalously high fluxes of the nearby faint K line or the Ar satellite line that were proposed as explanations for the earlier 3.5 keV detections. We do find a hint of a broad excess near the energies of high-n transitions of S xvi ( rest-frame)—a possible signature of charge exchange in the molecular nebula and another proposed explanation for the unidentified line. While its energy is consistent with XMM pn detections, it is unlikely to explain the MOS signal. A confirmation of this interesting feature has to wait for a more sensitive observation with a future calorimeter experiment.


Effective use of personal data is a core utility of modern smartphones. On Android, several challenges make developing compelling personal data applications difficult. First, personal data is stored in isolated silos. Thus, relationships between data from different providers are missing, data must be queried by source of origin rather than meaning and the persistence of different types of data differ greatly. Second, interfaces to these data are inconsistent and complex. In turn, developers are forced to interleave SQL with Java boilerplate, resulting in error-prone code that does not generalize. Our solution is Epistenet: a toolkit that (1) unifies the storage and treatment of mobile personal data; (2) preserves relationships between disparate data; (3) allows for expressive queries based on the meaning of data rather than its source of origin (e.g., one can query for all communications with John while at the park); and, (4) provides a simple, native query interface to facilitate development.


In view of the development of cables for next-generation fusion reactors, research activities are carried out on all HTS materials available from industrial production. Preliminary design of a react and wind cable using Bi-2212 wires is carried out, inspired by the Nb3Sn cable for European DEMO. The design and construction of a 60-kA prototype cable made of coated conductors have been carried out. The strands in the cable are composed of a stack of coated conductor tapes (4 mm wide) embedded in a copper profile of 6.3 mm in diameter. Tapes and copper profiles are soldered together in order to obtain a mechanically solid strand and to keep the inter tape resistance at a minimum, so that current can be easily redistributed among the tapes in a strand. The strands are fabricated in pieces 2 m long, but scaling up to industrial production should not present any major problem. A flat cable is manufactured by winding 20 strands around a central copper former; the cable will be inserted in a steel jacket for force flow cooling. The critical current of each strand was measured at liquid nitrogen in self-field just after the manufacturing process (twisted and straight) and after cabling: No reduction of the critical current was observed. Two pieces of cable, each 2 m long, are going to be prepared and assembled to form a sample that can be tested in the EDIPO facility.


There is an increasing interest in distributed and asynchronous search algorithms for solving distributed constraint satisfaction problems (DisCSP). An important motivation for distributed problem solving is the agents' ability to keep their constraints private. Cryptographic techniques [GB96] offer a certain protection from several types of attacks. However, when an attack succeeds, no agent can know how much privacy he has lost. We assume that agents enforce their privacy by dropping out of the search process whenever the estimated value of the information that they need to reveal in the future exceeds that attached to a successful solution of the DisCSP. We compare several distributed search algorithms as to how likely they are to terminate prematurely for privacy reasons, and arrange the algorithms in a hierarchy that reflects this relation.


The history of the counts of the Perche from c. 1066 to 1217 is considered. It is placed in the historiographical perspective of the disintegration into territorial principalities which took place in the kingdom of the Franks around the year 1000 and the subsequent emergence of small units such as the Perche in border zones, where the authority of the greater princes had never been successfully asserted. An outline of the geography of the Perche is followed by a brief account of the Rotrou lineage. The internal workings of the Perche, which indicate the nature of the Rotrous' power, are considered. Family property is located and comital rights are described, together with the administration by means of which the lineage's wealth and power were exploited. The exercise of lordship over the other landed families of the Perche was an important factor in the smooth running of the county and the association between the counts and the nobility is also discussed. An analysis of the relations between the Perche and its neighbours, the great power blocs of Northern France, forms the third section. The adroit manipulation of these relationships permitted the counts to maintain their independence and to gain access to the resources of the English crown. During the twelfth century the counts were obliged to adapt as the old political rivalries polarised into the struggle between the Capetian and Plantagenet kings. When King John lost Normandy to King Philip Augustus in 1204 the counts' bargaining power was lost because the strategic significance of the county had been destroyed. The failure of the direct line in 1217, which led to the eventual dismemberment of the county when the comital title was extinguished in 1226, demonstrates the importance of the vigorous Rotrou lineage in the creation and continued independence of the Perche.


Latent state space models are a fundamental and widely used tool for modeling dynamical systems. However, they are difficult to learn from data and learned models often lack performance guarantees on inference tasks such as filtering and prediction. In this work, we present the PREDICTIVE STATE INFERENCE MACHINE (PSIM), a data-driven method that considers the inference procedure on a dynamical system as a composition of predictors. The key idea is that rather than first learning a latent state space model, and then using the learned model for inference, PSIM directly learns predictors for inference in predictive state space. We provide theoretical guarantees for inference, in both realizable and agnostic settings, and showcase practical performance on a variety of simulated and real world robotics benchmarks.


The consequences of oral disease are wide-ranging and can have a major impact on an individual's and that person's family's quality of life. A range of factors interact to determine a person's oral and general health. Such factors can be biological, social, economic, political, cultural, or environmental, in addition to knowledge, attitudes and behaviors. Traditional models of oral health care, however, have generally ignored these factors and instead have focused on the treatment and management of existing pathology (tertiary prevention/downstream approach). This has had no effect on the rate of hospitalization or the inequitable distribution of dental diseases. To reduce the prevalence and severity of oral diseases at the individual and population levels, holistic evidence-informed prevention-based health-promoting models of care that focus on upstream determinants of health are required. The Oral Health Program at North Richmond Community Health in the state of Victoria, Australia, has developed an innovative model of oral health care based on the following principles: health promotion, disease prevention, risk-based access to care, client- and family-centered care, team-based provision of care, multidisciplinary care, and innovation. Evaluation of this approach is currently being conducted to study the sustainability of such a model under the current public dental service funding model.


563 Background: Molecular characteristics of cancer vary between individuals. In future increasing numbers of trials will require assessment of biomarkers in order to allocate patients into enriched populations in which targeted therapies are more likely to be effective. The FOCUS 3 trial is a feasibility study to assess whether tumour samples could be collected from referring hospitals' pathology departments, sent to designated reference laboratories for biomarker evaluation, and results provided to oncologists within 10 working days.

METHODS
Patients with ACRC, fit for chemotherapy, were registered from 24 centres between 02.10 and 04.11. Following consent, paraffin embedded tumour samples were sent to Cardiff or Leeds for analysis of topoisomerase 1 (topo-1) by immunohistochemistry and of KRAS and BRAF mutation status, and results were forwarded to the MRC CTU. Patients were classified into 1 of 4 molecular strata, which determined the set of 2 hypothesis driven experimental therapies they could be randomised to in addition to control chemotherapy (irinotecan + 5FU). At this stage eligibility was reconfirmed and consent for randomisation obtained.

RESULTS
332 patients were registered to participate in FOCUS 3. Biomarker results were provided to oncologists within 10 working days (wd) in 71%, within 15 wd in 91% and within 20 wd in 99% patients. A 4 stage suite of patient information sheets (PIS) was designed and implemented to avoid patient overload; separate information sheets were provided to patients at stages during the consent process and patient understanding was assessed. 93% of eligible patients gave consent to randomisation. KRAS mutation was detected in 88 (36%), BRAF in 15 (6%), 2 patients had both mutations and 133 were double wildtype. 77% of patients were high (2-3), 19% low (0-1) and 4% inconclusive for topo-1. Tumour response and toxicity results for the 244 randomised patients will be presented.

CONCLUSIONS
Patient samples can be collected and analysed at designated reference laboratories within acceptable timeframes. Multi-arm designs can be made acceptable to patients through good PIS, ensured by patient and carer input into their design.


UN Studio, led by Dutch architects Ben van Berkel and Caroline Bos, creates spaces that are surprisingly innovative. Their work doesn't rehash Modernism but rather embraces the digital age via the invention of new, time-based techniques expanding the imagination, exploding the hierarchy of the design process, and encouraging the input of different disciplines. UN Studio's architecture is the result of a design strategy that repeatedly and constantly advances in different ways via leitmotifs called "design models." The most important examples of this new kind of architecture are the New Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart and the Erasmus bridge in Rotterdam, which has become the town's new landmark. Another manifest aim is to come up with fundamentally new ideas for complex infrastructure projects and to give these a contemporary structure that fosters future (including urban) development.This can be seen, for example, at the central train station in Arnhem, at the Ponte Parodi pier in Genoa, and at the Canadian Centre for Architecture's (CCA) prestigious "Competition for the Design of Cities." This book presents an overview of UN Studio's work to date.


Conservation of summer maternity roosts is considered critical for bat management in North America, yet many aspects of the physical and environmental factors that drive roost selection are poorly understood. We tracked 58 female northern bats (Myotis septentrionalis) to 105 roost trees of 21 species on the Fort Knox military reservation in north-central Kentucky during the summer of 2011. Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) was used as a day roost more than expected based on forest stand-level availability and accounted for 48.6% of all observed day roosts. Using logistic regression and an information theoretic approach, we were unable to reliably differentiate between sassafras and other roost species or between day roosts used during different maternity periods using models representative of individual tree metrics, site metrics, topographic location, or combinations of these factors. For northern bats, we suggest that day-roost selection is not a function of differences between individual tree species per se, but rather of forest successional patterns, stand and tree structure. Present successional trajectories may not provide this particular selected structure again without management intervention, thereby suggesting that resource managers take a relatively long retrospective view to manage current and future forest conditions for bats.


Globally, the Celtic Sea shelf break is ranked highest as an energetic "hot spot" of tidal energy conversion, therefore making it the most significant contributor to global internal tidal energy flux. In this paper, the three-dimensional dynamics of baroclinic tides in the shelf-slope area of the Celtic Sea was investigated numerically and using observational data collected on the 376th cruise of the RV "RRS Discovery" in June 2012. The time series recorded at a shelf break mooring showed that semidiurnal internal waves were accompanied by packets of internal solitary waves with maximum amplitudes up to 105 m, the largest internal waves ever recorded in the Celtic Sea, and ranking among the largest observed in the global ocean. The observed baroclinic wavefields were replicated numerically using the Massachusetts Institute of Technology general circulation model. A fine-resolution grid with 115 m horizontal and 10 m vertical steps allowed the identification of two classes of short-scale internal waves. The first classification was generated over headlands and resembles spiral-type internal waves that are typical for isolated underwater banks. The second classification, generated within an area of several canyons, revealed properties of quasi-planar internal wave packets. The observed in situ intensification of tidal bottom currents at the shelf break mooring is explained in terms of a tidal beam that was formed over supercritical bottom topography at the mooring location.


Regional news media are facing tough times, as they lose readers and advertisers rapidly. In The Netherlands, circulation decreased from 2.7 million in 1990 to 1.8 million in 2010, household penetration declined from 47 percent to 25 percent, and the number of titles went down from 35 to 18 in the same period. We interviewed managers and executives (2009 - 2010) of nine of the eighteen regional newspapers in The Netherlands, to analyse if and how they consider convergence (the transition to an integrated newsroom) a significant option to regain readers and advertisers. This study is part of a research project on the potential (long-term) consequences of convergence for the organizational structure, the work procedures, journalistic quality, and business models of regional news media. Our first results show that convergence is, indeed, embraced as a solution. However, views on how to approach the new market for online news through an integrated newsroom differ significantly. Management tends to operate safely, experimenting with small projects that can be discontinued easily, while editors and journalists on the work floor wish to invest heavily in both the education of employees and technical convergence on a more structural basis. In its examination of how convergence is strategically and operationally changing regional media in The Netherlands this study is the first of its kind.