I examine changes in the incidence and consequences of job loss between 1981 and 1999 using data from the Displaced Workers Surveys (DWS) from 1984-2000. The overall rate of job loss has a strong counter-cyclical component, but the job loss rate was higher than might have been expected during the mid-1990's given the strong labor market during that period. While the job loss rate of more-educated workers increased, less-educated workers continue to have the highest rates of job loss overall. Displaced workers have a substantially reduced probability of employment and an increased probability of part-time employment subsequent to job loss. The more educated have higher post-displacement employment rates and are more likely to be employed full-time. The probabilities of employment and full-time employment among those reemployed subsequent to job loss in- creased substantially in the late 1990s, suggesting that the strong labor market has eased the transition of displaced workers. Those re-employed, even full-time and regardless of education level, suffer significant earnings declines relative to what they earned before they were displaced. The earnings decline increases dramatically with tenure on the lost job. Additionally, foregone earnings growth (the growth in earnings that would have occurred had the workers not been dis- placed), is an important part of the cost of job loss for re-employed full-time job losers. There is no evidence of a decline during the tight labor market of the last seven years in the earnings loss of displaced workers who are reemployed full-time.


Gouty arthritis is a common disease, and tophi represent the chronic phase of the disease process. A tophus consists of a core of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals surrounded by various degrees of vascularity of inflammatory tissue. We retrospectively reviewed the magnetic resonance (MR) images of 16 joints with tophaceous gout encountered in 14 patients. Totally 18 lesions of tophaceous mass were identified among the 14 patients. The MR images were evaluated for signal intensity characteristics and patterns of enhancement of tophi, and these findings were correlated with pathologic examinations in eight lesions. On Ti-weighted images, signal intensity of tophi was low when compared with adjacent skeletal muscle in all 18 lesions. The signal intensity of tophi on T2-weighted images was more variable. Twelve of 18 lesions appeared as an area of high signal intensity, and as an area of low signal intensity in 6 of the 18 lesions, compared with adjacent skeletal muscle. Within the T2- weighted high-signal tophi, dot-like low-signal areas on both Ti- and T2-weighted images were also noted in ii of the 12 lesions. On post- enhanced images, all 12 high-signal of tophi exhibited moderate, heterogeneous enhancement. In two of these 12, additional marginal enhancement was also noted in different regions of the lesions. Four of the six lesions with T2- weighted low-signal tophi underwent post-enhancement studies and showed poor enhancement in all lesions. The authors conclude that the signal intensity of tophi is constant on Ti- but quite variable on T2-weighted and post-enhancement images. The presence of high signal intensity and enhancement could be related to the increased vascularity of adjacent affected synovium and hypervascular granulation tissues within the tophi.


The book opens on the day Hemingway's close friend Pop, a legendary hunter, leaves him in charge of the camp. Tensions have heightened among the various tribes and news arrives of a potential attack on the hunters, forcing Hemingway not only to take on his new role of leader but, equally important, to assist his wife Mary in pursuing the great lion she is determined to kill before Christmas. Passionately detailing the African landscape, the excitement of the chase, and the heartfelt relationships with his African neighbours, Hemingway, a master of dramatic fiction, weaves a tale that is rich in laughter, beauty and insight. Written when Hemingway returned from his 1953 safari, and edited by his son Patrick, True At First Light is a rich blend of autobiography and fiction, a breathtaking final work from one of this century's most beloved and important writers.


Rushes footages are considered as cheap gold mine with the potential for reuse in broadcasting and filmmaking industries. However, mining "gold" from unedited videos such as rushes is challenging as the reusable segments are buried in a large set of redundant information. In this paper, we propose a unified framework for stock footage classification and summarization to support video editors in navigating and organizing rushes videos. Our approach is composed of two steps. First, we employ motion features to filter the undesired camera motion and locate the stock footage. A hierarchical hidden Markov model (HHMM) is proposed to model the motion feature distribution and classify video segments into different categories to decide their potential for reuse. Second, we generate a short video summary to facilitate quick browsing of the stock footages by including the objects and events that are important for storytelling. For objects, we detect the presence of persons and moving objects. For events, we extract a set of features to detect and describe visual (motion activities and scene changes) and audio events (speech clips). A representability measure is then proposed to select the most representative video clips for video summarization. Our experiments show that the proposed HHMM significantly outperforms other methods based on SVM, FSM, and HMM. The automatically generated rushes summaries are also demonstrated to be easy-to-understand, containing little redundancy, and capable of including ground-truth objects and events with shorter durations and relatively pleasant rhythm based on the TRECVID 2007, 2008, and our subjective evaluations.


As information-based processes are usually independent of the location or even the processor, they can be oftentimes either automated or relocated to foreign sites to profit from differences in wages. Both strategies bear enormous micro-economic potential in terms of cost savings. However, with the main focus on cost reduction, risk due to the uncertain development of effective labor costs or future transaction volumes are oftentimes either inadequately considered or neglected. This systematically leads to false decisions, in particular since the two strategies – relocation and automation – result in different risk profiles. In this paper, we analyze the conditions for automating or relocating parts of business processes and propose a decision model that suggests a risk/return efficient allocation to the alternatives. In particular, we consider how uncertainties of effective labor costs and transaction volumes influence the decision. As shifting tasks to other locations has effects on the workload at the original location, we also take into account costs for social effects. The practicability of our approach is demonstrated with an example that is based on real data of a major financial services provider.


The association between urban population density and transport energy consumption is a well-discussed topic in the metropolitan level. However it is less studied in the regional scale. This paper demonstrates the results of an observation about transport energy use in 174 regions of Iran. Logarithmic regression analysis shows very weak associations between urban population density and transport fuel use in the regional level. However statistical analysis of population size and the area of the regions by means of Kruskal-Wallis test indicates that regions with medium populations of between 100000 and 500000 inhabitants and areas of between 2000 and 5000 square kilometers enjoy more energy-efficient consumption than regions with more than 500000 people and 15000 square kilometers area and small regions of less than 100000 residents and 2000 square kilometers. This observation raises the question about higher energy efficiency of mid-sized cities and regions. Also more specialized studies about urban sprawl and its impacts on transport energy consumption in small towns and rural places seem desirable.


Genograms are a graphic representation of the composition and structure of a person's family members, relationships, systemic patterns and influences over at least three generations (McGoldrick, Gerson & Petry, 2008). Genograms can include objective family information such as births and deaths, as well as subjective information such as relational dynamics and family patterns, and use symbols to represent these (McGoldrick et al., 2008).

The genogram is a tool, which is frequently used in systemic family therapy and has been gaining popularity in other professional fields since 1985, including psychology professions (McGoldrick et al., 2008). Training in the use of genograms is now included as part of many educational psychology professional doctorate training courses. However, there is currently very little published research literature in relation to the use of genograms in educational psychology practice.

This research was a small-scale, qualitative study, which sought to explore educational psychologists' perceived strengths and limitations of using genograms in their practice. Seven semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather the views of educational psychologists working for a traded service in an inner-London borough. Nine key themes were inductively identified using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006), in relation to the perceived strengths and limitations of using genograms in educational psychology practice including: engaging clients and building rapport; accessibility; information gathering and assessment; case formulation; using the genogram as a therapeutic tool; specific areas of need; ethical considerations; knowledge, training and experience; and, systemic considerations in current educational psychology professional context. The research also identified that educational psychologists were using genograms across many areas of their practice including; consultation, assessment, interventions, supervision, multi- professional work and critical incident response. Implications for educational psychology practice are discussed and future directions for research are outlined.

Keywords: Genogram, Family Tree, Educational Psychology, Strengths, Limitations


This thesis examines the behavior of a granular material sheared in a gap between two moving boundaries. In fluid mechanics, this type of flow is known as a Couette flow. Two different kinds of granular Couette flows were studied. First, gravity-free flow between two infinite plates moving in opposite directions was investigated using computer simulations. Second, flow between a stationary outer cylinder and an inner rotating cylinder was studied using both experiments and computer simulations. Two-dimensional discrete element computer simulations of infinite planar Couette flows were used to study the rheology, energy dissipation, and other flow properties in flows of particles of uniform size for three different gap widths. The energy dissipation rate was measured and a thermal analysis was conducted to determine the thermodynamic temperature rise and heat flux of such flows. Given a constant wall velocity, all of the properties in flows of identical particles were found to depend on the value of the solid fraction at the walls, which in turn depended on both the average solid fraction and the gap width. When the average solid fraction reached a critical threshold, the amount of work done on the flow drastically increased, increasing the average strain rate, granular temperature, wall stresses, and energy dissipation in the flow. This solid fraction threshold occurred after the center region of the flow had reached a dense limit and any further increase in solid fraction necessarily occurred in the wall regions. Various results from computer simulations were found to compare reasonably well with past results derived using kinetic theory. Mixing and other flow properties were also investigated in planar Couette flows of two different particle sizes, as functions of the size ratio and solid fraction ratio of the two species. Larger particles were found to migrate away from the regions of high fluctuation energy near the two moving boundaries in all cases. Mixture flows were found to behave very similarly to flows of mono-sized particles at high ratios of the solid fraction of small to large particles. As the solid fraction ratio decreased and the number of large particles increased, results deviated from the corresponding flow of identical particles. Flows with large size ratios of large to small particles deviated the most from the result of mono-sized particles, because stresses and energy dissipation rates are both mass-dependent. The second type of Couette flow, between two concentric cylinders, was investigated in a horizontal orientation (with the axis of rotation perpendicular to the direction of gravity) and in a vertical orientation (with the axis parallel to the direction of gravity), using both experiments and computer simulations. In the horizontal geometry, high-speed imaging was used to calculate experimental mean and fluctuation velocity profiles that were compared to results from three-dimensional discrete element simulations. Segregation of binary particle mixtures was also investigated in this geometry. Segregation in this flow was driven by a percolation mechanism acting at the free surface, causing large particles to migrate to the top. Computer simulations compared well qualitatively with experiments, successfully predicting the velocity profiles and the segregation pattern at the surface. When compared quantitatively, however, fluctuation velocities in the simulations were considerably greater than those found in the experiment, and the radial segregation observed in experiments did not occur to the same extent in simulations. The vertically-oriented cylindrical Couette flow experiment was used to measure the shear stress on the outer cylinder wall as a function of different variables. The shear stress was found to be independent of the inner cylinder rotation rate, because the material was unconfined and allowed to dilate. The measured stress showed a linear dependence on the height of material in the apparatus, indicating a hydrostatic variation of the normal stress. The shear stress also varied significantly with the ratio of the gap width to the particle diameter.


A driving force for change in society is the trend towards Open Government Data (OGD). While the value generated by OGD has been widely discussed by public bodies and other stakeholders, little attention has been paid to this phenomenon in the academic literature. Hence, we developed a conceptual model portraying how data as a resource can be transformed to value. We show the causal relationships between four contextual, enabling factors, four types of value generation mechanisms and value. We use empirical data from 61 countries to test these relationships, using the PLS method. The results mostly support the hypothesized relationships. Our conclusion is that if openness is complemented with resource governance, capabilities in society and technical connectivity, use of OGD will stimulate the generation of economic and social value through four different archetypical mechanisms: Efficiency, Innovation, Transparency and Participation.


The Alaskan Context Welcoming Remarks, Mead Treadwell Conference Emphasizes Cooperation, Notes Gaps in Arctic Management, Tkac Panel I: Overview of Changes in the Arctic Environment and the Law of the Sea Introductory Remarks, Satya N. Nandan The UNCLOS Negotiations on Ice-Covered Areas, John Norton Moore Cooperation or Conflict in the Arctic, Rob Huebert National Maritime Claims in the Arctic, Brian J. Van Pay Panel II: Scientific Background Introductory Remarks, Barbara Moore Sea Floor Mapping and Exploration in a Changing Arctic Sea Ice Environment, Larry Mayer Changes in the Arctic Environment, Stephen A. Macko A Network of Marine Protected Areas in the Arctic: Promises and Challenges, Suzanne Lalonde Comments and Q & A for Panels I & II Panel III: Arctic Marine Transport Introductory Remarks, RADM Arthur E. Brooks The Arctic Council's Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment, Lawson W. Brigham International Arctic Shipping: Towards Strategic Scaling-Up of Marine Environment Protection, Aldo Chircop Arctic Marine Transport: Navigation Issues, Capt. J. Ashley Roach (ret.) Panel IV: Northwest Passage, Northern Sea Route and Trans-polar Route Introductory Remarks, Rudiger Wolfrum The Northwest Passage: International Law, Politics and Cooperation, Ted L. McDorman Arctic Strategy and Military Security, CDR James Kraska Northern Sea Route: Legal Issues and Current Transportation Practice, Alexander S. Skaridov Comments and Q & A for Panels III & IV Panel V: New Challenges: Arctic Marine Environment & Biodiversity Introductory Remarks, David D. Caron Ensuring the Protection of Arctic Marine Biodiversity in the Face of Climate Change, Jennifer Jeffers Has International Law Failed the Polar Bear? Nigel Bankes New Roles for the US Coast Guard [PowerPoint only], CDR James D. McMahon The Need for Ecosystem-Based Management of the Arctic, H. Jordan Diamond Panel VI: Arctic Living Resources Introductory Remarks, David VanderZwaag Considering Future Arctic Fisheries, David A. Balton Issues in Arctic Fisheries Governance: A Canadian Perspective, Lorraine (Lori) Ridgeway A Perspective from an Alaskan Native, Earl Kingik Comments and Q & A for Panels V & VI Panel VII: Continental Shelf Limits and Jurisdiction Introductory Remarks, Tomas H. Heidar US Continental Shelf Policy, Margaret F. Hayes Danish Interests in the Arctic, Thomas Winkler Russian Policy on the Arctic Continental Shelf, Alexander S. Skaridov Complications in Delimiting the Outer Continental Shelf, Ron Macnab Panel VIII: Arctic Offshore Oil and Gas Resources Introductory Remarks, Paul L. Kelly Russia's Polar Oil and Gas Potential, Anatoly Zolotukhin Private Oil and Gas Development in the Arctic Ocean [Abstract & PowerPoint only], Peter Slaiby US Geological Survey Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal [Abstract & PowerPoint only], Brenda S. Pierce Comments and Q & A for Panels VII & VIII Panel IX: Spitsbergen (Svalbard) Introductory Remarks, Myron H. Nordquist The Disputed Maritime Zones Around Svalbard, Robin Churchill and Geir Ulfstein


ABSTRACT In policies for economic development, anti-corruption measures have received increased attention. The policy advice from the international "good governance regime", which is based on the principal-agent theory, is geared towards incremental change that will set in motion a "virtues circle". It is argued that this theory and the following incremental policy approach is dysfunctional for curbing corruption. It is unlikely that small institutional devices can set in motion a process towards establishing "good governance" in countries were corruption is systemic. Based on an understanding of corruption as an instance of the theory of collective action, it is argued that what is needed to establish a new equilibrium of social and economic exchange is a "big-bang" type of change. Incremental policies that are based on the principal-agent theory are likely to end in a "social trap" situation worsening the problem. The argument is illustrated by an historical case-study of how corruption was eradicated in 19th century Sweden.


Uterine carcinosarcomas are aggressive gynaecological cancers comprising less than 5% of uterine malignancies. We present the case of a woman in her 70s with a complicated history of advanced anal carcinoma treated with pelvic radiotherapy and multiple laparotomies, who was referred to gynae-oncology following MRI surveillance imaging showing evidence of endometrial carcinoma and para-aortic lymphadenopathy. Successful surgical excision required multidisciplinary teamwork between gynae-oncology, colorectal and urology surgeons. The patient underwent midline laparotomy, with adhesiolysis, ileum resection and side to side anastomosis, posterior exenteration, left kidney mobilisation and suspension, para-aortic lymph node debulking and left ureteric stent insertion. Significant challenge was posed by the extensive adhesions from previous laparotomies and the debulking of the para-aortic lymph nodes around the renal vessels. This case demonstrates the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in complex pelvic surgery and the vitality of good communication between colleagues in achieving effective patient care.


Aquifer susceptibility to contamination is controlled in part by the inherent hydrogeologic properties of the vadose zone, which includes preferential‐flow pathways. The purpose of this study was to investigate the importance of seasonal ponding near leaky irrigation wells as a mechanism for depression‐focused preferential flow and enhanced chemical migration through the vadose zone of the High Plains aquifer. Such a mechanism may help explain the widespread presence of agrichemicals in recently recharged groundwater despite estimates of advective chemical transit times through the vadose zone from diffuse recharge that exceed the historical period of agriculture. Using a combination of field observations, vadose zone flow and transport simulations, and probabilistic neural network modeling, we demonstrated that vadose zone transit times near irrigation wells range from 7 to 50 yr, which are one to two orders of magnitude faster than previous estimates based on diffuse recharge. These findings support the concept of fast and slow transport zones and help to explain the previous discordant findings of long vadose zone transit times and the presence of agrichemicals at the water table. Using predictions of aquifer susceptibility from probabilistic neural network models, we delineated approximately 20% of the areal extent of the aquifer to have conditions that may promote advective chemical transit times to the water table of <50 yr if seasonal ponding and depression‐focused flow exist. This aquifer‐susceptibility map may help managers prioritize areas for groundwater monitoring or implementation of best management practices.


Abstract Southwest Spitsbergen, Wedel Jarlsberg Land, consists of two Proterozoic crustal blocks with differing metamorphic histories. Both blocks experienced Caledonian greenschist-facies metamorphism, but only the southern block records an earlier pervasive M1 amphibolite-facies metamorphism and strong deformational fabric. In situ EMPA total-Pb monazite geochronology from both matrix and porphyroblast inclusion results indicate that the older M1 metamorphism occurred at 643 ± 9 Ma, consistent with published cooling ages of c. 620 Ma (hornblende) and 580 Ma (mica) obtained from these same rocks. This region thus contains a lithostratigraphic profile and metamorphic history which are unique within the Svalbard Archipelago. Documentation of a pervasive late Neoproterozoic Barrovian metamorphism is difficult to reconcile with a quiescent non-tectonic regime typically inferred for this region, based on the occurrence of rift-drift sequences on the Baltic and Laurentian passive margins. Instead, our new metamorphic age implies an exotic origin of the pre-Devonian basement exposed in SW Spitsbergen and supports models of terrane assembly postulated for the Svalbard Archipelago.


One of the largest challenges of the universities, especially the public ones, is to transpose the scientific knowledge produced into their walls for the general population. The non-formal education is an important tool, and yet very little used by researchers and professors to approximate the scientific knowledge. The oral cancer reaches more than 11.000 Brazilians a year. In spite of the high incidence, this pathology is still little known by the general population and part of the medical and dental class. Basing on the epidemic data in researches and scientific papers, the oral cancer was the elect theme for the action in education and communication of the first national campaign with no government character of prevention in oral cancer, being a great example of as that can be made. This paper intends to describe the methodology used in communication and the results obtained in this successful experience.


We report experimental evidence for three sequential, distinct dynamic regimes in the capillary self-alignment of centimeter-sized foil dies released at large uniaxial offsets from equilibrium. We show that the initial transient wetting regime, along with inertia and wetting properties of the dies, significantly affect the alignment dynamics including the subsequent constant acceleration and damped oscillatory regimes. An analytical force model is proposed that accounts for die wetting and matches quasi-static numerical simulations. Discrepancies with experimental data point to the need for a comprehensive dynamical model to capture the full system dynamics.


Aerodynamic measurements of CO2 (F) and latent heat ( λE) exchange were made in an intensively managed peat pasture during 2 consecutive years; the fetch was approximately 1.5 km. Sur- face conductance (gs) was calculated from the Penman-Monteith equation. F was split into a respiratory CO2 flux (Fr) and an assimilatory CO2 flux (Fa). Fr was non-linearly related to air temperature (Ta), revealing a distinct seasonal pattern in its value normalized to Ta. Fa was hyperbolically related to short-wave irradiance, the seasonal pattern of its maximum value compared to that of normalized Fr. Ta proved to be a major factor: Fa tended to maintain a positive response to Ta over much of the actual Ta range. Aerial vapour pressure deficit (D) was generally too low (<1 kPa) to have an effect on Fa.


Objectives To establish factors that influence and contribute to the death of patients with cancer in acute hospitals in Northern Ireland. Design Retrospective clinical note review. Setting 16 acute hospitals, covering 5 Health and Social Care Trusts across Northern Ireland. Participants 793 adult patients with cancer who died in an acute hospital between July and December 2007 identified through the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry. Information was available for 695 (88%). Results Thee main reasons for acute hospital deaths were uncovered. First, 26.3% of patients were diagnosed with cancer during their last hospital admission. These patients were significantly different from the rest of the sample in being older, not partnered, having more comorbidities and fewer hospital admissions in their last year of life (all p<0.001). Second, patients were very ill with 78.7% admitted as an emergency, requiring medical attention as a result of cancer-related (37.4%) and urgent physical symptoms (33.5%). Third, despite 38.3% of patients specifically requesting discharge to their usual residence, hospice or other hospital, this was not achieved. For 76.3%, this was owing to a deterioration in their medical condition. However for 12.4% there was a lack of a suitable bed, a care package was not in place for 4.9% and 3.0% lacked the required family support. In addition, preferred place of death was only recorded for 41% of patients. Conclusions Late diagnosis of cancer is a problem which requires further research. Training should be in place to ensure that a patient's preferred place of death is discussed, recorded and made part of routine end of life care. To achieve this, all medical staff should know when a patient is dying. Further research is required to establish what enables patients with cancer to die at home.


This paper presents an inverse modelling procedure to estimate the location and release rate of atmospheric pollution. The input to this model requires measured pollution concentration at a minimum of three observation sites on the ground and meteorological conditions such as wind speed and cloud cover. The inverse model is formulated as a least squares minimisation problem coupled with the solution of an advection-diusio n equation for a non-steady point source model. Since the minimisation problem has a combination of linear and non-linear parameters the problem is solved in two steps. Non-linear parameters are found by constructing an iterative procedure using an optimisation routine such as MATLAB's lsqnonlin and at each iteration, the linear subproblem is solved to estimate the linear parameters. Finding the linear parameters is an ill-posed problem and consequently its solution is extremely sensitive to errors in the data. Tikhonov regularisation, which stabilises the process of the solution, is used to overcome the ill posedness of the problem and the regularisation parameter is estimated using the properties of the non-linear L-curve, linear L-curve and generalised cross validation. Finally, the accuracy of the model is examined by imposing normally-distributed relative noise into concentration data generated by the forward model.


Plant functional diversity and soil microbial community composition are tightly coupled. Changes in these interactions may influence ecosystem functioning. Links between plant functional diversity, soil microbial communities and ecosystem functioning have been demonstrated in experiments using plant monocultures and mixtures, using broad plant and microbial functional groups, but have not been examined in diverse natural plant communities. We quantified the relative effects of plant and microbial functional properties on key ecosystem functions. We measured plant functional diversity, soil microbial community composition and parameters associated with nitrogen (N) cycling and key nutrient cycling processes at three grassland sites in different parts of Europe. Because plant structure and function strongly influence soil microbial communities, we determined relationships between ecosystem properties, plant traits and soil community characteristics following a sequential approach in which plant traits were fitted first, followed by the additional effects of soil micro‐organisms. We identified a continuum from standing green biomass and standing litter, linked mostly with plant traits, to potential N mineralization and potential leaching of soil inorganic N, linked mostly with microbial properties. Plant and microbial functional parameters were equally important in explaining % organic matter content in soil. A parallel continuum ran from plant height, linked with above‐ground biomass, to plant quality effects captured by the leaf economics spectrum, which were linked with the recycling of carbon (C) and N. More exploitative species (higher specific leaf area, leaf N concentrations and lower leaf dry matter content) and taller swards, along with soil microbial communities dominated by bacteria, with rapid microbial activities, were linked with greater fodder production, but poor C and N retention. Conversely, dominance by conservative species (with opposite traits) and soil microbial communities dominated by fungi, and bacteria with slow activities, were usually linked with low production, but greater soil C storage and N retention. Synthesis – Grassland production, C sequestration and soil N retention are jointly related to plant and microbial functional traits. Managing grasslands for selected, or multiple, ecosystem services will thus require a consideration of the joint effects of plant and soil communities. Further understanding of the mechanisms that link plant and microbial functional traits is essential to achieve this.


As academics and Muslim thinkers begin to explore and formulate Islamic bioethics, it seems that the vital dimension of gender has so far received short shrift. This may appear all the more surprising in light of a growing body of literature on gender and Islam generally, though in many ways it mirrors the development of bioethics in the North American context. In that instance, too, new theories and cases involving gender were ignored for some time, but once given serious attention, had a significant impact on the field at all levels. One area of Islamic bioethics in which gender plays a central role is assisted reproductive technologies (ART). Yet even there, the implications of gender in the theory and practice of Islamic bioethics have not been sufficiently examined. Though some medical anthropologists in particular have addressed facets of gender in ART, more needs to be done to integrate this into the wider pursuit of Islamic bioethics. This paper attempts to call more attention to the issue of gender as a necessary consideration in the development of Islamic bioethics. What is similar and what is different in the relationship of gender and bioethics in the North American and Islamic contexts? What pitfalls can be avoided in the articulation of Islamic bioethics in light of the North American experience of gender and bioethics? This paper looks at Islamic bioethical thought and practice in the realm of ART — particularly in Iran — and presents some of the ways in which gender comes into play. It then suggests other dimensions in the development of Islamic bioethics wherein considerations of gender ought to play a core role.


The Iowa wine and grape industry underwent a rapid phase of growth at the turn of the 21 century that is continuing to evolve and develop today. Cultivar trials across the state found that 'Marquette' grapevines were performing poorly in eastern Iowa while other cultivars performed well. A preliminary investigation suggested a magnesium induced potassium deficiency and/or above optimum soil pH as the cause of poor growth of 'Marquette'. Soils in the upper Mississippi Valley are derived from limestone and dolomite bedrock resulting in their characteristically high pH and high magnesium properties, which often inhibits potassium uptake. Recommendations to amend these soil types for grape production do not exist but are essential for optimizing grapevine yield. This study was undertaken to determine how to amend vineyard soils with a low potassium/magnesium concentration and above optimum pH. The multi-year pot culture study included two cultivars, Marquette and St. Croix, and four soil amendment treatments. Soil amendment treatments compared all combinations of potassium/magnesium concentration (0.24 and amended to 0.50) and soil pH (7.2 and amended to 6.2) in a two-by-two factorial. Results indicated potassium additions increased the soil potassium/magnesium concentration as well as increased the petiole potassium concentration. Decreasing the pH alone decreased available soil magnesium but had no effect on the potassium/magnesium concentration. This suggests that it is only necessary to add potassium to increase the potassium/magnesium concentration in these soils.


This paper provides a design, implementation, and performance investigation of different intelligent controllers, particularly, fuzzy logic controller (FLC), artificial neural network (ANN), and neuro-fuzzy (NF) controllers for interior permanent magnet (IPM) synchronous motor (IPMSM) drive systems. A specific FLC is designed for the IPMSM drive based on motor dynamics and nonlinear load characteristics. A radial basis function network (RBFN) is utilized as an ANN. For NF control a fuzzy basis function network (FBFN) is developed in which the fuzzy logic concepts are embedded. In order to provide a demonstrative evidence of comparison, a closed loop vector control scheme for IPMSM incorporating intelligent controllers is successfully implemented in real-time using a digital signal processor (DSP) board DS1102. The performance of various intelligent controllers are investigated and compared both in simulation and experiment. A review of intelligent controller applications for motor drive systems is also presented in this paper. This paper intends to provide useful information for researchers and practicing engineers regarding intelligent controller applications in IPM motor drives.


Abstract

This article examines OPEC's performance in regulating output and prices in the global oil market during its 50 years of existence. In addition, it discusses key trends that are likely to determine OPEC's effectiveness in the years ahead, particularly climate change policies. We find that OPEC's ability to control the oil market singlehandedly has historically been limited, as a result of both internal collective action problems and external factors such as the rise of new producers. Furthermore, we find that climate change policies may negatively impact long-term planning security for investment and hence OPEC's ability to target price bands and smooth the oil market. We argue that OPEC will need to become more proactive in low-carbon policies to remain part of the decision making on future energy demand patterns that affects its main export product. We also submit that OPEC has a great role to play in fighting price volatility, a key concern for both producers and consumers, and that the best platform for enhanced efforts in this regard would probably be the International Energy Forum.

Policy Implications

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Much of the debate on OPEC is one-sided: the organization is mostly characterized as a cartel extracting monopoly rents. Instead, emphasis should be put on OPEC's potential to help in managing oil market risks.

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From the perspective of global energy governance, a strong OPEC may be a very desirable partner for oil consumers in order to combat price volatility, a key concern for both oil exporters and importers.

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Coordination between producers and consumers would also stimulate the energy transition towards a low-carbon future. The International Energy Forum may be the most appropriate for this.

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OPEC needs to seriously join the world's efforts towards a low-carbon energy transition in order to hedge its interests effectively and voice claims legitimately for burden sharing in the inevitable adjustment process that OPEC members will undergo.


The IS field needs more great reviewers. What is a great reviewer? In her June 2005 editorial for MIS Quarterly, Carol Saunders, the MISQ Editor in Chief, contrasts the "gatekeeper" reviewer – one who finds and surfaces "fatal flaws" in research – with the "diamond cutter" reviewer – one who polishes manuscripts so that the gems in it can surface and shine. Others have argued that a great reviewer is a champion for the paper to the journals editors – so that uncut diamonds are not lost to the field. Our field needs great reviewers of all these types (which, some would argue, are often found in the same great reviewer). This panel presents advice about how to become a great reviewer for IS journals from 4 reviewers who have been recognized as excellent reviewers by editors of various journals in the information systems field. Collectively they will present 12 key characteristics of good reviews, 12 key characteristics of a review process that will produce great reviews, and 4 very important golden rules of reviewing -Dos and Don'ts. They will also distribute a list of suggested reading for those interested in learning more about how to improve their reviewing skills. During the Q&A period, audience members will be asked to write their questions down and submit them to the panel chair, who will moderate them. This should allow the maximum number of questions to be posed to the panel during a short period of time.


Private brands play a critical role in retail strategy. This concept will help
retailers to outshine other retailers as well as compete effectively with
manufacturers. Yet, we hardly find research being conducted on Malaysians interests
in buying private brands. However, we have come across a number of studies
concerning private brand proneness in other countries. Lately many research
regarding the relationship between private brand proneness and behavioural aspects
of consumers were carried out. The most recent research on this subject is conducted
by Richardson et al., (1996a). This current research is done replicating their
conceptual framework.
Our study augments prior research by building an integrated framework
within which to view private brand proneness in the context of Malaysia, namely in
the Central Klang Valley area. This study was conducted by using non-probability
sampling method. Reliability test was used to purify the data and to ensure internal
reliability of the data from 200 respondents before factor analysis is used to reduce the data. The correlation among factors was tested by using Pearson correlation
analysis. From the findings we found that most of the consumers (78.6%) in the
Central Klang Valley area have bought private brands before but out of these only
11 % can be considered as "frequent" private brand buyers. One positive sign here is
that we have about 46.7% consumers who have claimed to buy private brands once
in a while (sometimes). This group of consumers can be considered as "potential
private brand buyers". Retailers can focus on this group of people as a new segment.
These consumers need to be fed with more information about private brands in order
to remove their doubts on private brands. We also found that most of the private
brand consumers are aged between 31-40 and in the range of monthly household
income ofRM3,OOOto RM7,000.
Perceptual factors are found to be influencing private brand proneness. These
factors include, familiarity with private brands, the extent to which consumers rely
on external cues, perceived quality variation between national and private brands,
perceived risk, perceived value for money, brand consciousness and finally the
extent of consumer's intention in purchasing a private brand. GeneraJly speaking,
most of the consumers in the Central Klang Valley area are still doubtful about
private brands due to the limited information given to them in their decision-making
process. Marketers should create market awareness and provide more information
about private brands through the implementation of various promotional activities.
Marketing implications for retail strategies pertaining to private brand management
are also discussed


Introduction: Elderly population in the World has been increasing gradually. In terms of emergency service, the elderly constitute a special group. We aimed to study the demographic, clinical, and imaging findings in patients who are 65 years and older presented to Emergency Department. Materials and Method: By obtaining the data of the patients with stroke diagnosis, who are 65 and older and who applied to Emergency Department between 01.01.2011 and 29.02.2012, demographic, clinical, and imaging findings were investigated and then compared among 65-74, 75-84 ve >85 age groups in this study. Results: According to the study results, among the age groups of 65-74, 75-84 and ≥85, significant difference was not found out between gender, complaints for application, duration of complaints, and comorbidities. Similarly, among physical examination findings such as consciousness, eye movements, visual fields, facial nerve examinations, lower and upper extremity motor functions, ataxia, negligence, aphasia, dysarthria, and NIHSS scores, statistically significant difference was not established. Besides, no significant difference was found among diagnoses, Cranial Computed Tomography and magnetic resonance imaging findings. Following the statistical analyses, the parameters revealing significant differences among age groups were conscious status, sense examinations, infarct in Cranial Computed Tomography, and bleeding sides. Conclusion: As a result of our study, we have seen that etiology of stroke may alter along with advancing age, however; in terms of clinical characteristics and patient results in hospitalization, discharge and mortality statistically significant differences were not observed.


Learning Community members joined a newly created learning community of their choice during the Staff Center for Training and Development Open House. The communities meet to determine training needs based on particular topics.


We have observed quantum beats in the reversible intersystem crossing of simple α‐dicarbonyls, and we have analyzed them to obtain information concerning the density of interacting states and the average intramolecular coupling energy. We have analyzed most of the biacetyl quantum beats using a method based on the properties of random matrices which is described elsewhere and we present the results here. We also present an analysis based on perturbation theory using the Fourier transforms of the quantum beats which is appropriate for understanding the methylglyoxal quantum beats. The density of vibrationally hot triplet states which interact with excited singlet states that are connected to the ground electronic state via optical excitation (∼22 000 cm−1) is found to increase with the amount of vibrational excitation in the accessible singlet state at roughly the same rate as the overall density of triplet vibrational stress increases. We find satisfactory agreement between the density obtained from the quantum beats and that calculated using well known analytical formulas and direct state counting. The density of interacting states increases with the rotational quantum number of the initially excited singlet rovibronic state. The average value of the magnitude of the spin–orbit interaction is 1–10 MHz independent of the amount of vibrational–rotational excitation present. Radiationless transitions in these highly excited molecules are evidently not subject to any overriding selection rules other than spatial symmetry, and conservation of total energy, total angular momentum, and nuclear spin. The biacetyl quantum beats are collisionally quenched with helium at the same rate as the overall fluorescence. The cross section for this process is roughly 300±200 A2.


We present a novel method to obtain fine-scale detail in 3D reconstructions generated with low-budget RGB-D cameras or other commodity scanning devices. As the depth data of these sensors is noisy, truncated signed distance fields are typically used to regularize out the noise, which unfortunately leads to over-smoothed results. In our approach, we leverage RGB data to refine these reconstructions through shading cues, as color input is typically of much higher resolution than the depth data. As a result, we obtain reconstructions with high geometric detail, far beyond the depth resolution of the camera itself. Our core contribution is shading-based refinement directly on the implicit surface representation, which is generated from globally-aligned RGB-D images. We formulate the inverse shading problem on the volumetric distance field, and present a novel objective function which jointly optimizes for fine-scale surface geometry and spatially-varying surface reflectance. In order to enable the efficient reconstruction of sub-millimeter detail, we store and process our surface using a sparse voxel hashing scheme which we augment by introducing a grid hierarchy. A tailored GPU-based Gauss-Newton solver enables us to refine large shape models to previously unseen resolution within only a few seconds.


This study revisits the classic problem posed by the meaning of proper names, and proposes a procedural approach to this problem, by analysing the meaning of proper names as an instruction to find in long-term memory the referent that carries the proper name in question.This is a revision of my earlier theory of 'naming predicates' (Kleiber 1981), which captures the meaning of proper names like Louis in terms of paraphrases of the form "the x who is called Louis". The concept of 'naming predicate' was meant to provide an alternative to the inadequacies of the two classic approaches to the meaning of proper names, viz. theories that analyse proper names as semantically empty (e.g. Mills, Kripke 1972) and theories that analyse proper names in terms of uniquely identifying descriptions (Frege, Russell 1956). An analysis in terms of naming predicates ('the X called Louis') gives proper names an abstract type of meaning, thus avoiding the disembodied sign that results from analysing them as semantically empty, and at the same time does not go to the other extreme of incoporating aspects of the referent in the proper name's meaning, thus avoiding the well-known problems with referential identity (e.g. Tullius = Cicero) and the related puzzles of transparence and opacity.In spite of these descriptive advantages, further research has shown that there are a number of problems with the notion of 'naming predicate'. One of these problems concerns the status of proper names in 'naming constructions' like I am called Louis. Applying a naming predicate analysis to such constructions either leads to infinite regression (Wilmet 1995), or — if Louis in the naming predicate 'the x called Louis' is regarded as a phonetic form rather than a proper name — to a denial of proper name status in the very construction that expresses the naming link between proper name and referent (Jonasson 1982). Another problem concerns the cognitive naturalness of an analysis in terms of 'naming predicates'. While this analysis is quite natural in contexts like There is no Louis in this office, it works less well in contexts like This painting is a real Picasso and, most importantly, in prototypical uses like Louis is a painter and a sculpturer, where a naming predicate analysis solely identifies the referent as the carrier of the proper name.These problems have led me to propose a revision to the theory of naming predicates. The descriptive advantages of using the naming relation between proper name and referent as the basis of the semantic description are obvious, which means that this aspect of the theory needs to be maintained. What causes most of the problems, however, is associating this naming relation with a predicate. As an alternative, I propose to reanalyse it in a procedural sense, not as a predicate describing the referent but as a procedural instruction to look for the referent that carries the proper name. This puts proper names in the domain of indexical signs like deictic elements. Common nouns, on the other hand, are not indexical in this sense but stand for concepts, which means that indexicality only comes into the picture when deictic elements are added.


Background/Context Although mindfulness originated in Eastern meditation traditions, notably Buddhism, researchers, clinicians, and, more recently, educators suggest that the cultivation of mindfulness may be beneficial to Westerners uninterested in adopting Buddhist or other Eastern spiritual traditions. Mindfulness is understood as sets of skills that can be developed with practice and taught independently of spiritual origins as a way of being or relating to present-moment experience. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study This pilot study adds to this literature on mindfulness training for nascent mental health professionals, who may be at risk for occupational stress and burnout. This study aims to (1) expand on preliminary research supporting the helpfulness of mindfulness interventions for graduate students in psychology and (2) investigate the feasibility and helpfulness of a novel adaptation of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) that emphasizes relational awareness. Population/Participants/Subjects This sample consisted of clinicians-in-training (N = 21) within a graduate department of counseling and clinical psychology at an urban university. All students were in their first or second year of graduate school; 20 participants were enrolled in a psychology master's program, and 1 participant was a doctoral student in clinical psychology. Intervention/Program/Practice The authors investigated a novel 6-week interpersonal mindfulness training (IMT) program modeled after the manualized MBSR intervention, with an added emphasis placed on relational awareness. IMT aims to reduce perceived stress and enhance interpersonal well-being and, as such, may be particularly well-suited for psychotherapy trainees. IMT was integrated into a semester-long graduate course in psychology. Research Design A pre-post design was used to examine outcomes associated with participation in IMT. Findings/Results Results suggest that IMT with psychology graduate students is a feasible intervention that positively affects mindfulness, perceived stress, social connectedness, emotional intelligence, and anxiety. Of special interest are changes in interpersonal well-being that suggest potential benefits for future mental health professionals. Conclusions/Recommendations High attendance rate and positive program evaluations suggest that IMT can be successfully taught within a graduate psychology curriculum. We suggest that mindfulness training may be a useful complement to the standard training of future clinicians.


Two hundred eight adults participated in 2 field experiments that investigated the effect of drawing as a mindfulness treatment. Novelty provokes mindfulness, and it was hypothesized that drawing is a method for introducing novelty. Experiment 1 showed that in novel settings, participants who drew the stimuli that they observed felt significantly more competent than those who simply observed. Experiment 2 demonstrated that in a familiar setting, instructions to engage in this task were not enough to overcome perceived incompetence. A mindfulness treatment, however, was effective in enabling participants overcome perceived incompetence. Taken together, the results demonstrate a relationship between mindful creativity and perceived competence.


The report, a joint effort between the World Bank's Social Development Global Practice and International Finance Corporation (IFC) advisory services, is based on the idea that local engagement, for example, through benefit sharing, is an important way for better risk management and creating a more enabling environment for renewable energy development. It finds that the underlying causes of the conflicts are diverse, complex, and dynamic: influencing factors include historical struggles over poverty and inequality, land ownership, mistrust in public and private institutions, a lack of free, prior and informed consultations (FPIC) before investment flows into the region and oftentimes a missing legal framework for benefit sharing. The study provides recommendations on how to improve the investment climate for renewable energy and wind energy, in particular, through benefit sharing, risk management, and local community engagement. Integrating communities through FPIC or benefit sharing mechanisms is costly - but the cost of not integrating communities and of failed projects is even higher.


Childhood cancer is no longer a universally fatal disease. Four out of five children diagnosed with cancer will now survive the disease due to advances in paediatric oncology in recent decades. Much social science research has focused on children and primary carers dealing with childhood cancer through the acute stages of diagnosis and treatment. Emerging data has also examined the long term health and social implications of children and young adult survivors of childhood cancer. However, primary carers of children whose cancer has abated have not been a focus of research attention. In this sociological thesis I investigate the everyday lived experiences of primary carers of children who have survived cancer in an Australian context. I look beyond the medical success story and beyond the "back to normal after cancer" rhetoric by regarding childhood cancer as a significant disruption in carers" lives.
I paid particular attention to the ways in which carers constructed meaning and responded in the cancer aftermath by drawing on the symbolic interactionism perspective and a constructionist version of grounded theory. Qualitative data from 38 primary carers was conceptualised to represent a new normal. The findings illustrated how pre-cancer identities and taken-for-granted assumptions and expectations are no longer tenable. Carers responded by constructing a new sense of normality, characterised by insidious cancer memories and the knowledge that they had lost control of their child"s life and well-being. With the abatement of cancer the carers gave new meanings to define their self and situation, and with particular front stages and back stages of interaction according to their insider or outsider audiences. They also developed new understandings of being a carer of a child in remission; by weaving together new meanings of hope and uncertainty with strategies of emphasising everyday life to mitigate the impact of cancer in their lives. The extent of child morbidities deriving from cancer treatment is the most pertinent constraint in shaping everyday life after cancer rather than cancer per se.
By examining childhood cancer and its survival from the participants" perspectives, the thesis offers understandings of health and illness as an ongoing social process that sits between the binaries of acute and chronic illness, cancer and survivorship and children and primary care. The findings offer ways to enhance current and future families impacted by childhood cancer, with policy direction to inform health and allied health professionals and cancer support services.


Developmental reading programs have historically resisted intentional application of literary and rhetorical theoretical frameworks. This dissertation argues that a developmental reading program would benefit from curriculum design that is based on reading theory, specifically reception theories and rhetorical theory. Pedagogical practices based on these theories would shift the focus of reading instruction away from the text and toward the student, allowing and empowering the developmental student to take ownership of the meaning-construction that takes place during reading. By tracing the history of the developmental reading department of one community college, I am able to demonstrate why a developmental reading department would fail to rely on reading theory from the start, how a department can unify its basis in developmental education theory with reading theory, and how this will impact developmental reading students in the department.


Background Community, or non-professional, rugby has a high incidence of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Risk of further mTBI, or long term consequences of repeat mTBI, is an emerging public health issue. Objective To identify the time to recurrent mTBI and key predictors for time to recurrent mTBI among community rugby players. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Rugby union players from Sydney, Australia playing in grade, suburban and school-level community competitions. Participants A cohort of 3 207 male players was recruited pre-season and followed between one and three playing seasons. Demographic information, player characteristics and concussion history was collected. Players sustaining an mTBI were recorded and information pertaining to the injury, recovery and return-to-play was collected over three months. Risk factor assessment Loss of consciousness and post-traumatic amnesia. Main outcome measurements Time to mTBI, namely, the number of hours of game exposure played up to the time the player sustained a first and repeat mTBI. Results Players were more likely to sustain a second mTBI if they experienced loss of consciousness (LOC) or post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) with their first mTBI. Players who experienced LOC with their first mTBI were three times more likely to sustain a second mTBI compared to those who did not experience LOC (P=.037). Players who experienced PTA with their first mTBI were 2.5 times more likely to sustain a second mTBI compared to those who did not experience PTA (P=.059). Conclusions Community rugby players are three times more likely to sustain a subsequent mTBI if they experienced a LOC with their first mTBI, and 2.5 times more likely if they experienced PTA. It is recommended that coaches and support staff identify players who experience LOC or PTA with their mTBI in order to prevent or delay subsequent mTBIs from being sustained by the player.


The Bank of England's Centre for Central Banking Studies (CCBS) conducts training, seminars and collaborative research with and for central banks in the rest of the world. It enjoys contact with some 150 of these, and now averages over 1,000 training contacts each year in all. The typical medium is a week-long course in London or abroad. These cover nearly all subjects of concern to central banks, with a growing emphasis, among other topics, on forecasting and econometric modelling for monetary policy. CCBS handbooks and other publications are read all over the world; some 8,000 electronic download requests for handbooks are received each month.


The intrinsic motivation demonstrated towards digital games provides the opportunity for its use as a learning tool irrespective of gender differences. This has resulted in the combination of the motivation of games with curricular content referred to as Digital Game-Based Learning. While some related studies have argued that there are no gender differences in the motivational appeal of digital educational games, others present an opposing view.

This paper reports the result of an investigation into the motivational appeal of digital educational games for 11-14 years old girls and boys. There is evidence that this age group is pivotal to the shrinking pipeline phenomenon in which fewer females progressively engage with computer science education and careers.

The investigation involved a two stage study composed of a qualitative exploratory study, which identified the key criteria for the successful appeal of some digital entertainment games to young girls and boys and a main study. The main study generate both qualitative and quantitative data to further investigate the motivational appeal of digital educational games for learning basic computer science concepts for both girls and boys of age 11-14 years old. For the main study, two experimental games for learning basic computer science concepts were created based on the key criteria identified from the exploratory study.

The first included the game characteristics that appeared to support the motivational appeal of the girls. The second game was antithetical to the first. Both genders from the participating population engaged with both games and online questionnaires were used to capture data on their perception of both games.

The outcome of the investigation which involved 304 participants (girls = 152 and boys =152) from Southeast England, United Kingdom provided the empirical evidence in support of the argument that there are gender differences in the motivational appeal of digital educational game characteristics which can either support or thwart motivation i.e. one size does not fit all.

The result of this investigation should support educationists, researchers and digital educational game designers in having an inclusive approach towards the creation of digital educational games for learning.


Liddell & Scott's Greek-English Lexicon (9/e 1940) is the most comprehensive and up-to-date ancient Greek dictionary in the world. It is used by every student of ancient Greek in the English-speaking world, and is an essential library and scholarly purchase there and in W. Europe and Japan. The main dictionary covers every surviving ancient Greek author and text discovered up to 1940, from the Pre-Classical Greek of the 11C - 8C BC (for example Homer and Hesiod), through Classical Greek (7C - 5C BC) to the Hellenistic Period, including the Greek Old and New Testaments. Entries list irregular inflections, and together with the definition, each sense includes citations from Greek authors illustrating usage. The Lexicon is Greek into English only, as are other ancient Greek dictionaries. This is the market expectation among both students and scholars. In 1968 the Lexicon was updated with a Supplement, which was available as a separate volume (until 1992) or bound together with the dictionary. Representing the culmination of 13 years' work, the new Revised Supplement is a complete replacement for the 1968 Supplement. Nearly twice the size of the 1968 edition, with over 20,000 entries, it adds to the dictionary words and forms from papyri and inscriptions discovered between 1940 and the 1990s as well as a host of other revisions, updatings, and corrections to the main dictionary. Linear B forms are shown within entries for the first time, and the Revised Supplement gives the dictionary a date-range from 1200 BC to 600 AD. It is fully cross-referenced to the main text but additions have been designed to be easily used without constant reference to the main text.


Abstract Objective: The goal for asthma treatment is that every individual, so far as possible, shall live without symptoms and exacerbations. Patients and health care professionals sometimes have different perceptions of what is important for achieving good quality of life. This work aims to describe the experiences among adolescents as well as those of parents with young children living with asthma. Methods: Four focus group interviews were performed, two with parents of young children and two with adolescents. The data were qualitatively analyzed, using Systematic Text Condensation. Result: Three themes relevant to the participants' experiences of living with asthma were presented; strategies, frustrations and expectations. The adolescents wanted to be like their peers and developed their own strategies for self-management of asthma, which included not always taking medication as prescribed. The parents emphasized frustration regarding not being believed, lack of understanding feelings of loneliness, or anxiety. One identified expectation was that the participants wanted to be met with competence and understanding in asthma care from health care professionals. Another expectation expressed among parents was that teachers in nursery and primary schools should have more knowledge and understanding on how to care for children with asthma. Conclusion: Living with asthma leads to developing personal strategies in self-management of asthma. Moreover both parents and adolescents had expectations of being met by competent and understanding health care professionals. Developing a partnership between patients and health care professionals could be a successful way to improve the care of patients with asthma.


Background The magnitude of treatment effect in acute stroke depends on several factors, including time from symptom onset (TFSO) to treatment and severity of the initial insult. Objective To report further evaluation of NeuroFlo therapy, focusing on the effect of time and stroke severity. Methods SENTIS was a prospective randomized trial (N=515) comparing standard medical therapy with/without NeuroFlo therapy. For this analysis, we evaluated outcomes in groups of patients based on TFSO and stroke severity: patients randomized <6 h, 6–10 h, and >10 h with mild (NIHSS<8), moderate (8–14), and severe (>14) symptoms at randomization. 90-Day mRS (modified Rankin Scale) scores and stroke-related death rates were compared between treatment groups. Results For patients randomized <6 h TFSO (n=128), the OR for mRS 0–2 was 3.11 (CI 1.30 to 7.46, p=0.011) for treated versus non-treated patients. In patients with disease of moderate severity (NIHSS 8–14, n=214), NeuroFlo-treated patients were more likely to have a good outcome (mRS 0–2; OR=1.84, CI 1.02 to 3.33, p=0.043). The stroke-related death rate was better in the treated group with TFSO >10 h and NIHSS >14 (n=42) (OR=7.10, CI 1.13 to 44.55, p=0.036). Conclusions The results of our analysis support the importance of careful selection of outcome measures and the impact that rapid treatment and initial stroke severity have on outcome. Clinical trial registration URL://http.clinicaltrials.gov.Unique identifier: NCT00119717.


Peer review of manuscripts for biomedical journals has become a subject of intense ethical debate. One of the most contentious issues is whether or not peer review should be anonymous. This study aimed to generate a rich, empirically-grounded understanding of the values held by journal editors and peer reviewers with a view to informing journal policy. Qualitative methods were used to carry out an inductive analysis of biomedical reviewers' and editors' values. Data was derived from indepth, open-ended interviews with journal editors and peer reviewers. Data was "read for" themes relevant to reviewer anonymisation and interactions among editors, reviewers, and authors. Editors and peer reviewers provided three arguments that would support a more open and interactive peerreview process. First, a number of participants emphasised the importance of not only ensuring the scientific quality of published research but also nurturing their colleagues and supporting their communities. Second, many spoke about the ongoing moral responsibilities that reviewers and editors felt toward authors. Finally, participants spoke at length about their enjoyment of social interactions and of the value of collective, rather than isolated, reasoning processes. Whether or not journal editors decide to allow anonymous review, the values of editors and reviewers need to be seriously addressed in codes of publication ethics, in the management of biomedical journals, and in the establishment of journal policies.


BACKGROUND
Malnutrition is widely prevalent in the pediatric population in India. There is paucity of data on the prevalence of malnutrition in pediatric cancer patients and the impact of cancer treatment on nutritional status of Indian children.

AIMS
The study was conducted to look at the prevalence of malnutrition and assess the impact of treatment on nutritional status of pediatric cancer patients.

SETTINGS AND DESIGN
This was a retrospective study.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Data on the weight of pediatric cancer patients <16 years of age treated at Cancer Institute, Chennai, from January 2013 to May 2014 were analyzed at systematic time points in therapy. Patients' weight were plotted on the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) growth charts. Patients were defined to be undernourished if their weight for age was ≤3rd centile in CDC growth charts and obese if their weight for age was ≥97th centile on CDC growth charts.

RESULTS
A total of 295 patient case records were analyzed. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia was the most common malignancy. At diagnosis, under-nutrition was seen in 44% patients, this increased to 46% midway during treatment (end of induction in acute leukemia and completion of 50% of planned treatment in solid tumors) and decreased to 27% at the end of treatment (beginning of maintenance in acute leukemia and completion of planned treatment in solid tumors) (P = 0.0005). There was no significant difference in nutritional status between patients with hematological malignancies and solid tumors (P = 0.8).

CONCLUSION
Under-nutrition is present in close to half of the pediatric cancer patients presenting to our institute. Active nutritional intervention and education were able to significantly reduce the prevalence of under-nutrition in patients at the end of treatment.


ABSTRACT Herbivores can alter plant physiology through the induction of abnormal wood formation. Feeding by some insects induces the formation of false rings, a band of thick-walled latewood cells within the earlywood portion of the tree ring that reduces water transport. Hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae Annand) and elongate hemlock scale (Fiorinia externa Ferris) are invasive insects that both feed on eastern hemlock [Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carrière]. Adelges tsugae has a greater effect on tree health than F. externa, but the mechanism underlying their differential effect is unknown. We explored the effects of these herbivores by assessing growth ring formation in branches of trees that had been experimentally infested for 4 yr with A. tsugae, F. externa, or neither insect. We measured false ring density, ring growth, and earlywood: latewood ratios in the two most recently deposited growth rings. Branches from A. tsugae-infested trees had 30% more false rings than branches from F. externa-infested trees and 50% more than branches from uninfested trees. In contrast, branches from F. externa-infested trees and control trees did not differ in false ring formation. Radial growth and earlywood: latewood ratios did not differ among treatments. Our results show that two invasive herbivores with piercing-sucking mouth parts have differing effects on false ring formation in eastern hemlock. These false rings may be the product of a systemic plant hypersensitive response to feeding by A. tsugae on hemlock stems. If false rings are responsible for or symptomatic of hemlock water stress, this may provide a potential explanation for the relatively large effect of A. tsugae infestations on tree health.


I will outline the principles of ethical and effective advance care planning both for children and adults. I will outline the range of interventions which can be withheld or withdrawn, including feeding and hydration. I will outline the concept of values-based advance care planning and its relevance to context-specific medical decisions. I will show how people have a de facto right to euthanasia through the advance refusal of feeding and hydration.


As the backbone of many computing environments today, it is important that process virtual machines be both performant and robust in mobile, personal desktop, and enterprise applications. This thesis focusses on code generation within these virtual machines, particularly addressing situations where redundant work is being performed. The goal is to exploit information sharing in order to improve the performance and robustness of virtual machines that are accelerated by native code generation. First, the thesis investigates the potential to share generated code between multiple threads in a dynamic binary translator used to perform instruction set simulation. This is done through a code generation design that allows native code to be executed by any simulated core and adding a mechanism to share native code regions between threads. This is shown to improve the average performance of multi-threaded benchmarks by 1.4x when simulating 128 cores on a quad-core host machine. Secondly, the ahead-of-time code generation system used for executing Android applications is improved through the use of profiling. The thesis investigates the potential for profiles produced by individual users of applications to be shared and merged together to produce a generic profile that still provides a lot of benefit for a new user who is then able to skip the expensive profiling phase. These profiles can not only be used for selective compilation to reduce code-size and installation time, but can also be used for focussed optimisation on vital code regions of an application in order to improve overall performance. With selective compilation applied to a set of popular Android applications, code-size can be reduced by 49.9% on average, while installation time can be reduced by 31.8%, with only an average 8.5% increase in the amount of sequential runtime required to execute the collected profiles. The thesis also shows that, among the tested users, the use of a crowd-sourced and merged profile does not significantly affect their estimated performance loss from selective compilation (0.90x-0.92x) in comparison to when they they perform selective compilation with their own unique profile (0.93x). Furthermore, by proposing a new, more powerful code generator for Android's virtual machine, these same profiles can be used to perform focussed optimisation, which preliminary results show to increase runtime performance across a set of common Android benchmarks by 1.46x-10.83x. Finally, in such a situation where a new code generator is being added to a virtual machine, it is also important to test the code generator for correctness and robustness. The methods of execution of a virtual machine, such as interpreters and code generators, must share a set of semantics about how programs must be executed, and this can be exploited in order to improve testing. This is done through the application of domain-aware binary fuzzing and differential testing within Android's virtual machine. The thesis highlights a series of actual code generation and verification bugs that were found in Android's virtual machine using this testing methodology, as well as comparing the proposed approach to other state-of-the-art fuzzing techniques.


Over the past several decades worksite-based health promotion efforts have slowly evolved. Although there are no standard program components common to all corporate programs, it is generally accepted that comprehensive, effective health promotion programs include corporate culture modification, social marketing efforts, and health promotion programming activities. These programs are designed to help employees develop positive health behaviors to achieve corporate goals such as improving morale and productivity, and reducing health care cost and rates of absenteeism.
Similarly, all states have mandated some form of health education programming also designed to help students develop and maintain behaviors conducive to health. Although the ultimate goals of these programs are similar (to encourage the adoption or maintenance of healthy lifestyle behaviors), the methods used to achieve these goals are often quite disparate. The purpose of this article is to propose a different approach to school health education, one that implements the key features of the worksite health promotion model to improve student health.


Although international interest on e-gambling commerce is steadily increasing, studies about the online sports betting sector in Greece are very rare. Based on a web survey the present study, attempts to address this gap, by shedding light on the active sports bettors characteristics, preferences and patterns in Greece. A thorough analysis of 325 internet sport bettors reveals contingent relations between significant variables, while conclusions are drawn about the size of stakes placed and the punters motivations.


Time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) enables acquisition of fluorescence lifetime decays with high temporal resolution within the fluorescence decay. However, many thousands of photons per pixel are required for accurate lifetime decay curve representation, instrument response deconvolution, and lifetime estimation, particularly for two-component lifetimes. TCSPC imaging speed is inherently limited due to the single photon per laser pulse nature and low fluorescence event efficiencies (<10%) required to reduce bias towards short lifetimes. Here, simulated fluorescence lifetime decays are analyzed by SPCImage and SLIM Curve software to determine the limiting lifetime parameters and photon requirements of fluorescence lifetime decays that can be accurately fit. Data analysis techniques to improve fitting accuracy for low photon count data were evaluated. Temporal binning of the decays from 256 time bins to 42 time bins significantly (p<0.0001) improved fit accuracy in SPCImage and enabled accurate fits with low photon counts (as low as 700 photons/decay), a 6-fold reduction in required photons and therefore improvement in imaging speed. Additionally, reducing the number of free parameters in the fitting algorithm by fixing the lifetimes to known values significantly reduced the lifetime component error from 27.3% to 3.2% in SPCImage (p<0.0001) and from 50.6% to 4.2% in SLIM Curve (p<0.0001). Analysis of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-lactate dehydrogenase (NADH-LDH) solutions confirmed temporal binning of TCSPC data and a reduced number of free parameters improves exponential decay fit accuracy in SPCImage. Altogether, temporal binning (in SPCImage) and reduced free parameters are data analysis techniques that enable accurate lifetime estimation from low photon count data and enable TCSPC imaging speeds up to 6x and 300x faster, respectively, than traditional TCSPC analysis.


Web penetration testing embodies both the understanding of attack and defense philosophies. By learning malicious hacking activities, students will understand the perspectives of attackers and realize how to defend a Web application system. To foster information security education, it is important to introduce the attack understanding philosophy. Using student group projects, this study aims to measure student learning effectiveness in Web application security and to discover how students perceive learning given the attack understanding philosophy. In support of triangulation, this research will employ pre-test and post-test study along with the grounded theory approach. The future research findings will propose a framework to improve student learning effectiveness and student learning perception in Web application security.


Abstract. We analyzed the measurements of ozone (O3) and its precursors made at rural/suburban sites downwind of four large Chinese cities – Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Lanzhou, to elucidate their pollution characteristics, regional transport, in situ production, and impacts of heterogeneous processes. The same measurement techniques and observation-based model were used to minimize uncertainties in comparison of the results due to difference in methodologies. All four cities suffered from serious O3 pollution but showed different precursor distributions. The model-calculated in situ O3 production rates were compared with the observed change rates to infer the relative contributions of on-site photochemistry and transport. At the rural site downwind of Beijing, export of the well-processed urban plumes contributed to the extremely high O3 levels (up to an hourly value of 286 ppbv), while the O3 pollution observed at suburban sites of Shanghai, Guangzhou and Lanzhou was dominated by intense in situ production. The O3 production was in a volatile organic compound (VOC)-limited regime in both Shanghai and Guangzhou, and a NOx-limited regime in Lanzhou. The key VOC precursors are aromatics and alkenes in Shanghai, and aromatics in Guangzhou. The potential impacts on O3 production of several heterogeneous processes, namely, hydrolysis of dinitrogen pentoxide (N2O5), uptake of hydro peroxy radical (HO2) on particles and surface reactions of NO2 forming nitrous acid (HONO), were assessed. The analyses indicate the varying and considerable impacts of these processes in different areas of China depending on the atmospheric abundances of aerosol and NOx, and suggest the urgent need to better understand these processes and represent them in photochemical models.


Abstract In the Netherlands, the formation of governance arrangements around planning issues that cross administrative boundaries has been assisted frequently by a design approach that is often referred to as "regional design". This is a distinctive method of policy argumentation that makes use of spatial representations of the plausible future of regions. Such representations are intended not only to indicate physical changes, but also to stimulate debate on sharing responsibilities and resources for planning tasks among planning actors. This paper contributes to a better understanding of the performance of regional design in the context of fragmented regional governance through a case study in the southern part of the Randstad in the Netherlands. We argue that regional design has contributed to institutional capacity in a complex polycentric and, looking at the governance structure, pluricentric region like the Randstad South Wing, largely by allowing for multiple interpretations.


An enhanced understanding of the dynamics of psychosocial change processes within behavioral weight loss treatments is required to improve their generally poor results. Based on social cognitive theory, self-regulation of eating has the possibility of affecting interrelations between psychosocial correlates of inappropriate eating behaviors such as emotional eating and negative mood. Within behavioral interventions, physical activity, treatment foci, and the length of treatment might moderate those relationships. The aim of this research was to contrast intervention effects based on treatment type, and evaluate interrelations of changes in theory-based psychosocial variables. Adult females with obesity (overall Mage = 48.6 years; overall MBMI = 35.3 kg/m2) were block randomized into groups of 28 weeks of phone-supported manual-based education (Group 1, n = 52), 58 weeks of cognitive-behavioral group treatment (Group 2, n = 52), and 99 weeks of cognitive-behavioral group treatment followed by phone-based reviews of intervention materials (Group 3, n = 48). Significant improvements in measures of emotional eating, negative mood, self-regulation for controlling eating, physical activity, and body composition were found in each group over 3, 6, 12, and 24 months, with generally larger effect sizes detected in Groups 2 and 3. Reciprocal, mutually reinforcing, relationships were found between changes in emotional eating and mood, which were significantly mediated by self-regulation changes. Physical activity level significantly moderated mood changes, treatment foci on emotional eating significantly moderated changes in emotional eating, and treatment length significantly moderated long-term changes in emotional eating, but not mood. Findings support a treatment duration of at least one year that emphasizes physical activity and self-regulatory skills usage, and interrelations between changes in emotional eating, self-regulation, mood, and physical activity.


There is currently a large interest in photon countingCT detector research in both academia and industry. There are several detector systems and strategies to handle major challenges such as the very high count‐rate, while the energy information for each photon is retained. Another challenge is cross talk, which may compromise the energy estimation for the photons and can cause double counts, which gets worse with smaller pixel size. If implemented in the clinic, photon countingCT will likely enable a dose reduction when this is important, as for example in pediatric CT.Photon countingCT will also make possible quantitative measurements, energy weighting and/or tissue decomposition techniques that can be of great importance for a number of imaging tasks


This paper uses administrative tax data to estimate top wealth in the United States. We assemble new data that links people to their sources of capital income and develop new methods to estimate the degree of return heterogeneity within asset classes. Disaggregated fixed income data reveal that rich individuals earn much more of their interest income in higher-yielding forms, and have much greater exposure to credit risk. Consequently, in recent years, the interest rate on fixed income at the top is approximately three times higher than the average. Using firm-level characteristics to value firms, we find that twenty percent of total pass-through business wealth accrues to those with losses. We combine this new data on fixed income and pass-through business returns with refined estimates of C-corporation equity, housing, and pension wealth to deliver new capitalized wealth estimates. Our approach---which builds on Saez and Zucman (2016) and Bricker, Henriques, and Hansen (2018)---reduces bias because wealth and rates of return are correlated. From 1989 to 2016, the top 1%, 0.1%, and 0.01% wealth shares increased by 7.6, 5.1, and 3.0 percentage points, respectively, to 31.5%, 15.0%, and 7.0%. While these changes are less dramatic than some prior estimates, wealth is very concentrated: the top 1% holds nearly as much wealth as either the bottom 90% or the "P90-99" class. We discuss implications for income inequality measures, capital tax policy, and savings behavior.


International Reactor Innovative and Secure (IRIS) is an integral configuration pressurised light water reactor that has been in development since late 1999 by an international consortium. Its design and safety characteristics have been amply reported. In this paper the safety-by-design? IRIS philosophy is reviewed to show how the projected safety performance (most accidents either eliminated or inherently mitigated, Core Damage Frequency (CDF) due to internal events of the order of 10−8 events/year) exceeds the current norm of nuclear reactors. The IRIS project plans to use this enhanced safety response to explore the possibility of lessening, or even eliminating, the off-site emergency planning requirement. A review is given of previous attempts to attain this relaxation of licensing regulations and of current goals for advanced reactors. Finally, the proposed methodology is outlined. It consists of a combined deterministic and probabilistic approach, including a review of the defence in-depth, and a risk informed analysis of a wide spectrum of accidents, rather than an evaluation limited to a few design-based accidents.


We describe and evaluate the algorithmic techniques that are used in the FF planning system. Like the HSP system, FF relies on forward state space search, using a heuristic that estimates goal distances by ignoring delete lists. Unlike HSP's heuristic, our method does not assume facts to be independent. We introduce a novel search strategy that combines hill-climbing with systematic search, and we show how other powerful heuristic information can be extracted and used to prune the search space. FF was the most successful automatic planner at the recent AIPS-2000 planning competition. We review the results of the competition, give data for other benchmark domains, and investigate the reasons for the runtime performance of FF compared to HSP.


Abstract A design is presented for the electron cyclotron (EC) heating and current drive system of the ITER upper port launchers based on the remote steering (RS) concept. In this concept the millimeter-wave beam is steered by a mirror that is located at the back end of the launcher waveguide. The RS concept has the advantage that the mirror steering mechanism can be situated in the secondary vacuum of the ITER machine where neutron flux and beryllium and tritium contamination is reduced. This allows simpler maintenance relative to a system with a plasma-facing steering mechanism. The optimization is carried out on the quasi-optical elements of the system, including the mirror shapes and positions. The design is assessed for its effectiveness in stabilizing the neoclassical tearing mode (NTM) over a wide range of ITER reference scenarios. The stabilization performance is quantified in terms of the parameter ηntm, expressing the ratio between the peak EC wave–driven current density and the bootstrap current density, which parameter should exceed 1.2. The performance is also evaluated in terms of beam-focusing properties and power loading on the mirrors, and an empirical relation between beam size and ηntm has been established. The performance achieved meets the requirements for NTM stabilization in all but one of the ITER reference scenarios.


Policy enabled applications are being increasingly employed to support responsive information technology services. In competitive business environments, such services increase adaptability of both software and the processes they implement through externalized business and security logic. Over the last decade this has driven both industry and academia to contribute to policy research and engineering, by developing specification languages, frameworks and toolkits. Since this work has typically been applied to and evaluated using new enterprise solutions, policy management for existing applications has been less well studied. In this paper we share our experiences on policy enabling an existing Web based solution, together with identifying new policy enabling requirements from a specific class of enterprise systems


Our cultural heritage and the way we preserve and valorise it is a major factor in defining Europe's place in the world and its attractiveness as a place to live, work, and visit; a powerful instrument that provides a sense of belonging amongst and between European citizens. The need to preserve, provide advanced access to and understanding of cultural heritage is clearly of utmost importance, especially when considering its wealth throughout Europe.

Scan4Reco project aims deliver a multi-modal and multi-discipline platform that will be able to non-destructively scan any cultural asset Scan4Reco introduces a novel and innovative approach for the scientific and wider community as it enables the processing of multi-sensorial input in such a way that produces a hierarchical, multi-layered and multidimensional complete model of the object of interest. In addition, Scan4Reco will combine the object of interest with inter-disciplinary knowledge derived from the web and specific relevant datasets while also provide it with an automatic inference of its forthcoming state/shape in the future.


In this article, we will analyze the fundamental basis for the regulation of the spectrum as it has been described by numerous scholars in the past few decades. Specifically, we will explore the concept of "scarcity" from economic, sociopolitical, and legal perspectives. As the reader will quickly gather, this article advances a spectrum management philosophy that decries unwarranted centrally planned command-and-control systems and espouses market liberalism. Of course, the world is awash with literature describing the failures of centralized planning. Given that the spectrum continues to be managed under a centralized regime, we will nonetheless take another opportunity to consider some of these failures. In so doing, we will draw numerous analogies and metaphors, some (perhaps many) of them imperfect, that will help us to understand the core principles that we will examine. In fact, we will discuss this topic at length to (1) clarify the reasons that traditional principles no longer applies as it has in the past and (2) impart an alternate concept that embraces modern economic and regulatory principles.


In conformity with international practice, Australian law of intellectual property1 protects copyright, inter alia, in literary, musical, dramatic and artistic works, but grants exceptions for "fair dealing."2 On the one hand the Australian law recognises that one of the objectives of copyright protection is "that one [person] must not be permitted to appropriate the result of another's labour,"3 and, on the other, it accepts that another objective is "to promote the progress of science and useful arts."4 Thus, the copyright legislation encourages creative endeavours, and at the same time safeguards public interest, for example by encouraging economic development by providing incentives. To that end, one of the defences for copyright infringement provided in the Copyright Act 1968 is "fair dealing" including "for the purpose of research or study." The Australian (Federal) Copyright Amendment (Digital Agenda) Act 2000, which is a comprehensive and all-inclusive response to the fast-evolving nature of the internet, has kept up the tradition and included the defence of fair dealing for the purpose of research or study. This article examines some relevant areas of copyright law, particularly appropriate to the research or study aspects of the fair dealing provisions, as interpreted by the Australian courts. Statutory provisions5 Statutory protection of copyright goes back to the Statute of Anne - "Act for the encouragement of Learning"-(UK, 1709). In Miller v Taylor6- copyright was accepted as a form of personal property. The House of Lords decided in 1774(7) that the scope and extent of copyright was within the legislative jurisdiction, and the rights of authors existed only by statutory provision, for example the period of time for copyrighted materials. When the Australian colonies were established, the first laws of intellectual property were as legislated by the imperial Parliament. Then, some colonies either supplemented the Imperial laws, or passed their own laws. After Australia came into being as a result of the federation, the Commonwealth (Federal) Parliament occupied the ground.8 The present legislation is the (Federal) Copyright Act 1968.9 The Act, while giving detailed and numerous copyright protections, provides a number of specific circumstances when the use of copyright material is allowed without permission or payment, and therefore will not be an infringement.10 The major provisions" allow the use of a copyrighted literary and other works12 for "fair dealing for the purpose of criticism or review",13 "fair dealing for the purpose of reporting news"14 and, what this article is concerned about, "fair dealing for the purpose of research or study."15 In addition, it is clarified that a fair dealing (other than lecture notes) does not constitute an infringement of the copyright materials if it is for the purpose of, or association with, an approved course of study or research by an enrolled external student of an educational institution.16 The expression "lecture notes" is defined as "any literary work produced for the purpose of the course of study or research by a person lecturing or teaching in or in connection with the course of study or research."17 A special qualification is added, so far as research and study defence is concerned, in section 40(2): in determining whether a dealing by way of copying the whole or part of the work constitutes a fair dealing, regard must be had to factors including: "(a) the purpose and character of the dealing; (b) the nature of the work or adaptation; (c) the possibility of obtaining the work or adaptation within a reasonable time at an ordinary commercial price; (d) the effect of the dealing upon the potential market for, or value of, the work or adaptation; and (e) in case where part only of the work or adaptation is copied-the amount and substantiality of the part copied taken in relation to the whole work or adaptation. …


This Letter proposes a confined laser swelling method to fabricate large curvature microlens arrays. Unlike the polymers in conventional free laser swelling, the swelling polymer, which is methyl red-doped polymethyl methacrylate here, is confined between walls formed by a substrate and a flexible cover layer. Because swelling occurs in an enclosed space, decomposed segments remain in the matrix, resulting in a large hump at the side of the flexible cover layer. The results show that these humps are tens of times higher than those acquired by conventional methods and this method has potential for high efficiency large curvature microlens fabrication.