The increased use of dietary supplements in today's society has been attributed to the general public's greater awareness of what constitutes a healthy diet. The elemental content (Ca, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb and Zn) of seventy-four dietary supplements (tablets, capsules and powders) was analysed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Different digestion methods (wet open vessel and microwave) were developed for the dissolution of dietary supplements, utilising both concentrated nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide. Both digestion procedures were found to give no significant statistical difference between the experimental results and certified values at a 99% confidence limit (Paired t-test) for all element values in two certified reference materials, namely NIES Rice Flour and IGGE Tea. For both certified reference materials, there was. The elemental content of the dietary supplements ranged from 0.1-200 mg/g for macro essential elements (Ca, Fe and Mg), 1-500 mug/g for trace essential elements (Cr, Co, Cu, Mn. Mo, Ni and Zn) and 0.4-10 mug/g for non-essential elements (Cd and Pb), all on a dry weight basis. Comparison of experimental results with commercial label values for dietary supplements showed: (1) calculated Ca and Mg concentrations were systematically lower than the label values; and (2) the experimental results for the other essential elements were in good agreement. The essential element contribution of base materials was investigated, though the results were inconclusive. Dietary supplements containing fat-soluble vitamins were analysed for retinol acetate, ergocalciferol (D2), cholecalciferol (D3), tocopherol (E), tocopherol acetate and phylloquinone (K1) using a modified simultaneous high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. For each vitamin, a recovery of >90% was obtained with the use of a direct solvent extraction procedure. An in vitro study into the bioavailability of iron and zinc in yeast-based supplements was accomplished. This study provided results suggesting that iron supplements containing vitamin C were more bioavailable than yeast or tablet-based supplements that contained no vitamin C. Zinc bioavailability was observed to be greater in multi-component and yeast-based dietary supplements.


Global opportunities for private equity investments abound. However, the venture capital industry, while highly sophisticated in much of the West, is in its infancy or early adolescence elsewhere in the world. This article examines and compares the evolution and current status of venture capital in Israel and India. Findings show that both countries are rich in brainpower, but that differing levels of political support, physical infrastructure, cultural learning, and other factors have contributed to radically different outcomes in their growing VC markets. While Israel and India can learn lessons from each other's successes and failures, we in North American can also gain valuable insights into worldwide VC opportunities in these and similar countries.


ABSTRACT Mobile commerce (m-commerce) in the smartphone age is revolutionizing established value networks and transforming the wider economy. In this introduction we strive to build a bridge from the past of m-commerce research to its future. We examine more than a decade of research and conduct a Delphi study among leading scholars in the field. The review reveals significant changes in m-commerce topics as time goes on, and provides initial insights into what the future may hold for us. The most sobering finding is that the m-commerce field has still to establish a strong theoretical foundation. This has been reflected in less than overwhelming success in publishing on the subject in the most prestigious journals of the Information Systems discipline. At the same time, m-commerce forms one of the epicenters of the ongoing digitalization of our life. Therefore, we look forward to m-commerce research rising to the challenge and making significant contributions to understanding one of the important phenomena of our time.


In order to evade detection by network-traffic analysis, a growing proportion of malware uses the encrypted HTTPS protocol. We explore the problem of detecting malware on client computers based on HTTPS traffic analysis. In this setting, malware has to be detected based on the host IP address, ports, timestamp, and data volume information of TCP/IP packets that are sent and received by all the applications on the client. We develop a scalable protocol that allows us to collect network flows of known malicious and benign applications as training data and derive a malware-detection method based on a neural networks and sequence classification. We study the method's ability to detect known and new, unknown malware in a large-scale empirical study.


The paper studies how parameter variation affects the decision rules of a DSGE model and structural inference. We provide diagnostics to detect parameter variations and to ascertain whether they are exogenous or endogenous. Identification and inferential distortions when a constant parameter model is incorrectly assumed are examined. Likelihood and VAR-based estimates of the structural dynamics when parameter variations are neglected are compared. Time variations in the financial frictions of Gertler and Karadi's (2010) model are studied.


Overt thyroid disease, be it overt hypothyroidism or overt hyperthyroidism, is associated with a multitude of adverse outcomes during pregnancy including miscarriage, gestational hypertension, gestational diabetes, preterm delivery and decreased IQ in the offspring.1 In its most severe form, overt hypothyroidism results in cretinism. The impact of subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) on pregnancy outcomes is complex. Observational and retrospective studies have shown a correlation with adverse maternal and fetal events.2 In 1999, Pop et al 3 and Haddow et al 4 reported a correlation between hypothyroidism and isolated hypothyroxinaemia (IH) with decreased neurocognitive function in the offspring. However, only two prospective randomised studies have evaluated the impact of levothyroxine therapy for SCH or IH on pregnancy outcomes. In an Italian study, levothyroxine therapy for SCH in thyroid antibody-positive women in the first trimester of pregnancy …


Globally, natural and human-made disasters are rising concerns for humanity, with contradicting opinions on the mitigation procedures across the world. The different natural and human-made hazards, which often leads to disasters can affect the built environment, environment, economic structure, waterways, societal structures, cultural settings, and livelihood structure of an affected population. Notably, different countries suffer these incidents in different dimensions cutting across from low-income countries to high-income nations, with more severity impact on the low income and or developing countries than the developed countries. Thus, the severity of the impact on the developing countries is alarming and are on the increase due to the lack of hard and soft infrastructural development, policy inconsistency and lack of policy implementations, making it difficult for the affected communities to bounce back when necessary, especially in Nigeria. The Nigeria disasters, especially oil spillages, have affected diverse communities across the Niger Delta region for decades with little or nothing as external support for the broken livelihood structure, cultural and economic damages of the people. Though, in the spirit of contribution to the communities affected by oil spills and negative consequence of petroleum production, the federal government at different times established some impressionistic bodies and agencies to oversee the affairs of the region as with regards to oil spillages and development. Thus, evidence indicates that the agencies/commissions are yet to manifest its practical achievement regarding community livelihood rebuild and development across the communities in the Niger Delta. As such, driving the communities towards the edge for the survival of the fittest strategies, where households have to hunt for alternative livelihood, rather than wait for physical livelihood intervention which may never manifest itself. More so, literature evidenced that communities have engaged in different alternative means for livelihood as the environment and their primary livelihood means continuous on the deteriorating state. Thus, such alternatives as revealed by different scholars are hostage-taking, agitation and violence in the call for livelihood support, environmental justices, and social justices and resources justices.

However, this study recognised that the strategies, as mentioned above, were not livelihood strategies, but rather, the act of frustration for the loss of primary livelihood means. As such, the study aim to develop a framework that would enhance the empowerment of the communities affected by the negative impacts of petroleum activities and oil spillages across the Niger Delta region. Also, the study is set out to explore the intervention of the oil and gas industry, and oil spill-related agency with regards to existing community livelihood support structure, relationship synergy, and how to improve such structure as a way of empowerment.

The study adopts a case study strategy to explore communities affected by oil spillages on livelihood structures and the alternative mechanisms adapted to reshape the damaged cultural activities and the socioeconomic aspects of the community's subsistence. The study employed the use of interviews and focus group discussions techniques amongst, traditional rulers, environmental activist, religious leaders, and community development chairmen, women of the periwinkle picking company, youth leaders, farmers and fishers. More so, in other to support and triangulate with communities' evidence that emerges from the interviews and the focused group discussions. Several expert's interviews were conducted among the oil and gas and the oil spill-related agency to capture the policy aspects and how their intervention has contributed to the reduction of impacts on community livelihood structures. The participants which cut across liaison officers, community relations officers, environmental engineers, environmental expertise, and principal environmental officers were purposively selected. Thus, based on the empirical investigations, it was evident that the communities improvised alternatives that contribute to their everyday livelihoods, while, encountering challenges from government, none-availability of land and facilities. The findings further indicate that both the oil and gas industry and oil spill-related agency are faced with different challenges which have subsequently obstructed their intervention mechanism. As such, the study was able to create a common ground through the empirical evidence, where the three stakeholders could assimilate strategies that would reduce or help to overcome the challenges while empowering the communities affected by the negative impact of oil spill environmental hazards.


Shape is a fundamental morphological descriptor, one method of its estimation being from digitally processed images. Elliptic Fourier method is an outline-based morphometrics that has some advantages: it does not require either landmarks or previous knowledge about the shape variation of the objects under study; it can visualize the contour of information and reconstruct the original shape; it can be mathematically normalized to size, rotation and starting point of the contour trace; and it can be conducted automatically using computer software. Hence, the variation could be decomposed into several mutually independent quantitative characteristics. In this manner, unacceptable errors based only on human visual judgment of shape, which is frequently deceptive and misled by size factors, can be effectively eliminated. The present study evaluated the shape of equine distal sesamoids ("navicular bone") in 28 feet belonging to "Cavall Pirinenc Català" by means of Elliptic Fourier methods. No allometric relationship (low coefficient of regression) was demonstrated between area and form of the bone. At the same time, different morphological patterns appeared. Shape differences were centred on the proximal ridge, which moved from a crescentic, oval lucency, slightly oval, to a flat contour, and no concave ridge was detected. So breed does not seem to be very prone to suffer from navicular diseases, as some authors have stated that there is an apparent predisposition according to shape of the proximal articular border. These results provide a baseline to further examine shape quantification in sesamoid morphology.


This paper studies the patterns of trade and the incentives to innovate in an unequal global economy. We introduce non-homothetic preferences in a general-equilibrium model of endogenous growth and international trade between two countries, and argue that the effects of market integration on the consequent trade patterns and the incentives to innovate depend on the degree of income inequality across countries. We find that if inequality across countries is low, the extensive margin of trade between countries is high whereas the world growth rate is low. The introduction of non-homothetic preferences rises a number of interesting questions that are not an issue in the standard model. For example, we discuss the design of intellectual property rights, in particular national vs. international exhaustion of patents, and argue that households in poor and rich countries might not see eye to eye depending on how poor households weigh future losses in consumption against present gains. Furthermore, we address the welfare consequences of a trade liberalization, and show that households in the poor country might loose relative to households in the rich country if trade costs fall from a high to a sufficiently low level.


One of the main theorems on the impossibility of hidden variables in quantum mechanics is Kochen-Specker theorem (KS). This theorem says that any hidden variable theory that satisfies quantum mechanics must be contextual. More specifically, it asserts that, in Hilbert space of dimension ≥ 3, it is impossible to associate definite numerical values, 1 or 0, with every projection operator Pm, in such a way that, if a set of commuting Pm satisfies 1=ΣmP, the corresponding values will also satisfy . Since the first proof of Kochen and Specker using 117 vectors in R3, there were many attempts to reduce the number of vector either via conceiving ingenious models or extending the system being considered to higher dimension. By considering eight dimensional three qubits system, we found a state dependent proof that requires only five vectors. The state that we assign value of 1 is the ray that arises from intersection of two planes. The recent advancements show that the KS theorem proof can be extended to two dimensional quantum system through generalized measurement represented by positive operator-valued measured (POVM). In POVMs the number of available outcomes of a measurement may be higher than the dimensionality of the Hilbert space and N-outcome generalized measurement is represented by N-element POVM which consists of N positive semidefinite operators {}dE that sum to identity. Each pair of elements is not mutually orthogonal if the number of outcome of measurements is bigger than the dimensionality. In terms of POVM, Kochen-Specker theorem asserts that and could not be satisfied for . We developed a general model that enables us to generate different sizes of the POVM for the proof of the Kochen-Specker theorem. We show that the current simplest Nakamura model is in fact a special case of our model. W also provide another model which is as simple as the Nakamura's but consists of different sets of POVM.


Summary
During the monitoring of the mycological complex on different forest tree species in the Biogradska Gora National Park in north-east Montenegro, symptoms indicative of ash dieback caused by Hymenoscyphus fraxineus were observed on young Fraxinus excelsior trees in the protected virgin forest, including dieback of plants and branches, wilting of leaves and shoots leading to a "flag-like" habitus, premature shedding of leaves and longitudinal bark necroses. Using standard isolation methods, slow-growing cultures with numerous phialides, typical of the asexual phase of the ash dieback fungus, were obtained. In addition, petioles with numerous characteristic apothecia were also recorded. This is the first report of H. fraxineus on common ash in Montenegro. Possible pathways of introduction and implications of the findings are discussed.


: This paper attempts to develop an integrated framework that aims to challenge researchers on a progressive path for future ICT adoption research especially in SMEs. The paper accessed major databases of a number of top IS journals in the field and reviews previous theories used to study ICT adoption, examine the progress made so far, and the limitations of these theories in an attempt to develop a framework, that aims to challenge researchers and aid further contributions in this IS field. The study developed a framework informed by three theories; Structuration theory (ST), Actors Network Theory (ANT) and Adaptive Structuration theory (AST) and argues that using such integrated theory to examine the process of ICT adoption will help to unveil the recursive nature, entities involved and the kind of research approach that may be applied. Hence, for research in this area to be progressive, entities in the framework must be considered amidst other influence. The framework also suggests adoption of ICT will be embraced faster by organizations especially small businesses if the entities involved are committed in conveying the right information thereby supporting SMEs in making adequate decisions. This work provides further insight into ICT adoption framework that may advance future research in the field of ICT adoption, assist SMEs in adopting and implementing ICT overtime. This is relevant given that the complexities associated with the adoption of ICT is becoming worrisome and SMEs have limited knowledge on issues relating to emerging ICTs. The framework may motivate SMEs in understanding diverse actors, factors and social structures affecting ICT adoption better and how to cope with them. The framework serves as an analytical instrument in explaining ICT adoption process and its outcomes characterized by conflicting views.


Pseudogleys (Stagnosols according to WRB-2014) represent the second most widespread soil type in Croatia, developed almost exclusively in its Pannonian region. Although most Croatian Pseudogleys are found on agricultural land or in agroecosystems, they usually have numerous constraints for agricultural production. Primarily, this is due to their unfavorable water/air regime (precipitation water periodically stagnates on/in the poorly permeable subsoil horizon). The aim of this study was to determine which significant differences in physical properties and humus content exist between the eluvial horizon (Eg) and the illuvial horizon (Btg) in Croatian Pseudogleys. Total of 33 Pseudogley profiles were investigated at 11 forest sites across the Pannonian region of Croatia. Properties of Eg horizon significantly differed from the properties of Btg horizon. Compared with the Eg horizon, the Btg horizon had more clay, higher bulk density, less pores, and lower capacity for air. However, the stability of microaggregates was higher in the Btg horizon than in the Eg horizon. Contents of clay and humus have the key impact on most soil physical properties. These results should be borne in mind, both when converting natural Pseudogleys into arable soils and when ameliorating arable Pseudogleys that contain the Eg horizon below the Ap horizon.


Making up more than ten per cent of Alaska's population, Native Alaskans are the state's largest minority group. Yet most non-Native Alaskans know surprisingly little about the histories and cultures of their indigenous neighbors, or about the important issues they face. This concise book compiles frequently asked questions and provides informative and accessible responses that shed light on some common misconceptions. With responses composed by scholars within the represented communities and reviewed by a panel of experts, this easy-to-read compendium aims to facilitate a deeper exploration and richer discussion of the complex and compelling issues that are part of Alaska Native life today.


The quality of high-temperature superconductors (HTSs) is rapidly increasing, and they can be used in power systems such as SMES systems and in industries as Si single-crystal growth pullers. In the future, HTS conductors are expected to be used for the magnets in nuclear fusion reactors or accelerators. In such applications, HTS conductors will be exposed to radiation. As a result, HTS conductors become radioactive making the operation and maintenance of the reactors or accelerators difficult; this also leads to an increase in the amount of nuclear waste generated. Therefore, we carry out experiments on the radiation damage in HTS conductors to study the characteristics of HTS conductors in radiation environments and to create an industrial database of the radiation effects on HTSs. We also carry out radioactive analyses on HTS conductors in order to clarify the relationship between the irradiation dose and the activity of HTS conductors. In this study, we prepared YBCO and Bi-2223 tapes and carried out the following preliminary experiments: (a) irradiation of the sample HTS tapes with 2-MeV neutrons at room temperature without transport current and (b) study of neutron-induced radioactivity by gamma-ray spectrometry using a Ge detector after the irradiation.


The Napoleonic and Anglo-American Wars provided the transitional period during which the 'West of England - Newfoundland Cod Fishery' disappeared and the 'Newfoundland Cod Fishery' came into its own. As these wars concluded the Island found itself in the enviable position of supplying the total, with few exceptions, world demand for dried cod. At the same time her economy was almost completely dependent on the cod fishery with per capita exports at a high level. -- During the nineteenth century Newfoundland's population increased five-fold and dried cod continued to provide most of the economic base for the Island. Yet, in spite of the fact that world demand increased steadily, Newfoundland's exports of dried cod expanded very little resulting in a rapid and steep decline in per capita exports as more and more people had to be supported by a non expanding cod fishery. -- The causes for Newfoundland's declining per capita exports and for her declining share of the markets can be found by studying the economy in general and the cod fishery in particular. An examination of the total economy reveals, in the first place, that the cod fishery provided the major economic base during the century, and, secondly, that capital investment in other industries was not a major reason for the lack of expansion in the cod fishery, responsibility for which lay in a combination of production and marketing problems in the fish trade. The writer concludes that the nature of her cod fishery and a deterioration in the quality of her product combined with the growth of foreign competition and an increase in market problems resulted in the decay (not too strong a word) of the Newfoundland dried cod trade. The impact of this situation on Newfoundland society can be seen in the decline in population growth, the increase in public debt, and the retrenching of business.


"This book gives an overall picture of the principles of Belgian labour law, i.e. employment law as well as industrial relations law. It is intended for all those who want to become acquainted with Belgian labour law including foreign law firms, entrepreneurs who want to invest in Belgium, etc. For this reason the book focuses on topics that are of practical relevance. The authors not only describe and analyse the legal aspects of labour relations, but also indicate developing trends in Belgium. The book provides an up-to-date survey of the legislation that is both sufficiently detailed and usefully brief to answer most questions likely to arise in a legal setting. The authors describe all important details of the law governing working hours and wages, benefits, trade union activity, employers' associations, collective bargaining, industrial disputes, and much more. Building on a clear overview of labour law and industrial relations, the book offers practical guidance on which sound decisions in the labour law context may be based. "


This paper presents a simple but reliable fabrication process for microfluidic devices on glass substrate using wet etching technology. Instead of using expensive Pyrex glasses as substrates and depositing expensive metal or polysilicon/amorphous silicon as etch masks in conventional method, glass slide is used as substrate and a single-layer negative photoresist RFJ-220 is used as the etching mask. The etch rates, generation of defects, undercut ratio and surface roughness are studied. In order to achieve high etching depth and smooth surface, buffered oxide etching with hydrochloric acid as additive is proposed. By proper cleaning and long-time hard baking, the undercut ratio can approach to 1. An 110μm depth microchannel with smooth surface is achieved. This fabrication process leads to a considerable reduction of process steps, fabrication time and material consumption. With this technique, we successfully fabricated a microfluidic device, which is used in the capture of hepatoma cells HepG2.


Purpose Rare cancers represent 22% of all tumors in Europe; however, the quality of the data of rare cancers may not be as good as the quality of data for common cancer. The project surveillance of rare cancers in Europe (RARECARE) had, among others, the objective of assessing rare cancer data quality in population-based cancer registries (CRs). Eight rare cancers were considered: mesothelioma, liver angiosarcoma, sarcomas, tumors of oral cavity, CNS tumors, germ cell tumors, leukemia, and malignant digestive endocrine tumors. Methods We selected data on 18,000 diagnoses and revised, on the basis of the pathologic and clinical reports (but not on pathologic specimens), unspecified morphology and topography codes originally attributed by CR officers and checked the quality of follow-up of long-term survivors of poor prognosis cancers. Results A total of 38 CRs contributed from 13 European countries. The majority of unspecified morphology and topography cases were confirmed as unspecified. The few unspecified cases that, after the review, changed to a more specific diagnosis increased the incidence of the common cancer histotypes. For example, 11% of the oral cavity epithelial cancers were reclassified from unspecified to more specific diagnoses: 8% were reclassified as squamous cell carcinoma (commoner) and only 1% as adenocarcinoma (rarer). The revision confirmed the majority of long-term survivors revealing a relative high proportion of mesothelioma long-term survivors. The majority of appendix carcinoids changed behavior from malignant to borderline lesions. Conclusions Our study suggests that the problem of poorly specified morphology and topography cases is mainly one of difficulty in reaching a precise diagnosis. The awareness of the importance of data quality for rare cancers should increase among registrars, pathologists, and clinicians.


We link future members of Congress to the de-anonymized 1940 census to offer a uniquely detailed analysis of how economically unrepresentative American politicians were in the 20th century, and why. Future members under the age of 18 in 1940 grew up in households with parents who earned more than twice as much as the population average and who were more than 6 times as likely as the general population to hold college degrees. However, compared to siblings who did not become politicians, future members of Congress between the ages of 18 and 40 in 1940 were higher-earners and more educated, indicating that socioeconomic background alone does not explain the differences between politicians and non-politicians. Examining a smaller sample of candidates that includes non-winners, we find that the candidate pool is much higher-earning and more educated than the general population. At the same time, among the candidate pool, elections advantage candidates with higher earnings ability and education. We conclude that barriers to entry likely deter a more economically representative candidate pool, but that electoral advantages for more-educated individuals with more private-sector success also play an important role.


Objective In many European countries prehospital care by emergency medical services (EMS) is supplemented by physician-staffed services. There is ongoing controversy on the benefits of a prehospital physician. Possible advantages are additional competencies of the physician. Similarities and differences in competencies of EMS providers and physicians have however never been studied. This study aims to compare competencies of ambulance nurses and helicopter EMS physicians in the Netherlands to gain better insight into the controversy of the prehospital physician. Methods In this descriptive study, a quantitative inventory was made of the diagnostic, therapeutic, and clinical judgment competencies of the ambulance nurse and physician, based on analysis of protocols, registration, equipment, and personal interviews. Results We identified 438 mutual competencies of the ambulance nurse and physician and 62 physician-specific competencies. The ambulance nurse masters 278 diagnostic, 131 therapeutic, and 29 clinical judgment competencies. The physician masters 285 diagnostic, 175 therapeutic, and 40 clinical judgment competencies. Seventy-one percent of the physician-specific competencies are therapeutic and related to advanced life support. Conclusion The ambulance nurse and physician have various mutual competencies. In addition, the physician can provide specific competencies on the scene. Knowing the exact overlap and differences in competencies is the first step to understand the prehospital physician controversy. Our results can be used as a tool for the next step in research on prehospital care by EMS providers and physicians and to improve prehospital care.


We present a X-band 1-bit reconfigurable reflectarray (RRA) cell capable of independent reflection phase control of each linear component of a dual-polarized wave. It presents the lowest loss ever reported in an operational RRA cell at microwave frequencies, thanks to particular design considerations and implementation in a monolithic micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) process. The average reflection loss, including oblique incidence up to θ = 40°, is below 0.6 dB at the operating frequency. Low phase error and loss are preserved in a 12.5% bandwidth. Measurements demonstrate the viability of the concept as well as very good agreement between simulated and measured results.


In this study, the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) Scale is used to evaluate the influence of environmental attitudes on tourist behaviour at National Scenic Areas in Taiwan to explore possible modifications to the behaviour of mass tourists once at their destinations. Survey respondents were categorised as 'vandals, 'mass tourists' or 'proenvironmental tourists' based on differences in their environmental behaviour. The mass tourists received high scores for ecologicalmanagement behaviour, indicating their potential to act as environmentally friendly tourists. Canonical correlation analysis revealed that NEP orientation affected behavioural intention and behavioural intention affected behaviour frequency. However, the influence of NEP orientation on behaviour frequency was fully mediated by behavioural intention. These results contribute to demonstrate the importance of the NEP on the enhancement of environmental concern and the specific predictor to a given behaviour when specific pro-environmental behaviour is promoted.


This book looks at the threats that rulers face from their own armed forces. Can they make their regimes impervious to coups? This book shows that how leaders organize their coercive institutions has a profound effect on the survival of their regimes. When rulers use presidential guards, militarized police, and militia to counterbalance the regular military, efforts to oust them from power via coups d'état are less likely to succeed. Even as counterbalancing helps to prevent successful interventions, however, the resentment that it generates within the regular military can provoke new coup attempts. And because counterbalancing changes how soldiers and police perceive the costs and benefits of a successful overthrow, it can create incentives for protracted fighting that result in the escalation of a coup into full-blown civil war. Drawing on an original dataset of state security forces in 110 countries over a span of fifty years, as well as case studies of coup attempts in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East, the book sheds light on how counterbalancing affects regime survival. Understanding the dynamics of counterbalancing, the book shows, can help analysts predict when coups will occur, whether they will succeed, and how violent they are likely to be. The arguments and evidence in this book suggest that while counterbalancing may prevent successful coups, it is a risky strategy to pursue — and one that may weaken regimes in the long term.


The use of the fungicides, maneb and mancozeb on selected leafy and fruit vegetables
was studied with the view to ascertain their efficacy and degradation of their residues on these
crops. The phenology of these vegetables and the disease problems encountered were also
verified. Most of the test crops were prone to disease infection if not treated with suitable
fungicides. Spinach was susceptible to downy mildew infection while spring onion was
predisposed to leaf blight and leaf tip dieback. In leaf mustard and garland chrysanthemum,
however, no serious disease infection was encountered. Fruit vegetables were susceptible to
several serious diseases. Tomato had early blight, late blight, Fusarium wilt and anthracnose.
Cucumber was Infected by downy mildew and anthracnose while chilli was prone to
anthracnose, Sclerotium wilt and mosaic virus infection.
Maneb and mancozeb when used weekly at recommended rates of 0.27% a.i and 0.2%
a.i. respectively were reasonably effective against diseases of leafy vegetables. In tomato,
recommended rates of these fungicides, applied at 4-day intervals, gave reasonable control
of late blight. In tomato, weekly applications were Ineffective for late blight control especially
during high disease pressure. However, reasonable control was achieved at 4-day intervals. In cucumber, downy mildew infection was effectively reduced by the application of these
fungicides. Similarly, anthracnose infection on chilli fruits was checked with these fungicides
applied weekly at recommended rates.
Residues of maneb and mancozeb in spinach exceeded the maximum residue limit of
5 ppm at harvest even when last treated 2 weeks before harvest. In leaf mustard and spring
onion, a 14 day PHI appeared a prudent recommendation with these fungicides. This was not
a serious problem in tomato and cucumber as even after 3 days the amount detected was less
than 1 ppm in all the treatments. Hence a 3 day PHI can be recommended for these crops.
In chilli, however, 3-day intervals were insufficient as about 10 ppm was still detected. A 14
day PHI appeared more prudent. Other fungicides such as chlorothalonil, propiconazole or
metiram could be used in place of maneb and mancozeb before harvest.


A critical re-appraisal of some reports of British Precambrian microfossils illustrates potential pitfalls in describing Precambrian microbiotas. The Ceinwen and Llanddwyn Spilitic Formation of the Gwna Group contains convincing filamentous microfossils, but a report of acanthomorph arcitarchs has not yet been confirmed. Although the Diabaig Formation of the Torridon Group is known to be abundantly fossiliferous, a report based on S.E.M. without thin section control is rejected. Chert pebbles from the Applecross Formation of the Torridon Group do not contain convincing microfossils. They are contaminated by fungi and contain abiogenic structures which resemble cells and tissues. Reports of diagnostic Middle Riphean microfossils from the Blackbrook Formation and the Maplewell Group of the Charnian and the Buxton Rock of the Longmyndian await confirmation.


Basic English Grammar A web linked course Basic English Grammar is not a grammar book per se, with paragraphs and rules, but a course designed specifically for speakers of Swedish who wish to improve their proficiency and confidence in English. Since most Swedish speakers have a great deal of intuitive knowledge about the structure of the English language, the authors have integrated exercises into the informative text in order to create a course based on 'learning by doing'. An interactive version of the book is available on the course website. Here, not only a vast number of exercises is provided but also feedback to help the reader to understand why the given answers are appropriate choices, giving them an excellent opportunity to enhance their grammar skills. The exercises and quizzes, with keys and comments together with many links to relevant language pages, online dictionaries and grammars as well as electronic corpora, are carefully composed and designed to promote inductive learning. The code to access the website is provided inside the book cover. The target audience ranges from first-year students in English Studies programs to professionals in all walks of life who are working in international contexts. It is equally appropriate for classroom use and for self-study. (Less)


Liquidity as a field of study has received considerable attention from various researchers over the last few years. We have conducted this research in order to identify the factors affecting the liquidity of the banking system of nine Balkan countries, specifically Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania and Serbia for a period of sixteen years. We collected data on factors such as capital adequacy, non-performing loans, deposit growth and bank profitability and analysed them using the following statistical techniques: a linear regression model using Pooled Ordinary Least Squares (OLS), a Fixed Effects Model, a Random Effects Model and a Hausman-Taylor regression to account for potential endogeneity, on a set of data collected from banks in nine Balkan states, during the period 2000-2015. We also analysed the macroeconomic factors influencing the bank's liquidity, such as GDP, inflation, unemployment and marginal interest rates. Based on panel data analysis, it is noted that specific factors and macroeconomic factors, specifically, capital adequacy, non-performing loans, deposit growth, GDP, unemployment rate and marginal interest rate, significantly affect bank liquidity. However, inflation and profitability do not.


The paper focuses on experimental and numerical fatigue assessment procedures to evaluate the influence of multiaxial stress state caused by high centrifugal forces superimposed with bending loads due to blade vibrations on the lifetime of end stage blades from steam turbines. The experimental investigations on original-sized end stage blades were carried out on a test rig specially developed for high forces and multicomponent force application. This was based on detailed numerical simulations by the MPA University of Stuttgart. During the fractographic post-examinations of the tested blades using magnetic particle inspection, light and scanning electron microscopes, two competing damage mechanisms were identified, that occurred at different locations. Numerical investigations by means of elastic-plastic finite element analyses were carried out to estimate the local stress conditions acting in the blade root. The local stresses and strains were post-processed using the critical plane approach and advanced multiaxial fatigue damage parameters. Due to the high stress gradients at the edge of contact, over-conservative predictions may result if their effects are not taken into account. Based on the critical plane method in conjunction with fatigue damage parameters, an approach taking the stress gradient into consideration was developed to predict the fatigue life of the end stage blades. The approach is verified by the component tests on original-sized blades.


The researcher undertook a critical examination of an innovative social justice education course being piloted at an urban high school in the prairie region of western Canada. The research involved observations, conversations, document analysis, and in-depth interviews with a small number of students and teachers, in order to analyze the daily experiences, challenges, and successes of a group of students and teachers who have undertaken to address issues of discrimination, social justice, and human rights in their school. This research links ongoing academic and school work by focusing attention on the experiences of a specific group of students and their teachers in a unique and promising social justice education program. Findings point to a number of strengths of the course, including the comprehensive nature of the information surveyed, the strong theme of student involvement, the passion and commitment of the teachers, their honoring the complexity of understanding current social justice issues, the appropriateness of the course to student interests and strengths, the inquiry approach taken by the teachers, and the daily use of technology and the Internet in their learning.


The Early Middle Miocene transition can be studied in several sections from the north-western Transylvanian Basin, across the boundary between the Hida and Dej Formations. The Pâglişa and Râpa Dracului (Dej locally outcrop) sections offer a very good record of the changes in the sedimentary facies and micropaleontological content across the boundary. The lower parts of the sections display the upper Hida Formation with prodelta fine-grained sediments covered by coarser grained sediments related to a delta front progradation. Four sedimentary facies associations have been separated based on grain size and associated sedimentary structures. Micropaleontological assemblages are moderately to poorly preserved, with a low abundance and diversity. Planktonic Streptochilus pristinum is the main taxon associated with rare (< 10%) calcareous benthic foraminifera (Bulimina, Bolivina, Cibibicidoides). The Dej Formation consists of stacked channel lag deposits associated with lateral accretion bars and crevasse splays followed by fall-out tuffs and redeposited low density tuffites interbedded with low density fine siliciclastics. The deposits of Dej Formation from the investigated areas were separated in four facies associations based on grain size/petrography and primary sedimentary structures. Micropaleontological assemblages contain typical early Badenian planktonic foraminifera (species of Orbulina, Praeorbulina, Globigerinoides, and Globorotalia) associated to the main phase of the marine transgresion from the beginning of the Middle Miocene.


QUIC (Quick UDP Internet Connections) Chrome is an experimental transport layer network protocol designed by Jim Roskind at Google, initially implemented in 2012 and announced publicly in 2013. One of the QUIC's goals is to improve performance of connection-oriented web applications that are currently using the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). To do that, QUIC achieves a reduced latency and a better stream-multiplexing support to avoid network congestion. In 2015, Firefox Mozilla started to work on an equivalent QUIC transport protocol for their browser. This idea was motivated by the differences between Chrome and Firefox. Despite the fact that Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome are both web browser engines, there are some significant differences between them, such as file hierarchy, open source policies (Firefox is completely, while Chrome is only partial), tabs design, continuous integration, and more. Likewise QUIC Chrome, QUIC Firefox is a new multiplexed and secure transport based on User Datagram Protocol (UDP), designed from the ground up and optimized for Hyper-Text Transfer Protocol 2 (HTTP/2) semantics. While built with HTTP/2 as the primary application protocol, QUIC builds on decades of transport and security experience, and implements mechanisms that make it attractive as a modern general-purpose transport. In addition to describing the main design of QUIC Firefox, this paper will compare Firefox with QUIC Firefox. Our preliminary experimental results support that QUIC Firefox has a faster execution time, less latency time, and a better throughput time than the traditional Firefox.


INTRODUCTION Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. Confucius (551-479 BC) My father taught me to work; he did not teach me to love it. I never did like to work, and I don't deny it. I'd rather read, tell stories, crack jokes, talk, laugh--anything but work. Abraham Lincoln (1809 -1865) The trucking industry has a serious problem retaining an adequate number of long-distance truck drivers. In 2006, according to the American Transportation Research Institute, the research division of the American Trucking Association, the driver shortage was the most important problem facing the trucking industry. This finding was based on their survey of more than 5,000 trucking company executives and published in their annual list of the top ten concerns of the nation's largest trucking companies. In 2007, the driver shortage slipped to the second most important problem, (Gallagher 2007b) and in 2008, it was listed as the third most serious concern, with fuel costs the number one problem, and the weak economy as the second most serious issue facing the trucking industry (Outsourced Logistics 2008; Automotive Fleet 2008; Traffic World 2008). As noted, the driver shortage is less severe in 2009 because of the twin problems of higher fuel costs in most of 2008 and the weakened economy. This has resulted in many trucking companies going out of business. For example, the American Trucking Association reported that during 2008, more than 3,600 trucking companies declared bankruptcy (Hoffman 2008; Roth 2008; Roth 2009). James P. Hoffa, president of the largest truck driver union, the Teamsters, stated that the recent business setting is "the worst economic environment since the Great Depression." (Gallagher 2008c) Because of this situation, his union in early 2009 agreed to a 10 percent hourly wage rate reduction with the largest LTL (less than truckload) carrier, YRC Worldwide. This action was taken because some financial observers believed that YRC would fail if it did not substantially reduce its cost structure (Gallagher 2009). Although the driver shortage is less problematic now, it will again become a pressing problem because of demographics and trucking industry growth. The American Trucking Association commissioned a study by Global Insights, Inc. to examine the U.S. long-distance truck driver shortage. The report was completed in May 2005 and concluded that between 2005 and 2015 there will be a need to attract 539,000 new drivers to meet industry requirements. The report assumed that the trucking industry would grow at a rate of 2.2 percent per year, for an increase of 320,000 drivers in the ten year period. Also, looking at long-distance drivers who are 55 and older, and assuming they retire at 65, an additional 219,000 drivers will be needed to replace these workers (Global Insights, Inc. 2005). Joe White, a transportation consultant, examined the ATA Study and observed, My opinion is that the driver shortage will be worse than predicted. Regardless of when the economy recovers, the large baby boomer demographic will soon begin retiring from all industries and the blue-collar labor competition will become fierce (Gallagher 2008b; see also White 2008a; White 2008b). Not only will there be a future shortage of drivers, the problem of driver turnover will undoubtedly continue. Turnover is measured by comparing the number of drivers hired who quit within one year and dividing that by the total number of drivers hired. For example, if a trucking company has ten drivers and each driver works the entire year, they have a zero percentage turnover. Now assume just five of them work the entire year. The other five quit during the year and have to be replaced; we would then have a turnover rate for the company of 50 percent. If all ten of the original drivers quit and had to be replaced during the year, then the turnover rate would be 100 percent. …


This dissertation is concerned with synchronic variation as the reflection and residue of language change. The empirical focus is the negation system of Fɛʔfɛʔ. The leading question is whether there exists a roadmap leading from the wild variation observed in Fɛʔfɛʔ to languages which like Modern English make use of a dedicated marker of negation. The thesis advocated is that language change is the means by which the Fɛʔfɛʔ type of languages can be related to the Modern English type. The argumentation builds on cross-generational variation within Fɛʔfɛʔ, on data from related languages, and on data from languages with historical records. From a Saussurean perspective, synchronic and diachronic phenomena do not in any way relate to each other. However, diverging from Saussure, Labow (1965) launches the apparent-time approach that builds on synchronic variation as a screen into diachronic change. Hence, it becomes possible to disclose the dynamic tendencies embedded in the synchronic system, thus relegating 'the antinomy between synchrony and diachrony to the periphery as seen from the English, French, Cairese, and Welsh data explored in this thesis. From a Fɛʔfɛʔ internal perspective, I offer a comparative analysis taking into consideration the variation attested between teenagers and elderly speakers. In this regard, we observe that si and si… bα are invading the negation system, thus forcing the exit of older markers. Moreover, when the present adult generation is interposed between teenagers and elderly speakers, we observe between the three generations a subtle continuum bringing together archaic and innovating patterns peacefully co-existing within the overall speech community. Building on the parallelism between the Fɛʔfɛʔ data and the data from languages with historical record, I propose for Fɛʔfɛʔ an analysis of the same nature as the one advocated to account for similar kinds of variation across language families, namely, a Jespersen Cycle (JC) analysis. However, I do not embrace the standard version of the JC which implicitly postulates that the items under analysis are discrete entities stemming from discontinuous periods of time, with each time frame bringing its own marker as it goes. Rather, I perceive in cross-generational variation a miniature reflection of different periods of time imbricated into each other in the form of an undisrupted continuum. Hence, an item may span two or more generations and overlap with other items innovated in later generations. Moreover, this corroborates the facts observed in the present and past states of languages with historical records discussed, thus raisings for the parametric enterprise the challenge of addressing the situation of language internal variation that pervades across language families against the background of the standardly well accepted view that variation equals parameterization. Immediately related to this is the need to capture co-existing variants originating from different periods on a single clausal structure. I address this question after proposing a relative chronology for the co-existing markers attested in today's Fɛʔfɛʔ. The broadly comparative approach adopted to sort out the Fɛʔfɛʔ data constitutes an inspiration for the analysis of languages that don't have written records from previous generations.


We test the empirical validity of a claim that has been playing a central role in debates on corporate governance — the claim that interventions by activist hedge funds have a detrimental effect on the long-term interests of companies and their shareholders. We subject this claim to a comprehensive empirical investigation, examining a long five-year window following activist interventions, and we find that the claim is not supported by the data.

We find no evidence that activist interventions, including the investment-limiting and adversarial interventions that are most resisted and criticized, are followed by short-term gains in performance that come at the expense of long-term performance. We also find no evidence that the initial positive stock-price spike accompanying activist interventions tends to be followed by negative abnormal returns in the long term; to the contrary, the evidence is consistent with the initial spike reflecting correctly the intervention's long-term consequences. Similarly, we find no evidence for pump-and-dump patterns in which the exit of an activist is followed by abnormal long-term negative returns.

Our findings have significant implications for ongoing policy debates. Policymakers and institutional investors should not accept the validity of the assertions that activist interventions are costly to firms and their shareholders in the long term; such claims do not provide a valid basis for limiting the rights, powers, and involvement of shareholders.


In the ocean, the perpetual 'snowfall' of biogenic marine particles exports organic carbon from the well-lit surface layer to the deep sediments, promoting its sequestration. The efficiency of this 'biological carbon pump' (BCP), presents strong spatio-temporal variations that are not yet fully explained. Changes in surface plankton communities and trophic interactions appear important because they lead to modifications of sinking particle characteristics (e.g. composition, structure, sinking velocity). These controls are explored here via the characterization of sinking particles originating from varying planktonic community structures and evaluation of their ability to export carbon. During the second KErguelen Ocean and Plateau compared Study (KEOPS2) conducted in Oct.-Nov. 2011, six sites were sampled over and downstream of the Kerguelen Plateau (Southern Ocean), where a mosaic of phytoplankton blooms of changing communities forms in response to natural iron fertilisation. Sinking particles were collected with free-drifting sediment traps at four mesopelagic depths to examine their form and composition, including optical characterization using polyacrylamide gel filled traps. Concurrently, aggregates were formed in roller tanks from surface water phytoplankton assemblages, to explore the intricate influences of particle size, structure and composition on the sinking velocity. At each site, carbon export efficiencies were calculated as the ratio of carbon flux to net primary productivity (e-ratio).
High productivity was associated with the lowest carbon export efficiency (e-ratio ~0.02) while maximum export efficiency (e-ratio ~0.2) was found at low-productivity sites. Two explanations were identified. Firstly, at high-biomass sites, strong zooplankton grazing generated large fecal pellets sustaining high carbon fluxes at 100-200 m (180 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹). This export pathway represented a 'dead end' due to rapid attenuation of the fecal pellet flux at 200-400 m, releasing most of the carbon (48±21 % carbon flux decrease). Secondly, based on the roller tank results, the morphology of dominant diatom species appeared to be an important control on aggregate sinking velocities, possibly via species-specific coagulation efficiency affecting particle structure and density. At high-biomass sites, dominant small spine-forming species formed loose slow-sinking aggregates (~10 m d⁻¹), whereas chain-forming diatoms without spines, at low-productivity sites, produced compact fast-sinking aggregates (~250 m d⁻¹). The similarity of aggregate morphology and structure from roller tank and gel traps (2-D fractal number = 1.8 and 1.9 respectively), increased confidence in applying these results to in situ conditions. A generic 3-D physical-biogeochemical (BGC) model was modified to investigate conceptually the influence of planktonic community variations on carbon export efficiency through their control on detritus composition and sinking velocity. This was achieved by introducing in the model a variable detritus sinking velocity based on phytoplankton and zooplankton detrital fractions (using experimental results). Changes from a constant (100 m d⁻¹) to a variable sinking velocity induced a significant increase of the annual integrated carbon flux at 100 m (45±23 %) highlighting the importance of sinking velocity parameterisation in BGC models. Simulations indicate that export efficiency could depend upon subtle trophic interactions between phyto- and zooplankton communities influencing the relative rates of productivity and associated carbon flux and determining the conditions of biomass retention or export. The insights and tools developed here improve our understanding of how a climate-mediated shift of surface plankton communities can alter the efficiency of the BCP.


One of the outstanding Christian thinkers of all time, Maximus the Confessor (ca. 580-662) exerted a powerful formative influence on the Church when it was still one and undivided. Maximus left his stamp on Christianity as it is now recognized by all three broad streams of Christian faith: Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant. Yet for centuries the detailed study of Maximus's writings was neglected. The first edition of Thunberg's Microcosm and Mediator (1965) helped to transform this situation of indifference into one of intense interest in Maximus and the subtleties of his thinking. This new edition has been revised and expanded, with updated references and bibliographies. The focus of Microcosm and Mediator is Maximus's anthropology, his highly developed general reflections on human nature. Maximus understands man as, not only a being - a microcosm - who reflects the constitution of the created universe, but also as a being - a mediator - created in the image of God, whose task it is, in Christ, to reconcile the spiritual and the sensible into one homogeneous unity.


Background: Pharmacomechanical catheter-directed thrombolysis (PCDT) has revolutionized the treatment of acute deep-vein thrombosis (DVT). Assessment and comparison of quality of life (QOL) in patients treated with anticoagulation alone and PCDT need to be elaborated more in the context of better management of patients. The objective of this study was to compare and assess QOL using health-related QOL (HRQOL) which includes short form-36 (SF-36) and VIENES QOL/sym scoring systems in anticoagulation alone group and patients treated with PCDT. Methods: There were 130 consecutive patients presenting to our department with acute iliofemoro-popliteal DVT (IFPDVT) with <2 weeks duration treated between April 2018 and April 2019 were included in the study. Sixty-five patients received anticoagulation alone and the other 65 patients received PCDT along with anticoagulation. Patients were assessed at baseline, the 1st month, and the 6th month in terms of QOL, deep venous patency (DVP), and deep venous reflux (DVR). Results: There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of QOL at 1st and 6 months. Mean physical component score and mental component score were statistically significantly better in PCDT than the conservative group at 1 and 6 months, respectively (P = 0.001). Mean venous insufficiency epidemiological and economic study (VEINES) QOL and VEINES SYM scores were significantly better in PCDT group than conservative group at 1 and 6 months, respectively (P = 0.001). Conclusion: QOL, DVP, and DVR are significantly better when PCDT is offered as an initial option when compared to anticoagulation alone. HRQOL (SF 36 and VEINESQOL/SYM score) should be considered as an outcome measure in clinical studies on patients with IFPDVT along with other comparison parameters with respect to QOL. However, long-term follow-up is required to establish the superiority of PCDT in IFPDVT patients.


Background: Emergency hospital admissions for infection often lack microbiological diagnostic certainty. Novel approaches to discriminate likelihood of bacterial and viral infections are required to support antimicrobial prescribing decisions and infection control practice. We sought to derive and validate a blood transcriptional signature to differentiate bacterial infections from viral infections including COVID-19.

Methods: Blood RNA sequencing was performed on a discovery cohort of adults attending the Emergency Department with confirmed bacteraemia or viral infection. Differentially expressed host genes were subjected to feature selection to derive the most parsimonious discriminating signature. RT-qPCR validation of the signature was then performed in a prospective cohort of patients presenting with undifferentiated fever and a second case-control cohort of patients with bacteraemia or COVID-19.

Findings: A 3-gene transcript signature was derived from the discovery cohort of 56 definite bacterial and 27 viral infection cases. In the validation cohort, the signature differentiated bacterial and viral infections with an area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.976 (95% CI: 0.919-1.000), sensitivity 97.3% and specificity of 100%. The AUC for C-reactive protein and leucocyte count was 0.833 (95% CI: 0.694-0.944) and 0.938 (95% CI: 0.840-0.986) respectively. In the second validation analysis the signature discriminated 34 SARS-CoV-2 positive COVID-19 from 35 bacterial infections with AUC of 0.953 (95% CI: 0.893-0.992), sensitivity 88.6% and specificity of 94.1%.

Interpretation: This novel 3-gene signature discriminates viral infections including COVID-19 from bacterial sepsis in adults, outperforming both leucocyte count and CRP, thus potentially providing significant clinical utility in managing acute presentations with infection.

Funding Statement: Work in this study was funded by the NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, the Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust and the European Union FP7 (EC-GA 279185) (EUCLIDS).

Declaration of Interests: None of the authors have any relevant interest to declare.

Ethics Approval Statement: Ethical approval was obtained to take deferred consent from patients from whom an RNA specimen had been collected (or from next of kin or nominated consultee) (REC references 14/SC/0008 and 19/SC/0116).


In Command Culture, Jorg Muth examines the different paths the United States Army and the German Armed Forces traveled to select, educate, and promote their officers in the crucial time before World War II. Muth demonstrates that the military education system in Germany represented an organized effort where each school and examination provided the stepping stone for the next. But in the United States, there existed no communication about teaching contents or didactical matters among the various schools and academies, and they existed in a self chosen insular environment. American officers who finally made their way through an erratic selection process and past West Point to the important Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, found themselves usually deeply disappointed, because they were faced again with a rather below average faculty who forced them after every exercise to accept the approved "school solution." Command Culture explores the paradox that in Germany officers came from a closed authoritarian society but received an extremely open minded military education, whereas their counterparts in the United States came from one of the most democratic societies but received an outdated military education that harnessed their minds and limited their initiative. On the other hand, German officer candidates learned that in war everything is possible and a war of extermination acceptable. For American officers, raised in a democracy, certain boundaries could never be crossed. This work for the first time clearly explains the lack of audacity of many high ranking American officers during World War II, as well as the reason why so many German officers became perpetrators or accomplices of war crimes and atrocities or remained bystanders without speaking up. Those American officers who became outstanding leaders in World War II did so not so much because of their military education, but despite it.


Youth unemployment in Africa challenges governments and development partners alike. This problem is hard to tackle because of the lack of reliable data and related analysis on scale, distribution and complexity of employment, unemployment and livelihood situation as well as effective policies, programmes and approaches for young women and men. Vulnerable groups of youth such as those on the Streets are worst hit by this problem. This study examines the effectiveness of East African institutions in intervening to assist street youth get integrated into the society through acquisition of adequate employment skills or entrepreneurial skills. The study uses a set of data collected by Koinonia Advisory Research and Development Service (KARDS), a community development consultancy in Nairobi, Kenya. The data was collected in 2007 and in 2010. This data is based on the work-activities of street children projects in Nairobi for 122 street children institutions. It was found out that most institutions disengage the children once they become young adults, leaving them to find jobs and to fend for themselves. Unfortunately, by the time the former street youth are disengaged from institutional benefits they may not have adequate skills for competitiveness in the job markets. This fact underscores the fact that the rehabilitation programmes have less abilities toimpart adequate community and societal integration skills to the former street youth. There is therefore a need to develop other interventions such as work integration social enterprises (WISE) that would assist the young adults to become independent while helping them deal with barriers inhibiting their competitiveness, ability to get employed, become entrepreneurial and ultimately be able to reintegrate effectively back into the society.


ABSTRACT This article explores obstetricians-gynaecologists' experiences and attitudes towards abortion, based on two mixed-methods studies respectively undertaken in Italy in 2011–2012, and in Spain (Cataluña) in 2013–2015. Short questionnaires and in-depth interviews were conducted with 54 obstetricians-gynaecologists at 4 hospitals providing abortion care in Rome and Milan, and with 23 obstetricians-gynaecologists at 2 hospitals and one clinic providing abortion care in Barcelona. A medical/moral classification of abortions, from those considered 'more acceptable', both medically and morally – for severe foetal malformations – to the 'least acceptable' ones – repeated 'voluntary abortions', emerged in the discourse of most obstetricians-gynaecologists working in public hospitals, regardless of their religiosity. I argue that this is the result of the increasing medicalisation of contraception as well as of reproduction, which has reinforced the stigmatisation of 'voluntary abortion' (in case of unintended pregnancy) in a context of declining fertility rates. This contributes to explain why obstetricians-gynaecologists working in Catalan hospitals, which provide terminations only for medical reasons, unlike Italian hospitals, do not experience abortion stigma and do not object to abortion care as much as their Italian colleagues do.


In computer vision many studies have been conducted in order to perform the matching and comparison of 3D models of objects. The main goal of matching is to group the models into different categories according to their similarity in order to allow their retrieval for recognition purposes and for further usage. So, in most of the cases, the comparison is run on a large dataset containing various models whether they belong to the same type of object or not and generally having similar or different shapes and poses. The objects' nature and characteristics are important factors to be taken into consideration before performing the comparison step. We distinguish between two main categories of objects: rigid objects and deformable objects whose treatment and handling differ in the modeling as well as in the comparison phases. In this paper, we will be focusing on the comparison of deformable objects, and thus dealing with objects whose shapes might vary in different instances. For this purpose two main approaches used in the retrieval of 3D deformable models will be reviewed and implemented: the spectral approach and the bag-of-features approach. The deformation or variation in shape involves different aspects depending on the type of object. It could be a change in the posture of an articulated or bendable model, or it could result from a variation (loss or gain) in the total mass leading to a change in the surface and thus in the shape of the object. Even more complex situations occur when both cases are combined together.


Stainless steel 18/8 and 316L have been widely used in orthodontic implants. The patients are recommended to pay attention to oral hygiene by prescribing the toothpastes to improve oral health. People face problems of corrosion of the material due to the use of various toothpastes. Our study was aimed at evaluating the corrosion behaviour of orthodontic wires made of SS 18/8 and SS316L in the absence and the presence of toothpaste Vicco. The electrochemical studies such as potentiodynamic polarization and AC impedance spectra were used to know the corrosion parameters such as corrosion potential (Ecorr), corrosion current (Icorr), Linear Polarization Resistance (LPR), charge transfer resistance (Rct) and double layer capacitance (Cdl). In the presence of toothpaste Vicco, both the alloys under investigated showed high corrosion resistance. The decrease in the corrosion resistance of SS 18/8 and SS316L alloy in various solutions was in the following order: artificial saliva+toothpaste>toothpaste>artificial saliva. In the presence of artificial saliva containing 1% toothpaste the corrosion resistance of SS 18/8 was greater than SS 316L alloy. This was due to the co-ordination of stainless steel metal ion with the active principles of the ingredients of the toothpaste forming a protective layer on the surface of the metal and thus resisting corrosion.


An active noise control device or an active noise absorber (ANA) that is based on either resonant 2nd - order or 4th - order Butterworth filters is developed and demonstrated. This control method is similar to structural positive position feedback (PPF) control, with two exceptions: 1) acoustic transducers (microphone and speaker) can not be truly colocated, and 2) the acoustic actuator (loudspeaker) has significant dynamics that can affect performance and stability. Acoustic modal control approaches are typically not sought, however, there are a number of applications where controlling a few room modes is adequate. A model of a duct with speakers at each end is developed and used to demonstrate the control method, including the impact of the speaker dynamics. An all-pass filter is used to provide phase compensation and improve controller performance. Two companion experimental studies validated the simulation results. A single mode case using a resonant band-pass filter demonstrated nearly 10 dB of control in the first duct, while a multimodal case using two 4th - order Butterworth band-pass filters show both 10 dB of reduction in the fundamental mode and nearly 8.0 dB in the second.


Computer networks lack a general control paradigm, as traditional networks do not provide any network-wide management abstractions. As a result, each new function (such as routing) must provide its own state distribution, element discovery, and failure recovery mechanisms. We believe this lack of a common control platform has significantly hindered the development of flexible, reliable and feature-rich network control planes.

To address this, we present Onix, a platform on top of which a network control plane can be implemented as a distributed system. Control planes written within Onix operate on a global view of the network, and use basic state distribution primitives provided by the platform. Thus Onix provides a general API for control plane implementations, while allowing them to make their own trade-offs among consistency, durability, and scalability.


It has been suggested that '[u]ntil the nineteenth century, the ideal of family privacy, an ideal central to the philosophy underlying the liberal state, largely shielded the family from state intervention' (Diduck and Kaganas, 2012, p547). Whilst nineteenth century English law provided, and indeed still provides no explicit protection for family privacy (beyond that now offered by Article 8 of the European Convention) it is arguable that an ideology or ethic of privacy still underpins the law and aids in its interpretation.
This ethic or ideology of family privacy is founded on certain key assumptions; that the family is synonymous with the private sphere (Fineman, 1999; Fahey, 1995) and that the home is a private place, a refuge from society (O'Donovan, 1985). It is arguable, however, that as family members increasingly volunteer family information, sharing intimate details of family life online and in public, these longstanding assumptions about the private nature of the family and the inhabitants of the private sphere need to be reconsidered/revisited. With increasing use of new technology qs to be asked about whether ideology or ethic of privacy still should underpin the law – alternatively does the law need to develop to protect family members information – traditional social and legal notions of privacy adequate?
It is of course true that that many different conceptions of the public and private sphere exist. For some the public sphere is a world of debate (see for example, Aristotle, Arendt and Habermas); for others the public sphere is synonymous with the state (Fineman) and the state stands in opposition both to the family and the market (Gavison, 1993). For some there is in fact no separate private sphere; the state defines those aspects of life which it considers to be 'private' and not to be subject to state intervention, the private domain is 'a socially constructed, historically variable and inevitably political decision' (Rose 1987)
Ultimately this paper seeks to determine, in the twenty first century where does the boundary of the private sphere lie and should we still equate the notion of the private sphere with family and the home?


We propose an algorithm for scheduling and allocation of parallel programs to message-passing architectures. The algorithm considers arbitrary computation and communication costs, arbitrary network topology, link contention and underlying communication routing strategy. While our technique is static, the algorithm is quasi dynamic because it is not specific to any particular system topology and thus can be used at run-time for the processor configuration available at that time. The proposed algorithm, called Bubble Scheduling and Allocation (BSA) algorithm, works by first serializing the task graph and "injecting" all the tasks to one processor. The parallel tasks are then "bubbled up" to other processors and are inserted at appropriate time slots. The edges among the tasks are also scheduled by treating communication links between the processors as resources. The scheduling of messages on the links depends on the routing strategy, such as circuit switching and wormhole routing, of the underlying network. The proposed algorithm has admissible time complexity and is suitable for regular as well as irregular task graph structures.


In this paper, we begin by discussing a definition of trust and settle on one provided by Lee and See (2004). This definition emphasizes the nature of trust as an attitude toward the uncertain future actions of an agent. Some important implications of this definition for adaptive automation systems are discussed including (a) trust is not synonymous with user acceptance; in fact, trust should be tuned to result in accurate usage decisions by operators, (b) trust becomes more important with complex, adaptive automation precisely because it becomes less plausible for a human operator to fully understand what and how the automation will operate in all contents, and (c) as an attitude, trust is produced and affected by methods other than rational cognition. In fact, Lee and See provide a model with three methods of tuning trust—analytic, analogic and affective—with special emphasis on their roles trust for adaptive automation. Of these, we argue that the latter two will be more important in human interaction with adaptive automation than they are with traditional automation. We define and discuss a method of tuning analogic and affective trust: the "etiquette" of human interaction with automation. We provide examples from two recent projects, one involving a laboratory experiment and the other involving human interaction with automation in a realistic full mission simulation, which illustrate trust effects from etiquette-based design and system behavior manipulations.


Using four rounds (1999, 2002, 2005, 2008) of the Korean Labor and Income Panel Study (KLIPS), this article examines determinants of household income and consumption levels and inequalities. Unconditional as well as conditional stochastic dominance (SD) tests are performed by year, by household heads' characteristics (age, education, gender, health, marital status and occupation) and by household characteristics (household type, household size, degree of urbanization). Mean least squares regression techniques are employed to predict conditional expectations. The residuals containing effects for each characteristic conditional on the remaining characteristics are then used for the SD analysis employing extended Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests of first- and second-order dominance in distribution of income and consumption. The results provide a detailed and up-to-date picture of inequality and poverty by subgroup in South Korea which helps targeting particularly vulnerable groups. Overall, while inequality in disposable income is found to be often substantial, strong savings preferences of richer households lead to relatively low consumption inequality. Households headed by elderly, uneducated, divorced or widowed, females and those with health problems are found to be the most vulnerable groups in Korea.


Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a serious psychiatric disorder characterised by turbulent interpersonal relationships, impaired self image, impulsivity, and a recurrent pattern of unstable affect which is usually evident by early adulthood. It has a community prevalence rate of two per cent, and approximately nine per cent of people diagnosed with BPD commit suicide. This suggests that BPD has one of the highest lethality rates of all psychiatric disorders. The course of the disorder shows a steady improvement over the course of early adulthood with the majority of cases remitting by middle age. This positive but incomplete long-term recovery is thought to be a naturalistic outcome that is independent of treatment effect.

The reported study sought to test selected components of a multidimensional developmental neuropsychological model of executive functioning in BPD. The model proposed that BPD is characterised by impairments to four neuropsychological executive functions. These include working memory, response inhibition, affective-attentional bias, and problem-solving. The model further proposed that impaired executive functioning in BPD occurs as a result of the failure of 'experience-dependent' maturation of orbitofrontal structures. These structures are closely associated with the development of the 'cognitive executive'.

The study incorporated a cross-sectional design to analyse data from a BPD group, a Depressed Control Group, and a Medical Control Group. The overall findings of the study returned limited support for the original hypotheses. There was no evidence of deficits in working memory, response-inhibition, or problem-solving. In contrast, the BPD group returned some evidence of deficits in affective-attentional bias.

Therefore, the results suggest that executive functioning remains largely intact in BPD. This also suggests that people with BPD have the working memory resources necessary to facilitate abstract cognition, have the capacity to effectively plan and execute future-oriented acts, and are able to perform appropriate problem-solving functions. These problem-solving returns are also particularly significant because a number of the tasks utilised in the study are known to be associated with so-called 'frontal-executive' function. These unremarkable findings challenge the view that people with BPD might experience some form of subtle neurological impairment associated with frontal-lobe compromise.

The Stroop measure of affective-attentional bias provided the only supportive evidence for the proposed model, and these findings can be accounted for by at least two different explanations. The first suggests that BPD might be characterised by a hypervigilant attentional set. The specific cause of hypervigilance in BPD is unknown, but some candidate factors appear to be the often-reported abuse histories of borderlines, insecure attachment histories, and deficits in parental bonding. The second interpretation suggests that the Stroop findings reflect a form of 'response conflict' in which BPD participants experience difficulties overriding tasks that rely on the enunciation of automatic neural routines. As a result of these findings, further research on the role of arousal, priming, hypervigilance, and response-conflict in BPD is required. It is likely that the Stroop findings reflect a basic, 'hard-wired' attentional mechanism that consolidates by early adolescence at the latest. As a result, the Stroop findings have implications for both the prevention and treatment of BPD.

A number of prevention strategies could be developed to address the attentional issues identified in the present study. These include assisting children to more effectively regulate arousal and affect, and assisting parents to communicate affectively with children in order to enhance self-regulation. The treatment implications suggest that interventions directed at affective-attentional processes are required, and further suggest the need for new pharmacotherapies and psychological treatments to modify dysfunctional attentional process. Affective neuroscience will have an increasingly important role to play in the understanding of BPD, and the next quarter century is likely to witness exciting advances in understanding this most problematic of disorders.


Hypomixability Elimination is an intriguing form of computation thought to underlie general-purpose, non-local, noise-tolerant adaptation in recombinative evolutionary systems. We demonstrate that hypomixability elimination in recombinative evolutionary systems can be efficient by using it to obtain optimal bounds on the time and queries required to solve a subclass (k=7, η=1/5) of a familiar computational learning problem: PAC-learning parities with noisy membership queries; where k is the number of relevant attributes and η is the oracle's noise rate. Specifically, we show that a simple genetic algorithm with uniform crossover (free recombination) that treats the noisy membership query oracle as a fitness function can be rigged to PAC-learn the relevant variables in O(log (n/δ)) queries and O(n log (n/δ)) time, where n is the total number of attributes and δ is the probability of error. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time optimally efficient computation has been shown to occur in, an evolutionary algorithm, on a non-trivial problem. The optimality result and indeed the implicit implementation of hypomixability elimination by a simple genetic algorithm depends crucially on recombination. This dependence yields a fresh, unified explanation for sex, adaptation, speciation, and the emergence of modularity in evolutionary systems. Compared to other explanations, Hypomixability Theory is exceedingly parsimonious. For example, it does not assume deleterious mutation, a changing fitness landscape, or the existence of building blocks.


This article previews the issues and arguments in Kay v. Ehrler and the Kentucky Board of Elections, on the Supreme Court's 1990-91 appellate docket. The primary issue in Kay v. Ehrler is, simply put, whether a pro se litigant who also happens to be a lawyer is entitled to attorney fees under the Civil Rights Attorneys' Fee Awards Act.In the second case dealing with attorney fees this term the Supreme Court willtake up the interesting but highly idiosyncratic problem of a lawyer's entitlement to attorney fees when the lawyer represents him or herself, or, in legal terminology, litigates a case "pro se."The particular battleground for this fee skirmish is the 1976 Civil Rights Attorney's Fee Awards Act, which generally allows the prevailing party in a civil rights action to recover reasonable attorney fees. But what happens when the attorney is the client and the client is the attorney? Aside from the old adage about fools, what about fees? No doubt this peculiar wrinkle on the right to attorney fees will inspire some justices to metaphysical speculation about the mind-body distinction. It may lead many scholars to question, "Was this opinion really necessary?" It will, however, be a closely watched case by the public-interest bar, who will be reading the tea leaves to divine messages concerning the Court's continued receptivity to vigorous prosecution of civil rights actions.In considering Kay's special situation as a lawyer representing himself, the Supreme Court will not be able to draw a great deal of solace or insight from the lower federal court's handling of this concededly strange fee recovery problem. For example, a large number of appellate and district courts have held that a pro se litigant who is not an attorney is not entitled to recover attorney fees under Section 1988. Some federal courts have extended this general proposition to apply to attorney pro se litigants in civil rights cases, and hence deny recovery of fees in those cases as well. On the contrary there also are a number of federal courts that have permitted pro se attorneys to recover fees under Section 1988. In short, there is no prevailing trend on this issue, and the Court will have to announce a rule to resolve the conflicting lower court opinions.One possibility is that the Court will literally interpret the language of Section 1988 and not look to legislative history. If the Court pursues this analysis, it must then determine whether a pro se litigant acting on his or her own behalf conceptually has an attorney-client relationship. Both sides agree that Kay was a prevailing party and that the amounts he requests are reasonable. The nub of the problem, then, is whether a lawyer who serves as his or her own attorney has a lawyerly relationship sufficient to qualify for attorney fees.Thus, the legal (not to mention metaphysical) difficulty is whether an attorney who represents himself ever has a traditional "lawyer-client" relationship countenanced by the law of fee recovery. Following this line of inquiry would require some serious jurisprudential hair-splitting. More likely, the Court may explore either the legislative history of Section 1988, or various policy reasons for allowing or disallowing pro se attorney fees.In examining the legislative history of Section 1988, the Court will have to determine the congressional intent in passing that fee-recovery legislation in response to the Alyeska decision. Did Congress intend to deny fee recovery to individual pro se litigants, but not to institutional pro se litigants? Did Congress by implication intend to permit fee recovery to attorney pro se litigants? What was Congress trying to accomplish by permitting fee recovery in civil rights actions, generally? As is true with a good deal of legislative history, there is support for each of these propositions in the statements of various legislators.With regard to policy arguments, the Court will have to assess the three prudential concerns articulated by the Sixth Circuit in the context of Freedom of Information Act litigation as applied to civil rights actions. The Court may weigh the policy of encouraging prosecution of civil rights claims against a competing administrative value of not stirring up frivolous and wasteful litigation. As evidenced by the friend-of-court briefs in this case, the Court's resolution of these competing values is of great concern, both to the public-interest bar that often pursues civil rights claims and fee recoveries under Section 1988, and to various governmental entities that wish to be relieved of vexatious pro se litigation.


IMPORTANCE
Oxidative stress and vascular impairment are believed to partly mediate age-related cognitive decline, a strong risk factor for development of dementia. Epidemiologic studies suggest that a Mediterranean diet, an antioxidant-rich cardioprotective dietary pattern, delays cognitive decline, but clinical trial evidence is lacking.

OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether a Mediterranean diet supplemented with antioxidant-rich foods influences cognitive function compared with a control diet.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
Parallel-group randomized clinical trial of 447 cognitively healthy volunteers from Barcelona, Spain (233 women [52.1%]; mean age, 66.9 years), at high cardiovascular risk were enrolled into the Prevención con Dieta Mediterránea nutrition intervention trial from October 1, 2003, through December 31, 2009. All patients underwent neuropsychological assessment at inclusion and were offered retesting at the end of the study.

INTERVENTIONS
Participants were randomly assigned to a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extravirgin olive oil (1 L/wk), a Mediterranean diet supplemented with mixed nuts (30 g/d), or a control diet (advice to reduce dietary fat).

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
Rates of cognitive change over time based on a neuropsychological test battery: Mini-Mental State Examination, Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT), Animals Semantic Fluency, Digit Span subtest from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Verbal Paired Associates from the Wechsler Memory Scale, and the Color Trail Test. We used mean z scores of change in each test to construct 3 cognitive composites: memory, frontal (attention and executive function), and global.

RESULTS
Follow-up cognitive tests were available in 334 participants after intervention (median, 4.1 years). In multivariate analyses adjusted for confounders, participants allocated to a Mediterranean diet plus olive oil scored better on the RAVLT (P = .049) and Color Trail Test part 2 (P = .04) compared with controls; no between-group differences were observed for the other cognitive tests. Similarly adjusted cognitive composites (mean z scores with 95% CIs) for changes above baseline of the memory composite were 0.04 (-0.09 to 0.18) for the Mediterranean diet plus olive oil, 0.09 (-0.05 to 0.23; P = .04 vs controls) for the Mediterranean diet plus nuts, and -0.17 (-0.32 to -0.01) for the control diet. Respective changes from baseline of the frontal cognition composite were 0.23 (0.03 to 0.43; P = .003 vs controls), 0.03 (-0.25 to 0.31), and -0.33 (-0.57 to -0.09). Changes from baseline of the global cognition composite were 0.05 (-0.11 to 0.21; P = .005 vs controls) for the Mediterranean diet plus olive oil, -0.05 (-0.27 to 0.18) for the Mediterranean diet plus nuts, and -0.38 (-0.57 to -0.18) for the control diet. All cognitive composites significantly (P < .05) decreased from baseline in controls.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
In an older population, a Mediterranean diet supplemented with olive oil or nuts is associated with improved cognitive function.

TRIAL REGISTRATION
isrctn.org Identifier: ISRCTN35739639.


Purpose: The need for more transparency, efficiency and effectiveness in Swiss hospitals puts facility management departments into the position to act. One action might be seen in optimising processes. And one of these processes is the food service process, which ranks second in terms of costs. This process has the characteristic that process waste becomes visible as food waste along the entire process. From a facility management perspective the appearance as well as the amount of food waste in the various process steps give the opportunity to detect optimization potentials. With this the facility management helps the core business to meet the overall targets by optimising their own processes. The object of study is limited to Swiss hospitals. This research creates significant contri-bution to knowledge by developing a prototype assessment tool for process optimisation, based upon the specific example of generating waste during the process of food service. Methodology: For that, a multiple case study is conducted, applying a mixed method embedded qualitative research design. The first step comprises a literature review, providing the theoretical basis for this research work. The following data collection during fieldwork splits into two phases. Fieldwork phase 1 and phase 2 each consists of three sources of data collection. For fieldwork phase 1 they are a) semi-standardised observations with unstandardised interviews for informant verifica-tion, b) focus groups and c) collection of secondary data. For fieldwork phase 2 they are a) semi-standardised observations with unstandardised interviews for informant verification, b) collection of secondary data and c) various measurements of quantification. Validation of the results and findings during the research is realised in a focus group with experts. Data collected is analysed and visual-ised in matrices and by descriptive statistics. Findings: This thesis contains detailed food waste measurements from a facility management per-spective and a comprehensive list of 542 food waste factors along the food service process. The list is compiled considering a literature review, focus groups and observations. In addition to the food waste factors relationships between the different process steps are outlined. They are based on the observations. By combining a lot of these findings a prototype assessment tool is made. Originality/value: The main outcome is the creation of the prototype assessment tool, which is appli-cable on the described process. The developed tool is not only a contribution to knowledge from a scientific research perspective, but also highly valuable for practitioners. Because some of the data were obtained from and fed back into a real business practice environment, the tool is of great value for healthcare organisations. It is capable of reducing food process and cost waste in daily business by detecting the process steps which need optimisation as well as with the help about the possible reasons behind them. The way of the assessment tool development can be applied to other facility management processes. Overall, this research is the very first in this area, focusing on the topic of food waste from a facility management perspective in the hospital environment.