Individual outcomes in tournaments for status result not only from participants' own qualities and behaviors, but also from those of their most proximate peers. In this article, we take an alter-centric view of status dynamics, examining the effect of peers' perceived quality on future changes in a focal organization's status. Utilizing the yearly tournaments created by U.S. News & World Report's rankings of national colleges and universities, two competing predictions are investigated. The first is that peer' advances in perceived quality impair the future status of a focal school, reflecting inter-school competition for finite resources and rewards. The second is that peers' improvements incite a focal school to make cosmetic or material adjustments, leading to an increase in its status. Peers are defined in two ways: by proximity in the prior iteration of the tournament and by network-based structural equivalence. Using fixed effects models predicting future changes in annual USN ranks, we observe opposing forces at work, depending on the type of peer exerting influence. When peers identified by prior rank proximity improve in perceived quality, they exert status-eroding effects on a focal school. Conversely, when structurally equivalent peers in the college-applicant market show improvement, the focal school subsequently increases in status. We examine the mechanisms responsible for this divergence by focusing on the bases of each type of peer-affiliation, presenting interaction effects that highlight the contextual conditions that shape the influence of peers on status change. Future directions for research on peer effects and status are discussed.


A descriptive study was developed to create and implement a risk assessment methodology for fungal infection in gymnasium workers. The infection was considered to occur through skin-surface contact. A pool of 10 gyms with swimming pools (the busiest of the 30 existing in Lisbon) was assessed for surface fungal contamination. Surface sampling was done before and after cleaning and disinfection procedures in 60 locations, which accounted for a total of 120 samples (6 from each of 10 gymnasiums at the following sites: floor surrounding the swimming pool; floor surrounding the Jacuzzi; stairs accessing the swimming pool area; floor of the training studios where most of the bare foot activities took place and changing/locker rooms for each gender. Risk assessment methodology was applied: the authors considered Severity to be dependent on the fungal species present; Probability was considered as the product between Frequency and Exposure. For each establishment, the fungal contamination mean value was calculated prior and after cleaning and disinfection in order to establish Frequency levels. Regarding Exposure, weekly hours spent in professional activity were divided into group intervals. Surprisingly, when comparing before and after cleaning and disinfection, the number of places considered to have a High Risk for fungal infection was higher in the last case. There were no training studios with High Risk of fungal


This trusted text helps LPN/LVN students develop the understanding and clinical skills necessary for effective practice in today's challenging health care environments. Fundamental Nursing Skills and Concepts , 11th Edition, continues the tradition of excellent coverage of basic nursing theory and clinical skills that have long made this text a leading resource for LPN/LVN students at the start of their studies. Students using this text will learn theoretical nursing concepts, step-by-step skills and procedures, and clinical applications, all while applying philosophical concepts focusing on the human experience such as caring as the essence of nursing, supportive health care provider networks, and accountability for actions and clinical decisions. Filled with engaging learning tools that promote critical thinking, this new edition has been fully updated to reflect current medical and nursing practice with visually enticing photos and illustrations that bring the information to life and reinforce learning. Highlights of the 11th Edition include: Coverage of new educational trends such as QSEN competencies and the SBAR technique for standardized communication. Updated NANDA diagnoses and definitions in Nursing Implications and Nursing Care Plans reflect the latest NANDA-I publication, Nursing Diagnoses 2015-2017 . A continuing focus on the Nursing Process that covers concepts and paradigms in Chapter 2 with each skill chapter including the most recent applicable Nursing Diagnoses. Nursing Care Plans that help students identify with "real people" and their individualized care. Skills clustered at the end of each chapter that comply with Standard Precautions and infection control guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nursing Guidelines that show students how to perform various types of nursing care or offer suggestions for managing client care problems. Client and Family Teaching boxes that highlight essential education points nurses can communicate to clients and their families. Chapter-ending Critical Thinking Exercises that use clinical situations or rhetorical questions to give students an opportunity to apply the material. NCLEX-PN Style Questions that help students apply what they've learned to items that reflect the formats within the 2016 NCLEX-PN Test plan. This leading content is also incorporated into Lippincott CoursePoint , a dynamic learning solution that integrates this book's curriculum, adaptive learning tools, real-time data reporting, and the latest evidence-based practice content together into one powerful student learning solution. Lippincott CoursePoint improves the nursing students' critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills to prepare them for practice. Learn more at www.NursingEducationSuccess.com/CoursePoint.


In this paper, we study the differential influence of online user-generated content (UGC), specifically blogs, across the multiple stages of decision making of venture capitalists: screening stage, choice stage, and contract stage. We conjecture that, first, blogs are influential at the screening stage; second, after the screening stage, blogs are noninfluential since decision makers evaluate entities closely at later stages; third, blogs increase the interest from multiple decision makers which in turn increases the cost of the deal for a decision maker. This empirical investigation provides support for the hypotheses, which we tested for funding decisions by venture capitalists in information technology ventures. In particular, this study indicates that blogs can help managers in getting their products/services selected at the screening stage, but, beyond that, blogs do not help directly. However, since more decision makers screen products/services that receive blog coverage, the competition among decision makers helps managers in negotiating better contract terms. We advance the boundary of existing studies on the influence of UGC from single stage process to multiple stages.


The Cell Broad Engine (BE) Processor has unique memory access architecture besides its powerful computing engines. Many computing-intensive applications have been ported to Cell/BE successfully. But memory-intensive applications are rarely investigated except for several micro benchmarks. Since Cell/BE has powerful software visible DMA engine, this paper studies on whether Cell/BE is suit for applica- tions with large amount of random memory accesses. Two benchmarks, GUPS and SSCA#2, are used. The latter is a rather complex one that in representative of real world graph analysis applications. We find both benchmarks have good performance on Cell/BE based IBM QS20/22. Com- pared with 2 conventional multi-processor systems with the same core/thread number, GUPS is about 40-80% fast and SSCA#2 about 17-30% fast. The dynamic load balanc- ing and software pipeline for optimizing SSCA#2 are intro- duced. Based on the experiment, the potential of Cell/BE for random access is analyzed in detail as well as its limita- tions of memory controller, atomic engine and TLB manage- ment.Our research shows although more programming effort are needed, Cell/BE has the potencial for irregular memory access applications.


Background Nurses caring for people living with HIV (PLWH) are at higher risk of exposure to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) by needle sticks, cuts, getting body fluids in their eyes or mouth and skin when bruised or affected by dermatitis. Objectives To determine knowledge, insight and uptake of occupational post-exposure prophylaxis (OPEP) amongst nurses caring for PLWH. Method A cross-sectional descriptive design was used in this study. Stratified random sampling was used to sample 240 nurses. The study was conducted in a regional hospital in Limpopo province. Both parametric and non-parametric statistics were employed to analyse data. Results A total of 233 nurses participated in the study. Sixty per cent (n = 138) of all nurses had a situation at work when they thought that they were infected by HIV and 100 (43%) nurses had experienced the situation once or more in the past 12 month. Approximately 40% did not know what PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) is, and 22% did not know or were not sure if it was available in the hospital. Only few participants (n = 68, 29%) had sought PEP and most (n = 37, 54%) of them did not receive PEP when they needed it. There was a significant association between the knowledge and availability of PEP (r = 0.622). Conclusion The study recommend an urgent need for policy makers in the health sector to put in place policies, guidelines and programmes that will rapidly scale up PEP services in health care settings, so that preventable occupationally acquired HIV infection can be minimised amongst nurses.


The structure of the endoglucanase A from Clostridium thermocellum CelA was re-solved by three-wavelength MAD. Experimental phases were obtained in the resolution range 25-1.0 A. Various structure-solution approaches were tested in order to quantify the contribution of each wavelength. Two-wavelength MAD phasing was sufficient to obtain excellent experimental phases. SAD at the remote wavelength also resulted in interpretable maps. The three-wavelength MAD electron-density map was of excellent quality: for parts of the structure, atom types and bond types could be easily assigned. Double bonds in peptide links and side chains could be located owing to their increased electron density indicating their pi character. Comparison with a previously determined structure of CelA at 1.65 A showed that, apart from a few additional multiple conformers and differently oriented side chains, major differences occur at the protein-solvent interface. A complete additional solvent shell could be observed and the inner shells have been completed. The high accuracy of the structure allowed unambiguous assignment of the protonation state for the active-site catalytic carboxylates.


Blameless norm violation in young children is an underexplored phenomenon in epistemology. An understanding of it is important for accounting for the full range of normative standings at issue in debates about epistemic norms, and the internalism-externalism debate generally. More specifically, it is important for proponents of factive epistemic norms. I examine this phenomenon and put forward a positive proposal. I claim that we should think of the normative dimension of certain actions and attitudes of young children in terms of a kind of "prospective agency." I argue that the most sophisticated account of exculpatory defenses in epistemology – due to Clayton Littlejohn – does not provide an adequate model for exculpatory defenses of prospective agents. The aim is not primarily to challenge Littlejohn. Rather, I engage with his framework as a way of setting up my positive proposal. I call it the "heuristic model."


Almost all materials undergo spontaneous symmetry breaking at suffic iently low temperatures. For most magnetic materials, the spin rotational symmetry is broken to form magnetic ordering. The d iscovery of metallic alloys which fail to form conventional magnetic order has remained a puzzle for the last few decades. Unfortunately, analytical calculations cannot provide an unbiased answer for the problem. Furthermore, on the numerical side, Monte Carlo simulations require extremely long equilibration times. The p arallel tempering method has proven a powerful tool to alleviate the long equilibration time. With the extensive effor ts of numerical simulation research, some of the idealized models have been studied in detail. The g eneral consensus is that for models with uncorrelated disorder there exists a finit e spin glass critical temperature in three dimensions. However, it is not hard to imagine that, in real materials, the disorder is somewhat correlated, meaning the correlation exists between a completely random distribution and the correlation you would see in a crystalline latt ice. In this work, we employ modern spin glass simulation techniques to study a prototype spin glass model with correlated disorder. We find th at the critical temperature is enhanced due to the correlated disorder.


This thesis is concerned with reading practices and the late medieval vernacular text. More specifically, it is concerned with the ways in which the medieval text was read and received in early modern England. The analysis focuses on two texts in their early modern instantiations: the late fourteenth century allegorical dream vision Piers Plowman by William Langland, and the early fifteenth century Fall of Princes, a translation of Boccaccio's De Casibus Virorum Illustrium by Benedictine monk John Lydgate. The thesis considers the reception of these poems as they are reworked and reread by successive editors and readers during the shift from script to print, and from a culture of orality to a culture of silent reading. The reception of and editorial policy applied to these texts are considered in relation to the political and religious upheavals of the sixteenth century, and to developments in literacy and literary culture.

The editions selected for analysis range from an early manuscript of a B-text version of Piers Plowman, Trinity College Cambridge, MS B.15.17, through to an early seventeenth century print of the Mirror for Magistrates, an early modern reworking of Lydgate's Fall, published in 1619. The thesis engages with Zumthor's theory of textual mouvance in that each edition is granted the authority of its own circumstances of production and reception. The synchronic analysis highlights the economic and political pressures which influenced and/or constrained editorial decisions. In charting the various editions through the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the thesis provides a complementary diachronic perspective which places each edition within the wider history of textual transmission and in relation to developments in literary culture.

The combined synchronic and diachronic analysis of the printed late medieval text provides an insight into developments in reading habits and changing attitudes towards authorship and the functions of literature more generally. The evidence for the development of reading practices can be found in the interaction between the text and its systems of punctuation and paratext. Systems of punctuation and features of paratext act as guide and mediator between the text and the reader; it is these forms and levels of mediation, and the relationship between them, which can indicate patterns of literacy and reader engagement. Thus, developments in the systems of punctuation and paratext interact with changing models of the reader and the various types of 'literate activities' available to them (Salter 2012: 67).

The late medieval period has been described as a culture of 'literate orality' (Sponsler 2010: 1) and its readers exhibited a diverse range of reading practices. The oral and aural characteristics of literary culture gradually declined in the late medieval and early modern periods but a 'critical mass' of silent readers did not emerge until the end of the seventeenth century (Jajdelska 2007). Adopting and adapting Jajdelska's theory of the changing reader model, this thesis focuses on the chosen texts as they appear before the emergence of this 'critical mass'. The analysis of reading practices, therefore, pertains to the period of transition during which readers negotiated existing oral/aural reading environments while moving towards a predominantly silent reading culture. The thesis demonstrates that the transition was gradual and that sixteenth-century literary culture was diverse in both its reading habits and reading practices.

The emerging discipline of historical sociopragmatics provides the theoretical and methodological bridge between the diachronic description of punctuation and paratext, and the examination of reading practices. Historical sociopragmatics allows established insights from sociolinguistics and pragmatics to be applied to the written historical text, creating new opportunities for the recovery and analysis of textual production, editorial treatment and reader engagement. This thesis brings the sociopragmatic concept of 'situational contexts' (Culpepper 2011: 4) to the analysis of the physical page and, more specifically, to the interactions between punctuation and paratextual systems. By applying a sociopragmatic approach to the concept of the reader model, this thesis demonstrates that systems of punctuation and paratext provide important evidence for the history textual transmission, reader engagement and the development of reading practices.


In this monograph, Tamas Notari investigates certain legal and socio-historical aspects of the lex Baiuvariorum, but also gives ample space to a philological analysis of its Medieval Latin. The first chapter (Historical and social background - Bavaria in the eighth century), examines Bavaria's history and society during the first half of the eighthcentury. Specifically, it deals with Bavaria's home and foreign affairs and church organisation, and certain issues pertaining to the structure of society, namely,the evolution of the Bavarian nobility and the status of freemen and slaves. It furthermore analyses the end of the independent Bavarian Dukedom, focusing on the dethronement of Tasilo III, the last duke of the Agilolfing dynasty, and the legal background of the dethronement.


We investigated the effect of mild exercise on global and regional diastolic function in patients with hypertensive left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), using simultaneous measurement of micromanometric left ventricular pressure and echocardiographic indexes. Although left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) at rest in the hypertensive LVH group was similar to that in the control normotensive group, who had no abnormality on echocardiography or cardiac catheterization, LVEDP showed a marked increase during exercise only in the hypertensive LVH group. The pressure-dimension relation was shifted upward during exercise in all patients with hypertensive LVH. We utilized a new index of regional diastolic myocardial stiffness, KDM, which is derived from the diastolic relation between the mean wall stress and the natural logarithm of the reciprocal of wall thickness. Although KDM at rest was similar in the two groups, KDM increased significantly during exercise, both in the septum and posterior wall in patients with hypertensive LVH. The present results imply that even low-grade exercise may have deleterious effects on regional myocardial performance in patients with hypertensive LVH.


Oceanic pH is projected to decrease by up to 0.5 units by 2100 (a process known as ocean acidification, OA), reducing the calcium carbonate saturation state of the oceans. The coastal ocean is expected to experience periods of even lower carbonate saturation state because of the inherent natural variability of coastal habitats. Thus, in order to accurately project the impact of OA on the coastal ocean, we must first understand its natural variability. The production of dimethylsulphoniopropionate (DMSP) by marine algae and the release of DMSP's breakdown product dimethylsulphide (DMS) are often related to environmental stress. This study investigated the spatiotemporal response of tropical macroalgae (Padina sp., Amphiroa sp. and Turbinaria sp.) and the overlying water column to natural changes in reefal carbonate chemistry. We compared macroalgal intracellular DMSP and water column DMSP+DMS concentrations between the environmentally stable reef crest and environmentally variable reef flat of the fringing Suleman Reef, Egypt, over 45-hour sampling periods. Similar diel patterns were observed throughout: maximum intracellular DMSP and water column DMS/P concentrations were observed at night, coinciding with the time of lowest carbonate saturation state. Spatially, water column DMS/P concentrations were highest over areas dominated by seagrass and macroalgae (dissolved DMS/P) and phytoplankton (particulate DMS/P) rather than corals. This research suggests that macroalgae may use DMSP to maintain metabolic function during periods of low carbonate saturation state. In the reef system, seagrass and macroalgae may be more important benthic producers of dissolved DMS/P than corals. An increase in DMS/P concentrations during periods of low carbonate saturation state may become ecologically important in the future under an OA regime, impacting larval settlement and increasing atmospheric emissions of DMS.


The European Union (EU) represents a quintessential example of regional economic integration, but not the sole case meriting consideration. This paper uses a comparative regional approach to analyze economic integration in the EU and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Excluding colonialism's role in Asian regionalism, the EU and ASEAN had similar roots and goals for economic integration including creating stability in a post war era, gaining a stronger collective voice, and fostering economic growth. However, despite similar foundations their trajectories towards integration diverged. This paper identi-fies key factors influencing how these polities have integrated markets including institutional structure and capacity, regional political conditions, and dynamics of regional trade. Then, it analyzes the roles of these elements in defining EU and ASEAN economic integration projects. Through this analysis, this paper seeks to bridge gaps between literatures analyzing individual cases and move towards a dynamic comparative model for the study of regional economic integration.


Background: Midwifery is one of the few health professions with a global curriculum set by International Confederation of Midwives (ICM). Nepal is one of a few countries which has not yet reached these professional standards for midwifery. Objective: This paper explores the feasibility of establishing midwifery in Nepal to ICM's Global Standards and Competencies. The central goal of such strategy would be to ensure that safe and competent midwives provide high standards of maternity care to every woman. Method: Using a mixed methods approach comprising: (1) a review of policy and education documents; (2) interviews; and (3) site observations and assessment of five higher education institutions and assiciated hospital-based maternity departments. Permission for the research was granted by the Ministry of Health & Population and the Nepal Nursing Council. Findings: Our study identified six levels of education of nurse staff providing midwifery care, all regulated under the Nepal Nursing Council. A midwifery bachelor programme was under development. Although midwifery is not officially recognised as a separate profession from nursing in Nepal, the country has an established midwifery association (MIDSON). This professional association is largely made up of nurses who are involved in delivering maternity care. The study identified four university colleges that could offer a midwifery curriculume as they are already involved in teaching nurses and doctors. A further college was also keen to establish a midwifery bachelor degree. This research also resulted in a paper in the international journal Midwifery.


Objectives: Both complications and mortality of recipients are annoying problems after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). The aim to analyze early (<6 months) mortality of patients after adult to adult LDLT (A-ALDLT) in a single center.
Methods: Between April 2003 and February 2013, we performed 167 A-ALDLT in National Liver Institute, Egypt. We retrospectively analyzed early mortality in recipients.
Results: The overall incidence of early mortality was 34.1% (n=57), it was classified into in hospital (28.7%) and post-hospital discharge (5.4%) mortalities. The most frequent causes of in hospital and post hospital discharge mortalities were SFSS (10/48) and sepsis (5/9) respectively. On univariate analysis, the following factors were significant predictors of early mortality (Female gender, Lt Lobe graft, GRWR<0.8, mean blood transfusion 10.8 ± 9.8 units,(vascular, renal, chest, neurological, bacterial infection and small for
size syndrome (SFSS)) complications. While on multivariate analysis by Cox regression, mean blood transfusion 10.8 ± 9.8 units, vascular and neurological complications were independent predictors.
Conclusion: Reduction of blood transfusion units, prevention and management of vascular and neurological complications is required for better early outcome after A-A LDLT.


This work is focused on the 3D simulation of cathodic protection (CP) systems for metallic deep well casings immersed in stratified soil. The soil is considered as a multi-layered electrolyte with electric conductivity, which varies from layer to layer. Given a CP system, the aim of the simulation is to predict the level of protection (including the normal current entering the structure) against corrosion along the well casing. It is common practice to fill the annular space between soil and metallic structure with cement along the whole depth. The paper presents a modelling approach which incorporates this feature. In addition, a unique CP system may be used to protect more than one well. In this case, the simulation is used to analyse problems of interference and load unbalance to the electrical resistance in the power lines and flow lines. The modelling approach is aimed at simplifying the model design, especially for dealing with multi-layered electrolyte, and improving the accuracy over existing traditional techniques, which entail a detailed and time consuming representation in the model of the interfaces between different layers of the electrolyte. The effects of different scenarios of electrolytes on the CP system are considered.


Objectives: The outcomes of critically ill patients who undergo interhospital transfer are not well understood. Physicians assume that patients who undergo interhospital transfer will receive more advanced care that may translate into decreased morbidity or mortality relative to a similar patient who is not transferred. However, there is little empirical evidence to support this assumption. We examined country-level U.S. data from the Nationwide Readmissions Database to examine whether, in mechanically ventilated patients with sepsis, interhospital transfer is associated with a mortality benefit. Design: Retrospective data analysis using complex survey design regression methods with propensity score matching. Setting: The Nationwide Readmissions Database contains information about hospital admissions from 22 States, accounting for roughly half of U.S. hospitalizations; the database contains linkage numbers so that admissions and transfers for the same patient can be linked across 1 year of follow-up. Patients: From the 2013 Nationwide Readmission Database Sample, 14,325,172 hospital admissions were analyzed. There were 61,493 patients with sepsis and on mechanical ventilation. Of these, 1,630 patients (2.7%) were transferred during their hospitalization. A propensity-matched cohort of 1,630 patients who did not undergo interhospital transfer was identified. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: The exposure of interest was interhospital transfer to an acute care facility. The primary outcome was hospital mortality; the secondary outcome was hospital length of stay. The propensity score included age, gender, insurance coverage, do not resuscitate status, use of renal replacement therapy, presence of shock, and Elixhauser comorbidities index. After propensity matching, interhospital transfer was not associated with a difference in in-hospital mortality (12.3% interhospital transfer vs 12.7% non–interhospital transfer; p = 0.74). However, interhospital transfer was associated with a longer total hospital length of stay (12.8 d interquartile range, 7.7–21.6 for interhospital transfer vs 9.1 d interquartile range, 5.1–17.0 for non–interhospital transfer; p < 0.01). Conclusions: Patients with sepsis requiring mechanical ventilation who underwent interhospital transfer did not have improved outcomes compared with a cohort with matched characteristics who were not transferred. The study raises questions about the risk-benefit profile of interhospital transfer as an intervention.


This study sought to examine the psychological functioning of students enrolled in postgraduate programs of clinical and forensic psychology in an Australian university, and the degree to which psychological functioning predicted competence attainment while participating in an extended clinical placement. Results revealed that as a group students reported psychological functioning within normal ranges, with levels of conscientiousness found to positively predict, and levels of depression found to negatively predict the development of the necessary competencies. However, a subgroup of 27% of students reported experiencing clinical levels of psychological distress on at least one measure during the placement. At the completion of the placement, when compared to the performance of peers, the students who reported experiencing clinical levels of psychological distress demonstrated significantly poorer performance on a psychometrically sound measure of competence attainment.


Complex systems are characterised by specific time-dependent interactions among their many constituents. As a consequence they often manifest rich, non-trivial and unexpected behaviour. Examples arise both in the physical and non-physical worlds. The study of complex systems forms a new interdisciplinary research area that cuts across physics, biology, ecology, economics, sociology, and the humanities. In this paper we review the essence of complex systems from a physicists' point of view, and try to clarify what makes them conceptually different from systems that are traditionally studied in physics. Our goal is to demonstrate how the dynamics of such systems may be conceptualised in quantitative and predictive terms by extending notions from statistical physics and how they can often be captured in a framework of co-evolving multiplex network structures. We mention three areas of complex-systems science that are currently studied extensively, the science of cities, dynamics of societies, and the representation of texts as evolutionary objects. We discuss why these areas form complex systems in the above sense. We argue that there exists plenty of new ground for physicists to explore and that methodical and conceptual progress is needed most.


Recent research into e-mail has not only suggested that it can be a powerful motivator for interaction for language learners, but has also begun to link e-mail interactions between native and nonnative speakers to increases in L2 proficiency (Aitsiselmi, 1999; Floreéz-Estrada, 1995; Ioanniou-Georgiou, 1999; Stockwell and Harrington, 2001). In addition, some research has advocated that L2 learners should reach a certain number of e-mail interactions in order for benefits to accrue (Lamy and Goodfellow, 1999; Stockwell, 2000). Despite this apparent need for sustainability of e-mail interactions, the current literature has neglected to determine what features of these NS-NNS e-mail interactions are associated with the longer interaction sequences. Thus, in this study, we investigated 48 learners of Japanese involved in e-mail interactions with native speakers to determine what factors contributed to sustaining interactions. The e-mails are analyzed in terms of the relationship between sustainability and learner proficiency, computing experience, in-country experience, ratio of interlocutors and the content and topics of the e-mail interactions. Further, sustainability is considered in relation to a characterization of the online profiles of the participants. The paper closes with some suggestions for teaching.


The pattern associative memory (PAM), a custom associative memory chip specialized to handle the syntax and associated pattern-matching rules common to a range of symbolic processing applications, is discussed. The applications of particular interest are those in which runtime information is captured in the form of a database of declarative expressions. The structure and functioning of an array of these chips, which forms an associative coprocessor for a workstation are described. PAM implementation is addressed.<<ETX>>


It is claimed that the augmented use of electronic communication has fully embraced and hampered Generation Y interactions (Wei Liu, 2012, Punitha 2008). Due to prolonged use of high technology tools (Punitha, 2008), leading them to rely on e-communication as a preferred tool of communication and somehow isolate them to a new environment (Black, 2010), an environment away from social and learning activities. It rather seems that face to face interaction tend to occur less frequent than e- communication.
This study analyses the linguistic output produced by high proficiency ESL learners during face-to-face interaction, focusing on the Generation Y participants born in the year of 1990 – 1996 who have just completed secondary or higher secondary schools. Generation Y consists of those who were born in the year of 1980 – 2000 and are also known as 'digital natives' (Prensky, 2001). They are labelled as 'digital natives' (Prensky, 2001) because they are the first generation who grew along with the evolvement of high technology, naturally perceptive of digital language (Black, 2010) and highly involved in interacting with advanced technology tools and are used to interacting with their peers within a computer – mediated environment. Currently there are limited studies on negotiation of meaning that have focused on this particular group of learners (Kotter, 2003; Tam, 2009; Bower & Kawaguchi, 2011). Because of this less is known about the patterns of interaction of this particular group of ESL learners in face to face environment. Therefore, this study aims to address this gap (patterns of interaction) by analysing how high proficiency Gen Y learners negotiate meaning. whether gender plays a role in the interaction.
iv
The participants involved in the study were 15 females and 15 males, 30 in total and paired in a single – gender matched dyads and mixed – gender dyads. Studies have suggested that the familiarity of participants with each other could affect the output of the interactional patterns (Boulima, 1999; Robinson, 2000; Varonis & Gass, 1985b). For this study the familiarity among the participants are considered moderate as they were in their first 6 months of their course and are constantly engaged in group activities. A decision making two – way tasks were utilized to elicit the data and the analysis of the data was based on a framework by Varonis and Gass (1985b) and Pica et. al's (1989) schema on negotiation routines.
The results revealed that the males took greater advantage of the conversation by producing semantic modification as in more 'talk' for comprehensible output especially in a mixed – gender dyads as opposed to in the single matched dyads. In terms of number of words and number of turns within the negotiation routines, the males again tended to produce more than the females in both dyads setting. The females, however, have been shown to utilize the conversation for comprehensible input. The evidence points out that the females have greater tendency to acquire the language in signalling during the negotiation of meaning. Hence it can be concluded that the males from Generation Y tend to dominate the language through comprehensible output whereas the females prefer to request for more input in the conversation.


This study aimed to describe the care of the elderly and the participation of the family in the conservative treatment of diabetic nephropathy. This is a qualitative, descriptive and exploratory study developed with twelve people, from which six were elderly patients with diabetic nephropathy in conservative treatment, followed in a nephrology ambulatory and a family member. Data collection occurred from August to October 2011 using semi-structured interviews. Data were subjected to thematic analysis. The results highlighted the need of adaptation and restrictions in eating routine, of control and knowledge of treatment and medicine and inclusion of family members in the treatment of the elderly. Thus, the elderly with diabetic nephropathy in conservative treatment and their families experienced care permeated by difficulties. So, they require professional help to have enough knowledge to understand and adhere to this treatment.


Ten years ago, at 90 nanometers, EDA was challenged and deemed inadequate in dealing with increasing complexity, power consumption, and sub-wavelength lithography, thus harming the progress of mobile phones. Today, at 10 nanometers, integration capacity has increased by two orders of magnitude, power consumption has been successfully "tamed", and 193 nanometer immersion lithography is still relied upon. Also thanks to EDA, tools, methodologies, and flows that were originally devised for design enablement for the emerging technology nodes, have been successfully redeployed at the established technology nodes, where they represent a critical design differentiation factor. However, the battleground is changing again: after the billions of phones, trillions of "things" lie ahead. Moving forward, emerging and established technology nodes, digital and analog, hardware and software will be equally critical. What is EDA doing and, more important, what should EDA do - and is not doing - in order for the next decade to be as great as the past one? This panel session, moderated by EPFL Professor Giovanni De Micheli, gathers academia, semiconductor, and EDA industry to discuss the challenges and requirements of the new era.


Social network methods are frequently used to analyze networks derived from Open Source Project communication and collaboration data. Such studies typically discover patterns in the information flow between contributors or contributions in these projects. Social network metrics have also been used to predict defect occurrence. However, such studies often ignore or side-step the issue of whether (and in what way) the metrics and networks of study are influenced by inadequate or missing data. In previous studies email archives of OSS projects have provided a useful trace of the communication and co-ordination activities of the participants. These traces have been used to construct social networks that are then subject to various types of analysis. However, during the construction of these networks, some assumptions are made, that may not always hold; this leads to incomplete, and sometimes incorrect networks. The question then becomes, do these errors affect the validity of the ensuing analysis? In this paper we specifically examine the stability of network metrics in the presence of inadequate and missing data. The issues that we study are: 1) the effect of paths with broken information flow (i.e. consecutive edges which are out of temporal order) on measures of centrality of nodes in the network, and 2) the effect of missing links on such measures. We demonstrate on three different OSS projects that while these issues do change network topology, the metrics used in the analysis are stable with respect to such changes.


A series of action research projects designed information systems for the management of batch manufacturing operations in the UK. The style of management used in these companies, which was termed priority management, arose from internal and external volatilities which precluded the prescriptive systems normally associated with operations management. What companies required was a data structure which gave 'vision' over the situation and enabled priority choices to be made. These structures arc called order-book models. The design of order-book models for priority management became, as the multisitc action research project progressed, a prescriptive process supported by simple tools, some of which are described. A major conclusion from the project was the need to give data structure an important role in relation to management action, and not only in relation to software. A model of systems effectiveness is proposed of which this data-driven aspect is a major feature.


This article investigates the various forces that may help to explain the ongoing historio-graphical phenomenon of revision. It takes as its point of departure Michel de Certeau's understanding of the writing of history as a process consisting of an unstable and constantly changing triangulated relationship among a place (a recruitment, a milieu, a profession), analytical procedures (a discipline), and the construction of a text (or discourse). For de Certeau, revision is the formal prerequisite for writing history because the very distance between past and present requires continuous innovation simply to produce the objects of historical knowledge, which have no existence apart from the historian's identification of them. The specific nature of revision at a given moment is determined by the specificities of the process as a whole, that is, by the characteristics of place, procedure, and text and their contemporary relational configuration.

Taking the rise of "linguistic-turn" historiography as exemplary of the process of historical revision in its broadest possible meaning, the article seeks to discover the possible "causes" for that turn. It begins with an analysis of the psychological roots of poststructuralism as a response to the holocaust and its aftermath, and then proceeds to explore the possible economic and social transformations in the postwar world that might account for its reception, both in Europe but also, more counterintuitively, in the United States, where postmodernism proved to have an especially strong appeal. Added to this mix are the new patterns of social recruitment into the historical profession in the "sixties." the essay suggests that, to the extent that revision is understood as the result of the combined effect of psychological, social, and professional determinations, it is unlikely that there will ever be genuine consensus about the sources of revision in history, since all historians bring to their work differing congeries of psychological preoccupations, social positions, and professional commitments.


This study investigated the efficacy of a package of accommodations for poor readers in Grade 7. Students with and without word reading disabilities were randomly assigned to take an experimental version of a high-stakes reading comprehension test in 1 of 3 formats: (a) standard administration, (b) read aloud accommodations with 1-day administration, or (c) read aloud accommodations with 2-day administration. The significant condition effect and nonsignificant group by condition interaction suggested that accommodations helped both poor and average readers. However, the accommodation effect in average readers stemmed from low performance in the nonaccommodated experimental condition that was not apparent when the same students previously took the state-administered test. The 2-day administration was more effective than the 1-day administration.


1001 Background: Tamoxifen and fenretinide have been shown to reduce breast cancer incidence in pre-menopausal women at increased risk. Their combination is synergistic in reducing mammary tumor formation in animal models.

METHODS
We conducted a double-blind placebo controlled trial in women at high risk to determine whether there is an interaction between the two agents on putative breast cancer surrogate endpoint biomarkers. The primary outcome measures were the change in insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and in mammographic percent density after 2 years of intervention. Additional endpoints include changes in endometrial thickness and proliferation, presence of ovarian cysts and atypia in random fine needle aspirates.

RESULTS
Between October 1998 and April 2002, 235 women were randomized either to tamoxifen 5 mg/d, or fenretinide 100 mg bid, or both agents, or placebo for 2 years. Subjects were included because of a previously excised DCIS (57%), LCIS (13%), micro-invasive breast cancer (7%), or because of a 5-year Gail risk ≥1.3% (23%). The mean±SD age is 46.2±4.7 years and the mean±SD BMI is 23.5±3.5 kg/m2. Recruitment was prematurely stopped by the DSMB based on the lack of an interaction between agents on the primary endpoint biomarkers. After a median follow-up of 38 months, 40 subjects are still on treatment, 35 have dropped the study either for refusal (19) or adverse events (16). Two serious adverse events occurred: one stage I endometrial cancer in the fenretinide arm and one optic nerve ischemia in the tamoxifen arm. A preliminary safety analysis on endometrial effects showed no increase in endometrial thickness and no difference in endometrial polyps among the four arms. Twenty-seven primary or recurrent breast cancers have been observed. Treatment compliance as assessed by pill count and self-reporting show a greater than 80% adherence in >90% of the subjects.

CONCLUSIONS
These data show that both agents are safe. Biomarker measurements are ongoing and preliminary results in terms of efficacy and safety will be presented at the conference. Supported by the NCI grant CA77188 No significant financial relationships to disclose.


of the lower Jurassic Tilje Formation in the southem part of the Halten Terrace consists of tide-dominated deposits. Vertical tida! bundle sequences, showing a periodicity relatable to neap-spring variations in the tida! cycle, is the most prominent indicator of tida! activity. Vertical transitions between contrasting spring-tide sandstones and neap-tide mudstones occur on a metre scale, and are expected to have a significant influence on reservoir communication. The best connectivity between individual spring-tide sandstones is attained when the dimensions of the sandbeds are much larger than those of the mudbeds. Jf the two lithologies have approximately equal dimensions, the degree of sand connectivity will increase as the dimensions of the beds decrease. The large discrepancy between short-term and long-term sedimentation rates in the Tilje Formation is related to rapid infilling of accommodation increments in a setting characterized by limited long-term accommodation.


We use country panel data spanning over 1998-2008 for both developed and developing countries to study the productivity growth when countries are close to the technology frontier. Relying on a semi-parametric generalized additive model, we estimate both reduced and structural forms for total factor productivity growth. We consider three measurements of frontier: the economy with the highest level of productivity growth, the world productivity growth and the productivity growth of the USA. We obtain a U-shape relation between productivity growth and the proximity to the world productivity growth. The relation between productivity growth and human capital displays an inverted U-shape form (res. U-shape) when the proximity to the highest productivity growth is used (res. the proximity to productivity growth of the USA). Total staff in R&D has an inverted W-shape effect on productivity growth. The share of R&D expenditure funded by government and from abroad impact positively the growth of productivity. However, the increase in government spending on R&D has a greater impact on productivity growth when the former is weak, and a smaller impact when R&D spending is already high. International trade has a positive effect on productivity growth. Specification tests show that our semi-parametric models provide a better approximation of the data compared to the parametric analogue, revealing a high degree of nonlinearity governing productivity growth. JEL Classification: C14, I23, O3, O4


Fleet management system is a rapid growing industry. This system helps institutions to manage vehicle fleet efficiently and effectively through smart allocation of resources. In this project, an intelligent fleet management system which incorporates the power of concurrent Global Positioning System (GPS) and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) real-time positioning, front-end intelligent and web-based management software is proposed. In contrast to systems which depend solely on GPS positioning, the proposed system provides higher positioning accuracy and is capable to track the target at areas where GPS signals are weak or unavailable. The terminal is powered by Front-End Intelligent Technology (FEI), a comprehensive embedded technology that is equipped with necessary artificial intelligence to mimic human intelligence in decision-making for quicker response, better accuracy and less dependence on a backend server. With less dependency on the backend, large scale fleet management system can be implemented more effectively. The proposed system is successfully implemented and evaluated on twenty vehicles including buses and cars in Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). Results from the test-bed shown that user can monitor and track the real-time physical location and conditions of their vehicles via Internet or Short Message Service (SMS). The web-based fleet management software also helped the user to manage fleets more effectively.


Using a static model of firm behaviour with imperfect competition on the product and labour markets, we quantify the effect of firm heterogeneity in total factor productivity, market power, capital, wages and prices on the aggregate labour share. In particular, we suggest a new decomposition of the aggregate labour share in terms of the first moments of the joint distribution of these variables across firms, providing a bridge between the micro and the macro approach to functional distribution. We provide an application of our method to the UK manufacturing sector, using firm-level data for the period 1998-2014. The analysis confirms that heterogeneity matters: in an economy populated only by representative firms, the labour share would be 10 percentage points lower. Among all the dimensions studied, heterogeneity in total factor productivity and labour market power are the most relevant ones, whereas heterogeneity in product market power matters the least, with wages and prices in between. However, the observed fall in the aggregate labour share over the period is mostly explained by a widening of the disconnect between average productivity and real wages, with a smaller role for an increase in the average product and labour market power of firms after the Great Recession, while changes in the dispersion of these variables mostly offset each other.


During a September 1987 Workshop on non-railgun accelerators, a consensus was reached on a taxonomy for electromagnetic launchers (EMLs). A refined version of that taxonomy, which is based on functional requirements, is presented. Three EML features, armature excitation stator field control, and mode of operation, are the basis of the classification system. >


The argument proffered in this paper is that use of enterprise social networking technologies can increase the accuracy of people's metaknowledge (knowledge of "who knows what" and "who knows whom") at work. The results of a quasi-natural field experiment in which only one of two matched-sample groups within a large financial services firm was given access to the enterprise social networking technology for six months revealed that by making people's communications with specific partners visible to others in the organization, the technology enabled observers to become aware of the communications occurring amongst their coworkers and to make inferences about what and whom those coworkers knew based on the contents of the messages they sent and to whom they were sent. Consequently only individuals in the group that used the social networking technology for six months improved the accuracy of their metaknowledge (a 31% improvement in knowledge of who knows what and an 88% improvement in knowledge of who knows whom). There were no improvements in the other group over the same time period. Based on these findings, how technologically enabled "ambient awareness"--awareness of ambient communications occurring amongst others in the organization--can be an important antecedent for knowledge acquisition is discussed.


Background: Chronic Lower Respiratory Diseases (CLRD), such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic bronchitis and emphysema are preventable diseases that constitute a serious public health concern. Estimates indicate that there is an increased prevalence of mortality from these diseases worldwide. Low socio-economic positions (SEP) and poor indoor environmental conditions have been identified as risk factors for CLRD among adults. Given the public health burden of CLRD, there is increasing interest among researchers to identify all relevant factors associated with CLRD. However, many studies identified in the literature only controlled for individual or specific risk factors and most of these studies vary in their definition of risk factors. As a result, the evidence was contradictory. Some studies reported statistical associations while other studies reported no statistical association between specific risk factors and CLRD. Furthermore, questions remain on which risk factors mediate the relationships between socio-demographic factors and respiratory health outcomes. Given this, the study will examine if one or more indoor environmental factors and access to healthcare mediates the relationships between socio-demographic factors and CLRD among adult ACBS respondents in the United States (U.S). The study will further examine if the effects of socio-demographic factors on CLRD depend on indoor environmental factors and access to healthcare. Methods: This study examined three different years of secondary cross-sectional data collected from adults 18 years or older by the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS) and Asthma Call-Back Survey (ACBS). 15,403 participants from 2009, 17,753 from 2010 and 16,693 from 2011 were included in the study. Bivariate analyses were used to identify significant predictors, and logistic regression models were used to examine mediation and predictor-mediator interaction effects. CLRD was viii the outcome of interest, socio-demographic factors were used as predictors, and indoor environmental factors and healthcare access were used as potential mediators. Results: The bivariate analyses revealed that gender, age, marital status, education, employment status, income, mold, pest infestation, smoking indoors, being a current or former smoker, occupational exposure and medical cost were significant predictors of CLRD. The mediation tests revealed that mold, mice presence, being a current smoker, smoke indoors and occupational exposure fully or partially mediated the relationship between age, education, employment, income and current asthma. Being a current or former smoker, smoking indoors, and occupational exposure fully or partially mediated the effects of age, marital status, education, employment, income on COPD, bronchitis and emphysema. Mold and medical cost were also identified as mediators for bronchitis and mold for emphysema. These findings indicate that indoor environmental factors and medical cost, fully or partially explain the effects of socio-demographic factors on the reporting of CLRD. The statistical significant predictor-mediator interaction effects that were identified revealed that the effects of gender, age, education, employment and income on the reporting of CLRD depends on mold, mice presence, being a current or former smoker, smoking indoors, occupational exposure and medical cost. Conclusion: This is the first study to use rich cross-sectional secondary data from three different years to demonstrate that poor indoor environmental conditions and inadequate access to healthcare play a significant role in explaining the reporting of CLRD among ACBS respondents in different social, economic and demographic groups. These findings have clear implications for related public health policies. These policies should focus on creating more resources in deprived neighborhoods, improving inadequate housing conditions through housing refurbishment and ensuring adequate access to healthcare for all groups regardless of their SEP.


Reported herein is a brief summary of the history,
properties, and applications of amine-boranes. The past methods devised for
their preparation are described and the routes used to produce the compounds
used in the work presented here are detailed. Building on prior synthetic
approaches to amine-boranes, a new carbon dioxide mediated synthesis is
presented. Proceeding through a monoacyloxyborane intermediate, the borane
complexes of ammonia, primary, secondary, tertiary, and heteroaromatic amine
are provided in 53-99% yields. Utilizing the amine-boranes obtained from the
methods described, two divergent methods for direct amidation are introduced.
The first uses amine-boranes as dual-purpose reagents, where the carboxylic
acid is first activated by the borane moiety to form a triacyloxyborane-amine
complex. This allows the delivery of the coordinated amine to form the amide
products. A series of primary, secondary, and tertiary amides were prepared in 55-99% yields using this protocol, which
displays a broad functional group tolerance. Extended from this dual-purpose
methodology, a catalytic amidation is described. Utilizing ammonia-borane as a
substoichiometric (10%) catalyst, a series of secondary and tertiary amide are
prepared directly from carboxylic acids and amines in 59-99% yields, including
amines containing typically borane reactive functionalities including alcohols,
thiols, and alkenes. Amine-boranes are additionally used in two borylation
methodologies. By reaction with n-butyl lithium, the amine-boranes are
converted to the corresponding lithium aminoborohydrides, which upon reaction
with a terminal alkyne provides the alkynyl borane-amine complexes in 65-98%
yields. This process is compatible with both alkenes and internal alkynes, as
well as a range of aprotic functionalities. A new strategy for aminoborane
synthesis is also described and applied to the borylation of haloarenes.
Activation of a series of amine-boranes with iodine produces the iodinated
amine-borane, which undergoes dehydrohalogenation with an appropriate base to
produce either monomeric or dimeric aminoboranes. Several aminoboranes were
synthesized exclusively as the monomeric species, which due to their greater
reactivity, were used directly in the synthesis of a series of aryl boronates
in 65-99% yields.


Large-scale environmental programs generally commit substantial societal resources, making the evaluation of their actual effects on the relevant outcomes imperative. As the example of the subsidization of energy-saving appliances illustrates, much of the applied environmental economics literature has yet to confront the problem of proper attribution of effects to underlying causes on a convincing methodological basis. This paper argues that recent results in the econometrics and statistics literature on program evaluation could be utilized to advance considerably in this context. In particular, the construction of a credible counterfactual situation is at the heart of the formal statistical evaluation problem. Even when controlled experiments are not a viable option, appropriate approaches might succeed where traditional empirical strategies fail to uncover the effects of environmental interventions.


The main objective of the census is to provide information on the population and its characteristics. This information is a key input used as a basis for a wide variety of planning decisions in a country and the quality of this information is paramount. It is also serves to underpin the national statistical system, with the census being used as a denominator for other statistics, such as the gross domestic product. However, with the fast-changing pace of modern life, in combination with increased mobility of the population to be counted, the traditional census which counted the resident population has had to adapt to account for this and also evaluate the resulting impact on the measurement of quality. Furthermore, as the national statistical system of a country develops, it is found that an increasing amount of information is collected about the country through registers and surveys. As such, many countries have been considering innovative ways of using such existing information to augment their censuses and improve their quality. This paper discusses the issues that arise and the role of the modern census within the national statistical system and how, ultimately, all of these concerns come down to compromising between different dimensions of quality.


Abstract The biogeographical patterns shown by Ordovician linguliform and craniiform brachiopods are greatly influenced by their dominance in low-diversity associations in marginal environments. This is particularly evident in the Early Ordovician, when linguliform-dominated dysaerobic assemblages are widely distributed along the deep shelves of Gondwana, the Kazakhstanian terranes and in Baltica. By the Darriwilian, micromorphic linguliforms are characteristic components of the pantropical climatic-controlled faunas of Laurentia, Cuyania and Kazakhstanian terranes, which – in spite of separation by extensive oceans – retain a distinct similarity. Analysis of craniiform biogeographical distribution is impeded significantly by the poor state of craniide taxonomy and lack of reliable data from most regions. However, in general their biogeographical dispersion is similar to other groups of the Palaeozoic Evolutionary Fauna. Unlike the linguliforms, which are important members of the Cambrian Evolutionary Fauna, there is no convincing Cambrian craniiform record; they may have evolved and dispersed from Gondwana and associated microcontinents and island arcs. The earliest well-established record is from the late Tremadocian of temperate to high-latitude peri-Gondwana. During most of the Ordovician, they have a peri-Iapetus distribution. They are very rare or absent in tropical Gondwana, South China and Kazakhstanian terranes and are not yet documented from Siberia. The trimerellides probably evolved in tropical peri-Gondwanan island arc settings. Their dispersion and major features of biogeography mirror those of atrypides.


In this paper, a resiliency analysis is carried out to assess the energy, economic, and power outage survivability benefits of efficient and net-zero energy communities. The analysis addresses the appropriate steps to designing an energy-efficient and net-zero energy community using Phoenix, Arizona, as a primary location for weather and utility inputs. A baseline home is established using International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) 2018 code requirements. Three occupancy levels are evaluated in BEopt to provide diversity in the community's building stock. The loads from the baseline, energy-efficient optimum, and net-zero energy optimum single-family homes are utilized to determine energy use profiles for various residential community types using occupancy statistics for Phoenix. Then, REopt is used to determine the photovoltaic (PV) and battery storage system sizes necessary for the community to survive a 72-hour power outage. The analysis results indicated that the baseline community requires a 544-kW PV system and 375-kW/1,564 kWh battery storage system to keep all electrical loads online during a 72-hour power outage. The energy-efficient community requires a 291-kW PV system and a 202-kW/820 kWh battery storage system while the net-zero energy community requires a 291-kW PV system and a 191-kW/880 kWh battery storage system. In this study, the economic analysis indicates that it is 31% more cost-effective to install a shared PV plus storage system than to install individual PV plus storage systems in an energy-efficient community. After analyzing the system sizes and costs required to survive various outage durations, it is found that only a 4% difference in net present cost exists between a system sized for a 24-hour outage and a 144-hour outage. In the event of a pandemic or an event that causes a community-wide lockdown, the energy-efficient community would only survive 6 h out of a 72-hour power outage during a time where plug loads are increased by 50% due to added laptops, monitors, and other office electronics. Finally, a climate sensitivity analysis is conducted for efficient communities in Naperville, Illinois, and Augusta, Maine. The analysis suggests that for a 72-hour power outage starting on the peak demand day and time of the year, the cost of resiliency is higher in climates with more heating and cooling needs as heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and cooling (HVAC) is consistently the largest load in a residential building.


Major agri-environmental programs tried in the United Kingdom (UK)since the mid-1980s are examined in this report. Special attention is given to the Environmental Sensitive Areas (ESA) scheme, the Countryside Stewardship Scheme (CSS), and schemes to promote organic agriculture-first the Organic Aid Scheme and, following that, the Organic Farming Scheme. Several major studies and reviews of these and other agri-environmental schemes in England, Scotland, and Wales have been conducted in recent years. These studies and reviews are drawn upon to examine both the successes and shortcomings of various schemes in drawing farmers into more environmentally sound farming practices and systems. In conducting this review and examination, primary attention is given to farmers' income, risk reduction, and stewardship goals. Contextual factors given special attention include the following: prices and access to markets; technologies; the structure of agriculture; and social and human capital. Lessons for future agri-environmental strategies in the UK, elsewhere in Europe, and the United States are derived from this review. The emerging 'multifunctionality' approach to agricultural policy is emphasized. Among the lessons are ones dealing with: legume-based rotations in arable areas; financial assistance to organic farmers beyond the transition period; continued reform of the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy; possible merging of the ESA scheme and the CSS; extension/technical assistance nstitutions and strategy; and social and human capital for environmental change. Several issues and challenges in greatly expanding agri-environmental policies and making them more effective in the future are analyzed and explained. Those issues and challenges pertain to: the compatibility of production support and stewardship support policies; balancing stewardship support and 'environmental compliance'; opportunities for programs to contribute jointly to social and stewardship objectives; the compatibility of World Trade Organization rules with stewardship schemes; capitalization of scheme benefits into land values; how to gain from bottom-up planning and subsidiarity; and stewardship payments for farmers already practicing good stewardship.


In many application domains, there are certain aspects that cannot be modeled in an adequate way by using generalization - although it may be the concept of choice at first sight. Sometimes common associations such as interaction or aggregation will fail as well. In those cases, delegation often proves to allow for an appropriate abstraction. While delegation has been an important concept in different areas of computer science (mainly within AI and programming languages) for a long time, it is not explicitly offered by any of the major object-oriented modeling languages. In this paper, we introduce a concept of delegation as part of an object-oriented modeling language. First, we will analyze why both inheritance and common associations sometimes fail to model certain aspects of the real world. Against this background, it will be shown how delegation allows to fill this conceptual gap. The semantics of delegation as a modeling concept is specified in a metamodel. In order to foster the appropriate use of delegation, we provide a few examples together with a number of general design criteria.


Monitoring the hydrochemical efficiency of urban stormwater treatment devices is not straightforward as the traditional, automated, In urban areas, efficient drainage of impervious surfaces means that polluted stormwater is frequently delivered to streams. Commonly, catchment urbanization can increase runoff frequency by a factor of 10 or more, as the effective imperviousness - the proportion of the catchment that consists of impervious surfaces drained to streams - is increased. This causes a decline in stream health.
 To decrease runoff frequency, effective imperviousness must be reduced. This requires urban drainage systems to be redesigned, using techniques such as infiltration and rainwater harvesting, so that stormwater from small rain events is not piped directly to streams but instead is infiltrated, reused or retained. We have developed scenarios that explore alternative urban drainage systems appropriate for a small partly urbanised catchment in Melbourne's east. These scenarios incorporate, biofiltration basins, swales and dual purpose rainwater tanks that supply water for householders. Our results suggested that sufficient reductions in effective imperviousness and runoff frequency are possible to achieve improvements in stream health.


The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is much more than another preferential trade agreement project: it aims to link the world's two biggest economic entities. The initiative seems motivated by the stalemate in multilateral negotiations, the competition between trade agreements, and the willingness of the two partners to retain their leading positions in world trade, or at least to limit their loss of infl uence. Given the limited average level of the import tariffs – 2% in the US and 3% in the EU – these duties in most cases are not the most important stake (exceptions are a few sensitive products, mainly some dairy products, some clothing and footwear, and some steel items for the US, and meat products in the EU). Much more signifi cant at the macroeconomic level are negotiations on non-tariff measures, regulation in services, public procurement, geographical indications, and investment, all of which are contentious. We fi rst review the main issues at stake in each case and then use a computable general equilibrium model to assess the economic impacts of an agreement. Not all aspects of the negotiations can be incorporated in the model but it does account for the restrictive impact of non-tariff measures on trade in goods and of regulatory measures on trade in services. The corresponding levels of protection provided by the non-tariff measures are much higher on average than those provided by the tariffs, and they differ signifi cantly across sectors, confi rming their sensitivity in these negotiations. Our central scenario combines progressive but complete phasing-out of tariff protection accompanied by an across-the-board 25% cut in the trade restrictiveness of non-tariff measures, for both product and service sectors with the exception of public and audiovisual services. We fi nd that trade between the two signing regions in goods and services would approximately increase 50% on average, including an upsurge of 150% for agricultural products. Eighty percent of the expected trade expansion would stem from lowered non-tariff measures. Both partners to the proposed agreement would reap non-negligible GDP gains, in the long run, corresponding to an annual increase in national income of $98bn for the EU and of $64bn for the US.


Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells can be activated by viruses through a cytokine-dependent mechanism, and thereby protect from lethal infection. Given this, we reasoned MAIT cells may have a critical role in the immunogenicity of replication-incompetent adenovirus vectors, which are novel and highly potent vaccine platforms. In vitro, ChAdOx1 (Chimpanzee Adenovirus Ox1) induced potent activation of MAIT cells. Activation required transduction of monocytes and plasmacytoid dendritic cells to produce IL-18 and IFN-α, respectively. IFN-α-induced monocyte-derived TNF-α was identified as a novel intermediate in this activation pathway, and activation required combinatorial signaling of all three cytokines. Furthermore, ChAdOx1-induced in vivo MAIT cell activation in both mice and human volunteers. Strikingly, MAIT cell activation was necessary in vivo for development of ChAdOx1-induced HCV-specific CD8 T cell responses. These findings define a novel role for MAIT cells in the immunogenicity of viral vector vaccines, with potential implications for future design. One sentence summary Robust immunogenicity of candidate adenovirus vaccine vectors requires the activation of unconventional T cells.


This
study examined associations between work-stress, perceived organizational
support, supervisor support, staff health (i.e., psychological stress, anxiety,
depression, fatigue), and work outcomes (i.e., turnover intentions,
organizational commitment, job satisfaction). A heterogeneous sample of 201
office staff recruited via email and snowball sampling completed a short
anonymous online survey asking about their recent experiences of the above
factors. High work-stress was associated with worse staff health (i.e.,
anxiety, depression, fatigue) and work outcomes (e.g., greater turnover
intentions), and these associations were mediated by high perceived stress.
Less workplace support (i.e., supervisor support, perceived organizational
support) was associated with adverse work outcomes (i.e., high turnover
intentions, less organizational commitment, less job satisfaction), and high
depression levels. Neither perceived organizational support nor supervisor
support was shown to moderate between high work-stress to the staff health and
work outcome associations. Work-stress likely contributed to feelings of high
perceived stress in some workers, which then contributed to poor health and
higher turnover intentions. However, workplace support did not appear to buffer
against the potential to experience ill health or adverse work outcomes (e.g.,
less job satisfaction). This study examines gaps in the work-stress literature,
particularly in relation to adverse work outcomes and the possible impact of
organizational support in reducing these and staff health problems.


Having just completed an interesting interview with Dr Elizabeth Sommerland as part of the evaluations of the 1994 CAUT grants (now referred to as CUTSD grants) I realised that the materials from my CAUT evaluation report might be of interest to others planning to apply for these grants, or in turn to those about to write up evaluations. Dr Sommerland and I had discussed evaluation design at some length, noting that this was a very important component of these projects, not just in the writing up stage, but also in the proposal stage. A well constructed evaluation plan means that data is collected during the process of the project and the writing up is simply a matter of collation and critical thinking when it is all over. Well, maybe not that simple! What I present here is the basis of the report forwarded to CAUT at the completion of my project: Self Directed Learning in Nutrition Counselling. I present is as such so that readers may take interest in what I found, but also to display how I constructed the report from data quite deliberately collected during the process of project implementation. The headings used are those required at the time. This journal article is available in Overview University of Wollongong Teaching & Learning Journal: http://ro.uow.edu.au/overview/ vol4/iss2/3


New technologies and fabrication tools urge us to explore new materials and their potential for integration
in architectural construction. One such material, Concrete Canvas, is explored in this paper for its
hybrid characteristics that blend fabric and thin-shell tectonics. The potential of Concrete Canvas lies in
its ability to modify itself from a flexible fabric that when activated with water becomes a rigid concrete
structure. Combined with a digitally controlled workflow of on-site cutting and an iterative material
feedback loop, the process can serve as a radical alternative to current concrete formwork fabrication
techniques. This paper outlines a prototypical design process that combines a phase-changing material,
physical computer simulations, robotic fabrication and scanning technologies on a feedback loop
between the digital and the physical that allow for customized, free-form, on-site concrete structures to
pop-up without the need of a complex formwork. In this process the architect sets the various parameters
based on fabrication techniques and material properties and adjusts them iteratively in the physical
and digital model during the 'popping-up' process until a balance between material properties, technical
requirements and aesthetics is reached, exploring new potentials on digital fabrication processes.
The paper outlines the proposed workflow including iterative experiments with robotic cutting of flat
patterns, their 'popping-up' into 3D concrete shells, and material phase transitions during its forming
process. The established feedback loop consisting of geometry scanning, parametric perforation pattern
control, computational analysis and simulation, and robotic fabrication is described in detail. The paper
concludes by exploring the potential of this process to enable a dialogue between digital architecture
and the process of materialization and discusses the implications of this approach in relation to architectural
design and fabrication workflows.


INTRODUCTION
Numerous delivery strategies, primarily novel nucleic acid delivery carriers, have been developed and explored to enable therapeutically relevant lung gene therapy. However, its clinical translation is yet to be achieved despite over 30 years of efforts, which is attributed to the inability to overcome a series of biological barriers that hamper efficient nucleic acid transfer to target cells in the lung.

AREAS COVERED
This review is initiated with the fundamentals of nucleic acid therapy and a brief overview of previous and ongoing efforts on clinical translation of lung gene therapy. We then walk through the nature of biological barriers encountered by nucleic acid carriers administered via respiratory and/or systemic administration routes. Finally, we introduce advanced strategies developed to overcome those barriers to achieve therapeutically relevant nucleic acid delivery efficiency in the lung.

EXPERT OPINION
We are now stepping close to the clinical translation of lung gene therapy, thanks to the discovery of novel delivery strategies that overcome biological barriers via comprehensive preclinical studies. However, preclinical findings should be cautiously interpreted and validated to ultimately realize meaningful therapeutic outcomes with newly developed delivery strategies in humans. In particular, individual strategies should be selected, tailored, and implemented in a manner directly relevant to specific therapeutic applications and goals.


Visual poems employ the materiality of language (such as letter- and word-forms and page layouts), to help develop their meanings, thereby synthesizing visual and verbal cues. To discuss this multimodal genre, I posit a framework based on cognitive research of fictive motion, frames, simulation, and blending. I apply this framework to two works by Canadian poet bpNichol to illustrate some of the central cognitive processes and connections required to synthesize and understand them, something previous theoretical positions have struggled with. My analysis illustrates that these apparently simplistic poems are far more complex than we realize. The posited framework can easily extend beyond visual poetry to other multimodal genres, such as comics and advertising, and can also contribute to discussions of genre, style, and other issues of form in literature.


[1] We analyzed 13 years (1992−2004) of CO2 flux data, biometry, and meteorology from a mixed deciduous forest in central Massachusetts. Annual net uptake of CO2 ranged from 1.0 to 4.7 Mg-C ha−1yr−1, with an average of 2.5 Mg-C ha−1yr−1. Uptake rates increased systematically, nearly doubling over the period despite forest age of 75–110 years; there were parallel increases in midsummer photosynthetic capacity at high light level (21.5−31.5 μmole m−2s−1), woody biomass (101−115 Mg-C ha−1 from 1993−2005, mostly due to growth of one species, red oak), and peak leaf area index (4.5−5.5 from 1998–2005). The long-term trends were interrupted in 1998 by sharp declines in photosynthetic capacity, net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of CO2, and other parameters, with recovery over the next 3 years. The observations were compared to empirical functions giving the mean responses to temperature and light, and to a terrestrial ecosystem model (IBIS2). Variations in gross ecosystem exchange of CO2 (GEE) and NEE on hourly to monthly timescales were represented well as prompt responses to the environment, but interannual variations and long-term trends were not. IBIS2 simulated mean annual NEE, but greatly overpredicted the amplitude of the seasonal cycle and did not predict the decadal trend. The drivers of interannual and decadal changes in NEE are long-term increases in tree biomass, successional change in forest composition, and disturbance events, processes not well represented in current models.


BACKGROUND
The measurement of adrenal gland size on computed tomography (CT) scan has been proposed for the etiological diagnosis of hyperadrenocorticism (HAC) in dogs. Symmetric adrenal glands are considered to provide evidence for ACTH-dependent hyperadrenocorticism (ADHAC), whereas asymmetry suggests ACTH-independent hyperadrenocorticism (AIHAC). However, there are currently no validated criteria for such differentiation.

OBJECTIVE
The aim of this retrospective study was to compare various adrenal CT scan measurements and the derived ratios in ADHAC and AIHAC cases, and to validate criteria for distinguishing between these conditions in a large cohort of dogs.

ANIMALS
Sixty-four dogs with HAC (46 ADHAC, 18 AIHAC).

METHODS
Dogs with confirmed HAC and unequivocal characterization of its origin were included. Linear measurements of adrenal glands were made on both cross-sectional and reformatted images.

RESULTS
An overlap was systematically observed between the AIHAC and ADHAC groups for all measurements tested. Overlaps also were observed for ratios tested. For the maximum adrenal diameter ratio derived from reformatted images (rADR), only 1/18 AIHAC dogs had a rADR within the range for ADHAC. For a threshold of 2.08, the 95% confidence intervals for estimated sensitivity and specificity extended from 0.815 to 1.000 and from 0.885 to 0.999, respectively, for AIHAC diagnosis.

CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE
Measurements from cross-sectional or reformatted CT scans are of little use for determining the origin of HAC. However, rADR appears to distinguish accurately between ADHAC and AIHAC, with a rADR > 2.08 highly suggestive of AIHAC.


This article features a panel discussion on sustainability risk management organized by Dan R. Anderson for the American Risk and Insurance Association 2007 annual meeting. The moderator, Mr. Dan Anderson, is the Leslie P. Schulz Professor of Risk Management and Insurance at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business and author of Corporate Survival: The Critical Importance of Sustainability Risk Management. Anderson is a past president of the American Risk and Insurance Association (ARIA) and the 2007 winner of the Geneva Association/International Insurance Society Research Award, including a $10,000 stipend, for his paper, "Sustainability Risk Management as a Critical Component of Enterprise Risk Management (ERM): Global Warrning-Climate Change Risks." He also was recently presented with the Risk Innovator Award by Risk and Insurance magazine for his work in sustainability risk management. The next panelist is Kenneth E. Anderson, Director of Aon's Environmental Services Group. Mr. Kenn Anderson is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin's Risk and Insurance Management program and has spent the last 20 years advising organizations about their exposure to environmental risk and designing, negotiating and implementing appropriate environmental insurance programs to meet specific client needs. He will emphasize business opportunities associated with sustainability risk management and the availability of insurance coverage for sustainability risks. Dan R. Anderson: Sustainability risk is a newly emerging risk area and, I believe, one of the critical risk areas of the 21st century. During this discussion I will introduce the general area of sustainability risk management and talk about the identification/ assessment function. I have been thinking about sustainability risks probably for my entire career, but especially during the last 10 years. Sustainability risk management is concerned with environmental and social responsibility risks. That is, corporations are being pressured to address their environmental and social responsibility performance, in addition to the traditional bottom line. I have long tried to make a business argument for companies to become more sustainable by using risk management principles. There are several informed authors who have written exceUent books on sustainabiUty, but no one has really approached it from a risk management framework or recognized that it needs to be approached in this manner. Further, sustainabiUty risk management needs to be a critical part of enterprise risk management (ERM). Table 1 contains a list of companies that are financiaUy successful and have strong sustainability records. Of course, this Ust is not meant to be an exclusive one. Improving environmental conditions inside the company and improving the social conditions of workers used to be thought of as a social cost. Now, the argument can be made that the firm will buUd a better reputation, enhance financial performance and improve competitive advantage by pursuing sustainabiUty risk management. Sustainability risk management can be thought of in terms of the "triple bottom Une" (TBL) developed by John Elkington, a leading consultant in the United Kingdom and author of Cannibals With Forks. The TBL can be articulated as follows: Maximize: F + E + SR = TBL, where F = financial performance, E = environmental performance, SR = social responsibility performance, and TBL = F - risk costs of E - risk costs of SR. According to Elkington, you need to consider aU three areas to get to maximize the triple bottom line. You can see the risk management aspect of the TBL because the costs of risk are subtracted from profit (or financial performance). Obviously, if you reduce the environmental and social responsibiUty risk costs, everything else held constant, the TBL will increase. To provide a background to the scope and exposure associated with sustainability risk, I am going to discuss six areas of sustainabiilty risk very briefly: global warming/climate change, boycotts, environmental liability, ecosystems, social responsibility, and directors and officers liability. …


Plant phenological development is orchestrated through subtle changes in photoperiod, temperature, soil moisture and nutrient availability. Presently, the exact timing of plant development stages and their response to climate and management practices are crudely represented in land surface models. As visual observations of phenology are laborious, there is a need to supplement long-term observations with automated techniques such as those provided by digital repeat photography at high temporal and spatial resolution. We present the first synthesis from a growing observational network of digital cameras installed on towers across Europe above deciduous and evergreen forests, grasslands and croplands, where vegetation and atmosphere CO2 fluxes are measured continuously. Using colour indices from digital images and using piecewise regression analysis of time-series, we explored whether key changes in canopy phenology could be detected automatically across different land use types in the network. The piecewise regression approach could capture the start and end of the growing season, in addition to identifying striking changes in colour signals caused by flowering and management practices such as mowing. Exploring the dates of green up and senescence of deciduous forests extracted by the piecewise regression approach against dates estimated from visual observations we found that these phenological events could be detected adequately (RMSE < 8 and 11 days for leaf out and leaf fall respectively). We also investigated whether the seasonal patterns of red, green and blue colour fractions derived from digital images could be modelled mechanistically using the PROSAIL model parameterised with information of seasonal changes in canopy leaf area and leaf chlorophyll and carotenoid concentrations. From a model sensitivity analysis we found that variations in colour fractions, and in particular the late spring 'green hump' observed repeatedly in deciduous broadleaf canopies across the network, are essentially dominated by changes in the respective pigment concentrations. Using the model we were able to explain why this spring maximum in green signal is often observed out of phase with the maximum period of canopy photosynthesis in ecosystems across Europe. Coupling such quasi-continuous digital records of canopy colours with co-located CO2 flux measurements will improve our understanding of how changes in growing season length are likely to shape the capacity of European ecosystems to sequester CO2 in the future.


The message to parents was clear: be afraid. Your family doctor may strike you and your children off the list without rhyme or reason.

The Daily Mail led the clarion call to arms on Wednesday, 8 September. Next to a picture of a cute blond child and his smiling mother, its large print opening paragraph accused doctors of "striking off children whose parents refuse to let them have the controversial MMR jab." On 13 September, the Independent told us that doctors were "striking from their lists huge numbers of patients, including children."

What could possibly drive GPs to such cruelty against the small and defenceless? Lucre of course. The Express headline on 13 September trumpeted its outrage at our "Greedy GPs' vaccine ploy" and called them "devious doctors." The Daily Mail announced none other than a full blown "MMR jabs cash scandal." You could almost picture the masked villains, stethoscopes around their necks, running from their surgeries with bags labelled "swag."

Like proud detectives unravelling a complex sting operation, all three papers educated their readers about the sordid details of this "trim and win" swindle. GPs were being given "large …


I analyze the role that asset markets play in the performance and stability of the run-prone banking sector. Banks insure consumers against privately observed liquidity shocks. Asset market investments insure consumers against losses from bank runs. If the probability of a run is small, then banks specialize fully into the provision of liquidity insurance: They provide a higher degree of liquidity insurance when compared to the economy with banks alone. If the probability of a run is high, consumers prefer to invest solely through the asset market. Insurance against runs provided by the market investment reduces consumers' incentives to run. Increased provision of liquidity insurance by banks has the opposite effect. I derive conditions under which the latter effect dominates and the probability of a run is higher than with banks alone. JEL Classification: E44, G21


Upon the evaluation of the historical development of the cassation institution, also the experience of the foreign countries regulating this institution, in the preparation work of the new Civil Process Code to compare with the present regulation of the cassation in the civil process, partial reform of the cassation institution is required. Though in the new code as the base of the cassation model the current cassation system can be foreseen, practice of the several years has pointed to the need of including some essential innovations. It is important to determine the fundamental aim of the cassation and the purpose of the cassation court - development of the law and formation of the uniform practice of courts, fulfilling and explaining legal regulations. The rule (relevant to the practise of courts) of application and interpretation the law in the concrete case is to be called the basic result of the cassation. The limits of the foundations in the cassation and the requirement, that cassation claims be complied and persons participating in the case be represented by skilled professional lawyers - barristers and some other persons with higher-university law education, also creating the system of the permissions, making decision on the acceptance of cassation claims in the Cassation Court of Lithuania, are determined in these aims of the cassation. The creation of the permissions system enables to reject nearly all the absolute (provided directly in the law) restrictions of the cassations too. To emphasise the importance of such principles of the civil process as contest and disposition, also the independence and impartiality of judges, the new Civil Process Code rejects the cassation proposal institution, which can be called one of the most positive change in the present reform of the cassation. Some other innovations of Civil Process Code (which is confirmed by law 28th February 2002 No. IX-743 and which will come into force at first of January 2003) are discussed in the article. These innovations (in the opinion of the authors) will help to facilitate an effectively realization of the tasks raised to the cassation - first, the question of the limits of the cassation (the rights of the cassation court), validity of principle non reformatio in pejus in the cassation and others.


Set in the suburbs of New York in the 1950s, "Wait Till Next Year" is Doris Kearns Goodwin's touching memoir of growing up in love with her family and baseball. She re-creates the postwar era, when the corner store was a place to share stories and neighborhoods were equally divided between Dodger, Giant, and Yankee fans.We meet the people who most influenced Goodwin's early life: her mother, who taught her the joy of books but whose debilitating illness left her housebound: and her father, who taught her the joy of baseball and to root for the Dodgers of Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Pee Wee Reese, Duke Snider, and Gil Hodges. Most important, Goodwin describes with eloquence how the Dodgers' leaving Brooklyn in 1957, and the death of her mother soon after, marked both the end of an era and, for her, the end of childhood.


Several structural families reported in this book can be described by using concepts of modular crystallography (Thompson 1978; Veblen 1991; Merlino 1997; Ferraris et al. 2004). This chapter presents three groups of microporous minerals emphasizing the modular aspects of their crystal structures and the role that modularity plays in correlating different structures as well as structure and properties, namely aspects aimed at an engineering of microporous materials (cf. Rocha and Lin 2005).

The description of a crystal structure as an edifice consisting of complex building modules that occur also in other structures implicitly leads to identify features that are common to a group of compounds. This kind of group can often be expressed as a series of structures that are collinear in composition and cell parameters, information that may be crucial to model unknown structures related to the series, as illustrated by some examples in this chapter.

Biopyriboles (Fig. 1⇓) represent a first and now classical example of modular structures established by Thompson (1978). He showed that the structures of micas, pyroxenes and amphiboles share, according to different ratios, the same modules of mica ( M ) and pyroxene ( P ) and are members of a polysomatic series MmPp . The ideal chemical composition and cell parameters of the members of the series are linear functions of the ratio m / p . The classification of biopyriboles as members of a polysomatic series, a type of series belonging to the wider category of the homologous series (cf. Ferraris et al. 2004), and the consequent discovery of the multiple-chain-width biopyriboles jimthompsonite and chesterite (Veblen and Buseck 1979) dramatically proved the predictive power of these series in terms of structure characterization and modeling. The modeling of carlosturanite (Mellini et al. 1985) and of other modular structures …


The author describes her artistic process and works exploring the recontextualization of recorded sounds into radically different environments, such as the ocean and the desert. Such unusual juxtapositions of place aim to stimulate awareness of technological mediation and the processes we rely on to build knowledge of environmental issues. The artworks do this by focusing on a physiological experience that combines the senses, thereby activating an experiential affect that may stimulate a sense of remote presence, empathy and curiosity to more fully understand distant and diverse ecologies that we cannot otherwise access.