Abstract : Achieving interoperability in an e-government context is difficult. Although the benefits of enabling e-government systems to interoperate are significant, repeated failures to build working systems provide evidence that the tasks necessary to gain those benefits are poorly understood. Many governments have addressed interoperability as primarily a technical issue. However, to address the entirety of the interoperability challenge, development teams must also consider nontechnical factors that influence their efforts to meet interoperability goals. This report describes a proposed model through which to understand interoperability in the e-government context. With this model, system developers should characterize interoperability in six dimensions: Developers need to analyze e-government interoperability requirements at the technical, semantic, and organizational levels, but they should also consider the legal, political, and sociocultural issues with which the e-government system must also interoperate. This report explains some of the challenges associated with achieving interoperability in e-government systems and presents some guidance on how to address interoperability requirements, with the goal of making both policy makers and system developers aware of the depth and breadth of these challenges.


Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a growing public health challenge for Thailand (current prevalence ~10.0%). Amino acids offer novel biomarkers to predict risk of T2DM and indicate sub-optimal disease management, which could facilitate earlier treatment. We studied amino acid profiles in a Thai cohort comprising of individuals with T2DM (n = 65 single-drug-treated; n = 38 multi-drug-treated) compared to healthy controls (n = 104) using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Age and BMI were significantly lower in the healthy controls compared to the single or multi-treated T2DM groups. The BCAA (leucine and valine) were significantly lower in the single and multi-treated T2DM groups compared to healthy controls (p < 0.001 and p < 0.001) and isoleucine was significantly lower in the single-treated compared to the healthy controls (p = 0.014). These findings beg the question whether BCAAs supplementation be beneficial in T2DM patients treated with single or multi-drug therapy? Tyrosine was significantly lower in the single and multi-treated T2DM groups compared to healthy controls (p < 0.001 and p = 0.002), whereas phenylalanine was significantly higher in the multi-treated T2DM group compared to the single treated T2DM group (p = 0.045). We provide novel insights into the effects of diabetes treatments on these amino acids in insulin resistant states such as T2DM in a unique but understudied Thai population.


Through the 1990 introduction of history as an English National Curriculum subject a Conservative government statutorily embedded history in the English primary curriculum as a de facto new subject. The 1990 English National History Curriculum was a sophisticated blend of three elements:  the British political elite's deeply entrenched view of British history as a Master Narrative of the development of a liberal parliamentary democracy i.e. The Whig Interpretation of History;  the academic history community's New History that replaced The Whig Interpretation of History with the histories of all citizens from multiple perspectives, e.g. class, culture, society. gender, ethnicity and locale;  a powerful, democratic pedagogy based upon the New History as an academic discipline with high level skills, protocols, procedures and disciplinary concepts. By the 1980s The New History had radically affected and altered the approach to the teaching of history in England both in terms of content [facts – propositional or substantive knowledge] and teaching approaches [pupils 'Doing History'– procedural knowledge or syntactic knowledge]. From 1997-2000 a new Labour government marginalised history in primary schools with a focus on standards and the wholesale introduction of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies. In 2010 the Labour government was voted out of power. Its mainly Conservative replacement announced it would introduce a primary curriculum in 2014 organised along disciplinary lines, in which British Master Narrative History could play a major role. To inform the ensuing debate on the 2014 primary curriculum The Historical Association of Great Britain carried out a national survey of history teaching English primary schools. Our paper reports the main findings of the survey. The survey revealed that despite a decade of marginalisation and neglect history has unexpectedly become an integral element of the English primary school curriculum. The paper's conclusions Educationalfutures Nichol & Harnett Vol.4(2) March 2012 The History Curriculum e-journal of the British Education Studies Association 35 © BESA 2012 ISSN: 1758-2199 relate to Bourdieu's concept of 'cultural capital' and the role of history in educating for a plural, liberal democracy.


We are undertaking analysis and case studies to develop proof of concept for publicly available, comprehensive, global, and independent spatial information systems on land cover and land use, their dynamics and the associated carbon stocks and flows (emissions). Current global monitoring systems provide an opportunity for comparative analysis. But there is also an increasing demand for more efficient and effective systems addressing different user needs and allowing for performance assessment of climate and development policies and their outcomes. Such assessments are increasingly important in the post-Paris world and with regard to the SDGs and other coordinated development efforts. For performance assessments, the baselines and underlying assumptions must be clear and transparent. While some authors ask for uniformed, standardized approaches, we contend that the increasing portfolio of aspects that need to be measured and assessed will have the consequence that different users will have different needs with regard to data type, time and scale resolution, and national circumstances. Getting performance assessment right is important for many aspects of global governance that will be discussed at this conference: Policy transformation will ultimately depend on possibilities to assess the outcomes; justice, fairness and equity will depend on clear and transparent data and rules of the game across multiple levels of government and policy action. A better analysis of discourse can be achieved in the light of unambiguous data. Here we will provide an update on the efforts, discuss them in view of current developments and the Paris climate agreements, and identify what needs to be done over the next 5 years (post-2015) and beyond (post-2020).


Watemarking the original images to protect them against tampering has recently attracted an overgrowing interest. Recent works in this field offer algorithms that not only localize the tampering, but also recover the original content in the lost area. In this paper, we show that this self-restoration problem can be modeled as a source-channel coding problem. The original image is compressed using an efficient source encoder. The output is then channel coded to be capable of tolerating a certain rate of tampering. At the receiver, decoder reveals the encoder output bit stream if the tampering is below the certain limit. Decoder exploits the location of the erased blocks at the decoding, which are known thanks to the embedded check bits. The output of the source decoder is then used to replace the content of the tampered area. We show that approaching the self-restoration problem from this general viewpoint, the performance is significantly improved comparing to the state of the art schemes, in terms of the quality of watermarked image, quality of the restored content, and tolerable tampering rate.


Introduction Metabolomics is a study of small molecule (metabolite) composition in the body fluids, tissue or cell culture samples. Depending on the study objective we can apply non-targeted metabolomics (metabolic profiling), which provides a semi-quantitative, global overview of the organisms metabolic composition, or targeted-metabolomics, which offers quantitative measurements of a given set of metabolites. Until today, valuable samples collected in Qatar were shipped to centers abroad for both targeted and non-targeted metabolomics studies. Using our previous experience from development of a metabolomics platform in Germany, we now introduce a targeted-metabolomics platform in Qatar (MetaQ). By a model cooperation between the interim Translational Research Institute (iTRI) of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), which provided hardware components of the platform, and the Virtual Metabolomics Core of Weill Cornell Medicine in Qatar (WCM-Q), providing know-how and data analysis support, MetaQ (based on the AbsoluteIDQ p150 assay Biocrates Life Sciences AG) is offering in-house, quantitative measurements of 163 metabolites including amino acids, carnitines, phosphatidylcholines, and sphingomyelins from different sample types (plasma, dry blood spots, tissue samples and cell culture). To validate the MetaQ platform we used plasma samples which were collected in Qatar in the framework of the QMDiab study. Those samples were previously measured by a well-established metabolomics core at Helmholtz Zetrum Munich in Germany. Materials and Methods We used 80 plasma samples from de-identified subjects previously enrolled in the QMDiab study. For targeted metabolomics profiling we used the AbsoluteIDQ p150 assay (Biocrates Life Sciences AG). Samples preparation and metabolite detection was performed at the iTRI, according to the manufacturer instructions (Biocrates Life Sciences AG). Briefly, 10 μL of plasma samples were pipetted onto the kit filter plate and evaporated. Evaporation was performed by using evaporator (Organomotion Microvap 118) under nitrogen atmosphere in the chemical fume hood. Dried plasma samples were derivatized with 5% phenylisothiocyanate for 20 minutes followed by second round of evaporation. In the next step sample metabolites together with internal standards were extracted with methanol and filtrated by centrifugation. The sample extract was transferred into a new deep well plate and diluted with running solvent. Sample injection was performed automatically with the auto sampler (Eksigent EkspertUltraLC100) and the metabolite detection was performed using FIA-MS/MS system on a QTRAP4500 triple quadrupole (ABSciex). Evaluation of the mass spectrometry data was performed using MetIDQ software package (integral part of the Absolute IDQ assay). Statistical data analysis was performed using R-Studio. Results The major objective was to introduce and validate a functional, targeted metabolomics platform in Qatar. We used the iTRI in-house workhorse for mass spectrometry, the QTRAP4500 triple quadrupole system equipped with liquid chromatography EkspertUltraLC100. As a method of quality control, after sample measurement, we tested the correlation between samples measured in Qatar and previously in Germany. Correlation between subjects was very high: R2 > 0.98. Furthermore, 2/3 of the evaluated metabolites also had a high correlation: R2 > 0.5. Among the poorly correlating metabolites, which were mainly below the detection limit, correlation was not expected. In this group several carnitines were found. These results show that the introduced platform is robust, especially given that the measurements were performed 2 years after the initial study in Germany, using different version of the equipment. Moreover, this pilot trial was performed completely manually, which might introduce some variation. Therefore, we are currently procuring a robotic system that will allow high throughput with low variability. Conclusion Within the cooperation of an Academic Health System between two leading scientific institutions in Qatar (HMC and Weill Cornell Medical) we established and validated a non-targeted metabolomics platform – MetaQ – which now can serve as a hub for targeted metabolomics studies for researchers of various areas in Qatar. Moreover Biocrates Life Sciences AG also offers assays for bile acids, steroids and biogenic amines that can also be processed on this platform.


I study a contracting innovation that suddenly insulated traders of hedging contracts against counterparty risk: central clearing counterparties (CCPs) for derivatives. The first CCP was created in Le Havre (France) in 1882, in the coffee futures market. Using triple difference‐in‐differences estimation, I show that central clearing changed the geography of trade flows Europe‐wide, to the benefit of Le Havre. Inspecting the mechanism using trader‐level data, I find that the CCP solved both a "missing market" problem and adverse selection issues. Central clearing also facilitated entry of new traders in the market. The successful contracting innovation quickly spread to other exchanges.


Online services forms part of the tax reforms were by Kenya Revenue Authority. Since its ., formation, Kenya revenue authority has implemented several tax reforms with the motive of enhancing tax collections and tax efficiency. Taxation is the main source of government revenues in Kenya. Kenya's tax revenues have been increasing rapidly due to the country's rapid economic development; therefore, Government has invested time and money in an integrated online tax filing system for tax administration to improve the efficiency of its tax system. Using the integrated tax management information system of the domestic tax department as an example of e-governmental services, this study seeks to develop an understanding of the effect of online services in revenue collection in Kenya. The specific objective of the study is to assess the impact of KRA online services on revenue collection, to assess whether online services will significantly reduce queues experienced at the time of submitting tax returns and to determine the relevance of electronic record keeping in enhancing revenue collection. The study adopts a case study approach of one of the departments of the Kenya Revenue Authority, the Domestic Tax Department-MST with emphasis to VAT and PA YE collections. The study will use a structured questionnaire as the main data collection tool. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and frequency tables to answer the objectives of the study. The data was presented using charts and tables.


Abstract The internal skeleton of the nasal cavity is sporadically and often incompletely described for many marsupial species and mammals in general. Here, I provide an anatomical survey of the ethmoid in the skulls of adult marsupials based on examination of computed tomography (CT) imagery of 29 taxa representing all the major extant groups of marsupials. This survey resulted in a description of the "generalized condition" for the morphology of the marsupial ethmoid bone, ossified nasal septum, and associated structures of the interior of the nasal cavity. I also described how the ethmoid in different clades varies in morphology from the general condition for Marsupialia. Intraspecific variation of the ethmoid was described based on a sample of 18 specimens of Monodelphis domestica, the gray short-tailed opossum, and asymmetries within a single specimen are documented for other taxa. For the most part I follow the nomenclature of previous nasal cavity workers, but I also provide explicit definitions of all the terms used and some of the common synonyms for these in the literature. Endoturbinals and ectoturbinals are numbered sequentially following the work of previous authors, because of the issues with serial homology for these elements. The number of elements of the marsupial ethmoid is fairly conserved with the typical and likely ancestral condition being the presence of an ossified maxilloturbinal, nasoturbinal, two ectoturbinals, and five endoturbinals. However, there is considerable variation in the complexity, spatial placement, and overall morphology of the bony internal skeleton of the nose. Based on this descriptive work, I documented 35 discrete characters from the ethmoid and ossified nasal septum complex in marsupials. These characters were scored for this sample of marsupials and five mammalian outgroups. Examination of these characters on preexisting topologies of marsupial relationships revealed some phylogenetic signal for this sample of marsupial species. Three of the characters are punitively diagnostic for previously recognized clades within Marsupialia. It is possible that when this matrix is combined with morphological data from other anatomical systems and molecular data that previously unrecognized or controversial clades within Marsupialia may be supported. Even so, the relatively little amount of phylogenetic signal from my character matrix prompted me to search for alternative explanations for mechanisms driving the variation in this anatomical system. Consequently, I compared ecological data with the number of ecto- and endoturbinals as a preliminary test to determine whether some of the interspecific variation in the osteology of the ethmoid is a result of ecological factors, but found few correlations to support this idea. Finally, my study highlights some issues with homologies of mammalian nasal cavity elements that need to be resolved and reexamined. These include whether the ossified nasal septum arises from the presphenoid or the mesethmoid, and a test of the current view of serial homology of the endoturbinals and ectoturbinals.


This thesis consists of a review of experimental studies of sulphur solubility in mafic
magmas and the stability of magmatic sulphides, a theoretical examination of the
thermodynamics of C-O-S-H fluids to high temperature and pressure and three
experimental studies examining the role of sulphur under both volatile absent and
volatile saturated conditions.
Data concerning the sulphur solubility in mafic melts comes from experimental
studies on natural basalts and from metallurgical sources concerned with the
equilibrium between silicate slags and liquid metals. All of the metallurgical studies and
most of those involving natural compositions have been conducted at one atmosphere
and have identified the iron activity and the ambient oxygen and sulphur fugacities as
being the major factors controlling the sulphur solubility in a silicate melt. Studies at
pressures greater than one atmosphere are few and have examined only a few
compositions under relatively unconstrained sulphur and oxygen fugacities. Therefore
there is a lack of sulphur solubility data at high pressures and the partitioning of
sulphur between solid, melt and fluid phases remains an unknown of potential
significance.
Recent models for the genesis of MORB have emphasized the non-primary
nature of the majority of MORB glass compositions. The compositions of a range of
sulphide saturated potential MORB parent picritic liquids in equilibrium with either
lherzolitic or harzburgitic assemblages have been determined. The liquids produced are
similar to those generated from a similar but sulphur free source composition (pyrolite)
indicating that the presence of sulphur does not have the same fluxing effect as either
CO2 or H20.
Whereas volatile-poor conditions is appropriate for the modelling of MORB,
xenolithic material from the upper mantle frequently shows evidence of fluid
activity. A thermodynamic model for super-critical C-O-S-H fluids at high
temperature and pressure has been derived. Available P-V-T data for sulphur
bearing species has been combined with data for C-O-H species to calculate
fugacity coefficients by means of a modified Redlich-Kwong equation of state.
Using fugacity coefficients for multicomponent fluids the species distribution\as I
been determined as a function of the intensive variables P, T, f02 and fS2. The
results show that reduced fluids (f02≤1W) may contain a significant sulphur
fraction as H2S at moderate fS2 (IT+1) whereas more oxidized fluids (f02≥GC0)
by comparison contain little sulphur even at high fS2. SO2 is not a significant fluid
component in the range of f02's thought to characterize the upper mantle redox
range (IWCH4). By
analysis of the quenched fluid from the capsule, the relationship between the
parent fluid and the daughter fluid inclusions may be examined. Laser Raman micro
analysis of inclusions formed from a variety of pressure/temperature combinations
show compositional variation between individual inclusions and between inclusions
and the parent fluid showing that the assumption of isochemical entrapment may not
be valid for fluid inclusions formed under mantle conditions. Inclusions formed
also show development of daughter crystals indicating appreciable cation solubility
in the fluid phase at the run conditions. Infra-red spectrometry of the host olivine
shows development of structural O-H during the experiments revealing a possible
'sink' for inclusion hydrogen; a model for post entrapment chemical change in the
fluid phase is devised which has implications for the origin of CO2 rich inclusions
in mantle xenoliths.'
In the second series of experiments the same oxygen/sulphur fluid buffer
technique has been used to explore the fluid saturated phase relations for the system
pyrolite-C-0-S-H. The condition of melting (solidus) appears to coincide with the
disappearance of a hydrous phase (amphibole and/or phlogopite) and occurs midway
between the reduced C-0-H solidus as determined by Taylor and Green(1988)
and the water saturated solidus. Fractured natural olivine crystals were incorporated
into the capsule assembly and the inclusions produced show fluids dominated by
CH4-H20 mixtures in agreement with the analysis of the capsule gasses by capsule
piercing/mass spectrometry. In addition to these volatile phases substantial amounts
of daughter crystals are observed in the fluid inclusions from conditions below the
'solidus' indicating significant cation solubility in supercritical CH4-H20 mixtures.
At higher temperatures this solid component increases continuously in abundance
until true melt inclusions are obtained at conditions above the solidus. These
sulphide/silicate compositional relationships are examined and a model derived
which at a given pressure and temperature relates the compositions of olivine,
orthopyroxene and sulphide to the ambient sulphur and oxygen fugacities. Such a
reaction may be used as an oxygen/sulphur fugacity sensor if an independent means
of estimating the temperature and pressure is available.


Early History, Peter H. Kes The Discovery and Early History of Superconductivity, Rudolf de Bruyn Ouboter, Dirk van Delft, and Peter H. Kes The Historical Context of Josephson's Discovery, A.B. Pippard Theory, Jan Zaanen Ginzburg-Landau Equations, V.M. Vinokur and T.I. Baturina The Emergence of BCS, David Pines Theory of Superconductivity: From Phenomenology to Microscopic Theory, Lev P. Gor'kov A Modern, but Way Too Short History of the Theory of Superconductivity at a High Temperature, Jan Zaanen Intrinsic Josephson Effect in Layered Superconductors, L.N. Bulaevskii and A.E. Koshelev Mixed State Properties, Ernst Helmut Brandt Thermomagnetic Effects in the Mixed State, R.P. Huebener Experiments, J. Mannhart Tunneling and the Josephson Effect, John M. Rowell The Discovery of Fluxoid Quantization, Dietrich Einzel The Search for the Pairing Symmetry in the High Temperature Superconductors, Dale J. Van Harlingen Half-Integer Flux Quantization in Unconventional Superconductors, C.C. Tsuei and J.R. Kirtley Electric Field Effect Tuning of Superconductivity, Jean-Marc Triscone and Marc Gabay The Grain Boundary Problem of High-Tc Superconductors, J. Mannhart and D. Dimos Overview of the Experimental History, Status, and Prospects of HTS, M.R. Beasley Vortex Matter in Anisotropic Superconductors, Eli Zeldov Materials, C.W. Chu Introduction, C.W. Chu The Route to High Temperature Superconductivity in Transition Metal Oxides, A. Bussmann-Holder and K.A. Muller Superconductivity above 10 K in Non-Cuprate Oxides, David C. Johnston Cuprates-Superconductors with a Tc up to 164 K, C.W. Chu Fe-Pnictides and -Chalcogenides, Hideo Hosono Superconductivity in MgB2, Takahiro Muranaka and Jun Akimitsu Fullerenes, Kosmas Prassides and Matthew J. Rosseinsky Elemental Superconductors, K. Shimizu Heavy-Fermion Superconductivity, F. Steglich Ruthenate Superconductor Sr2RuO4, Yoshiteru Maeno Magnetic Superconductors (and Some Recollections of Professor Bernd T. Matthias), M. Brian Maple SQUIDS and Detectors, A.I. Braginski Introduction, John Clarke, Arnold Silver, and A.I. Braginski History and Device Fundamentals, John Clarke and Arnold Silver High-Tc SQUIDs, A.I. Braginski Geophysical Applications of SQUIDs, C.P. Foley Application to Nondestructive Evaluation of Materials and Structures, A.I. Braginski SQUIDs - from Laboratory Devices to Commercial Products, Ronald E. Sager Electromagnetic and Particle Detection and Readout, John Clarke, Kent Irwin, and Peter Michelson Concluding Remarks, A.I. Braginski, John Clarke, and Ronald E. Sager Qubits, J.E. Mooij Qubits, J.E. Mooij General Aspects, J.E. Mooij Digital Electronics, Shinya Hasuo Introduction, Shinya Hasuo Operating Principles of Digital Circuits, Theodore Van Duzer Digital Electronics in Japan, Shinya Hasuo Digital Electronics in the USA, Fernand (Doc) Bedard Digital Electronics in Europe, Horst Rogalla Integrated Circuit Fabrication Process, Mutsuo Hidaka High-Speed Digital Circuits, Akira Fujimaki History of Superconductor Analog-to-Digital Converters, Oleg Mukhanov Microwave Applications, D.E. Oates Microwave Measurements of Fundamental Properties of Superconductors, D.E. Oates Applications of Passive Microwave Filters and Devices in Communication and Related Systems, R.B. Hammond, N.O. Fenzi, and B.A. Willemsen Superconducting Quantum Electronics Enabling Astronomical Observations, T.M. Klapwijk Microwave Cooling of Superconducting Quantum Systems, W.D. Oliver Applications of Superconducting Microresonators, Jonas Zmuidzinas Quantum Metrology, Richard E. Harris and Jurgen Niemeyer Introduction, Richard E. Harris and Jurgen Niemeyer Josephson Voltage Standard - The Ultimate Precision, Jaw-Shen S. Tsai and James E. Lukens The First Josephson Voltage Standards, Thomas J. Witt First Josephson Junction Array Voltage Standard, Tadashi Endo How the DC Array Standards Were Developed, Jurgen Niemeyer Making the Josephson Voltage Standard Practical, Clark A. Hamilton Programmable Josephson Voltage Standards: from DC to AC, Johannes Kohlmann Quantum-Based Voltage Waveform Synthesis, Samuel P. Benz Superconductivity and the SI (Metric) System Based on Fundamental Constants, Edwin Williams and Ian Robinson Medical Applications, Harold Weinstock Introduction, Harold Weinstock Medical Applications of Magnetoencephalography, Cosimo Del Gratta, Stefania Della Penna, Vittorio Pizzella, and Gian-Luca Romani MCG Instrumentation and Applications, Riccardo Fenici, Donatella Brisinda, Anna Rita Sorbo, and Angela Venuti MRI Instrumentation and Applications, Jim Bray and Kathleen Amm Ultralow Field NMR and MRI, John Clarke Superconductivity in Medical Accelerators for Cancer Therapy, Peter A. Zavodszky Wires and Tapes, David Larbalestier The Long Road to High Current Density Superconducting Conductors, David Larbalestier Nb-Ti - from Beginnings to Perfection, Peter J. Lee and Bruce Strauss History of Nb3Sn and Related A15 Wires, Kyoji Tachikawa and Peter J. Lee Bi-Ca-Sr-Cu-O HTS Wire, Martin W. Rupich and Eric E. Hellstrom Coated Conductor: Second Generation HTS Wire, A.P. Malozemoff and Y. Yamada The MgB2 Conductor Story, Rene Flukiger and Hiroaki Kumakura Large Scale Applications, Peter Komarek, Bruce Strauss, Steve St. Lorant, Luca Bottura, and Al McInturff Introduction, Steve St. Lorant The History of Superconductivity in High Energy Physics, Steve A. Gourlay and Lucio Rossi Magnet Engineering-Study in Stability and Quench Protection, Luca Bottura and Al McInturff The History of Fusion Magnet Development, Jean-Luc Duchateau, Peter Komarek, and Bernard Turck Electric Power Applications of Superconductivity, William Hassenzahl and Osami Tsukamoto Magnetic Separation, Christopher Rey Superconducting Induction Heating of Nonferrous Metals, Niklas Magnusson and Larry Masur Superconducting Magnets for NMR, Gerhard Roth


Objective: To describe the pharmacokinetics of and exposure to oral sildenafil in neonates with pulmonary hypertension. Design and methods: We included 11 neonates (body weight 2-5 kg, postnatal age 2-121 days) who received sildenafil and ECMO treatment for pulmonary hypertension. Sildenafil capsules were given via a nasogastric tube. Blood samples were collected via a pre-existing arterial line to quantify sildenafil and metabolite plasma levels (219 samples). Nonlinear mixed effects modelling was used to describe sildenafil and desmethylsildenafil pharmacokinetics. Results: A one-compartment model was suitable for both sildenafil and desmethylsildenafil. Inter- and intrapatient variability for clearance at 100% bioavailability were 87% and 27% (sildenafil) and 62% and 26% (desmethylsildenafil). Patient weight, postnatal age and post-ECMO time did not explain variability. Concomitant fluconazole use was associated with a 47% reduction in sildenafil clearance. The exposure expressed as AUC24 (sildenafil + desmethylsildenafil) ranged from 625 to 13.579 ng·mh-1·h. An oral dose of 4.2 mg·kg -1·d-1 would lead to a median AUC24 (sildenafil + desmethylsildenafil) of 2650 ng·ml-1·h, equivalent to 20 mg t.i.d. in adults. Interpatient variability was large, with a simulated AUC24 (sildenafil + desmethylsildenafil) range (10th and 90th percentiles) of 1000-8000 ng·ml-1·h. Conclusions: Sildenafil pharmacokinetics are highly variable in post-ECMO neonates and infants. In a median patient, the current dose regimen of 0.5-2.0 mg/kg q.i.d. leads to an exposure comparable to the recommended adult dose of 20 mg t.i.d. Careful dose titration, based on efficacy and the occurrence of hypotension, remains necessary. Follow-up research should include appropriate pharmacodynamic endpoints, with a population PK/PD analysis to assign a suitable exposure window or target concentration.


This article is an argument in favour of the importance of having different perspectives for different situations in marketing. Since the 1990s, relationship marketing has become an accepted stream in marketing research. However, this type of marketing consists of many different perspectives. Here, the network approach is covered. Its origin and its divergence from the mainstream marketing mix approach are discussed. It is concluded that Swedish culture and context influenced the development of the network approach. However, the network view is not pertinent to all marketing situations in Sweden and the approach is also useful outside of the Swedish context. Finally, it is argued that marketing research should benefit from many different perspectives and approaches that could be applicable to different marketing situations.


Recent examinations have placed importance on gender equality and women's independence as determinants of violence against women. These examinations have resulted in mixed results about the importance of different theoretical constructs and levels of analysis. This examination integrates macro strain constructs with the feminist perspective and utilizes the Uniform Crime Reports U.S Census data from year 2000 to determine how gender differences in social and economic status can be used to explain rape rates in the 75 most populated Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas (SMSAs). Implications for future research based on these results are presented and discussed.


In Code, the most influential book yet written about law and cyberspace, Lawrence Lessig makes an intriguing proposal for shaping privacy on the Internet: (1) the legal assignment to every individual of a property interest in her own personal information, and (2) the employment of software transmission protocols, such as P3P, to permit the individual to structure her access to Web sites. In "Beyond Lessig's Code for Internet Privacy: Cyberspace Filters, Privacy Control, and Fair Information Practices," 2000 Wisc. L. Rev. 743, I respond to this approach with a number of criticisms and a competing proposal. My initial criticism of Lessig's proposal for privacy concerns how it contradicts his stand against PICs, a software transmission protocol for filtering Internet content reminiscent of P3P. Once we place privacy in a social context, moreover, P3P seems far less attractive an option. In place of Lessig's underlying paradigm, which seeks to increase personal control of data. I develop a concept of constitutive privacy. In my view, information privacy is a constitutive value that safeguards participation and association in a free society. Rather than simply seeking to allow more and more individual control of personal data, we should view the normative function of information privacy as inhering in its relation to participatory democracy and individual self-determination. A privacy market can play a role in helping information privacy fulfill this constitutive function. Yet, Lessig's propertization of privacy raises a further set of difficulties. In my view, propertization a la Lessig will only heighten flaws in the current market for personal data. This consequence follows from numerous shortcomings in this market and structural difficulties that indicate the unlikelihood of a self-correction in it. Moreover, in revisiting Calabresi and Melamed's work regarding the comparative merits of property and liability regimes, I find that a mixed regime is to be preferred for Internet privacy over Lessig's property regime. Part III of this Article turns from criticism to prescription and develops the mixture of property and liability rules necessary for establishment of information privacy standards in cyberspace. It proposes recourse to Fair Information Practices (FIPs) to establish rules for the fair treatment of personal data on the Internet. Yet, FIPs are not without potential shortcomings if structured only as command-and-control rules. My suggestion therefore is that an American Internet privacy law consisting of FIPs should include both mandatory and default elements.


This paper does three things. First, it proposes that each critical contingency in a power system be represented by a "correction time" (the time required to eliminate the violations produced by the contingency), rather than by a set of hard constraints. Second, it adds these correction times to an optimal power flow and decomposes the resulting problem into a number of smaller optimization problems. Third, it proposes a multi-agent technique for solving the smaller problems in parallel. The agents encapsulate traditional optimization algorithms as well as a new algorithm, called the voyager, that generates starting points for the traditional algorithms. All the agents communicate asynchronously, meaning that they can work in parallel without ever interrupting or delaying one another. The resulting scheme has potential for handling power system contingencies and other difficult global optimization problems. >


This article originally appeared in the January 2011 Product Liability Committee Newsletter. Manufacturers, importers and retailers selling consumer products in Canada will soon experience a flurry of regulatory change. On December 15, 2010, the Parliament of Canada gave royal assent to Bill C-36, "An Act respecting the safety of consumer products," to be known as the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act ("CCPSA"). CCPSA is awaiting proclamation in force. Once CCPSA is proclaimed in force, it will transform Health Canada into a weighty regulator of the consumer product supply chain, with powers akin to those of the Consumer Product Safety Commission ("CPSC") in the U.S. The stated goal of CCPSA is to strengthen and standardize the consumer product safety regime in Canada, which Health Canada--Canada's federal health authority---expects to achieve through: * a new power to order recalls of consumer products * increased and onerous reporting responsibilities for the consumer products industry * a new prosecution and penalty regime to compel compliance. The impetus for Bill C-36 was a series of high profile international recalls in 2007 and 2008 (including lead paint in children's toys and melamine in infant formula), which challenged the Canadian government to modernize its health and food product safety regime to deal with "new economic realities," including new products, new technologies and increased global trade. For companies supplying Canadians with consumer products, the likely consequences will be not just increased regulation but also increased class action litigation. Plaintiffs undoubtedly will seek to take advantage of the new self-reporting obligations to be imposed upon corporations plus the regulator-mandated recalls. Pre-CCPSA Regulatory Landscape The primary legislation governing consumer products in Canada since 1969 has been the Hazardous Products Act (HPA). But HPA is limited in scope and effect. It does not apply to all consumer products generally. Rather, it applies to only a limited number of consumer products. In addition to HPA, a few other statutes regulate specific products, such as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency Act (food), the Food and Drugs Act (food, drugs, medical devices and cosmetics), and the Motor Vehicle Safety Act (motor vehicles). Under HPA, Health Canada's mandate includes the regulation of: "... any product, material or substance that is or contains a poisonous, toxic, flammable, explosive, corrosive, infectious, oxidizing or reactive product ... (which) is or is likely to be a danger to the health and safety of the public; or any product designed for household, garden or personal use, for use in sports or recreational activities, as lifesaving equipment or as a toy, plaything or equipment for use by children... (which) is or is likely to be a danger to the health or safety of the public because of its design, construction or contents." In other words, the scope of HPA is limited to products that are considered to be inherently dangerous. CCPSA and Health Canada's New Powers CCPSA repeals and replaces Part I of HPA, and it applies to most consumer products generally, with only limited exceptions. As a result, a wide array of consumer products, not currently subject to detailed regulation, will be caught by this new legislative regime. CCPSA contains several broad prohibitions that build upon the list of products restricted by HPA, which will shift the approach of consumer product regulation to an anticipatory position that is more consistent with the consumer product regulatory regime in the U.S. Increased Reporting Responsibilities CCPSA will impose on manufacturers, importers and sellers a duty to notify Health Canada, and the suppliers from whom each of them received the consumer product, of any "incident" with respect to a consumer product supplied in Canada. …


This paper explores the relationship between dental attendance patterns and oral health status. The findings are sourced from the 2004–2006 National Survey of Adult Oral Health (NSAOH). In this survey a random sample of Australian adults was interviewed by telephone to collect information on dental attendance patterns and self-reported oral health. An oral examination was then undertaken to collect information on tooth decay and gum disease. In this report the dental attendance patterns of Australian adults have been categorised into three groups which represent contrasting attendance behaviour. These groups were formed through the concept of a 'favourable' to 'unfavourable' pattern of dental attendance where these descriptors reflect how closely the pattern of attendance reflects that recommended by the dental profession. The 'favourable' dental attendance group, which includes approximately 40% of Australian adults, have a usual dental care provider that they visit at least once a year for the purpose of a check-up. The 'unfavourable' dental attendance group, which includes nearly 30% of Australian adults, visit the dentist infrequently and usually for a dental problem. The remaining group, labelled 'intermediate', have a mixed pattern of dental attendance that cannot be categorised as either favourable or unfavourable. Adults with an unfavourable pattern of dental attendance had significantly poorer oral health outcomes than those with favourable attendance. In particular, they were more likely to: rate their own oral health as either fair or poor have experienced toothache, sensitive teeth and bleeding gums in the previous year report being uncomfortable with their dental appearance report that they had avoided certain foods due to dental problems. The type of dental treatment received varied significantly by pattern of dental attendance. Adults with an unfavourable pattern of dental attendance were 3.7 times more likely to have had a tooth extracted in the previous year and half as likely to have received a professional scale and clean treatment, than adults in the favourable attendance group. Adults with an unfavourable pattern of dental attendance were also more likely to report barriers to accessing dental care than those with favourable attendance. In particular, they were 3 times more likely to report: delaying or avoiding dental care due to cost difficulty paying a $100 dental bill being very afraid or distressed when making a dental visit. The pattern of dental attendance that people displayed did not lead to variations in the average number of teeth with dental decay, although the nature of this decay experience and the way it was managed varied significantly. On average, adults with unfavourable attendance had more than 3 times the level of untreated decay and 1.6 times more teeth missing due to dental disease than those with favourable attendance. Conversely, those with favourable attendance had more restored teeth. These findings reflect the type of dental care received to treat dental disease. Those seeking regular dental check-ups were more likely to have dental disease treated promptly, which led to less untreated decay, fewer extractions and more teeth restored. Gum disease was also more frequent among adults with an unfavourable pattern of dental attendance. Those with unfavourable attendance were 1.6 times more likely to have gingivitis, and 1.5 times more likely to have periodontitis, than those with favourable attendance. The findings in this report clearly demonstrate the gap in oral health status between adults with favourable and unfavourable patterns of dental attendance. As the number of adults with unfavourable attendance is a sizeable proportion of the adult population, a significant challenge remains for the dental health system in Australia to close this gap. Image: Helga Weber / flickr


Although Theodore Roosevelt is a popular focus of research and commentary, I am aware of no detailed analysis of his use of the pardon power, either as governor or president, systematic or otherwise. This paper explores Roosevelt's public commentary on pardons and compares it with his actual use of the power. Data are presented on the number of pardons, the offenses addressed as well as the reasons/justifications for the grants. I then show that the circumstances in which Roosevelt exercised clemency are remarkably similar to the clemency environment today. The difference is the manner in which recent presidents have responded to that environment. Finally, I note that recent scholars and observers of the pardon power have increasingly become attracted to a model that Roosevelt strongly supported: the creation and use of a separate and independent board to administer the pardon power.


Haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are the best-characterised adult stem cells and ensure life-long maintenance of the blood system. Under homeostatic conditions most of the HSCs are found in a quiescent state, but can be activated in response to stress (Wilson et al., 2008). Infection is a major source of natural stress to the haematopoietic system, leading to exhaustion of large amounts of immune cells during the defence against invading pathogens. Reestablishment of homeostasis following infection depends on the replacement of immune cells by haematopoietic progenitors. Interestingly,
recent studies have indicated that HSCs themselves can be activated in response to infection (Essers et al., 2009; Sato et al., 2009; Baldridge et al., 2010; Takizawa et al., 2011). However, whether HSCs are able to directly sense the infectious state remains unclear. In this work, we have investigated the in vivo short-term response of HSCs to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a major cell wall component of Gram-negative bacteria. Low dose administration of LPS to mice induces a rapid TLR4 dependent proliferation of even the most dormant HSCs, without impairing their long-term repopulating potential. This
activation is accompanied by upregulation of stem cell antigen 1 (Sca-1) and dependent on the expression of Sca-1 on HSCs. Both in vitro and in vivo data demonstrate that activation of HSCs via LPS is not a direct effect of LPS on HSCs. Instead, LPS treatment stimulates myeloid cells in the BM, most probably inflammatory monocytes, to produce inflammatory cytokines, which in turn induce the activation of HSCs. Furthermore, our results suggest that the activation of HSCs is mediated by initial cell-cell-interaction of
these myeloid cells with HSCs. Using genetic mouse models we show that the activation of HSCs is regulated by combined IFNa, IFNg and TNFa signalling. Moreover, TNFa alone induces a Sca-1 dependent activation of HSCs in vivo, making these cells susceptible to chemotherapy. In addition to IFN and TNFa signalling also IL-1b signalling is necessary to mediate the LPS-induced activation of HSCs. Interestingly, IL-1b itself leads to increased
proliferation of HSCs, most likely through direct activation of IL-1 signalling in these cells. Thus, our work provides novel cellular and genetic insights into the identity of LPS induced cytokine production, leading to HSC activation. Thus, providing a way to rapidly induce the production of mature immune cells upon infection, leading to a fast restoration of homeostasis upon bacterial infections. Furthermore, our work provides new insights into the role of the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNFa and IL-1b in the regulation of HSC function.


Much has been written about Natsume Soseki (1867-1916), one of Japan's most celebrated writers. Known primarily for his novels, he also published a large and diverse body of short personal writings (shohin) that have long lived in the shadow of his fictional works. The essays, which appeared in the Asahi shinbun between 1907 and 1917, comprise a fascinating autobiographical mosaic, while capturing the spirit of the Meiji era and the birth of modern Japan. In "Reflections in a Glass Door", Marvin Marcus introduces readers to a rich sampling of Soseki's shohin. The writer revisits his Tokyo childhood, recalling family, friends, and colleagues and musing wistfully on the transformation of his city and its old neighborhoods. He painfully recounts his two years in London, where he immersed himself in literary research even as he struggled with severe depression. A chronic stomach ailment causes Soseki to reflect on his own mortality and what he saw as the spiritual afflictions of modern Japanese: rampant egocentrism and materialism. Throughout he adopts a number of narrative voices and poses: the peevish husband, the harried novelist, the convalescent, the seeker of wisdom. Marcus identifies memory and melancholy as key themes in Soseki's personal writings and highlights their relevance in his fiction. He balances Soseki's account of his Tokyo household with that of his wife, Natsume Kyoko, who left a straightforward record of life with her celebrated husband. Soseki crafted a moving and convincing voice in his shohin, which can now be pondered and enjoyed for their penetrating observation and honesty, as well as the fresh perspective they offer on one of Japan's literary giants.


Many studies have shown that using music and songs while learning a new language can be of great benefit to students in aspects such as grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary. However, the use of songs in class as motivation to learn English is a subject that has not been explored thoroughly. The purpose of this study is to explore how the use of songs in English helps motivating students while learning English as a Second Language (ESL). The participants were primary school students at a private school located in the Lima Metropolitan Area. This study used a mixed-method design that included observations carried out by the research team and questionnaires completed by students. The results show that students are motivated to participate and become more engaged in classroom activities when songs are used in their English classes. This result was more strongly confirmed with the observations than with the questionnaires.


A model for representing and analyzing the design of a distributed software system is presented. The model is based on a modified form of Petri net, and enables one to represent both the structure and the behavior of a distributed software system at a desired level of design. Behavioral properties of the design representation can be verified by translating the modified Petri net into an equivalent ordinary Petri net and then analyzing that resulting Petri net. The model emphasizes the unified representation of control and data flows, partially ordered software components, hierarchical component structure, abstract data types, data objects, local control, and distributed system state. At any design level, the distributed software system is viewed as a collection of software components. Software components are externally described in terms of their input and output control states, abstract data types, data objects, and a set of control and data transfer specifications. They are interconnected through the shared control states and through the shared data objects. A system component can be viewed internally as a collection of subcomponents, local control states, local abstract data types, and local data objects.


1. Eight mongrel dogs were studied to evaluate the effect of local inflammation on the response of collateral airways to histamine. In each dog we measured the baseline collateral resistance and its response to increasing doses of nebulized histamine. These measurements were obtained at weekly intervals, twice under control conditions and in three subsequent weeks after a local instillation of the bacteria Bordetella bronchiseptica. On each study day, after the measurements of collateral resistance, we lavaged the studied lung segment by instilling and aspirating 100 ml of saline (four 25 ml aliquots). All studies were performed in the same lung segment. 2. Collateral resistance remained stable under control conditions at 19.5 +/- 7.2 and 11.7 +/- 3.2 cmH2O l-1 min. With a bacteria-induced, mostly neutrophilic, inflammation, collateral resistance initially increased to 70.2 +/- 18.6 cmH2O l-1 min after 1 week and subsequently decreased towards control values (47.3 +/- 13 and 30.7 +/- 10.1 cmH2O l-1 min at 21 and 29 days, respectively). Collateral pathways reactivity, expressed as the slope of the relationship collateral resistance/log (1 + [histamine]), remained unchanged throughout the study. The values of this slope were (mean +/- SEM) 0.021 +/- 0.003 and 0.022 +/- 0.004 in the two control studies and 0.025 +/- 0.004, 0.030 +/- 0.006 and 0.023 +/- 0.003 in the three subsequent weekly studies. Inflammation, evaluated by the number of bronchoalveolar lavage cells and the percentage of neutrophils in bronchoalveolar cells, closely paralleled baseline collateral resistance with a peak value at the first week after the infection.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


This synthesis provides direct wildlife population control techniques for reducing wildlife collisions with aircraft. This report synthesizes the various direct wildlife population control techniques available to airport personnel and their relative effectiveness. In addition, the ecological foundation of wildlife population control and management is also summarized. A literature review and survey of individuals involved in wildlife management at airports was conducted. The 15 airports surveyed (100% response rate) were representative of a broad range of biological habitats and conditions across the United States from all nine Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regions. These airports were surveyed to obtain quantitative and qualitative information on existing wildlife population control methods and integrated management approaches currently used in the United States and their perceived effectiveness.


Discussions on discipline in education often accentuate corporal punishment or measures to infuse moral fibre. In addition, many authors argue that inculcating a particular value system can promote discipline in schools. This could however be profoundly problematic in the light of the Constitution. We argue that positive discipline in multicultural school environments needs to be based in part on human rights values that are neither solely universally interpreted nor particularistically interpreted. We report on the data generated at a research workshop held as the final dissemination process of a four-year international research project entitled "Understanding human rights through different belief systems: intercultural and interreligious dialogue". Dialogue was chosen as a form of data gathering since it is more spontaneous than conventional questioning techniques and can thus generate more naturally occurring data to strengthen the outcomes of the project. It appears that some teachers believe discipline can only be maintained through the elevation of cultural values (particularism). We argue that schools should start negotiating, at the most basic level, the values, including emancipatory, human rights values, and cultural values, which could underpin positive discipline in multicultural schools. Drawing solely on cultural values is not only unlikely to solve the problem of discipline, but could also undermine the efforts to transform our diverse, democratic society. Keywords: cultural values; human rights values; multicultural schools; positive discipline


Sensing of high-definition three-dimensional (3D) sound-space information is of crucial importance for realizing total 3D spatial sound technology. We have proposed a sensing method for 3D sound-space information using symmetrically and densely arranged microphones. This method is called SENZI (Symmetrical object with ENchased Zillion microphones). In the SENZI method, signals recorded by the microphones are simply weighted and summed to synthesize a listener's headrelated transfer functions (HRTFs), reflecting the direction in which the listener is facing even after recording. The SENZI method is being developed as a real-time system using a spherical microphone array and field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). In the SENZI system, 252 electric condenser microphones (ECMs) were almost uniformly distributed on a rigid sphere. The deviations of the microphone frequency responses were compensated for using the transfer function of the rigid sphere. To avoid the degradation of the accuracy of the synthesized sound space by microphone internal noise, particularly in the low-frequency region, we analyzed the effect of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of microphones on the accuracy of synthesized sound-space information by controlling condition numbers of matrix constructed from transfer functions. On the basis of the results of these analyses, a compact SENZI system was implemented. Results of experiments indicated that 3D sound-space information was well expressed using the system.


Setting safety stock policies are especially important in the management of retail and wholesale inventories, as well as stores, spare parts, supply items, and in certain areas of production planning. From a practical perspective, determining the optimal safety stock policy and the optimal service level requires specifying the demand distribution. This paper develops optimal safety stock policies under several commonly used statistical demand distributions; normal, exponential, andpoisson. In those situations where a manager has limited information on the shape of the demand distribution, Chebychev's Inequality Theorem is exploited to determine the optimal policies. The suggested computational approach enables the order quantity and the number of standard deviations that specifies the service level to be jointly determined by minimizing total relevant cost. A numerical example is also given to illustrate the computational process.


This thesis offers a new perspective on the nature and experience of parent-child relationships c.1450-1620. Focusing on correspondence and family papers from selected aristocracy and gentry families, it argues that authority in parent-child relationships was renegotiated throughout the life cycle, particularly at points of tension or crisis such as marriage or death. These 'crisis points' are episodes which show us the negotiations that took place around domestic authority and give a personal insight into the emotional responses of parents and children and the nature of authority within early modern society. This thesis addresses a gap in knowledge about the changing reciprocal nature of this relationship over the life course. It understands 'parent' and 'child' as relational statuses experienced differently at different points throughout the life cycle. These new definitions argue that 'parent' and 'child' were not statuses that were limited to a single life stage but impacted on an individual throughout life. It reveals that individuals were motivated by societal expectation of family roles and also exhibited a range of emotional responses in reaction to perceived threats to the smooth running of family life according to the rules and structures of age, gender and status. The expectations associated with being a parent or a child continued to shape the actions and behaviour of individuals well into adulthood, as loyalty and obedience between parents and children was challenged and renegotiated. The thesis also considers how different roles within the family could overlap, leading to conflict as family members sought to manage their obligations and responsibilities as parents, children, siblings or step-relations. The personal source material is put into context with legal records and conduct literature considering the conflict between ideals of family life and its lived experience.


The objectives of this article are to provide a brief overview of the scientific literature regarding the use of fenugreek in the management of hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia and suggest recommendations for additional research. Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L., family Fabaceae) is an annual herb with triangular yellow flowers and seed-containing pods that grows in countries of the Mediterranean, Middle East, India, China, and, more recently, Canada. Fenugreek seed or its extracts are found in food products such as frozen dairy products, gelatin puddings, candy, and gravy sauces and in alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages. An extract of fenugreek also is used as a flavoring ingredient in imitation maple syrup. Fenugreek has a history of use in traditional medicine in India and China. Its uses include as a treatment of weakness and leg edema, as a lactation and appetite stimulant, and as a remedy for indigestion, baldness, and fever. Some have used it topically for myalgia, wound treatment, and cellulitis. One potential benefit of fenugreek is improving elevated blood glucose and lipid levels associated with chronic conditions such as diabetes and obesity. Human investigations suggest that fenugreek can be beneficial as an adjunct in controlling high blood glucose and lipid levels in people with diabetes. However, larger, adequately powered, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trials examining multiple measures of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism and insulin homeostasis are needed.


Scientific inquiry involves a variety of abilities scientists use to investigate the natural world. In order to develop students' scientific inquiry, researchers and educators have developed different curricula and a variety of instructional resources, which make features and descriptors of scientific inquiry in teaching and learning even more diverse and complex. For revealing how the multi-facets of scientific inquiry are inherently correlated, this study identified descriptors representing features of scientific inquiry and automatically reviewed the research abstracts where these descriptors were used. A cluster analysis was used to analyze 171 relevant article abstracts published in Web of Science from 1986 to 2010, by using the data mining software WordStat v6.1. Networks of descriptors and of research strands showed the inter-relationships among descriptors and the research strands. Through triangulating the categorization results from automatic data-mining and expert researchers' qualitative reviewing, this study identified seven clusters of high-frequency descriptors and nine major strands of current research studies. The nine strands can further be grouped into five research themes: NOS, Knowledge Construction, Inquiry Ability, Explanatory-driven Inquiry, and Professional Development. With different levels of cohesiveness in network, these themes demonstrated that scientific inquiry was composed of different levels of abilities students need to achieve as well as the endeavors of teachers. Through exploring the network shared among most researchers, this study is expected to provide novice researchers information about elements that expert researchers usually consider and further, it is expected to give expert researchers some new directions to explore in research designs.


In this paper, the problem with boundary nonself-adjoint conditions for a differential-operator equations of the order $2n$ with involution is studied. Spectral properties of operator of the problem is investigated. By analogy of separation of variables the nonlocal problem for the differential-operator equation of the even order is reduced to a sequence $ \{L_{k}\}_{k=1}^{\infty}$ of operators of boundary value problems for ordinary differential equations of even order. It is established that each element $L_{k}$, of this sequence, is an isospectral perturbation of the self-adjoint operator $L_{0,k}$ of the boundary value problem for some linear differential equation of order 2n. We construct a commutative group of transformation operators whose elements reflect the system $V(L_{0,k})$ of the eigenfunctions of the operator $L_{0,k}$ in the system $V(L_{k})$ of the eigenfunctions of the operators $L_{k}$. The eigenfunctions of the operator $L$ of the boundary value problem for a differential equation with involution are obtained as the result of the action of some specially constructed operator on eigenfunctions of the sequence of operators $L_{0,k}.$ The conditions under which the system of eigenfunctions of operator $L$ the studied problem is a Riesz basis is established.


Radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) is an effective treatment for different types of cardiac arrhythmias. However, major complications can occur, including thrombus formation and steam pops. We present a full 3D mathematical model for the radiofrequency ablation process that uses an open-irrigated catheter and accounts for the tissue deformation, an aspect overlooked by the existing literature. An axisymmetric Boussinesq solution for spherical punch is used to model the deformation of the tissue due to the pressure of the catheter tip at the tissue-catheter contact point. We compare the effect of the tissue deformation in the RFCA model against the use of a standard sharp insertion of the catheter in the tissue that other state-of-the-art RFCA computational models use.


Objective The effects of dietary interventions on gut bacteria are ambiguous. Following a previous intervention study, we aimed to determine how differing diets impact gut bacteria and if bacterial profiles predict intervention response. Design Sixty-seven patients with IBS were randomised to traditional IBS (n=34) or low fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols (FODMAPs) (n=33) diets for 4 weeks. Food intake was recorded for 4 days during screening and intervention. Faecal samples and IBS Symptom Severity Score (IBS-SSS) reports were collected before (baseline) and after intervention. A faecal microbiota dysbiosis test (GA-map Dysbiosis Test) evaluated bacterial composition. Per protocol analysis was performed on 61 patients from whom microbiome data were available. Results Responders (reduced IBS-SSS by ≥50) to low FODMAP, but not traditional, dietary intervention were discriminated from non-responders before and after intervention based on faecal bacterial profiles. Bacterial abundance tended to be higher in non-responders to a low FODMAP diet compared with responders before and after intervention. A low FODMAP intervention was associated with an increase in Dysbiosis Index (DI) scores in 42% of patients; while decreased DI scores were recorded in 33% of patients following a traditional IBS diet. Non-responders to a low FODMAP diet, but not a traditional IBS diet had higher DI scores than responders at baseline. Finally, while a traditional IBS diet was not associated with significant reduction of investigated bacteria, a low FODMAP diet was associated with reduced Bifidobacterium and Actinobacteria in patients, correlating with lactose consumption. Conclusions A low FODMAP, but not a traditional IBS diet may have significant impact on faecal bacteria. Responsiveness to a low FODMAP diet intervention may be predicted by faecal bacterial profiles. Trial registration number NCT02107625.


Toxoplasmosis is one of the major zoonotic diseases spread throughout the world with varying degrees. This disease is caused by protozoa Toxoplasma gondii, intracellular parasite that can attack humans and all warm-blooded animals. Humans or animals suffering from toxoplasmosis do not show any specific clinical signs and often without signs at all because the disease is latent. Toxoplasmosis can be fatal and life-threatening in individuals with a decrease in the immune system.Cats and other felidae is the definitive host for Toxoplasma gondii, a place where these parasites develop and multiply sexually. Toxoplasma gondii may develop intraintestinally (inside the intestinal tissue) as well as extraintestinally (outside the intestinal tissue) in feline's body. Intraintestinal development forms a life stage called oocysts. Oocysts are excreted along with the feces which then serves as a source of transmission for other hosts, such as rats, goats, sheep, and humans.Cases of toxoplasmosis have been found in various regions or areas of Indonesia both in humans and animals since 1970. Researches on toxoplasmosis in pets such as cats, livestock such as cattle and buffalo, goats, and pig were conducted from year to year. It proved that toxoplasmosis pulled a great interest from academics and researchers, both in human medicine and veterinary medicine.The Government of the Republic of Indonesia through the Decree of the Minister of Agriculture Number 4026/Kpts/OT.140/4/2013 on the Stipulation of Strategic Transmissible Animal Diseases has established toxoplasmosis as one of strategic transmissible animal diseases (PHMS) that have been found in Indonesia. Based on the PHMS status and situation map of 2011-2014 published by the Directorate General of Animal Husbandry and Animal Health, Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture, cases of toxoplasmosis were reported in several provinces in Indonesia.In the perspective of Indonesian animal quarantine, toxoplasmosis is not designated as Quarantine Pests and Diseases for Animals (HPHK), i.e. all animal pests and diseases that are stipulated by the government to be prevented from being entering into, spreading within, and leaving from the territory of the Republic of Indonesia. Therefore, Toxoplasma gondii-carrying media which transported were not treated as a subject for specific quarantine measures that aims to prevent the entry, spread, and exit of Toxoplasma gondii. This causes the efforts to prevent toxoplasmosis, whether carried out by the government, practitioners, academics, and the general public are not fully implemented.


We present ultra high speed optical coherence tomography (OCT) with multi-megahertz line rates and investigate the achievable image quality. The presented system is a swept source OCT setup using a Fourier domain mode locked (FDML) laser. Three different FDML-based swept laser sources with sweep rates of 1, 2.6 and 5.2MHz are compared. Imaging with 4 spots in parallel quadruples the effective speed, enabling depth scan rates as high as 20.8 million lines per second. Each setup provides at least 98dB sensitivity and approximately 10microm resolution in tissue. High quality 2D and 3D imaging of biological samples is demonstrated at full scan speed. A discussion about how to best specify OCT imaging speed is included. The connection between voxel rate, line rate, frame rate and hardware performance of the OCT setup such as sample rate, analog bandwidth, coherence length, acquisition dead-time and scanner duty cycle is provided. Finally, suitable averaging protocols to further increase image quality are discussed.


It is well established that when monetary policy is accommodative, banks tend to grant more credit. However, only recently attention was given to the quality of credit granted and, naturally, the risk assumed during those periods. This article makes an empirical contribution to the analysis of the so-called risk-taking channel of monetary policy. We use bank loan level data and different methodologies to test whether banks assume more credit risk when monetary policy interest rates are lower. Our results provide evidence in favor of this channel through different angles. We show that banks, most notably smaller banks, grant more loans to non-financial corporations with recent defaults or without credit history when policy interest rates are lower. We also find that loans granted when interest rates are low are more likely to default in the hiking phase of the interest rate cycle. However, the level of policy interest rates at the moment of loan concession does not seem to be relevant for the ex-post probability of default of the overall loan portfolio.


In developing male germ cells, newly synthesized protamine mRNAs are stored for up to 7 days before translational activation. Translational repression of protamine 1 (Prm1) mRNA requires sequences present in its 3' untranslated region (UTR) and substantial evidence suggests a role for the murine Y-box protein MSY4 in this process. To determine if MSY4 can mediate translational repression in vivo, we generated transgenic mice in which the temporal window of MSY4 expression was extended during spermatogenesis. Expression of MSY4 disrupted the normal completion of spermatogenesis and caused dominant sterility. Immunocytochemical analysis of several markers, including the protamines, indicated that MSY4 prevented normal activation of translation. mRNAs whose translation was inhibited contained at least one MSY4 RNA recognition site, suggesting sequence-dependent translational repression. Altered translational activation resulted in defective processing of protamine 2 and severe defects in sperm morphogenesis. These results suggest that MSY4 plays an active role in translational repression of several mRNAs in differentiating spermatids.


An overview for college counselors of the literature on bulimia treatment outcomes is presented for purposes of screening, treatment, and referral. Pretreatment characteristics that seem amenable to success in brief therapy are outlined, as are those that do not lead to a positive outcome. The prevalence of bulimia nervosa, often referred to simply as bulimia, has received a vast amount of attention on college campuses during the past decade. A study of 643 college women found that as many as 3% of college students meet the diagnostic criteria for bulimia, 33% reported inappropriate and unhealthy forms of weight control (i.e., vomiting, commonly called purging, and use of laxatives), and 38% had problems with bingeing or consuming large amounts of food in a short amount of time (Mintz & Betz, 1988). The traditional approach to treatment of bulimia has been long-term psychotherapy that incorporates many hours of in-depth individual, group, and family counseling in both inpatient and outpatient treatment settings. These models of treatment pose a serious challenge to college counselors who are increasingly mandated to meet with students briefly (Gyorky, Royalty, & Johnson, 1994; Quintana, Kilmartin, Yesenosky, & Macias, 1991). These counselors must make the best use of limited time with clients w ho have bulimia. One manner in which this may be accomplished is through brief therapy. Brief therapy, the current treatment of choice in many college counseling centers (Gyorky et al., 1994) is defined as "counseling in which time is an intentional aspect of treatment planning" (Steenbarger, 1993, p. 8). Brief therapy models offer an alternative to more traditionally accepted methods of counseling. Instead of seeking to uncover and deal with deep-seated issues thought to be at the root of bulimic symptoms, brief therapy for bulimia often focuses on understanding the primary function that the symptoms fulfill in the client's life. Through active involvement with the therapist, clients learn to reframe their disorder, engage in behavioral and cognitive therapeutic interventions, and seek to focus on other areas of their lives outside of their eating disorder (Moley, 1987). In examining the effectiveness of brief therapy for bulimia, Johnson, Tobin, and Dennis (1990) concluded that it might be beneficial to identify sub-groups of clients who may require differing levels of intervention. This type of systematic method of client referral and treatment matching has also been recommended by Quintana et al. (1991). Although dozens of studies have begun to identify client characteristics that may lend themselves to successful treatment (with both brief and nonbrief approaches), there has yet to be a synthesis of the information available for practitioners. This article reviews the outcome literature on bulimia treatment and cites those pretreatment client characteristics that seem amenable to brief therapy and those characteristics that do not. It is hoped that addressing the promises and limitations of brief therapy for bulimia will better equip college counselors to meet the challenges of appropriate triage and referral. Overall Effectiveness of Brief Therapy for Bulimia Research on treatment and outcomes of bulimia has suggested that brief therapy may be appropriate for some clients suffering from bulimia nervosa Bologna, Barlow, Hollon, Mitchell, & Huppert, 1998; Bulik, Sullivan, Joyce, Carter, & McIntosh, 1998, 1999; Fahy, Eisler, & Russell, 1993; Fahy & Russell, 1993; Johnson et al., 1990; Walsh et al., 1997). For example, after 8 weeks of brief cognitive-behavioral treatment, 42% of clients exhibited significant reductions in abnormal eating behaviors and psychopathology, and these reductions were maintained at 16 weeks and after 1 year (Fahy & Russell, 1993). Bulik, Sullivan, Joyce, et al. (1998) found that brief cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) produced broad improvement in several outcome areas: 53. …


Biliary cast syndrome (BCS) complicates up to one in six patients post-orthotopic liver transplant (OLT). Management of BCS is challenging with limited success using endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) or open exploration to clear the casts with some patients requiring re-transplantation. We present a case of BCS in a patient who suffered from vascular complications at the time of OLT rendering him a non-candidate for repeat liver transplantation in addition to increasing risk for ischemic insult and biliary strictures, and the challenges faced in his care. J Med Cases. 2016;7(5):158-160 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/jmc2467w


Shark fins have become a highly valued commodity with the major Asian fin-trade centres supplied from global sources, including Chile. With growing concerns about the resilience of shark populations to heavy fishing pressure, there is a need for better information on shark landings to aid management efforts. In the widespread absence of shark landing records especially by species, monitoring the fin trade has been proposed as a way to assess species exploitation levels. Here, the first species assessment of the Chilean shark-fin trade was provided. The goals of this study were to (1) determine the species composition and relative species proportion of sharks utilized in the fin trade, (2) determine the relationship between fin trader market names and species and (3) assess trader accuracy in identifying shark fin species based on fin photographs. Fins were analysed from two different fin drying facilities (n ¼ 654) (secaderos) and two fin-storage warehouses (n ¼ 251). In contrast to official government landing records that only document four species in the landings, molecular species identification of the fins demonstrated that at least 10 pelagic shark species are present in the north-central Chilean shark fin trade: Alopias superciliosus, Alopias vulpinus, Carcharhinus obscurus, Galeorhinus galeus, Isurus oxyrinchus, Isurus paucus, Lamna nasus, Prionace glauca, Sphyrna lewini, Sphyrna zygaena. The species composition of the fins from the secaderos was P. glauca (83� 9%), I. oxyrinchus (13� 6%), L. nasus (1� 7%) and A. superciliosus (0� 2%). There was generally good agreement between market names and single shark species for the trade categories 'Azulejo', 'Tiburon', 'Tintorera', 'Cola de zorro' and 'Martillo'. In contrast, the market category 'Carcharhinus' consisted of a mixture of at least five species. The molecular results also identified two species (S. lewini and I. paucus) not previously recorded in Chilean waters. The fin identification survey given to nine regional traders demonstrated that they were highly accurate in recognizing pictures of fins from P. glauca and I. oxyrinchus. The overall strong concordance between market categories and fins from single species and the trader accuracy in survey fin identification suggests that monitoring the Chilean fin trade by market names will provide a reasonably accurate picture of the volume of sharks landed by species. # 2008 The Authors


In the last decades, the use of in vitro systems in liver research has grown exponentially. Important reasons promoting this work are the high throughput and ease of genetic manipulations afforded by these experiments relative to in vivo experiments. Thousands of investigations of hepatocellular carcinoma have been performed employing the human hepatoma Huh-7 cell line. The extensive body of knowledge produced attests to the importance and value of this in vitro cell system to study the characteristics of hepatomas and the potential of natural and synthetic compounds to prevent and eliminate this liver cancer. The necessarily brief summary provided here attempts to summarise some of the most recent achievements and limitations of investigations with Huh-7 cells and derivatives.


Preface. 1. Modern theories of continuum models. 1.1 The physical model (J. Tomasi). 1.2 Integral equation approaches for continuum models (E. Cances). 1.3 Cavity surfaces and their discretization (C. Pomelli). 1.4 A Lagrangian formulation for continuum models (M. Caricato, G. Scalmani, M. Frisch). 1.5 The quantum mechanical formulation of continuum models (R. Cammi). 1.6 Nonlocal solvation theories (V. Basilevsky & G.N. Chuev). 1.7 Continuum models for excited states (B. Mennucci). 2. Properties and spectroscopies. 2.1 Computational modeling of the solvent effect on NMR molecular parameters by a Polarizable Continuum Model (J. Sadlej & M. Pecul). 2.2 EPR spectra of organic free radicals in solution from an integrated computational approach (V. Barone, P. Cimino & M. Pavone). 2.3 Continuum Solvation Approaches to Vibrational Properties (C. Cappelli). 2.4 Vibrational Circular Dichroism (P. Stephens & F.J. Devlin). 2.5 Solvent effects on natural optical activity (M. Pecul & K. Ruud). 2.6 Raman Optical Activity (W. Hug). 2.7 Macroscopic non linear optical properties from cavity models (R. Cammi & B. Mennucci). 2.8 Birefringences in liquids (A. Rizzo). 2.9 Anisotropic fluids (A. Ferrarini). 2.10 Homogeneous and heterogeneous solvent model for non-linear optical properties (H. Agren & K. Mikkelsen). 2.11 Molecules at surfaces and interfaces (S. Corni & L. Frediani). 3. Chemical Reactivity in the ground and the excited state. 3.1 First and second derivatives of the free energy in solution (M. Cossi & N. Rega). 3.2 Solvent effects in chemical equilibria (I. Soteras, D. Blanco, O. Huertas, A. Bidon-Chanal, & F. J. Luque). 3.3 Transition State Theory and Chemical Reaction Dynamics in Solution (D.J. Truhlar & J. R. Pliego Jr.). 3.4 Solvation Dynamics (B. Ladanyi). 3.5 The role of solvation in electron transfer: theoretical and computational aspects (M.D. Newton). 3.6 Electron-driven proton transfer processes in the solvation of excited states (W. Domcke & A. L. Sobolewski). 3.7 Nonequilibrium solvation and conical intersections (D. Laage, I. Burghardt & J.T. Hynes). 3.8 Photochemistry in condensed phase (M. Persico & G. Granucci). 3.9 Excitation Energy Transfer and the Role of the Refractive Index (V.M. Huxter & G. Scholes). 3.10 Modelling solvent effects in photoinduced energy and electron transfers: the electronic coupling (C. Curutchet). 4. Beyond the Continuum approach. 4.1 Conformational Sampling in solution. (M. Orozco, I. Marchan & I. Soteras). 4.2 The ONIOM Method for Layered Calculations (T. Vreven & K. Morokuma). 4.3 Hybrid methods for molecular properties (K. Mikkelsen). 4.4 Intermolecular interactions in condensed phases: experimental evidences from vibrational spectra and modelling (A. Milani, M. Tommasini, M. Del Zoppo & C. Castiglioni). 4.5 An Effective Hamiltonian method from simulations: ASEP/MD (M.A. Aguilar, M.L. Sanchez, M.E. Martin, I. Fdez. Galvan). 4.6 A combination of electronic structure and liquid state theory: RISM-SCF/MCSCF method (H. Sato).


Contrary to the view-current among certain critics-that it is only decorative, the epic simile, starting from Homer and carried on by Virgil and Milton, performs many functions, functions that help to make an epic what it is. In the development of the epic in general and of the epic simile in particular, Homer, Virgil, and Milton, three mainstream epic poets, were linked by a similar tradition and shared close affinities in the way they employed this rhetorical device. While drawing on the Homer-Virgil tradition, using the epic simile as Homer, Virgil, and Milton did, Dante in The Divine Comedy took Homer as a point of departure. This paper discusses what functions Dante's epic similes perform, how they differ from those of Homer, Virgil, and Milton, and how they scale new heights, heights which are beyond the epic similes of the mainstream epic poets, attaining, as Eliot put it, to "the highest point poetry has ever reached or ever can reach."


This dissertation presents a comprehensive description of the grammar of Logba, one of the fourteen Ghana-Togo Mountain (GTM) languages spoken by approximately 7,500 speakers on the Southeastern frontier of the Ghana-Togo border. It is the outcome of fifteen months research in Logba speaking communities.
The grammar covers phonology, morphology, syntax and aspects of pragmatics such as routine expressions, particles and interjections. The language displays three interconnected systems of nominal classification –prefix classes, singular plural pairings and agreement system. The interaction of external verb agreement and noun phrase internal agreement results in nine different agreement patterns. Other typologically interesting features of Logba accounted for include its two adpositional classes, verb serialisation with features marked only on the first verb, and the coding of topological relations in verbs. The influence of Ewe, the dominant lingua franca, on the grammar and lexicon as well as Logba's differentiation from its presumed genetic relatives like Likpe and Lelemi are touched upon. A corpus of glossed and translated texts that was used as data sources as well as a trilingual wordlist are also included.
The descriptor is of interest to specialists in African linguistics, linguistic typology as well as contact linguistics.


This chapter, first, presents the motivation behind the need for adaptive, highly linear electro-optic modulators and an overview of the different optical linearization approaches of electro-optic modulators. Then, the figures of merits in terms of linearity performance are described and analyzed. Next, the chapter focuses on one excellent linearization approach called interferometric modulator with phase-modulating and cavity-modulating components (IMPACC). Here, we model IMPACC by simulating each of the key building blocks separately before putting them together as IMPACC modulator. This adaptive IMPACC design is compared to typical Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) based modulators, and ring-assisted Mach-Zenhder interferometer (RAMZI) modulators. Theoretical analysis and results show that the IMPACC provides both superior linearity performance and unique adaptive feature that can be used to compensate for manufacturing tolerances, thus, providing extra flexibility in terms of device manufacturability as well as system integration.


The U.S. shrimp farming industry has been expanding in the southern U.S. in response to strong market demand for shrimp. U.S. farmers have difficulty competing with imports in frozen shrimp commodity markets. This study identified the shrimp purchasing behavior and preferences of seafood wholesalers and retailers in nine southeastern U.S. states to provide shrimp farmers the market information needed to develop successful marketing strategies. Results of a mail survey, including a conjoint analysis experiment, of the seafood dealers are presented and discussed. There appears to be strong market potential for fresh, farm-raised shrimp in a variety of sizes, but there is considerable dealer resistance to the whole or live, head-on shrimp form. Shrimp farmers interested in successfully marketing to seafood dealers may be required to process their product in order to offer shrimp tails, rather than whole shrimp.


Hume's Naturalism provides a clear and concise guide to the debates over whether Hume's empiricism or his 'naturalism' in the tradition of the Scottish 'Common Sense' school of philosophy gained his upper hand. This debate is central to any understanding of Hume's thought. H.O. Mounce presents a beautifully clear guide to Hume's most important works, The Treatise on Human Nature and Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion. Accessible to anyone coming to Hume for the first time, Hume's Naturalism affords a much needed overview of the key concepts of empiricism, causation, scepticism, reason and morality that are essential to any understanding of Hume's philosophy.


In her article "Roth's Graveyards, Narrative Desire, and 'Professional Competition with Death'" Debra Shostak analyzes Philip Roth's 1954 short story "The Day It Snowed" and surveys a range of his books. Shostak offers a reading of Sabbath's Theater and Everyman to explore Roth's fictional forms and his conception of storytelling, elucidates how the traumatic knowledge of death at graveside initiates the psychoanalytic process of repression, repetition, remembering, and telling, and uncovers several motifs or formal strategies that appear when Roth deploys cemetery scenes: the linear plotting toward death is often embraced within circular narrative structures; the voice of the mother, dead or alive, presides over the protagonist's traumatic confrontation with mortality; and the narrative represents the battle waged between eros and thanatos. From the beginning of his career, Roth has sent his characters to meditate in graveyards or over coffins at crucial junctures such as narrative beginnings and endings. Drawing on psychoanalytic accounts of narrative desire, Shostak argues that Roth is preoccupied with the graveyard scene as a symbolic incitement to the compulsion that he calls in The Human Stain "professional competition with death." Debra Shostak, "Roth's Graveyards, Narrative Desire, and 'Professional Competition with Death'" page 2 of 10 CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture 16.2 (2014):  Thematic Issue History, Memory, and the Making of Character in Roth's Fiction. Ed. Gustavo Sánchez-Canales and Victoria Aarons


Amicable settlement is a special kind of agreement. It bears substantive legal aspects as it belongs to the field of regulation of substantive law and directly influences substantive legal relations of the pleading parties. On the other hand, amicable settlement also possesses procedural aspects as it is subjected to regulation of procedural law (code of civil procedure defines the procedure of conclusion of amicable settlement, its approval by the court, determines procedural legal consequences and obligation of amicable settlement). The article scopes on the both, material and procedural issues of amicable settlement in insolvency proceedings. Particular attention is paid to the conclusion, approval, effect, form and substance of amicable settlement, contracting parties, their rights and obligations and, finally, to legal consequences of amicable settlement. A significant part of the article deals with existing problems, lack of legal regulations defining certain aspects of amicable settlement in insolvency proceedings and possible measures for elimination of vacancy in legal regulation.


"Shah of Shahs" depicts the final years of the Shah in Iran, and is a compelling meditation on the nature of revolution and the devastating results of fear. Here, Kapuscinski describes the tyrannical monarch, who, despite his cruel oppression of the Iranian people, sees himself as the father of a nation, who can turn a backward country into a great power - a vain hope that proves a complete failure. Yet, even as Iran becomes a behemoth of riches' and as the Shah lives like a European billionaire, its people live in a climate of fear, terrorized by the secret police. Told with intense power and feeling, Kapuscinski portrays the inevitable build-up to revolution - a cataclysmic upheaval that delivered Iran into the rule of the Ayatollah Khomeini.


To better understand Shift Work Disorder (SWD), this study investigates insomnia, sleepiness, and psychosocial features of night workers. The study compares night workers with or without SWD to day workers with or without insomnia. Seventy-nine night workers and 40 day workers underwent diagnostic interviews for sleep disorders and for psychopathologies. They completed questionnaires and a sleep diary for 14 days. The design was observatory upon two factors: Work schedule (night, day work) and sleep (good sleep, SWD/insomnia). Two-way ANCOVAs were conducted on psychosocial variables, and effect size were calculated. The clinical approach chosen led to distinct groups of workers. Night workers slept several periods (main sleep period after work, naps, nights on days off). High total wake time and low total sleep time characterized sleep in SWD. Most night workers with SWD still complained of sleepiness after main sleep. Cognitive activation distinguished groups of night workers. All other differences in psychosocial variables between night workers groups were similar to, but smaller than, the ones between day workers. The evaluation of SWD should consider all sleep periods of night workers with particular attention to self-reported total wake time, state sleepiness, and level of cognitive activation.


This study was undertaken in an area of Bangladesh to assess the impact of minor irrigation on different farm sizes and determines the optimum allocation of resources of large and small farmers among different crops in a shallow tubewell (STW) irrigation system. Farm survey method was used to collect data in order to develop linear programming representative farm models. The analysis takes into account crop activities, inputs used, farm size and soil types. Optimal plans show mis-allocation of existing resources and indicated considerable scope for increasing farm income by reallocation of existing resources. The mis-allocation of resources on large farms was greater than on small farms. The analysis suggests that, by reallocating existing resources, large farms can increase farm income and employment more significantly than small farms. The research supports the view that the government should maintain a policy that favours private sector investment and operation of STW irrigation and the extension workers may direct farmers to allocate their resources in better way.


Abstract. A novel method for classifying Arctic precipitation using ground based remote sensors is presented. Using differences in the spectral variation of microwave absorption and scattering properties of cloud liquid water and ice, this method can distinguish between different types of snowfall events depending on the presence or absence of condensed liquid water in the clouds that generate the precipitation. The classification reveals two distinct, primary regimes of precipitation over the Greenland Ice Sheet (GIS): one originating from fully glaciated ice clouds and the other from mixed-phase clouds. Five years of co-located, multi-instrument data from the Integrated Characterization of Energy, Clouds, Atmospheric state, and Precipitation at Summit (ICECAPS) are used to examine cloud and meteorological properties and patterns associated with each precipitation regime. The occurrence and accumulation of the precipitation regimes are identified and quantified. Cloud and precipitation observations from additional ICECAPS instruments illustrate distinct characteristics for each regime. Additionally, reanalysis products and back-trajectory analysis show different synoptic-scale forcings associated with each regime. Precipitation over the central GIS exhibits unique microphysical characteristics due to the high surface elevations as well as connections to specific large-scale flow patterns. Snowfall originating from the ice clouds is coupled to deep, frontal cloud systems advecting up and over the southeast Greenland coast to the central GIS. These events appear to be associated with individual storm systems generated by low pressure over Baffin Bay and Greenland lee cyclogenesis. Snowfall originating from mixed-phase clouds is shallower and has characteristics typical of supercooled cloud liquid water layers, and slowly propagates from the south and southwest of Greenland along a quiescent flow above the GIS.