The second volume in this popular series, Digital Painting Techniques: Volume 2, brings together a selection of in-depth tutorials from some of the best digital artists in the industry today. Custom brushes, speed painting, characters, and fantasy are just a few of the topics covered, with each tutorial providing a logical and professional approach to image creation as well as offering valuable tips and advice. With additional features including a gallery and links to free downloadable content, Digital Painting Techniques: Volume 2 contains a wealth of inspiration for any artist.


Attribute-based credentials (ABCs) are an important building block of privacy-enhancing identity management. Since non-identifying attributes can easily be abused as the anonymity they provide hides the perpetrator, cryptographic mechanisms need to be introduced to make them revocable. However, most of these techniques are not efficient enough in practice. ABCs with practical revocation have recently been proposed by Hajny and Malina [5]. Their ABCs make use of different discrete logarithm representations of a fixed value. Although this technique is attractive as the verification of a particular issuer's credentials is easy, it has an intrinsic weakness. Colluding users can efficiently forge new credentials that are indistinguishable from legally issued ones.


The rising energy costs for keeping up large-scale server clusters is becoming an increasingly important concern for many businesses. In this paper, we present a dynamic configuration model for consolidating multiple services or applications in virtualized server clusters aimed at optimizing power consumption. Dynamic configurations in the cluster include turning servers off in periods of low activity and turning them back on when the demand increases. In our model, we incorporate the often ignored switching penalty in order to avoid frequent and undesirable turning servers on/off. In addition, our model takes advantage of the dynamic voltage/frequency scaling capability of current processor architectures to further optimize power consumption. We present simulation results that to evaluate the quality of the solutions and the scalability of the proposed model.


Introduction Proximity and access to water have long been central to human culture and accordingly deliver countless societal benefits. Over 200 million people live on Europe's coastline, and aquatic environments are the top recreational destination in the region. In terms of public health, interactions with 'blue space' (eg, coasts, rivers, lakes) are often considered solely in terms of risk (eg, drowning, microbial pollution). Exposure to blue space can, however, promote health and well-being and prevent disease, although underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Aims and methods The BlueHealth project aims to understand the relationships between exposure to blue space and health and well-being, to map and quantify the public health impacts of changes to both natural blue spaces and associated urban infrastructure in Europe, and to provide evidence-based information to policymakers on how to maximise health benefits associated with interventions in and around aquatic environments. To achieve these aims, an evidence base will be created through systematic reviews, analyses of secondary data sets and analyses of new data collected through a bespoke international survey and a wide range of community-level interventions. We will also explore how to deliver the benefits associated with blue spaces to those without direct access through the use of virtual reality. Scenarios will be developed that allow the evaluation of health impacts in plausible future societal contexts and changing environments. BlueHealth will develop key inputs into policymaking and land/water-use planning towards more salutogenic and sustainable uses of blue space, particularly in urban areas. Ethics and dissemination Throughout the BlueHealth project, ethics review and approval are obtained for all relevant aspects of the study by the local ethics committees prior to any work being initiated and an ethics expert has been appointed to the project advisory board. So far, ethical approval has been obtained for the BlueHealth International Survey and for community-level interventions taking place in Spain, Italy and the UK. Engagement of stakeholders, including the public, involves citizens in many aspects of the project. Results of all individual studies within the BlueHealth project will be published with open access. After full anonymisation and application of any measures necessary to prevent disclosure, data generated in the project will be deposited into open data repositories of the partner institutions, in line with a formal data management plan. Other knowledge and tools developed in the project will be made available via the project website (www.bluehealth2020.eu). Project results will ultimately provide key inputs to planning and policy relating to blue space, further stimulating the integration of environmental and health considerations into decision-making, such that blue infrastructure is developed across Europe with both public health and the environment in mind.


Modern morphometrics provides powerful methods to quantify size and shape variation. A basic requirement is a list of coordinates that define landmarks; however such coordinates must represent homologous structures across specimens. While many biological objects consist of easily identified landmarks to satisfy the assumption of homology, many lack such structures. One potential solution is to mathematically place semi-landmarks on an object that represent the same morphological region across specimens. Here, we illustrate a recently developed pipeline to mathematically define semi-landmarks from the mouse baculum (penis bone). Our methods should be applicable to a wide range of objects.


Therapies targeting reductive/oxidative (redox) metabolism hold potential in cancers resistant to chemotherapy and radiation. A redox imaging marker would help identify cancers susceptible to redox-directed therapies. Copper(II)-diacetyl-bis(4-methylthiosemicarbazonato) (Cu-ATSM) is a PET tracer developed for hypoxia imaging that could potentially be used for this purpose. We aimed to demonstrate that Cu-ATSM signal is dependent on cellular redox state, irrespective of hypoxia. Methods: We investigated the relationship between 64Cu-ATSM signal and redox state in human cervical and colon cancer cells. We altered redox state using drug strategies and single-gene mutations in isocitrate dehydrogenases (IDH1/2). Concentrations of reducing molecules were determined by spectrophotometry and liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry and compared with 64Cu-ATSM signal in vitro. Mouse models of cervical cancer were used to evaluate the relationship between 64Cu-ATSM signal and levels of reducing molecules in vivo, as well as to evaluate the change in 64Cu-ATSM signal after redox-active drug treatment. Results: A correlation exists between baseline 64Cu-ATSM signal and cellular concentration of glutathione, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH), and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH). Altering NADH and NADPH metabolism using drug strategies and IDH1 mutations resulted in significant changes in 64Cu-ATSM signal under normoxic conditions. Hypoxia likewise changed 64Cu-ATSM signal, but treatment of hypoxic cells with redox-active drugs resulted in a more dramatic change than hypoxia alone. A significant difference in NADPH was seen between cervical tumor orthotopic implants in vivo, without a corresponding difference in 64Cu-ATSM signal. After treatment with β-lapachone, there was a change in 64Cu-ATSM signal in xenograft tumors smaller than 50 mg but not in larger tumors. Conclusion: 64Cu-ATSM signal reflects redox state, and altering redox state impacts 64Cu-ATSM metabolism. Our animal data suggest there are other modulating factors in vivo. These findings have implications for the use of 64Cu-ATSM as a predictive marker for redox therapies, though further in vivo work is needed.


Background : Smoking is one of leading various diseases and even death globally.  It is often difficult for smokers to stop smoking, even those who work as a medical professional because there are some barriers around them. The objective of this study was to get an overview of the barriers to smoking cessation among smoker students of Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran. Methods : A descriptive study was carried out to 62 medical students 2012–2013 academic year in the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Padjadjaran. Before the respondents were selected, a survey using questionnaire was conducted to all medical students from the same academic year to determine their smoking status. A set of questions was developed, consisted of 4 components: physical or social, psychological or emotional, accessibility, and social contextual/life circumstances barriers to smoking cessation. The collected data were analyzed and presented in the form of percentages shown in the tables and figures. Results : The most frequent barriers were from physical or social barriers (friends who smoke, 85%), psychological or emotional barriers (fear of losing enjoyment, 71%), barrier to access (lack of information about the way of smoking cessation, 42%) and social contextual/life circumstances barriers (having other priorities other than to stop smoking, 71%). Conclusions : There are some barriers in medical students smokers make them difficult to stop smoking although they have more knowledge about health and the impact of smoking on health than other people. DOI : 10.15850/amj.v2n3.561


We consider two theories of laryngeal representation, one using a single feature [voice] generalizing across prevoicing languages and aspiration languages, and the other using multiple features: [voice] for pre-voicing languages and [spread glottis] for aspiration languages. We derive predictions for children's early productions, and test these for three Germanic languages. Children acquiring Dutch, a prevoicing language, show de-voicing of stops, while available data from German, an aspiration language, show de-aspiration. Although the difference might simply reflect intrinsic properties of children's early production and perception systems, we argue that a representational account is in order, based on multiples features. The case is made for English, an aspiration language, based on the early productions of a single child. A laryngeal harmony pattern is found which spreads voicelessness from coda to onset, which is argued to involve activity of [spread glottis]. This is interpreted as evidence for a laryngeal representation involving multiple features.


The Sentential Decision Diagram (SDD) is a recently proposed representation of Boolean functions, containing Ordered Binary Decision Diagrams (OBDDs) as a distinguished subclass. While OBDDs are characterized by total variable orders, SDDs are characterized more generally by vtrees. As both OBDDs and SDDs have canonical representations, searching for OBDDs and SDDs of minimal size simplifies to searching for variable orders and vtrees, respectively. For OBDDs, there are effective heuristics for dynamic reordering, based on locally swapping variables. In this paper, we propose an analogous approach for SDDs which navigates the space of vtrees via two operations: one based on tree rotations and a second based on swapping children in a vtree. We propose a particular heuristic for dynamically searching the space of vtrees, showing that it can find SDDs that are an order-of-magnitude more succinct than OBDDs found by dynamic reordering.


Abstract. Temperature change is acknowledged to have a significant effect on soil biological processes and the corresponding sequestration of carbon and cycling of nutrients. Soils at high latitudes are likely to be particularly impacted by increases in temperature. Icelandic soils experience unusually frequent freeze and thaw cycles compare to other Arctic regions, which are increasing due to a warming climate. As a consequence these soils are frequently affected by short term temperature fluctuations. In this study, the short term response of a range of soil microbial parameters (respiration, nutrient availability, microbial biomass carbon, arylphosphatase and dehydrogenase activity) to temperature changes was measured in sub-arctic soils collected from across Iceland. Sample sites reflected two soil temperature regimes (cryic and frigid) and two land uses (pasture and arable). The soils were sampled from the field frozen, equilibrated at −20 °C and then incubated for two weeks at −10 °C, −2 °C, +2 °C and +10 °. Respiration and enzymatic activity were temperature dependent. The soil temperature regime affected the soil microbial biomass carbon sensitivity to temperatures. When soils where sampled from the cryic temperature regime a decreasing soil microbial biomass was detected when temperatures rose above the freezing point. Frigid soils, sampled from milder climatic conditions, where unaffected by difference in temperatures. Nitrogen mineralisation did not change with temperature. At −10 °C, dissolved organic carbon accounted for 88% of the fraction of labile carbon which was significantly greater than that recorded at +10 °C when dissolved organic carbon accounted for as low as 42% of the labile carbon fraction.


Throughout the last decade in Malaysia, participation of students with disabilities in higher education has seen minimal growth. This paper investigates the policies and practices regulating disability in Malaysia's higher education. Three aspects — legislation, funding, and governance — are analysed. To reveal the gaps in policy and practice, comparison is carried out with the cases of England and Australia. The research involved examining government documents such as disability acts, action plans, and research and statistics reports, combined with interviewing university administrators. It was found that Malaysian legislation requires more supporting details and that disability funding for universities should be considered. For governance, systematic legislation review and specific university monitoring are recommended. Establishing an independent national entity to conciliate grievances is proposed to address the inadequate redress mechanism available for students with disabilities. Overall, the government and universities could ensure that disability information is available in the public domain, especially online. Such practice would enhance disability awareness and knowledge for all. Although this paper mainly takes on the perspective of a developing nation, it attains an international orientation as it also depicts the workings of the developed world in governing disability in higher education.


Golden alga (Prymnesium parvum) is a toxic haptophyte that has caused considerable ecological damage to marine and inland aquatic ecosystems worldwide. Studies focused primarily on laboratory cultures have indicated that toxicity is poorly correlated with the abundance of golden alga cells. This relationship, however, has not been rigorously evaluated in the field where environmental conditions are much different. The ability to predict toxicity using readily measured environmental variables and golden alga abundance would allow managers rapid assessments of ichthyotoxicity potential without laboratory bioassay confirmation, which requires additional resources to accomplish. To assess the potential utility of these relationships, several a priori models relating lethal levels of golden alga ichthyotoxicity to golden alga abundance and environmental covariates were constructed. Model parameters were estimated using archived data from four river basins in Texas and New Mexico (Colorado, Brazos, Red, Pecos). Model predictive ability was quantified using cross‐validation, sensitivity, and specificity, and the relative ranking of environmental covariate models was determined by Akaike Information Criterion values and Akaike weights. Overall, abundance was a generally good predictor of ichthyotoxicity as cross validation of golden alga abundance‐only models ranged from ∼ 80% to ∼ 90% (leave‐one‐out cross‐validation). Environmental covariates improved predictions, especially the ability to predict lethally toxic events (i.e., increased sensitivity), and top‐ranked environmental covariate models differed among the four basins. These associations may be useful for monitoring as well as understanding the abiotic factors that influence toxicity during blooms.


Collected here for the first time, the essential essays from Wendell Berry's writings on agrarianism, agriculture, and community. Together these twenty-one essays offer an agrarian alternative to our dominant urban culture. Grouped around five themes--geobiography, an agrarian critique of culture, agrarian fundamentals, agrarian economics, and agrarian religion--they provide an excellent introduction to the wide range of Wendell Berry's work. They also demonstrate that Berry's writing promotes a clearly defined agrarian vision compelling to those dissatisfied with the stress, anxiety, ill health, and destructiveness of media-driven culture. Readers will find in these essays illuminating discussions on questions such as: Why is agriculture becoming culturally irrelevant, and at what cost? What are the forces of social disintegration, and how might they be reversed? How might men and wome n live together in ways that are to the benefit of both? And how does the corporate takeover of social institutions and economic practices contribute to the destruction of human and natural environments? Whether it be through his staunch support of local economies, his defense of farming communities, or his call for family integrity, Berry emerges as the champion of responsibilities and priorities that serve the health, vitality, and happiness of the whole community of creation.


We have studied the influence of segmental dipole orientation on the solution properties of polyzwitterions using dynamic and static light scattering of poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) (PMPC), n-butyl-substituted choline phosphate polymers (PMBP), and their diblock (PMPC-b-PMBP) copolymers in solutions of different salt concentration. We find that these three structures exhibit dramatically different aggregation behaviors. For the conditions in our study, PMPC is a swollen excluded-volume chain without significant presence of dipolar correlations as evident from the lack of sensitivity to the ionic strength of the solution. In contrast, PMBP self-assembles into finite-sized structures in solution, which are stabilized by electrostatic dipole-dipole interactions. Evidence of these interactions is also present in the diblock polymer, PMPB-b-PMPC, which self-assembles into two distinct, stable aggregates in addition to unaggregated chains. These results contribute to the breadth of understanding of polyzwitterions in solution and provide a platform for future simulation and experimental explorations.


Societies have long struggled with contradictions between the ideals of philanthropy and the real motives of philanthropists. Cultural artifacts such as traditional Jewish legal codes and the legend of Saint Nicholas of Myra show that societies especially revere philanthropists who give anonymously, without expectation of repayment. But contrary to these ideals, donors often use philanthropy to obtain personal rewards, such as the wealthy patrons of ancient Greece whose opulent displays of benefactions were aimed at social status and political dominance. The gap between ideals and reality creates a dilemma: Societies wish to promote philanthropy but offering incentives taints the authenticity of the donor's intent. This dilemma is central to the recent policy debate about the enforceability of donor-imposed gift restrictions. The law has traditionally allowed donors to pursue their personal charitable goals by imposing restrictions on the use of charitable gifts, but until recently, donors lacked legal standing to enforce their restrictions in court. In this Article, we describe the detrimental effects of donor enforcement rights on the public's shared interest in charitable assets. We then investigate the issue of donor standing by reviewing and comparing economic and psychological models of gift-giving behavior. On the basis of research from experimental psychology, we propose the novel hypothesis that, contrary to the intended effect, donor standing is unlikely to promote charitable giving and may cause a decrease in charitable contributions.


Background: The search of single nucleotide variants that might have the capacity to alter genetic information and influence in regular cellular pathways, enhancing expansion, mitosis and evasion capacity to neoplasm cells, is central in understanding the molecular nature of distinct cellular growth abnormalities and is critical because it might expose new possibilities for therapeutic targets. The expression of NDRG1 protein, encoded by NDRG1 gene, has already been correlated with tumor progression and evasion, but information on different types of neoplasm is still contentious. Objective: To explore probable correlations of susceptibleness, progression and clinical characteristics between NDRG1 gene polymorphisms (SNPs) and patients that developed thyroid tumors. Methods: SNPs were obtained from the NCBI dbSNP. The encoded protein primary sequences were got from the UniProt database. We employed the three FASTA primary sequences to analyze the amino acid changes. The bioinformatics tools used were: PredictSNP1.0 (which encompasses: PANTHER, SNAP, PolyPhen-1, PhD-SNP, nsSNPAnalyze, SIFT, PredictSNP, PolyPhen-2, MAPP,); I-Mutant2.0; MUpro; PROVEAN; Haploview and SNPs3D). Results: The NCB database reports 319 missense SNPs in the NDRG1 gene. The SIFT tool predicted that 51 nsSNPs of 109 (which means 46.78%) were deleterious; the SNAP tool predicted nearly 30%; PolyPhen-2, 53 (48.62%); 52 (47.70%) derived from PhD-SNP; PolyPhen-1 indicated 38 nsSNPs (approximately 35%); and MAPP showed 47 (which is 43%). Finally, the PredictSNP toll contemplated 13 (approximately 12%) nsSNPs deleterious by all integrated tools, including rs201348291 and rs15132213, whose scores were the most significant, thus indicating a higher possibility that these SNPs are correlated and influence the pathophysiology of thyroid neoplasm. Conclusions: We demonstrated that NDRG1 rs201348291 and rs151322132 may be involved in thyroid cancer emergence and deserve further validation and evaluation of their clinical applicability in determining the risk of thyroid nodules malignancy and thyroid cancer prognostic.


Legal scholars commonly argue that the widespread presence of cognitive errors in judgment justifies legal intervention to save people from predictable mistakes. Such arguments often fail to account for individual variation in the commission of such errors even though individual variation is probably common. If predictable groups of people avoid making the errors that others commit, then law should account for such differences because those who avoid errors will not benefit from paternalistic interventions and indeed may be harmed by them. The research on individual variation suggests three parameters that might distinguish people who can avoid error: cognitive ability, experience and training, and demographic variables. None of the three predicts good cognitive performance in a reliable fashion, but all three might predict good performance in certain limited circumstances. Thus, legal scholars interested in the application of psychology to law would do well to consider the possibility that an identifiable group will avoid cognitive errors. Indeed, the legal system treats one of these (experience) as important, and marketers actively engage in efforts to determine the relative vulnerability of different groups to cognitive error.


The present study analyzes computer performance over the last century and a half. Three results stand out. First, there has been a phenomenal increase in computer power over the twentieth century. Depending upon the standard used, computer performance has improved since manual computing by a factor between 1.7 trillion and 76 trillion. Second, there was a major break in the trend around World War II. Third, this study develops estimates of the growth in computer power relying on performance rather than components; the price declines using performance-based measures are markedly larger than those reported in the official statistics.


If we separate some aberrant forms like Babirussa, Dicotyles, Phacochoerus, Potamochoerus and Porcula ¹) from Cray's suborder Setifera, there remains a large series of Pigs which present a striking resemblance in external appearance and in dentition; they more or less remember our common Sus scrofa. The latter is the only representant in Europe, meanwhile the others are distributed over Asia, the islands of the East Indian Archipelago and New-Guinea. If comparing the members of this group with Sus scrofa and at the same time if paying attention to their geographical distribution, one discovers that the group may be split in several smaller ones which generally coincide with a more or less restricted geographical area; names have been given to the latter smaller groups and different species have been admitted. But if all the large and small islands where at present Pigs are to be found were connected by land with the Indian continent, then I am convinced that there would be naturalists at hand to look upon those Pigs as varieties of Sus scrofa, and perhaps with more chance of probability than has been attained by defenders of the opposite view, authors like Dr. Gray and Pere Heude, who have divided the mentioned large group in numerous genera and in an unlimited number of species. So Dr. Gray (Catalogue, 1869 and Hand-list, 1873) recognized the following — according to him well defined — genera: Euhys, Aulacochoerus, Dasychoerus, Sus, Scrofa and Centuriosus, and Pere Heude (Memoires concernant l'histoire naturelle de l'Empire chinois, 1888) distinguished in East Asia eleven distinct new species of the genus Sus, viz.: ussuricus, dicrurus, taininensis, calamianensis, cebifrons, minutus. effrenus, conchyvorus, jalaensis, microtis and frenatus. Gray ¹) correctly observed that the study of the Pigs is attended with considerable difficulty, probably arising from three peculiarities of the group: 1°. That most of the wild or presumed wild species are easily reduced to a domestic or semidomestic condition.


Indian reservations are territories within the United States recognized by the federal government as land reserved specifically for American Indians. Indigenous communities still referred to as tribes have some autonomy over the reserved lands, which allow tribes freedom to maintain and preserve cultural heritage. Indian reservations are societies within the larger mainstream America, making physical and social boundaries problematic for cross-cultural exchange. Indian writer Sherman Alexie challenges the misrepresentations of Indians which originated from a EuroAmerican perspective of the "outside looking in" to these cultures. Sherman Alexie presents the Indian perspective of "looking out" at mainstream society. Rather than evoking a desire for one homogenous society, Alexie's narratives reveal Indian identity as a distinct identity compatible with other cultures. The homogenous element Alexie does include in all of his literature is the human condition. This thesis demonstrates how Sherman Alexie conceptualizes the reservation as a center of Indian identity in three of his novels, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven (1993), Reservation Blues (1995) and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (2009). In The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, the reservation functions as a center of post-colonial trauma rather than existing as a cultural hub. In Reservation Blues, Alexie portrays the center as a process rather than location of Indian identity. In The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, the center of Indian identity is the Indian character him or herself; the reservation is only elemental as part of the process of Indian experience. As Alexie's work reveals, the reservation is not an experience all Indians can claim but whether in absence or presence, it has an effect on all Indian identity and the Indian culture within contemporary multicultural societies.


This paper examines the use and purpose of use of online databases among the users of Faculty of Arts in Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and University of Delhi (DU). For this study, survey method was used to find out the level of use, level of satisfaction, problems and training needed for accessing the online databases. A total number of 467 and 1772 questionnaires were distributed among the Faculty members, Research scholars and Postgraduates in faculty of Arts in AMU and DU, out of which 389 and 1463 were completed and returned back by respondents, showing overall response rate of 83.29% and 82.56% from AMU and DU respectively. The result reveals that user groups of DU are more aware and use online databases more than users of AMU. The study further reveals that the majority of the users access the online databases for retrieving information mainly for teaching and research purposes. Annual Review and JSTOR are the most widely used database in Faculty of Arts. The study concludes with some suggestions for better utilization of online database among users in faculty of Arts in AMU and DU.


Abstract Two novel species of Russula subgenus Heterophyllidia, collected from Guangdong Province, P. R. of China, are described and illustrated based on both morphology and phylogenetic analyses of ITS sequences. Russula verrucospora sp. nov. is characterized by a combination of unequal lamellae, verrucose basidiospores, presence of robust caulocystidia, and pleurocystidia changing to reddish-brown in sulphovanillin (SV). R. xanthovirens sp. nov. is phylogenetically closely related to R. aureoviridis within subsection Virescentinae, but it can be separated from the latter by its much thicker pileipellis which is distinctly divided into two layers and orthochromatic in cresyl blue, ellipsoid to globose subterminal cells, bigger basidiospores with higher warts and ridges, and much longer pleurocystidia and cheilocystidia. Both morphological and molecular data consistently verify that R. verrucospora and R. xanthovirens are new to subg. Heterophyllidia. The differences among these two novel species and their related taxa are discussed.


The testing program described in this dissertation was performed to develop an acoustic method for identifying the fabric of saturated medium to fine sand samples, and their related resistance to liquefaction. Three methods of preparation, that produced repeatably different preferred long grain axis orientations, were used to prepare laboratory samples (6.8" high by 2.7" in diameter) of a uniform, angular sand. Acoustic signatures were obtained, for both dry and saturated samples, using compressional and shear wave transducers. The latter were developed specifically for the test program and included a 4 bender bimorph array as the shear wave crystal. The samples were then tested to liquefaction under undrained, stress controlled, cyclic triaxial conditions. Results of the investigation revealed that the compressional wave velocity and attenuation of the saturated triaxial sand samples were reliable indicators of sample fabric, albeit they were very sensitive to the level of saturation. In turn, these acoustic parameters were found to be directly related to the liquefaction resistance of the same laboratory samples. The effect of stress history on the liquefaction resistance of a test sample was also predicted by the above acoustic parameters. The results of tests employing the newly developed acoustic transducers confirmed the initial compressional wave results as well as providing information on the shear wave velocity of the test sand fabrics. This more complete acoustic signature permitted the computation of the Shear Modulus, V(,p)/V(,s), and Poisson's Ratio for the laboratory samples. Each of these parameters was found to be a sensitive indicator of the method of sample preparation, and the resulting acoustic rigidity. Shear wave velocity was observed to decrease with increasing moisture content and decreasing effective stress. The effect of overconsolidation was seen as an increase in the shear wave velocity.


Background PEARLS, a large scale trial of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV (n = 1,571, 9 countries, 4 continents), found that a once-daily protease inhibitor (PI) based regimen (ATV+DDI+FTC), but not a once-daily non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor/nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI/NRTI) regimen (EFV+FTC/TDF), had inferior efficacy compared to a standard of care twice-daily NNRTI/NRTI regimen (EFV+3TC/ZDV). The present study examined non-adherence in PEARLS. Methods Outcomes: non-adherence assessed by pill count and by self-report, and time to treatment failure. Longitudinal predictors: regimen, quality of life (general health perceptions  =  QOL-health, mental health  =  QOL-mental health), social support, substance use, binge drinking, and sexual behaviors. "Life-Steps" adherence counseling was provided. Results In both pill-count and self-report multivariable models, both once-a-day regimens had lower levels of non-adherence than the twice-a-day standard of care regimen; although these associations attenuated with time in the self-report model. In both multivariable models, hard-drug use was associated with non-adherence, living in Africa and better QOL-health were associated with less non-adherence. According to pill-count, unprotected sex was associated with non-adherence. According to self-report, soft-drug use was associated with non-adherence and living in Asia was associated with less non-adherence. Both pill-count (HR = 1.55, 95% CI: 1.15, 2.09, p<.01) and self-report (HR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.08, 1.13, p<.01) non-adherence were significant predictors of treatment failure over 72 weeks. In multivariable models (including pill-count or self-report nonadherence), worse QOL-health, age group (younger), and region were also significant predictors of treatment failure. Conclusion In the context of a large, multi-national, multi-continent, clinical trial there were variations in adherence over time, with more simplified regimens generally being associated with better adherence. Additionally, variables such as QOL-health, regimen, drug-use, and region play a role. Self-report and pill-count adherence, as well as additional psychosocial variables, such QOL-health, age, and region, were, in turn, associated with treatment failure.


Motivation is an effort to push or move in order to reach goals based on its ability to satisfy the needs. Motivation of entrepreneurship in Islam is to work for a living as a duty to serve Allah SWT and someone's heart level that motivates him/her into act based on Islamic dogma. Entrepreneurs put those Islamic religion aspects as prove that him/her is loyal to Allah SWT which is arise because of the right intention, way and purpose to fulfill needs and performance's improvement. This research's aim is to find out the motivation of Moslem garment entrepreneur at Gresik into developing product innovation. This research is using qualitative approach with descriptive study, data are collected by a direct observation, interview and documentation toward Moslem garment entrepreneur at Gresik market region. Besides literature research which related to Islamic motivation and product innovation also needed. The result shows that Moslem garment entrepreneur at Gresik has motivated until appropiate teaching of entrepreneurship and Islamic jurisprudence to work independently in a living, working with an intention to worship Allah SWT. The motivation of the Moslem garment entrepreneur in Gresik try to do development of product innovation by doing modification and produce the Moslem's garment which likeable by their consumer, develop the market segment, also fix their product to escalate the product quality and give some added value.


Occupational Stress and Work-life Balance in UK Academics Gail Kinman A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Hertfordshire, January, 2006. The research presented in this thesis aimed to provide insight into the work-related wellbeing of a little-studied occupational group: academic employees working in universities in the UK. More specifically, it examined how aspects of the content and context of academic work were related to the health, job satisfaction, work-life balance, and turnover intentions of employees. The findings of an initial questionnaire study (Study 1) administered to a national sample of academic staff highlighted a number of features of work that were strong predictors of psychological distress and job satisfaction, and worthy of further investigation. Two main issues emerged from this initial research that were examined in greater depth in a subsequent national study of academic employees (Study 2). Firstly, the predictive validity Of two theoretical models of job stress (the Job Demand-Control-Support and the Effort-Reward Imbalance models) was tested in explaining strain outcomes. A model that comprised elements of both theoretical frameworks (most notably job control, rewards and overcommitment) was found to be a more effective predictor of some strain outcomes than either model independently. A combination of generic and job-specific demands was found to be a major predictor of job satisfaction. Secondly, the nature, predictors and outcomes of work-life conflict experienced by academics were investigated through the analysis of quantitative and qualitative data. A model that combined generic and job-specific job demands, working practices, supportive features of the working environment, and over-commitment predicted a considerable proportion of the variance in perceived conflict. Findings suggest that preferences for work-life integration are subject to considerable variation, as are the strategies utilised by academics to minimise conflict between work and home. Although certain practices might facilitate work-life balance, others pose a risk to wellbeing. The final study (Study 3) introduced a longitudinal element to this programme of research. Comparisons between the findings of Studies 1 and 2 (conducted six years apart) found no significant improvement in levels of specific stressors and strains in the study period. ix Comparisons were also made between the overall levels of psychological health of academic staff and those reported by other professional groups and the general population of the UK. The very poor level of psychological health found amongst academics in 1998 remained stable in 2004; this gave cause for concern, as did the discrepancy between levels of job demands and social support found, and those recommended by Health and Safety Executive benchmarks for the management of specific job stressors. The findings of this research programme highlight the important role of the working environment in shaping the antecedents, experience and expression of occupational stress. It is therefore argued that a job-specific approach to the study of workplace stress has greater potential to aid the development of interventions to promote the wellbeing of employees. Based on the findings reported in this thesis, a range of strategies and initiatives are recommended that have the potential to improve the wellbeing and job satisfaction of academic employees in the light of growing concerns about recruitment and retention in the sector.


Recurrent neural networks (RNNs) trained on neuroscience-based tasks have been widely used as models for cortical areas performing analogous tasks. However, very few tasks involve a single cortical area, and instead require the coordination of multiple brain areas. Despite the importance of multi-area computation, there is a limited understanding of the principles underlying such computation. We propose to use multi-area RNNs with neuroscience-inspired architecture constraints to derive key features of multi-area computation. In particular, we show that incorporating multiple areas and Dale's Law is critical for biasing the networks to learn biologically plausible solutions. Additionally, we leverage the full observability of the RNNs to show that output-relevant information is preferentially propagated between areas. These results suggest that cortex uses modular computation to generate minimal sufficient representations of task information. More broadly, our results suggest that constrained multi-area RNNs can produce experimentally testable hypotheses for computations that occur within and across multiple brain areas, enabling new insights into distributed computation in neural systems.


A long standing and almost folkloric conjecture is that the primes contain arbitrarily long arithmetic progressions. Until recently, the only progress on this conjecture was due to van der Corput, who showed in 1939 that there are infinitely many triples of primes in arithmetic progression. In an amazing fusion of methods from analytic number theory and ergodic theory, Ben Green and Terence Tao showed that for any positive integer k, there exist infinitely many arithmetic progressions of length k consisting only of prime numbers. This is an introduction to some of the ideas in the proof, concentrating on the connections to ergodic theory.


This paper examines and finds synergies between indigenous tourism and ecotourism in Australia. Both were recognised in the 2003 Tourism White Paper as drawcards for international tourists; Tourism Australia markets both as two of the country's seven key visitor experiences. Despite this, and the proven need to assist indigenous peoples' socio-economic position, the indigenous tourism sector remains relatively immature. The paper, using a mixed-methods approach, including in-depth discussions with 26 indigenous tourism businesses, examines this problem and suggests ways forward. The results indicate that between 50% and 70% of indigenous tourism businesses are located in remote or very remote areas and utilise the environment to a substantial degree. Communities, couples and families dominate ownership patterns. Only 25% operate on a full-time basis. However, indigenous operators do not necessarily see themselves as being "ecotourism" businesses, despite their concern for and care of country. Very few are accredited: the ecotourism accreditation process is complex and expensive with guidelines based upon Westernised views of nature. Major changes in accreditation practice are suggested along with education and support for indigenous tourism businesses to ensure a stronger relationship between indigenous tourism and ecotourism and to improve Aboriginals' socio-economic status.


Using SMS for transaction is a technology trend. The most succesfull application in cellular phone is short message services (SMS). There was about 30% income of some operator is produced by this product. We can communicate effectively using SMS between asynchronous communication process. Because there was a text message, we can also use this application for transaction interface such as for banking application, E-government services interfaces etc. Some application that interchange secret data need to be save their application. Send some secret data like pin number, password and the other sensitive data without encrypt the data is a bad choice. The problem is SMS application in most cellular phone is not support data encryption. To solve the problem we propose to make Secure SMS systems. Keywords : Short Messages Services, SMS, encryption, security, data security Download PDF


The proliferation of first book prizes for poetry reflects the increasingly professionalized academic culture in which poetry was published, written, and read during the 1950s and 1960s. This change threatened the validity of the poetic vocation by formalizing the career and thus opening poets to the charge of careerism. Zuba's essay explores the representation of poets' paths in the context of postwar debuts, which consistently evoke the career through the theme of beginning. On the one hand, this emphasis signifies a capitulation to the imperative of development that informs the university-based poetry scene. On the other, laying claim to the status of a beginner may be read as a strategy of defense, for it allows poets to present themselves as if they had yet to embark on professional careers. Interpretations of articulations of beginning in first-book poems by Sylvia Plath, Richard Howard, Robert Pack, and Donald Hall illustrate the ambivalence with which poets responded to the new conditions of poetic production. In turn, that ambivalence signals a need to reevaluate the division between mainstream and countercultural poetries that often structures critical discussion of postwar verse, for it reflects a resistance to cultural norms typically credited solely to mainstream poets' more overtly antiestablishment counterparts on the margins.


Background and purpose: Discharge against medical advice (AMA) has negative impacts on treatment outcomes and health care resources. Also, physicians and hospital administrators get involved in litigation. The aim of this study was to investigate the causes of AMA discharges in different wards and emergency departments in teaching and nonteaching hospitals affiliated with Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was performed investigating the AMA leaves within 6 months in 2014. Data was obtained from the Department of Medical Records and the Office of Quality Improvement. Data was recorded in a questionnaire consisting of two parts. Part I included demographic information and Part II was about the reasons of discharge against medical advice. Data was aggregated by expert staff in Office of Quality Improvement. SPSS V.18 was applied for data analysis. Results: The prevalence of AMA leaves in emergency department and other wards in teaching hospitals affiliated with Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences was 3.81 and 4.38, respectively. These figures in nonteaching hospitals were 8.38 and 1.59, respectively. The most common causes of discharge against medical advice were partial recovery, lack of trust in service quality, feeling uncomfortable, and emotional reasons. Conclusion: To reduce the rate of AMA leaves and its consequences, health care staff should be supportive towards the patients and communicate effectively in order to build their confidence. © 2016, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.


Five years in the making, 'Cameron at 10' is the gripping inside story of the Cameron premiership, based on over 300 in-depth interviews with senior figures in 10 Downing Street, including the Prime Minister himself. As dusk descended on 11 May 2010, David Cameron entered 10 Downing Street as the youngest prime minister since Lord Liverpool in 1812. He stood at the head of the first Coalition government in 65 years, with the country in dire economic straits following a deep financial crisis. From the early heady days of the Rose Garden partnership with the Liberal Democrats to the most bitterly contested general election in years, 'Cameron at 10' highlights forty dramatic moments in an exceptionally turbulent period in British politics. The book contains all the highs and lows on the domestic front as well as providing revealing insights into the Prime Minister's relationships with foreign leaders, particularly the German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Barack Obama. With unprecedented access to the 'inner circle' of politicians and civil servants that surround the Prime Minister, from Chancellor George Osborne and former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg to all of Cameron's personal team, this is the most intimate account of a serving prime minister that has ever been published.


The state government of Terengganu, Malaysia is encouraging small scale entrepreneurs to get involve in the promotion, packaging, labeling and branding of their products. However, the number of entrepreneurs in the state who are presently involved in branding is still small. A survey was conducted using questionnaire in order to discover the influence of the entrepreneurs' business profiles on their knowledge, awareness and involvement towards brand equity. Six elements of business profiles have been identified which include Size of Business, Type of Ownership, Types of Products Sold, Source of Funding, Business Zone and Market Size. These entrepreneurs are registered under Yayasan Pembangunan Usahawan Terengganu (YPUT) and involved in the production or selling of food products in the state. Statistical analysis such as the Chi Square and Cramer's V were used to determine the relationship between the entrepreneurs' level of brand equity awareness with their business profile. Result shows that the entrepreneurs' business profiles were found to have significant and moderately strong relationships with their level of brand equity awareness. Future researchers would benefit from this study and use it as a platform to further investigate other factors such as organizational culture, government support and style of management in influencing the entrepreneurs' knowledge, awareness and involvement in branding.


A unique three-dimensional metal−organic framework (MOF) [Cd4(1,10′-phen)(fum)(S-mal)(R-mal)(H2O)] (1) (1,10′-phen =1,10-phenanthroline, fum = fumarate dianion, mal = malate dianion) has been synthesized and characterized by single-crystal X-ray analysis. Under hydrothermal conditions, after a "three birds with one stone" in situ reaction process, maleic acid turns into fumarate dianion, isomeric R-malate dianion and S-malate dianion, which further connect with Cd atoms and form an octanuclear Cd cluster. The octanuclear Cd cluster links with neighboring clusters and constructs a rod-shaped secondary building unit (SBU). Neighboring rod-shaped SBUs are further connected by fumarate dianions and thus forms a three-dimensional network. To our interests, complex 1 exhibits interesting semiconductivity and fluorescence properties. When citraconic acid was used instead of maleic acid, a new complex [Cd2(mesac)2(1,10′-phen)2] (2) (mesac = mesaconate dianion) was synthesized under about the same reaction conditi...


This paper focuses on an important aspect of presidential debates: the degree to which voters are able to glean candidate information from them. Using an openended measure of candidate information, the analysis tests hypotheses concerning the impact of debates on information acquisition among the mass public for all debates from 1976 to 1996. The findings indicate that people do learn from debates and that learning is affected by the context in which the information is encountered. Specifically, early debates generate more learning than do subsequent debates, and the public tends to learn more about candidates with whom they are relatively unfamiliar than about better-known candidates.


TH PROPERTIES Sdn Bhd yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Villa Muhandis Internationale Sdn Bhd (VMI) to incorporate Italian designs and influences in future phases of its Bandar Enstek township project.


OBJECTIVE: To investigate risk factors, seizure characteristics, and outcomes of febrile seizure (FS) in children born very preterm. METHODS: This study used a prospective registry data set of 844 preterm infants (birth weight <1500 g and gestational age <32 weeks) admitted to NICUs from 2001 to 2009 in southern Taiwan. We investigated the prevalence, risks, seizure patterns, and outcomes of FS in children aged 5 years. RESULTS: Among 575 children (follow-up rate, 85.8%) followed up for 5 years, 35 (6.1%) developed FS. The FS and non-FS groups were comparable regarding their mean gestational age, birth weight, 5-minute Apgar score <6, and prenatal and postnatal complications. No difference was observed in the use of prenatal corticosteroids between the 2 groups. The FS group had a significantly higher rate of postnatal corticosteroid treatment than the non-FS group, even after adjusting for confounding factors (odds ratio, 5.4 [95% confidence interval, 1.9–15.8]; P = .006). No differences were observed in IQs or subsequent epilepsy rates between the 2 groups. Although no difference was observed in the age of FS onset or neurodevelopmental outcomes between the 2 groups, children with FS who received postnatal corticosteroid treatment had a significantly lower mean body temperature during the first FS attack compared with those who did not receive postnatal corticosteroid treatment (38.6 ± 0.4°C vs 39.2 ± 0.6°C; P = .034). CONCLUSIONS: Children born very preterm have a higher rate of FS, and postnatal corticosteroid treatment was associated with FS susceptibility in these children.


Abstract Objective: Organizations and state agencies that provide dental care continuously face various and novel demands related to the need for dental care. However, rearrangements of work tasks by reducing the number of tasks performed by dental personnel might make the work more monotonous, repetitive, and static within an organization. The aim of this study is to compare how two dental work organizations, with different staffing and clinic size, are perceived by dental personnel focusing on physical and psychosocial conditions, leadership, work ability and presenteeism in 2012 and 2014. Material and Methods: This repeated cross-sectional study included personnel from the Public Dental Service in Sweden. There were 282 dentists, dental hygienists, and dental nurses who answered a questionnaire 2012 and 299 in 2014. Results and conclusion: In 2012, nine per cent of medium clinics reported poor leadership compared with 27% in 2014. For large clinics, 17% perceived poor leadership in 2012 compared with 31% in 2014. A higher proportion of the employees reported presenteeism due to high physical load (43%) and high psychosocial load (21%) in 2014 compared with 31% and 13% in 2012. These results indicate the need for work place interventions promoting health among dental employees.


Praise for COSO Enterprise Risk Management"COSO ERM is a thoughtful introduction to the challenges of risk management at the enterprise level and contains a wealth of information on dealing with it through the use of the COSO framework. Detailed procedures covering a wide variety of situations are followed by a thorough explanation of how each is deployed. As a project management professional, I appreciate how the author addresses the need for risk management at a project level. His background as someone who 'practices what they preach' and realizes the impact of the Sarbanes-Oxley auditing rules comes through clearly in the book, and it should be mandatory reading for anyone seeking to understand how to tackle their own ERM issues." -Greg Gomel, PMP, CQM, CSQE, ITIL, Director, Project Management, Insight North America"This volume clearly and comprehensively outlines the usefulness of COSO Enterprise Risk Management guidance. It should provide considerable benefit to those having governance responsibilities in this important area." -Curtis Verschoor, L & Q Research Professor, School of Accountancy and MIS DePaul University, ChicagoTransform your company's internal control function into a valuable strategic toolToday's companies are expected to manage a variety of risks that would have been unthinkable a decade ago. More than ever, it is vital to understand the dimensions of risk as well as how to best manage it to gain a competitive advantage.COSO Enterprise Risk Management clearly enables organizations of all types and sizes to understand and better manage their risk environments and make better decisions through use of the COSO ERM framework.A pragmatic guide for integrating ERM with COSO internal controls, this important book: Offers you expert advice on how to carry out internal control responsibilities more efficiently Updates you on the ins and outs of the COSO Report and its emergence as the new platform for understanding all aspects of risk in today's organization Shows you how an effective risk management program, following COSO ERM, can help your organization to better comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act Knowledgeably explains how to implement an effective ERM program COSO Enterprise Risk Management is the invaluable working resource that will show you how to identify risks, avoid pitfalls within your corporation, and keep it moving ahead of the competition.


Heterocyclic compounds constitute the largest family of organic compounds, regardless of structure and functionality. Heterocyclic compound are of particular interest in medicinal chemistry and this has catalyzed the discovery and development of many new heterocyclic compounds. The compound bearing thiazole and oxazole moiety have been found to possess antimicrobial, antitubercular and anti-inflammatory activity. Benzimidazole derivatives of 3,4-diaminobenzoic acid derivative (IV a, b), have been synthesized which are tautomer of each other, after the synthesis of 4-isothiocyanato-3-methylbutanal (CIT), a reagent. All the synthesized derivatives have been screened with various bacterial and fungal strains viz. Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus typhi, Candida albicans, Penicillium chrysogenum, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Penicillium chrysogenum, Aspergillus niger. After the antimicrobial studies, it were found that compound (IV)a can be act as a standard drug against fungal strain Candida albicans, Sacharomyces cerevisiae, as it showed more inhibition zone than the standard drug Ketoconazole respectively. Compound (IV ) a showed very good activity against fungal strains Aspergillus niger and Penicillium chrysogenum as these derivatives showed comparable inhibition zone than the standard drug Ketoconazole. Thus these compounds can be used as a standard drug having fewer side effects.


Rationale: Patient-initiated Clinics (PIC) have been found to be safe and have patient and service benefits in terms of satisfaction and cost. This paper reports our experiences of implementing PIC and the practical challenges of translating research into practice. Methods : The Knowledge to Action framework was used to inform the design of implementation plans in three different departments in one secondary healthcare organisation. A focused ethnographic approach was utilised to collect data on barriers and facilitators to implementation which were analysed using iterative qualitative analytic techniques. The Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services framework was used to develop the analysis and data presentation. Results: The success of implementation was mixed across the three departments. Despite evidence of effectiveness, contextual issues at a department level, such as empowered leadership and team members, trust in colleagues and patients and capacity to make changes, impacted on the progress of implementation. Discussion: Patient-initiated Clinics can offer a useful and feasible alternative for follow-up care of some groups of patients with long-term conditions in secondary care and can be implemented through strong leadership and teamwork and a positive attitude to change. Although Implementation Science as an emerging field offers useful tools and theoretical support, its complexity may create additional challenges to implementation of specific interventions and so further contribute to the second gap in translation.


OF DISSERTATION FROM ORGANISMS TO ECOSYSTEMS: IMPACTS OF LIMB LOSS AND REGENERATION ON CRAYFISH BEHAVIOR The ability of some organisms to regenerate tissues and organs has fascinated naturalists since antiquity, dating back to the earliest accounts of scientific inquiry with Aristotle in Ancient Greece. Then, Darwin's theory invigorated some scientists' dream of stimulating (or reactivating) regenerative capacities in human beings by showing that we are related to highly regenerative organisms. More recently, a renewed interest in discovering the molecular and genetic basis for organ and tissue regeneration has led biologists to focus more specifically on a restrictive set of model organisms. Although the process of limb regeneration is different between invertebrate and vertebrate organisms, it follows the same general principles and steps. The presence or absence of regenerative ability appears to broadly correlate with the incidence of autotomy (reflex severance of a limb). Autotomy allows individuals to reduce costs associated with damaged structures, often limbs, by severing the appendage at a predetermined breakage plane, thus limiting wounding and helping the regeneration process. Individuals capable of rebuilding damaged structures during their lifespan may have higher fitness than individuals without this. This may help to explain how selective pressures for regenerative capacities could be maintained or acquired. The regenerative process, induced by autotomy, may also have high physiological costs and this comes with its own set of challenges in turn affecting how regenerating individuals interact with and change their environment. Organisms capable of regeneration can also have impacts on their environment through their behavior. Therefore, regeneration of structures important for behavioral effects on the environment can mediate organisms' environmental impacts. Recently, these reciprocal impacts have been the focus of new theory conceptualizing the ecological implications of organismal habitat, namely, ecosystem engineering (defined as the process by which organisms modify their physical environment from one physical state to another). Furthermore, regeneration creates periods of time during which regenerating organisms face newfound challenges mediated by the way those organisms interact with their environments. Once again, regenerating crayfish might not be able to dig a burrow when needed (during drought, reproduction, etc.). Thus, they could find themselves competing for existing burrows or facing a now necessary migration to find water all of which non-regenerating crayfish may not experience. Therefore, ecosystem engineers capable of regeneration represent a powerful system allowing us to develop a clearer understanding of how regeneration might evolve as well as persist through its effects on organismal fitness.


Obesity is a major health threat in the United States. Excess weight can have devastating effects on an individual's overall health and well-being. This research translation project utilized the 12-week small-change approach to weight loss as an intervention, which is shown to be feasible and beneficial for weight loss. This intervention has been successful in the ASPIRE-VA pilot study with 14 sedentary, obese middle-aged male and female veterans (Damschroder, Lutes, Goodrich, Gillon, & Lowry, 2009). For this project the intervention was implemented in a family practice office in Gardner, Massachusetts. Ten female, predominantly Caucasian, participants volunteered to participate in this project in response to mailings and office flyers that were used to recruit eligible participants. The results included a significant weight loss in pounds, decrease in BMI, decreased waist circumference (in inches), and a decrease in systolic blood pressure readings. There was also a significant decrease in consumption of fast food at 12 weeks compared to baseline. Satisfaction with life scores increased post-intervention compared to pre-intervention. There was no significant change in fruit and vegetable consumption from baseline to 12 weeks. Although there was not a significant change observed in consumption of sugary sweetened beverages, most participants did not drink these beverages at baseline. There was no significant change in SF-12 health survey results pre-and post-intervention. There was no significant change in number of days per week an individual ate breakfast or exercised. Further studies are needed on weight loss interventions that are feasible in primary care patient settings.


During the 1970s collaborative conservation between management bodies and citizens became a field of academic interest. It is globally practised today and implies consensus-based decision-making, often with a special emphasis on conflict resolution. Although collaborative conservation is a contemporary academic field, the history of the Marloth Nature Reserve, located in the Langeberg Mountains near Swellendam in the southern Cape, serves as a historic example of collaborative conservation. Created in 1928, the reserve originally comprised approximately 123 ha. Today, it is a World Heritage Site, 14 256 ha in size, with an abundance of mountain fynbos, birdlife and small wildlife. One of the most renowned national hiking trails, the Swellendam Circular Trail of 53 km, runs through the reserve. Although the determination of the original boundaries of the reserve in 1928 can be seen as a fairly successful example of collaborative conservation based on consensus decision-making, the inclusion of the foothills in 1942 resulted in a prolonged process of conflict resolution, with the main protagonists being the Department of Forestry and Ms Aletta Tomlinson, a life-long resident of Swellendam. This article gives an overview of this case study through the historic narrative, indicating how, through sheer persistence, Aletta Tomlinson eventually succeeded in procuring the foothills as part of the reserve and aided in securing the indigenous flora of the Marloth Nature Reserve as part of the Cape Floristic World Heritage Site.


Revisiting the terrain of her acclaimed novel NW, The Embassy of Cambodia is another remarkable work of fiction from Zadie Smith. "The fact is, if we followed the history of every little country in the world - in its dramatic as well as its quiet times - we would have no space left in which to live our own lives or apply ourselves to our necessary tasks, never mind indulge in occasional pleasures, like swimming ...'. First published in the New Yorker, The Embassy of Cambodia is a rare and brilliant story that takes us deep into the life of a young woman, Fatou, domestic servant to the Derawals and escapee from one set of hardships to another. Beginning and ending outside the Embassy of Cambodia, which happens to be located in Willesden, north-west London, Zadie Smith's absorbing, moving and wryly observed story suggests how the apparently small things in an ordinary life always raise larger, more extraordinary questions. "Its range is lightly immense...a fiction of consequences both global and heart-rendingly intimate." (Guardian). "Smith serves up a smasher". (Independent). Playful...unexpected and absolutely right...Skips to a beat all of its own". (Times). Praise for NW: "A triumph...modern London is explored in a dazzling portrait...every sentence sings". (Guardian). "Intensely funny, richly varied, always unexpected. A joyous, optimistic, angry masterpiece. No better English novel will be published this year". (Philip Hensher, Daily Telegraph). "Absolutely brilliant ...So electrically authentic, it reads like surveillance transcripts". (Lev Grossman, TIME).


The aim of this study is to model the happiness classification of university students – grouped as addicted, addiction risk, threshold and non-addicted to internet usage -- with compatibility analysis on a map as happiness, average and unhappiness. The participants in this study were 400 university students from Turkey. According to the results of two-step cluster analysis, it was found that 21.10% of participants are in the 'addiction group', 26.60% participants are in the 'addiction risk group', 26.60% participants are in the 'threshold group' which is between the 'risk' and 'non-addicted' groups, and 25.80% participants are in the 'non-addicted group'. Additionally, two-step cluster analysis for happiness research showed that 15.90% of participants are in the 'happiness group', 43.20% belong to the 'average group' and 40.90% fall into the 'unhappiness group'. Correspondence analysis between internet addiction groups and happiness status suggested a significant and justifiable relationship between the two variables. Consequently, taking the findings of this study and of the limited research addressing different concepts of positive psychology such as internet addiction and happiness (e.g., satisfaction of needs, psychological strength etc.) together, these research findings are thought to contribute to the literature.


Nation-states today are under pressure from opposite directions. In Western Europe, they are being challenged by the call of assimilation into a larger supra-national polity. Elsewhere, as in Southeastern Europe, nation-states are being challenged by separatist forces from within, demanding independence or self-determination for particular ethnic groups. In either instance, the ultimate aim is not simply the breaking of bonds but rather a realignment of belonging. When the prospect of prosperity and the good life requires an adjustment of national identities and alliances, old myths and new tales alike are mobilized in the effort. People's choices of belonging are flexible and often blatantly pragmatic. Some will never renounce their original 'nation,' while others gladly assume two or three national identities in a lifetime, all of them with a deeply felt commitment. In The Shifting Foundations of Modern Nation-States, Sima Godfrey and Frank Unger have gathered together a distinguished, multidisciplinary group of authors to discuss national myths from Europe, North America, and Asia. Just as the plurality of nations implies diverse voices and distinct narratives, the authors, coming from different disciplines and backgrounds, represent multiple discourses on the theme of nationhood.


Conditional Cash Transfer programmes aim to alleviate short-term poverty through cash transfers to poor households, and to reduce longer-term poverty through making these transfers conditional on household investment in the health and education of children. These programmes have become increasingly popular with institutions such as the World Bank. However, the need for conditionalities has been questioned on a number of levels, including its necessity: it has been suggested that the cash transfer in itself may be sufficient to secure most of the programme's wider aims. The example of Nicaragua supports this contention, demonstrating that only a small incentive is needed to bring the desired changes in the uptake of education, since this is something prized by the poor themselves. In health, the Nicaraguan case suggests that demand-side initiatives might not be as important as supply-side changes that improve the affordability and accessibility of services. The Nicaragua case also highlights the long-term limitations of applying such programmes in countries with high levels of poverty and low economic growth. A gendered analysis of the programme highlights the fact that women 'beneficiaries' bear the economic and social cost of the programme without apparent benefit to themselves or even necessarily to the household in the short or longer term.


Recent studies seeking to understand the determinants of terrorism tend to focus upon situational, rather than structural measures. Typically these studies examine the interaction of terrorist attacks and repressive state actions. However, we know very little about other situational measures that may impact upon a group's scale of violent activity within a particular year. This preliminary study analyses terrorist attacks committed by both the Provisional IRA (PIRA) and ETA and the electoral performances of the groups' political wings, Sinn Fein and Batasuna, from 1970 to 1998 and from 1978 to 2005 respectively. More specifically, this paper examines whether the nature and content of terrorist attacks differ in the build-up to that group's political-wing participating in elections. In other words, this article is a preliminary study of the influence of electoral participation on attack frequency and target selection. Results suggest that PIRA significantly decreased their attacks in an election year and this had a positive impact upon Sinn Fein's electoral performance. On the other hand, ETA significantly increased its attacks in an election year and this had no significant impact upon Batasuna's electoral performance.


Various parts of banana have been shown to have antibacterial effect. Therefore, a comparative study on the antibacterial activity of the pulp extract of three different banana species, namely, Pisang Berangan (Musa acuminate AA/AAA), Pisang Mas (Musa acuminate AA) and Pisang Nipah (Musa balbisiana BBB) by different extraction methods was conducted against selected microorganisms (Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli). The acetone, methanol and aqueous extracts of banana pulp were tested using agar disc diffusion method for antibacterial sensitivity testing. The solvent extraction data showed that acetone had the highest mean of banana pulp extract yield (15.16%), followed by methanol (13.73%) and aqueous solution (5.403%). The acetone and methanol extracts of all banana types showed an average with almost similar zone of inhibition activity at 10 mg/disc concentration against gram negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli) ranging between 7 to 8.5 mm while no difference was seen in the case of gram positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus mutans). With regard to aqueous extracts, all banana types did not show any inhibitory action against the tested microorganisms. In conclusion, the results implied that the pulp extracts of the three different banana species could be a potential source of antibacterial agents. However, further studies are needed to identify the bioactive components responsible for their antibacterial activity to maximize its therapeutic effect.


Epidermolysis bullosa simplex (EBS) is characterized by skin blistering due to basal keratinocyte fragility. In one family studied, inheritance of EBS is linked to the gene encoding keratin 14, and a thymine to cytosine mutation in exon 6 of keratin 14 has introduced a proline in the middle of an alpha-helical region. In a second family, inheritance of EBS is linked to loci that map near the keratin 5 gene. These data indicate that abnormalities of either of the components of the keratin intermediate filament heterodipolymer can impair the mechanical stability of these epithelial cells.


The aims of the new water policies and laws of post-apartheid South Africa are to contribute to the eradication of the country's widespread poverty and to redress historical race and gender discrimination with regard to water. After placing these policy and legal changes in a historical context, the paper discusses their operationalization and impact during the first years of implementation. Three key aspects are highlighted. The first aspect concerns internal changes within the implementing government department, the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF). The second aspect regards water services and sanitation directly targeted at poor women and men. Lastly, the paper discusses the emerging equity issues in public participation processes, as an illustration of the new approach to integrated water resources management.


New technologies always create new areas of concern for information security teams. Usually early adoption of such products is slow and it allows some maturity to develop in the play store(previously Market), providing time for the development of effective security controls. Indeed often these new devices will be slowly introduced to the corporate/government environment as part of an internal strategy. The rapid growth of the Smartphone play store(previously Market) and the use of these devices for email, online banking, and accessing other forms of sensitive content has lead to the emergence of a new and ever-changing threat landscape. This combined with the fact that anyone can be user has led to smart phones appearing as part of the corporate/government estate before the appropriate controls are in place. Even without these technologies connecting to the corporate/government network, there are security implications brought about by their mere presence in an office environment. A malicious user or malware on the device can create a number of risks for an organisation, and so the fact that these devices are not necessarily connected does not translate to a lack of security risks. This paper will discuss why it is important to secure an Android device, what some of the potential vulnerabilities are, and security measures that can be introduced to provide a baseline of security on Google"s mobile OS.


Some antibiotics dampen the immune response to respiratory infection with influenza virus. The role of commensal bacteria in maintaining immune homeostasis in the gut is well known; moreover, the specific composition of the gut microbiota may influence the development of various pathophysiological conditions. Wondering whether commensal bacteria affect immune responses at other sites, Ichinohe et al. verified that 4 weeks of treatment with a combination of antibiotics altered the composition of mouse commensal bacteria and determined the effect of this treatment on the response to intranasal infection with A/PR8 influenza virus. Both virion-specific antibody titers and T cell responses (interferon-γ production and number of cytotoxic T cells) were decreased in antibiotic-treated mice compared with untreated controls, and pulmonary viral titers were increased. Analyses of the effects of individual antibiotics implicated neomycin, which depleted Gram-positive gut (but not nasal) bacteria, in this suppression of the immune response. The adaptive immune response to respiratory infection with influenza depends on activation of inflammasomes [multiprotein complexes implicated in the caspase-1–dependent processing and secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and IL-18], and antibiotic treatment did not diminish immune responses that do not require the inflammasome. Either local (intranasal) or distant (intrarectal) inoculation with a Toll-like receptor agonist restored the response to influenza virus, whereas depletion of regulatory T cells did not. IL-1β secretion depends not only on inflammasome activation but also on a priming signal that stimulates its own transcription and that of the inflammasome component NLRP3. Antibiotic treatment decreased the abundance of the mRNAs encoding pro–IL-1β, pro–IL-18, and NLRP3 even before infection, as well as postinfection secretion of mature IL-1β, suggesting that commensal bacteria provide a constitutive priming signal. Antibiotics also inhibited migration of respiratory dendritic cells to lymph nodes to activate T cells, a defect also found in mice deficient in caspase-1. Thus, the authors propose that commensal bacteria provide a signal required for inflammasome-dependent immune responses to respiratory infection, which is lost with antibiotic-mediated disruption of the microbiota. T. Ichinohe, I. K. Pang, Y. Kumamoto, D. R. Peaper, J. H. Ho, T. S. Murray, A. Iwasaki, Microbiota regulates immune defense against respiratory tract influenza A virus infection. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 108, 5354–5359 (2011). [Abstract] [Full Text]


No disease-specific instruments exist in Dutch, French, Italian, and Swedish to measure health status in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and other interstitial lung diseases (ILDs). The King's Brief Interstitial Lung Disease (K-BILD) is a 15-item validated questionnaire assessing health status in patients with ILD. The aim of this study was to translate and validate the K-BILD to French, Italian, Swedish, and Dutch versions. The K-BILD was translated following a forward–backward multistep procedure and tested in structured patient interviews. Subsequently, 195 outpatients with ILD were asked to complete K-BILD, St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), and Euroqol EQ-5D-5L (EQ5D), twice, 2 weeks apart. Internal consistency, concurrent validity, and repeatability were determined. No major difficulties occurred in the translation processes. The K-BILD was considered comprehensible and relevant by patients. One hundred seventy-six patients (108 IPF and 68 other ILDs) completed the translated K-BILD. Internal consistency was good for all K-BILD modules (Cronbach's α 0.70–0.93). Concurrent validity of K-BILD was strong compared with SGRQ (r = −0.86) and EQ5D (r = 0.68), low with transfer capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide corrected for hemoglobin (r = 0.33) and with forced vital capacity (r = 0.35). The K-BILD and its domains were repeatable over 2 weeks; intraclass correlation coefficients were 0.86–0.93 (n = 159). Known groups validity showed K-BILD was able to discriminate between patients based on severity of disease. K-BILD's validity and reliability for patients with IPF was similar to that of other ILDs. The French, Italian, Swedish, and Dutch translated K-BILD questionnaires were well-received by patients and demonstrated excellent validity comparable to the original English K-BILD.


In Flanders, households, industry, energy and agriculture consume significant amounts of water. As a consequence of the high population density, the water availability is rather low. This causes an imbalance between water demand and water availability. To protect groundwater resources for public water and to prepare for prospective water shortages in relation to changing climate scenarios, De Watergroep, a Flemish water company, aims to improve its water management. To evaluate the possibility for the application of Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) techniques in Flanders, a literature study on existing MAR applications in Flanders was carried out, followed by a detailed screening of 1) potential aquifers and 2) water production sites of De Watergroep. According to the literature study, only at 2 waterproduction facilities in Flanders (i.e. St. Andre1 and Grobbendonk2) MAR techniques have been implemented by means of infiltration ponds. Rapid screening of the potential for MAR for existing water production facilities indicates that MAR techniques using temporary water storage in a riverbed (e.g. percolation tanks, underground dams, sand dams, recharge releases) are not relevant. In Flanders rivers drain the water table which is connected to the surface water level and, in contrast to arid regions, the rivers contain water permanently. The only feasible MAR techniques for Flanders are infiltration basins, riverbank infiltration and injection techniques. According to the geohydrological context of aquifers at water production facilities, the geochemical composition of the raw water, the presence of an industrial water softening plant, and additional water resources, it was concluded that: *infiltration or injection, in unconfined aquifers is in general not a plausible option, because of the high groundwater level, the low storage capacity and the limited aquifer thickness (<25 m). *deep infiltration or injection in unconfined aquifers can be considered at locations characterised by positive relief forms. These areas however, are characterised by iron-bearing deposits enhancing the risk of iron precipitation and well clogging. *the aquifers characterised by optimum geohydrologic conditions with respect to aquifer thickness (50 m), hydraulic conductivities (30 - 40 m/d) and specific yield (40 - 60 m³/h/m) are not considered, because in the respective area there is no need for additional water storage. Finally, out of 78 water production facilities, for 2 sites with favorable conditions a conceptual model for the application of AS(T)R has been worked out (Table 1). Depending on further modelling results a pilot test will be worked out. Since Qatar faces significant increases in peak water demand due to its growth in population, industrial activities and the organization of sport events such as the 2022 FIFA World Cup Football, the evaluation and implementation of MAR techniques is essential to assure the required drinking water production. A similar approach as applied for Flanders, i.e. evaluation of applicable MAR techniques, screening of potential aquifers and design of a conceptual model is recommended. References 1.Van Houtte E. et al. (2012) 2.Feyen J. (2001)


This study focus on adolescents motivations about remaining in rural areas in the Mid Sweden Region, a part of Sweden with decreasing school performance scores and high out-migration. The study is based on 1,500 young people's responses to a Web-based survey within the framework of a regional school development project. The research questions focused on: whether youths were going to stay there or move the future in urban or rural areas, influences, and the future choices and differences among genders, regions, and age groups. The empirical data are processed with statistical analysis. The study confirms previous research on young people's relocations from rural areas; jobs and education are important motives, and the most prone to move are women. What is new knowledge is that lessons about the region's importance have a positive, significant effect on individuals' plans to remain in their home municipality. This can and should be highlighted in local, regional, and national politics, but more importantly in school discourses. Since school plays a role in students' thinking and future choices, a larger formation effort could be of great value for norms and regional political standpoints. The study has relevance to the international terms of similar geographical areas.


A basic equation of electricity and magnetism is wrong, one scientist claims. The classic formula for the force exerted by electric and magnetic fields—the so-called Lorentz force—clashes with Einstein's special theory of relativity, says Masud Mansuripur, an electrical engineer at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Others doubt the claim but have not found a flaw in the simple argument that challenges century-old textbook physics.


The Upper Floridan aquifer underlies all of Florida, most of the Georgia and Alabama Coastal Plain, and large parts of coastal South Carolina. The aq- uifer is composed primarily of carbonate rock of varying permeability that ranges in age from middle Eocene to early Miocene. In the study area, the Upper Floridan aquifer is confined above by the upper confining unit of Miocene age that, in turn, is overlain by more recent un- differentiated surficial sediments. Prior to groundwater development, potentiometric heads in the Upper Floridan aquifer ranged between 5 and 35 feet above mean sea level throughout most of the study area until about 1888 when groundwater withdraw- als began in the vicinity of Savannah, Georgia. By 1998, withdrawals totaled approximately 80 million gallons per day in the Savannah, Georgia and Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, area. The cone of depression created by the 1998 pumpage lowered the potentiometric surface below mean sea level over an area greater than 2,300 square miles, of which about 1,200 square miles (53 per- cent) are overlain by saltwater marshes, rivers, and the Atlantic Ocean. To determine if saltwater was migrating downward through the confining unit, onshore and offshore loca- tions were selected to collect core samples from the up- per confining unit to extract and analyze pore water for dissolved chloride concentration. Pore-water analyses indicated a trend of high chloride concentrations near the top of the upper confining unit that decreased with depth at both the offshore and onshore locations. The results of the pore-water analyses indicated the downward migra- tion of surficial saltwater through the upper confining unit overlying the Upper Floridan aquifer. Darcy's Law was used to estimate the volume of downward flow of saltwater through the upper confining unit. This approach indicated that an area of approxi- mately 382 square miles east and northeast of Savannah, Georgia, may be contributing 7.7 million gallons per day of downward flow to the Upper Floridan aquifer. Be- cause this area may affect water quality in the Upper Floridan aquifer in the future, it is considered to be an area of concern. To further evaluate the area of concern, a one- dimensional solute-transport equation was used to simu- late the future arrival times for a given concentration of chloride to reach the top of the Upper Floridan aquifer through the upper confining unit. These simulations, conducted on 110 cells each having an area of 4 square miles, predicted that the arrival times for saltwater hav- ing a chloride concentration of 500 milligrams per liter ranged from as early as 25 years ago to 113 years from 2005, with an average arrival time of approximately 36 years from 2005 within the area of concern.


Male Colobus vellerosus compete intensely for access to females, which sometimes leads to mortal wounding. Yet, males often form cooperative relationships to overtake prime-aged males and immigrate into bisexual groups. We investigated the factors that predicted the presence of coalitions and affiliative relationships among males in this species. Interactions among males in 292 dyads from six groups were examined from 2004 to 2010 at Boabeng-Fiema, Ghana. Affiliation rates among males were higher and aggression rates lower when one or both males in the dyad were subadult, compared to adult male dyads. Affiliation rates tended to be higher among males that were kin but no other aspect of male relationships predicted affiliation. Coalitions among males were rarely observed and primarily occurred in the context of joint defense against extra-group males (93.5% of events). Adult males were more likely to provide coalitionary support than subadults and coalitions occurred significantly more often when both males were high ranking, since these males probably benefited most in terms of reproductive success from excluding extra-group males. Rank-changing and leveling coalitions among low-ranking males appear to be quite rare or absent in C. vellerosus. The costs of these types of coalitions may be too high or male group size too small on average for these types of coalitions to have been selected for. The overall low rates of affiliation and coalitions among male C. vellerosus are likely influenced by male-biased dispersal and the high level of male–male competition.


Last summer, I was happily stationed at a Toronto hospital, doing research for a neurosurgeon. I loved the work and I loved the hospital—the doctors were fabulous. Then, one of these prestigious individuals lit a cigarette. Wait a minute; was I the only one who found this odd? No one else seemed to care, certainly not the patients who were huffing and puffing alongside, or the colleague that came to join his friend a minute later.

To add a little spice, everyone entering a hospital is encouraged to wash their hands with antiseptic alcohol rinse. Healthcare professionals tend to re-wash when they exit as well. One such individual, a doctor, squeezed a healthy amount of alcohol gel into his palm, scrubbed briskly and decided that he wanted a smoke on his five minute break. He set his hands on fire.

In response to this sad display, I propose that healthcare professionals, especially doctors, be prohibited from smoking, or if they must smoke, they do so away from the hospital vicinity. How can …


Pressure and flowrate measurements were conducted for an air-cooled salient pole hydro model generator in order to validate a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation approach. The ventilation system of the model generator was driven by adjustable external fans, which allows detailed pressure measurements for a range of operating conditions. The CFD model to be validated consists of full generator geometry which is modelled in high geometrical detail. The steady-state multiple reference frame approach was chosen for the simulations, and the influence of different rotor-stator interfaces and turbulence models was investigated. The comparison of measurement and simulations includes the static pressure along the flow path through the machine, the performance map of the external fans, and an analytical approach to describe the dimensionless machine parameters of the model generator. Good overall agreement was found between measurement and CFD, which justifies the application of the presented simulation approach in the design of ventilation and cooling systems for hydro power generators. Qualitatively the CFD simulations reproduced all measured flow effects. Also quantitatively a good prediction of measured values was identified for a broad range of operating conditions. However, it was found that the simulation accuracy does not only depend on the numerical models in use but also on the specific operating conditions and their affiliated airflow characteristics.


To operate as a successful manager requires an economic way of thinking, in particular a clear focus on efficiency and the working of markets. The Economics of Organizations and Strategy integrates business strategy within an economics framework, to give an economic perspective on areas of business such as organizational behaviour, marketing, finance, human resources and operations management. The book opens with an explanation as to how microeconomic theories and concepts relate to the organizational structures of firms and their strategies. It then builds on this introduction to show how these concepts relate to the boundaries, growth and management of firms. Having examined the inner workings of firms it then moves on to analyse their strategic behaviour and the influence of industry structure, product differentiation and R&D.


Although numerous studies explore the regulatory enforcement styles of regulators and the regulated community's compliance motivations, existing research does not provide adequate insight into regulatory interactions themselves. We use data from a nationwide survey of more than 1200 state environmental regulators to empirically assess the role of trust in regulatory interactions. We find statistical support of trust in these regulatory interactions and find that trust appears to be a function of cooperative behavior, information sharing, respect, perceptions of motivations, and proactive assistance seeking. These findings could support the increasing calls for a fundamental restructuring of environmental regulation in favor of a next-generation approach to environmental policy that calls for more collaborative working relationships between regulators and their regulatory counterparts. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.