: I argue for the importance of rhetorical schemes for understanding, diagnosing, and coping with forms of dementia. Schemes give salience (recruit attention), memorability (affect storage and facilitate retrieval), and aesthetic effects (induce a pleasurable emotional response) to configurations of language. They do so because of the way they play to neurocognitive pattern biases, like repetition, sequence, and position. Dementia is a condition under which language ability degrades, alongside memory and attention, but pattern biases appear to be comparatively robust, and schemic configurations become more and more frequent in dementia speech. Rhetorical schemes, that is, are notably resilient to the forces that diminish language use in individuals with dementia.


How can we read the Bible to be formed as readers? This question opens a number of possible avenues of academic inquiry, but the one taken in this paper is mainly concerned with hermeneutical questions of how we read the Bible and whether we can formulate a hermeneutical framework for formative interpretation. To that end we analyse interpretative approaches of the modern era and ask whether these are hospitable or hostile to Christian formation. Our findings show the negative effects of pluralism and secularisation that dominate in the field of hermeneutics. Our work then focuses on the development of a theological hermeneutics, within which formative interpretation receives stable goals and criteria. This we achieve in three steps; one, we propose three basic hermeneutical decisions that constitute theological hermeneutics; two, we define and describe formation from a Christian perspective and use those insights as guidelines for formative interpretation; three, we describe two formal characteristics of formative interpretation. In essence, this paper sees formative interpretation as an ecclesial task that focuses on discernment of God's being and presence in the world, which Scripture witnesses of and explains. Formative interpretation is a holistic task of the reader to bring one's whole self before God in the reading of Scripture, and in that posture and practice we expect God to speak through the entirety of Scripture to use today.


Mobile Augmented Reality is an ideal technology for presenting information in an attractive, comprehensive and personalized way to visitors of cultural heritage sites. One of the pioneer projects in this area was certainly the European project ArcheoGuide (IST-1999-11306) which developed and evaluated Augmented Reality (AR) at a very early stage. Many progresses have been done since then, and novel devices and algorithms offer novel possibilities and functionalities. In this paper we present current research work and discuss different approaches of Mobile AR for cultural heritage. Since this area is very large we focus on the visual aspects of such technologies, namely tracking and computer vision, as well as visualization.


The Discrete Event System Specification (DEVS) provides a general methodology for hierarchical construction of reusable models in a modular way and has been used to simulate complex systems in a variety of domains. This dissertation addresses software design and performance issues that arise in parallel simulation of large-scale DEVS-based models on multiprocessor cluster architecture.
Parallel simulation of complex DEVS-based models requires a robust simulator with low synchronization overhead. Recent researches focused on optimistic parallel simulation of DEVS-based systems. In this research three conservative parallel DEVS protocols (Lower-Bound-Time-Stamp (LBTS), Chandy-Misra-Bryant (CMB), and Global-Lookahead-Management (GLM)) are proposed, allowing pure conservative simulation of DEVS-based systems. The protocols are based on the classical Chandy-Misra-Bryant synchronization mechanism, and they extend the DEVS abstract simulator, providing means for lookahead computation and null message distribution. A purely conservative simulator, called CCD++, is presented designed for running large-scale DEVS and Cell-DEVS models in parallel and distributed fashion.
An extensive comparative performance analysis is presented, analyzing the performance of CCD++ compared to an optimistic DEVS simulator. Several DEVS-based environmental models with different characteristics are studied. The experiments indicate that the conservative simulator improves performance in terms of execution time, memory usage, operational cost, and system stability for large models.


The absolute time required to check and repair a file system is increasing because disk capacities are growing faster than disk bandwidth and seek time remains almost unchanged. At the same time, file system repair is becoming more common, because the per-bit error rate of disks is not dropping as fast as the number of bits per disk is growing, resulting in more errors per disk. With existing file systems, a single corrupted metadata block requires the entire file system to be unmounted, checked, and repaired--a process that takes hours or days to complete, during which time the data is completely unavailable. The resulting "fsck time crunch" is already making file systems only a few terabytes in size impractical to administrate. We propose chunkfs, which divides on-disk file system data into small, individually repairable fault-isolation domains while preserving normal file system semantics.


We provide a thorough exposition of recent results on the quantum stabilization of cosmic strings. Stabilization occurs through the coupling to a heavy fermion doublet in a reduced version of the standard model. The study combines the vacuum polarization energy of fermion zero-point fluctuations and the binding energy of occupied energy levels, which are of the same order in a semi-classical expansion. Populating these bound states assigns a charge to the string. Strings carrying fermion charge become stable if the Higgs and gauge fields are coupled to a fermion that is less than twice as heavy as the top quark. The vacuum remains stable in the model, because neutral strings are not energetically favored. These findings suggest that extraordinarily large fermion masses or unrealistic couplings are not required to bind a cosmic string in the standard model.


Analysis of reflectance spectra was used to monitor the conversion of diadinoxanthin (DD) into diatoxanthin (DT) in two benthic diatom species, Amphora coffeaeformis (C. Agardh) Kütz. and Cylindrotheca closterium (Ehrenb.) J. C. Lewin et Reiman, cultured at high light (HL, 400 μmol · m−2 · s−1 PAR) and low light (LL, 25 μmol · m−2 · s−1 PAR). Cultures were exposed to saturating light for 32 min. HL cultures of both species showed higher (DT + DD) content, whereas LL cultures exhibited higher chl a and fucoxanthin content. DD to DT conversion, measured by HPLC, occurred mainly in the first 2 min (LL) or 5 min (HL) after exposure to saturating light. Nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ), measured by PAM fluorescence, showed the same pattern as DT/(DD + DT), resulting in a linear relationship between these parameters. Addition of dithiothreitol (DTT) blocked the conversion of DD into DT and significantly reduced NPQ induction. Reflectance spectra showed no obvious change after light exposure. However, second derivative spectra (δδ) showed a shift in reflectance from 487 to 508 nm, which was not present for DTT‐treated samples. Changes in δδ487 were strongly correlated with changes in DD (r = 0.76), while changes in δδ508 were strongly correlated with changes in DT (r = 0.94). The best index to estimate DD to DT conversion was δδ508/δδ630 (r = 0.87). This index was very sensitive to minute changes that occurred immediately after exposure to light and was species insensitive. Good relationships were observed between indices for xanthophyll cycle activation (DD to DT conversion and NPQ induction) and the second derivative spectra. With further in situ validation, this index may prove to be highly useful for investigation into aquatic global photoregulation mechanisms in diatom‐dominated samples.


Semi-analytic simulation principle in GNSS sig- nal processing bypasses the bit-true operations at high sam- pling frequency. Instead, signals at the output branches of the integrate&dump blocks are successfully modeled, thus making extensive Monte Carlo simulations feasible. Meth- ods for simulations of code and carrier tracking loops with BPSK, BOC signals have been introduced in the literature. Matlab toolboxes were designed and published. In this pa- per, we further extend the applicability of the approach. Firstly, we describe any GNSS signal as a special instance of linear multi-dimensional modulation. Thereby, we state uni- versal framework for classification of differently modulated signals. Using such description, we derive the semi-analytic models generally. Secondly, we extend the model for realis- tic scenarios including delay in the feed back, slowly fading multipath effects, finite bandwidth, phase noise, and a com- bination of these. Finally, a discussion on connection of this semi-analytic model and position-velocity-time estimator is delivered, as well as comparison of theoretical and simu- lated characteristics, produced by a prototype simulator de- veloped at CTU in Prague.


"So what can happen when Tove Jansson turns her attention to her own favourite subjects, love and work, in the form of this novel about two women, lifelong partners and friends? Expect something philosophically calm - and discreetly radical. Its publication is cause for huge celebration."(Ali Smith, from her Introduction to Fair Play) What mattered most to Tove Jansson, she explained in her eighties, was work and love, a sentiment she echoes in this tender and original novel. Translated for the first time into English, Fair Play portrays a love between two older women, a writer and artist, as they work side-by-side in their Helsinki studios, travel together and share summers on a remote island. In the generosity and respect they show each other and the many small shifts they make to accommodate each other's creativity we are shown a relationship both heartening and truly progressive.


This Article explores the character of the public housing tenancy, comparing it with the common law tenancy under private lease law and evaluating the degree to which private lease law will protect the interests of low-income families if current proposals to abolish existing in-kind housing programs are adopted. Part II of this Article traces the history of federally funded housing programs and describes the various strategies employed. Part III discusses the recent changes in modern private lease law and recounts the basic rights and obligations of the landlord and tenant, which define and govern the rights of low-income families under a cash allowance program. Part IV describes the evolution of the public housing tenancy and demonstrates how its development has outpaced that of the common law tenancy. Part V explores the legal and social policy implications of dismantling the in-kind housing programs. Part VI concludes that the public housing tenancy is necessary to protect public housing tenants from victimization under private lease law.


Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. In the United States alone, lung cancer accounts for ~160,000 deaths per year while the five-year survival rate remains stagnant at ~15%. Lung can be divided into different subsets including small cell and non-small cell lung cancer. Lung Adenocarcinoma (ADCA) accounts for over 50% of non-small lung cancer cases. Within this subset, KRAS is the most common activating mutation, accounting for ~35% of cases. KRAS mutant tumors have remained a largely un-targetable subtype, and a better understanding of the signaling pathways involved in the different ADCA subtypes will be necessary for the development of therapeutics. Insulin Receptor Substrate-1 (IRS-1) is a signaling adaptor protein that interfaces with many of the pathways that are activated in lung cancer, including phosphoinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), extracellular signal regulated kinase (MEK/ERK) and Janus Kinase (JAK) and Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription (STAT). The central theme of this work is to describe novel roles for IRS-1 in the lung, including its integral role in the interplay between tumor cells and the surrounding tumor microenvironment. A key player in this interaction is the neutrophil, which can have pro-host and pro-tumor roles. We have found that neutrophils present in the tumor microenvironment cause degradation of the intracellular protein IRS-1, which in turn increases PI3K pathway activation leading to increased tumor proliferation. Independent study of IRS-1 loss with an Irs-1-deficient mouse model showed that Irs-1 loss induces an increase in neutrophil recruitment to the tumor. These two observations reveal a self-perpetuating cycle that causes increased tumor burden and mortality in mice and humans. Loss of Irs-1 in our Kras mouse model of lung adenocarcinoma induced activated JAK/STAT signaling and induced recruitment of immune cells to the tumor. Since neutrophils are essential for protection against invading pathogens, an indirect method of stopping this cycle must be used. Inhibiting JAK in our mouse model reduced inflammation, which in turn reduced tumor burden and prolonged survival. Overall, this work describes a novel role for IRS-1 as a mediator of cell growth and immune cell recruitment in lung adenocarcinoma.


Dynamic properties of the soil such as shear modulus and damping ratio are important parameters in the prediction of the dynamic response of geotechnical engineering structures. Though these properties are dependent on several factors, strain amplitude and confining pressure have a major effect. Liquefaction is another important phenomenon associated with the undrained response of granular materials in loose state. In this paper, the results of the numerical simulation of cyclic triaxial shear tests on three-dimensional assembly consisting of 1000 sphere particles using Discrete Element Method (DEM) have been reported under undrained conditions. From the results, the shear modulus and damping ratio have been estimated for a range of shear strain and confining pressure. The DEM simulations have modeled the liquefaction behaviour under undrained conditions very close to the real experimental behaviour.


A method for the computation of the magnitude and phase envelopes of uncertain transfer functions is presented. The idea is to factor the transfer function into its real and complex pair roots and find the maximum and minimum magnitudes of the gain and phase of each factor. The Bode envelopes of the given uncertain system are then found from those of the individual factors. This approach, which is different from those based on the interval polynomial method of Kharitonov, has the major advantage that the representation is more applicable to practical situations where typically the coefficients of the various factored terms relate to physical parameters of a mathematical model. Further, the method results in the narrowest Bode envelopes and therefore can yield improved controller designs. The describing function analysis and absolute stability problem of nonlinear systems with variable plant parameters are also studied. An approach which enables one to predict the existence of limit cycles in a control system which simultaneously contains nonlinearities and parametric uncertainties is given. The proposed method makes use of the popular describing function technique and these narrowest possible Bode envelopes of linear uncertain transfer functions in factored form. The technique can be used to cover the cases of linear elements, which have a multilinear or nonlinear uncertainty structure, and a nonlinear element with or without memory. New formulations of the circle and off-axis circle criteria are given for use with Bode diagrams so that the absolute stability of nonlinear systems with variable plant parameters can be studied. Examples are given to show how the proposed method can be used to assess the effects of parametric variations in feedback loops.


Last month members were alerted to a recent SEC proposal(*) that would place severe limitations on the nonaudit services CPA firms can offer to audit clients (see "The SEC's Proposed Rule Threatens Our Profession and the Public," JofA, Sep.00, page 6). Although the proposed rule, S7-13-00, "Revision of the Commission's Auditor Independence Requirements," is meant to strengthen auditor independence, we at the AICPA believe the actual effect would be to weaken the quality of financial reporting, limit companies' choices of outside professionals and damage the economic vitality of many CPA firms without any positive effect on independence. The proposal has dramatic and far-reaching implications, with serious consequences for the future of the accounting profession and the public. We consider it to be the most significant rule proposal on auditor independence since the federal securities laws were enacted in the 1930s. This radical scope-of-services rule is a solution in search of a problem. Even the SEC enforcement director has admitted the commission has never brought a case alleging that an audit failure occurred as a result of the accounting firm's lack of independence. The U.S. General Accounting Office, in a 1996 report, concluded that none of the studies relating to auditor independence "reported any conclusive evidence of diminished audit quality, or harm to the public interest, as a consequence of public accounting firms providing advisory or consulting services to their audit clients." The POB's Panel on Audit Effectiveness, which was set up at the request of the SEC, found, after reviewing 37 audit engagements involving the provision of nonaudit services to audit clients, not one instance in which nonaudit services "had a negative effect on audit effectiveness." On the contrary, they concluded that, in 25% of the audits reviewed, nonaudit services had a positive effect. Moreover, in its last 10 annual reports to Congress, the SEC never mentioned any concerns about the scope-of-services issue. The commission, however, relies on a "common sense" hypothesis that nonaudit services may give the auditor so great a stake in the client relationship as to impair independence or judgment. Similarly, the commission seeks to base its case for the profession to undergo radical surgery on the diagnosis that investor confidence in audited financial information could be compromised by the perception that nonaudit services would have that effect. But the regulators' perception of what constitutes common sense is no basis for such draconian regulatory action. Moreover, no study of the perceptions of users of audited financial information supports the massive shift in public policy that the proposed rule would enforce. An issue for all members Make no mistake about it--the proposed rule is highly likely to affect virtually everyone in the profession, including members at the smallest firms and those working in business and industry. Although the commission has jurisdiction only over SEC registrants, the rule, if adopted, will set the stage for a new round of regulation by state boards of accountancy and other regulatory agencies. In fact, some banking regulators have already indicated they will follow suit, and the Department of Labor likely will adopt the rule for ERISA audits. The proposed rules could influence the regulatory approach to auditor independence outside the United States as well. The ripple effect of this precedent thus would reach deep into the profession. While many practitioners may see this as a large firm issue, it is potentially most damaging to smaller firms that may well have great difficulty divesting themselves of their consulting practices. In particular, if such an effect occurs, the proposed rule will have impact on firms providing reviews and compilations. As these services have independence requirements (except for those compilations where disclosure is made), other services for review and compilation clients could be affected. …


THE IMPACT OF GOSPEL CONTENT ON THE SHAPE OF CORPORATE WORSHIP IN SELECT BAPTIST CHURCHES IN NORTH AMERICA CIRCA 1650–1910 Richard Scott Connell, Ph.D. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2015 Chair: Dr. Michael A. G. Haykin Recent trends in Baptist worship have revealed an interest in Liturgical forms and some movement toward more thoughtful worship content and order in what has historically been a free church worship tradition. The fields of liturgical theology and liturgical anthropology have produced research that indicates that there is validity to this interest and that the order of worship elements can be instructive as is the content of worship. When both are oriented around the gospel's shape and truth (e.g., the gospel of the glory of Christ), the worshiper is pointed to Christ who is the object of faith and the facilitator of spiritual formation through the Holy Spirit. The result is a worshiper who becomes like the one he holds in view in worship. This survey of representative churches in North American Baptist history (ca. 1650–1910) reveals that there has always been some evidence regarding the gospel's presence in Baptist worship. This has not always been due to deliberate thought and planning, but because the gospel controls its forms. Where a church has held the gospel, its worship has reflected that conviction. Where the gospel has been lost, worship is at least reflective of that, if not partially the precipitator. These churches reflect varying degrees of gospel-content and form. The historical trend demonstrates that overall, Baptists have held the gospel, often in the face of stiff opposition. This grip on grace has been reflected consistently in their worship and likely is at least one of the reasons that they have continued to grow. Their growth is at least partially, in direct correlation to their worshiping in light of the cross. They have not just sung of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, but they have engaged it in corporate worship and reflected the effects of this encounter with Christlikeness in their daily lives of worship.


During the early years of cytochrome P450 research, a picture of conserved properties arose from studies of mammalian forms of these monooxygenases. They included the protohaem prosthetic group, the cysteine residue that coordinates to the haem iron and the reduced CO difference spectrum. Alternatively, the most variable feature of P450s was the enzymatic activities, which led to the conclusion that there are a large number of these enzymes, most of which have yet to be discovered. More recently, studies of these enzymes in other eukaryotes and in prokaryotes have led to the discovery of unexpected P450 properties. Many are variations of the original properties, whereas others are difficult to explain because of their unique nature relative to the rest of the known members of the superfamily. These novel properties expand our appreciation of the broad view of P450 structure and function, and generate curiosity concerning the evolution of P450s. In some cases, structural properties, previously not found in P450s, can lead to enzymatic activities impacting the biological function of organisms containing these enzymes; whereas, in other cases, the biological reason for the variations are not easily understood. Herein, we present particularly interesting examples in detail rather than cataloguing them all.


Introduction and objectives There are concerns that end of life care for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is inadequate. Advance care planning is recommended for these patients, with an aim of reducing unwanted interventions and influencing place of death, but it is currently rarely done. Healthcare professionals' perspectives on the reasons for this have been sought, but there is little information about patients' views. This research explores the opinions of patients with severe COPD on advance care planning, and how they feel it could be integrated into their care. Methods A qualitative interview strategy was adopted, drawing from grounded theory techniques. Patients with severe COPD (according to Gold Standards Framework criteria1) were recruited from two primary and secondary care settings (n=10, 9M, 1F). Interviews using a broad topic guide were conducted in participants' homes, audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Analysis was inductive, generating themes using techniques of constant comparison. Results People with severe COPD wanted more information about diagnosis, and more discussion of their prognosis and future. They very much wanted to be involved in decisions about their current care. They were happy to discuss general treatment preferences for the future, but not to make binding advance decisions. They expected the initiation of these discussions to come from the healthcare team, especially those they feel they know. When information was inadequate or they felt they had not been included in decisions, the relationship with their healthcare team was damaged. Discussing these issues does not cause undue distress. Conclusions A focus on encouraging formal binding advance decisions for people with severe COPD is not helpful. An advance care planning approach involving repeated discussions of disease status, prognosis and general preferences for future care would be more effective. Healthcare professionals should take responsibility for initiating these discussions. As well as improving end of life care, this improved information provision could improve relationships between patients and healthcare professionals, as well as enabling patients to be more involved in current decisions about their care.


Why did the German people tolerate the Nazi madness? Maria Ritter's life is haunted by the ever-painful, never-answerable "German Question." Who knew? What was known? Confronting the profound silence in which most postwar Germans buried pain and shame, she attempts in this memoir to give an answer for herself and for her generation. Sixty years after the defeat of Nazi Germany, she reflects on the nation's oppressive burden and the persecution of the contemporary consciousness. "'We received what we deserved,' my grandfather said after the war, and I believed him. His stare out the window spoke of bitterness and solemn resignation in the face of God's punishment and pity for us all." In probing the dark shadows of wartime, she reconstructs the voice of her childhood. With a determined search for remnants of her past during a visit to her homeland, Ritter retrieves memories and emotions from places, personal stories, and letters. As she interweaves them with events in her family's struggle to survive the war and its aftermath, she creates a tragic tapestry. She recalls the weary odyssey from Poland to Leipzig with refugees in 1943 and remembers being sheltered there beside her grandfather. She returns to Dresden to rekindle memories of the firebombing in 1945. She revisits the remote Saxony countryside where she and her mother crossed the border from East to West Germany in flight from the Communists in 1949. She relives the pain of learning that her father "will never return from the war." On a Memorial Day many years later, Ritter's longstanding, unresolved grief overflows as she writes a posthumous letter to him. She suffers in the heartbreaking memory of her valiant mother, who overcame loss and grief along the road to freedom and a new home. Ritter's memoir sweeps through German history of the 1930s and '40s as she meditates on how she and her people figure in the tragic story of defeat and debacle. In her recollections, in listening to the voices of her kin, and in speaking out about the past, she finds the humane way to healing and reconciliation. Maria Ritter is a clinical psychologist in San Diego, California.


Manufacturing companies face an environment that is dominated by influences which affect the usage of their manufacturing equipment. Trends like shortening life cycles of products, increasing numbers of product variants and the resulting decrease in lot sizes put pressure on companies' operations. Existing machines have to be adaptable to provide a high degree of flexibility and new machines have to be easily integrated into an existing plant in a plug and produce fashion. Research contributions that focus on a higher level description of machine functionalities are seen as a promising approach to cope with the aforementioned challenges. While there exists quite a large amount of contributions on this topic, these contributions focus either on formal models or on executable functions. The developed models mostly represent project specific contents and are rarely based on industry standards.In this contribution, we present an approach to a formal model of machine capabilities that directly includes a description of executable skills. The presented capability and skill model is based on a variety of separate so-called ontology design patterns that contain the vocabulary of industry standards and therefore provide a profound knowledge which is agreed upon by a large community. In addition to the description of our model, this contribution shows how these models can be used in order to achieve simple and rapid integration of new manufacturing modules and their capabilities.


We introduce C-Algebras of compact Riemann surfaces $\Sigma$ as non-commutative analogues of the Poisson algebra of smooth functions on $\Sigma$. Representations of these algebras give rise to sequences of matrix-algebras for which matrix-commutators converge to Poisson-brackets as $N\to\infty$. For a particular class of surfaces, nicely interpolating between spheres and tori, we completely characterize (even for the intermediate singular surface) all finite dimensional representations of the corresponding C-algebras.


The conventional model for the use of cost effectiveness analysis for health programs involves determining whether the cost per unit of effectiveness of the program is better than some socially determined maximum acceptable cost per unit of effectiveness. If a program is better, the policy implication is that it should be implemented by full coverage of its cost by insurance; if not, no coverage should be provided and the program should not be implemented. This paper examines the unanswered question of how cost effectiveness analysis should be performed and interpreted when insurance coverage can involve non-negligible cost sharing. It explores both the question of how cost effectiveness is affected by the presence of cost sharing, and the more fundamental question of cost effectiveness when cost sharing is itself set at the cost effective level. Both a benchmark model where only "societal" preferences (embodied in a threshold value of dollars per unit of health) matter and a model where individual willingness to pay can be combined with societal values are considered. A common view that cost sharing should vary inversely with program cost effectiveness is shown to be incorrect. A key issue in correct analysis is whether there is heterogeneity either in marginal effectiveness of care or marginal values of care that cannot be perceived by the social planner but is known by the demander. The cost effectiveness of a program is shown to depend upon the level of cost sharing; it is possible that some programs that would fail the social test at both zero coverage and full coverage will be acceptable with positive cost sharing. Combining individual and social preferences affects both the choice of programs and the extent of cost sharing.


Introduction: Stroke is a common neurological problem and the third leading cause of death in developed countries of the world. Among survivors, over 50% develop significant disabilities including neuro-psychiatric disabilities. Post stroke depression (PSD) is a common but less reported condition among survivors. Objectives: To determine the frequency of depression in patients with stroke. Materials and methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at Department of Neurology, Services Hospital, Lahore from January, 2014 to December, 2014 over a period of 1 year. A total of 100 cases having stroke minimum 1 month ago, were recruited in the study. For evidence of depression, Personal Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) with criteria for mild, moderate, moderately sever and severe depression was used. Results: Mean age of the patients was 54.8 ± 8.1 years. In our study 63% of the patients were female while 37% patients were male. Post stroke depression was found in 35% of cases; 15% had severe depression, 8% had moderately severe, 9 % had moderate and only 3% patients had mild depression. Among these 35 patients, 22 patients (62.8%)had involvement of dominant half of brain while 13 patients (37.2%) had non-dominant half involved. Conclusion: Post stroke depression is present in significant number of post stroke patients. So it is advised to do PSD evaluation of all stroke patients for early and proper management.


Abstract. We develop a theoretical framework and analysis of the net land-to-atmosphere CO2 flux in order to discuss possible definitions of "emissions from land-use change". The terrestrial biosphere is affected by two perturbations: the perturbation of the global carbon-climate-nitrogen system (CCN) with elevated atmospheric CO2, climate change and nitrogen deposition; and the land-use change perturbation (LUC). Here, we progressively establish mathematical definitions of four generic components of the net land-to-atmosphere CO2 flux. The two first components are the fluxes that would be observed if only one perturbation occurred. The two other components are due to the coupling of the CCN and LUC perturbations, which shows the non-linear response of the terrestrial carbon cycle. Thanks to these four components, we introduce three possible definitions of "emissions from land-use change" that are indeed used in the scientific literature, often without clear distinctions, and we draw conclusions as for their absolute and relative behaviors. Thanks to the OSCAR v2 model, we provide quantitative estimates of the differences between the three definitions, and we find that comparing results from studies that do not use the same definition can lead to a bias of up to 20% between estimates of those emissions. After discussion of the limitations of the framework, we conclude on the three major points of this study that should help the community to reconcile modeling and observation of emissions from land-use change. The appendix mainly provides more detailed mathematical expressions of the four components of the net land-to-atmosphere CO2 flux.


This thesis discusses the interconnection of 'performance' and
'improvisation', which, despite its long and established history,
has always proved difficult to definitively pin down. My
research question presupposes that 'performance' and
'improvisation' are neither completely separate nor completely
interchangeable. I focus on the area where 'performance' and
'improvisation' overlap each other, which I call 'performance
improvisation'. The thesis seeks to answer the question, 'What
can I induce from materials focussed around the individual
"creativities" that might serve to construct a prototypical
explanation to define "performance improvisation"? '. The main
chapters interpret and analyse materials written and published
between the beginning of the twentieth century and the 1990s with
particular emphasis on the so-called 'theatre' and 'dance' in
North America. The concluding chapter proposes oppositional
features of 'performance' and 'improvisation', stating that
'performance improvisation' is a dynamic intertwinement of those
features, which manifests in each individual 'creativity'. The
conclusion offers a benchmark for future attempts at defining
'performance improvisation'.
A brief overview of the commedia dell'arte in Chapter 1
introduces the main chapters. Chapter 2 looks at the correlation
of human body and mind. In Chapter 3, I discuss body and mind
negotiating with and deviating from traditions and conventions.
The scope of the discussion expands in Chapter 4, which considers
the idea, or the concept, of 'performance' and 'improvisation' as
seen by individuals. Chapter 5 looks at the audience's point of
view in relation to the performer's point of view. The argument
in those chapters is tested in Chapter 6 against case study
materials that discuss highly experimental practices. Chapter 7
concludes the thesis, in which I answer the research question by
way of proposing eight pairs of oppositional features that
characterise 'performance' and 'improvisation'.


The study of the diffusion of the six noble gas elements, helium (He), neon (Ne), argon (Ar), krypton (Kr), xenon (Xe), and radon (Rn) in minerals has spanned many decades with the primary geoscience focus on argon and helium (see below). The primary aim of this chapter is to acquaint the reader with the breadth of themes and perspectives that have accompanied the study of noble gas diffusion in minerals, and in addition, to attempt to bring the reader up to date with a focus on the most recent data and ideas from the literature of the past decade wherever possible. In this chapter, the available data for the diffusivity of each noble gas will be reviewed in turn, beginning with helium, then argon, followed by the rest of the gases. For specific minerals that have received considerably more attention than others, individual sections of this paper will be devoted to them. The data tables which accompany this chapter list the diffusion data cited herein; these tables are also available as an online supplement and from the author in excel format upon request. In general, every effort was made to compile all modern data where diffusivities have been quantified (i.e., where robust measurements of both activation energy and pre-exponential factor have been derived), though some early studies which have been superseded by more recent work will not be discussed. To begin, the first section describes the interpretive challenges associated with the most common method of observation for evaluation of noble gas diffusion in minerals: bulk degassing experiments. Then, following the review of the noble gas diffusion data, the remaining sections of the chapter focus on several broad themes that arise from the data that may span several noble gases or many minerals.

The applicability of noble gases and noble gas …


People often learn programming in face-to-face courses or online tutorials. Interactive computer tutors---systems that provide learning content interactively---are becoming more common in online tools such as those teaching computer programming. Studies have shown that teachers, interactive computer tutors, and the combination of both are efficient and effective in teaching programming. However, there is limited understanding of the comparative perspectives of learners learning from these two different sources. We conducted an exploratory study using semi-structured interviews and recruited 20 participants with programming experience from both teachers and interactive computer tutors. Speaking with our participants, we surfaced factors that learners like and dislike from the two learning resources and discussed the strengths and weaknesses between the two. Based on our findings, we discuss implications for designs that programming educators and interactive computer tutor developers can use to improve their teaching effectiveness.


Centromere function is essential for the faithful passing on of the parental genome to daughter cells in cell division. This function is carried by specialised noncoding deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), centromere DNA. The functional DNA element in human centromeres is the α-satellite DNA, which we share with all other primates, but not with nonprimate species. This DNA acts through timed interactions with proteins belonging to the cell-cycle machinery, such as topoisomerase II, which cuts the interconnecting bridges between sister-chromatids to allow and enable the completion of mitotic and second state meiotic cell divisions. To orchestrate these interactions, centromere DNA has the ability to fold into complex three-dimensional shapes, which are the form of the DNA recognised by its protein partners.

Key Concepts:

Unlike genes coding for proteins, noncoding DNA is not coded in a triplet code where each triplet can be translated into a specific amino acid.

Noncoding DNA is instead coded in the form of spatial structures capable of governing specific interactions with DNA, RNA and proteins in ways that are more reminiscent of antigen–antibody reactions than of the triplet coding.

For this reason scientists have had a hard time understanding what noncoding DNA is good for, at some point even leading to the misconception that it served no good function, but merely was 'selfish DNA'.

With the discovery of the noncoding RNAs, which are very important for gene regulation, a very different picture is now dawning, and we trust that it will end in the understanding that genes are nothing more than 'stupid' data files, whereas the rest of the genome is 'the software' reading those data files to produce 'the hardware' in the form of gene products.

Centromere DNA is one species of noncoding DNA. It serves its functions through interactions with a whole range of DNA-binding proteins, and to enable the interactions to be 'on' or 'off' as appropriate, the DNA must be able to turn into different shapes and forms, which are recognised, or not recognised by the various proteins.

Keywords:

α-satellite DNA;
centromere DNA;
centromere function;
topoisomerase II


Rationale—Continental shelf ecosystems occasionally undergo "regime shifts"
– abrupt reorganization events that can have deleterious social and economic effects
on fishing communities that rely on affected species. Regime shifts are often
interpreted as transitions to alternative ecosystem states after external perturbations
such as fishing pressure cross a critical threshold; they have also been related to shifts
in modes of internal climate variability, such as the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and
North Atlantic Oscillation. However, hypotheses explaining regime shifts are
extremely difficult to test, given the multivariate nature of both stressors and
community response, the frequent paucity of data at adequate spatial and temporal
scales, possible non-linear and non-stationary relationships, and the use of
observational data that preclude strong inference. Furthermore, regime shifts have
often been invoked to explain ecological change without the consideration of
competing models, such as the accumulation of more gradual change over time. As a
result, both the nature of community-level biological change in continental shelf
systems (regime shifts vs. more gradual change), and the identity of factors producing
observed change, remain poorly resolved. Given increasing anthropogenic
disturbance to continental shelf ecosystems globally, there is a need both for better
understanding of the dynamics underlying sudden ecological change, and for tools
providing early detection of ecosystem change to allow for proactive management
measures that might minimize associated socio-economic disruption. Finally, the
regime shift concept is largely based on work in North Atlantic and North Pacific
ecosystems, and there is a need for studies in other areas to determine if the regime
shift model is widely applicable.
Approach—In many continental shelf systems, long-term biological
observations that are necessary for testing hypotheses concerning decadal-scale
ecological change are extremely limited. The first four chapters of this thesis use the
northeast Pacific as a model system, as this region is home to one of the best extant
datasets of long term, large-spatial scale biological observations globally. I compiled
a set of 38 climatic time series (regional climate parameters and large-scale indices)
and 78 biological time series (mostly production or abundance estimates for commercially-important fish and invertebrate populations), from the 1960s to the
present, covering the continental shelf between 30°N and 65°N. This dataset allowed
me to evaluate internal climate variability, commercial fishing and incremental
climate change as factors explaining decadal-scale biological variability (Chapter 1);
test competing models of gradual change and regime shifts for explaining decadalscale
ecological variability (Chapter 2); develop an approach for evaluating possible
ecosystem shifts at the ends of time series (Chapter 2); test for non-stationary
biological responses to climate perturbations (Chapter 3); and test statistical tools for
early detection of ecosystem transitions (Chapter 4). In Chapter 5 I use the
methodology developed in the previous chapters to evaluate a data-poor situation in
southeast Australian continental shelf ecosystems, using nine climatic and 12
biological time series (seabird reproductive parameters and recruitment estimates for
commercially-important fish stocks) for the period 1967-present. This chapter tested
competing hypotheses invoking secular change and regime shifts to explain regional
climate-biology covariation.
Results—Analysis of northeast Pacific data showed that: the ecological change
that is frequently related to regime shifts in the literature is in many instances better
described as the result of incremental change over time (Chapters 1 and 2); commonly
held assumptions concerning the dominant role of internal climate variability as an
external driver on the system are poorly supported by data (Chapters 1 and 2);
assessment of incipient ecosystem shifts may be supported both by model-derived
statistical indicators and by formal evaluations of the length of observation needed to
evaluate ecosystem state (Chapters 2 and 4); and assumptions of stationarity are
inadequate for understanding community responses to climate variability (Chapter 3).
In southeast Australia (Chapter 5), I found that secular change best described decadalscale
climatic and biological variability, with little evidence for a role of regime shifttype
variability in the system.
Conclusions—My findings from the northeast Pacific suggest several revisions
to current understanding of decadal-scale variability in continental shelf ecosystems.
Even in ecosystems that are generally free of overfishing and heavily loaded by
leading modes of global climate variability, anthropogenic drivers (fishing, secular
climate change) are at least as important as climate variability as agents of ecological
change. Furthermore, gradual change over time is at least as important to consider as
more obvious regime shifts when analyzing decadal-scale ecological variability. The tests of early indicators for sudden change included in this thesis are the first application of these proposed methods to actual fisheries management data, and demonstrate their potential usefulness in this context. Finally, while my findings
confirmed the importance of secular change in southeast Australian ecosystems,
analysis of northeast Pacific data shows that the small sample of biological time series
in Chapter 5 is likely to produce an underestimate of the complexity of temporal
variability in the system.


ZAIKOV, A., I. ILIEV and T. HUBENOVA, 2008. Investigation on growth rate and food conversion ratio of wels (Silurus glanis L.) in controlled conditions, Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 14: 171-175 The aim of this study was to establish the growth rate and food conversion ratio of wels (Silurus glanis) when fed with carp (Cyprinus carpio). The experiment was carried out under controlled laboratory conditions for a period of 30 days in two variants, by two replicas each, differing by the initial weight of the wels. For each variant 7 wels were used, at initial ratio between the biomass of the predator and the prey 1:3. The preys had an average body weight of 5-7 g. As a result of the experiment, the growth rate of S. glanis was established for the investigated period, which for the first variant is 25.43 g or 25.56%, and for the second – 9.56 g or 19.2%. (The linear growth rate for the first variant is 0.52 cm or 2.25% and for the second variant 0.46 cm or 2.45%). The food conversion ratio of wels when fed with carp was 4.3 for variant 1 and 4.7 for variant 2.


Methamphetamine and MDMA as well as similar substituted phenethylamines are toxic to DA and/or 5-HT neurons. The duration and magnitude of these effects are dose dependent and are accompanied by different degrees of recovery. MDMA-induced 5-HT damage persists for up to 52 weeks in the rat, and methamphetamine-induced DA damage persists for up to 3 years in the rhesus monkey. Several possible mechanisms of amphetamine-analog toxicity have been reviewed. The excitatory feed-forward loop theory is best supported by the literature. This theory, however, is very wide ranging and difficult to prove or disprove. The hydroxy radical and DA mediation theories are both well supported by the data reviewed. It should be noted that these two hypotheses are closely related to each other. The DA mediation theory is based on the requirement of an intact DA system for methamphetamine and MDMA neurotoxicity to occur. The hydroxy radical theory is also based on the presence of DA and 5-HT; in addition, it suggests the formation of toxic hydroxy radicals from DA or 5-HT as the specific mechanism for the amphetamine-analog neurotoxicity. The hydroxy radical theory also accounts for the fact that amphetamine-analog neurotoxicity is selectively toxic to the DA and/or 5-HT systems of the brain; that is, the toxin is formed either in the synapse or within the neurons that release DA and/or 5-HT as a result of amphetamine analog treatment. The toxic drug metabolite theory, while not exhaustively studied, has little support from the literature at present. Similarly, the NMDA receptor mediation theory, in its most straightforward form, also has little support from the literature. The protective effects of the NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 may be a modulatory effect resulting from changes in temperature regulation, rather than a direct effect of antagonizing a link in the toxic mechanism itself. It should be noted that the effects of the protective agent plus amphetamine-analog combinations on body temperature, when thoroughly investigated, may serve to separate agents which protect through a cooling mechanism from agents that protect by interfering with the toxic process itself.


The proposition that inflation expectations can be extracted as inflation predictions from the government bond yield curve has been tested, with partially positive results, using data from the United States and European countries. Despite the abundance of empirical studies of the proposition, relatively few of these studies relate to emerging markets, as most emerging markets lack bond markets with the liquidity, breadth, information availability, and range of maturities that would permit such studies. South Africa's highly developed capital markets do have such characteristics, warranting this study's examination of the proposition's validity for South Africa. Using South African time series data, we find strong evidence for the proposition that the slope of the yield curve, measured as a long- to short-term spread, contains information on the future path of inflation. Examining the sub-periods separated by the adoption, in 2000, of inflation targeting, we find that the monetary policy regime shift strengthened the relationship between the yield spread and future inflation. The results suggest that the yield spread can be used by policy makers and the private sector to help forecast inflation in South Africa.


Author(s): Baiser, B; Gravel, D; Cirtwill, AR; Dunne, JA; Fahimipour, AK; Gilarranz, LJ; Grochow, JA; Li, D; Martinez, ND; McGrew, A; Poisot, T; Romanuk, TN; Stouffer, DB; Trotta, LB; Valdovinos, FS; Williams, RJ; Wood, SA; Yeakel, JD | Abstract: © 2019 John Wiley a Sons Ltd Aim: How do factors such as space, time, climate and other ecological drivers influence food web structure and dynamics? Collections of well-studied food webs and replicate food webs from the same system that span biogeographical and ecological gradients now enable detailed, quantitative investigation of such questions and help integrate food web ecology and macroecology. Here, we integrate macroecology and food web ecology by focusing on how ecogeographical rules [the latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG), Bergmann's rule, the island rule and Rapoport's rule] are associated with the architecture of food webs. Location: Global. Time period: Current. Major taxa studied: All taxa. Methods: We discuss the implications of each ecogeographical rule for food webs, present predictions for how food web structure will vary with each rule, assess empirical support where available, and discuss how food webs may influence ecogeographical rules. Finally, we recommend systems and approaches for further advancing this research agenda. Results: We derived testable predictions for some ecogeographical rules (e.g. LDG, Rapoport's rule), while for others (e.g., Bergmann's and island rules) it is less clear how we would expect food webs to change over macroecological scales. Based on the LDG, we found weak support for both positive and negative relationships between food chain length and latitude and for increased generality and linkage density at higher latitudes. Based on Rapoport's rule, we found support for the prediction that species turnover in food webs is inversely related to latitude. Main conclusions: The macroecology of food webs goes beyond traditional approaches to biodiversity at macroecological scales by focusing on trophic interactions among species. The collection of food web data for different types of ecosystems across biogeographical gradients is key to advance this research agenda. Further, considering food web interactions as a selection pressure that drives or disrupts ecogeographical rules has the potential to address both mechanisms of and deviations from these macroecological relationships. For these reasons, further integration of macroecology and food webs will help ecologists better understand the assembly, maintenance and change of ecosystems across space and time.


Background: Severe hypoglycaemia (SH) is a major complication in patients of diabetes mellitus treated with insulin analogues and insulin secretagogues. SH events leads patients to uncomfortable situations, low quality of life rates and the continue feeling of fear of been hurt or injured during SH events. Patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (autoimmunity destroys pancreas beta-cells completely and there are lack of endogenous insulin) are the more affected by it because normally it have to be treated with intensive multi-daily injections of insulin. New devices have been developing during last years, they are called insulin bolus calculators (IBC) and they have demonstrated to be useful increasing the metabolic control of diabetes patients and quality of life of them. Those devices have already been matched with continuous glucose infusion pumps but only a few built-it glucometers are available nowadays.
Objective: evaluate if insulin bolus calculators included in glucometers can reduce the incidence and number of severe hypoglycaemia in patients with type 1 diabetes in front of patients with type 1 diabetes treated with classic therapy with carbohydrates counting method and multi-daily insulin injections.
Design: The study will be a multicentre, centralized randomization, controlled open-label clinical trial. The patients will be randomly divided in three groups.
Intervention: Insulin bolus calculator (Accu-Chek Aviva Expert), smartphone APP(Social diabetes) and carbohydrates counting method and multi-daily injection, one intervention per group and all during a period of 1 year.
Subjects of the study: men and women (≥18-≤50 years old) who had been diagnosed of T1DM at least 1 year before the beginning of this study with recurrent hypoglycaemia events and a punctuation greater than 28 at FH-15 test


Disruptive technologies have erased and continue to extinct previously successful industries. Scholars' studies consider ICT as a major cause for various industries, as, e.g., analogue photography, typewriters, VHS-cassettes and so on. They have become obsolete as its effect. Despite the creation of new industries at the same time, the environment for old industries results frequently in obsolescence. Especially, as research tends to hold, impact on organisations increases, when new technologies effectuate an additional shift in consumer behaviour. Opportunities for established firms become likely discontinuous then.
The replication industry of optical discs is a specific industry sector within the wider Home Entertain-ment Industry manufacturing the present dominant design of the physical mass product, DVD and CD. However, ICT-based dematerialised, virtual products threaten the replication industry's future, which may become obsolete, since more and more consumers adopt virtual downloads as their preference.
This paper studies the approaches of selected industry's incumbents to be innovative themselves to escape their emergent disruptive environment. Based on primary and secondary research, it addresses their adopted opportunities of accessing new growth paths through extended technology management and the development of a future-oriented direction by additional technologies and augmented services to escape the environment of decline and exit. The purpose of the underlying long-term research is to study, how do replicators (as an example for declining industries) respond to the threat of disruptive innovation and whether their (strategic) behaviour may serve as a model for other industries facing similar scenarios. This research is undertaken qualitatively using a single case study from which excerpts are presented.
The present findings provide evidence that after a long time of reluctance, replicators have started to develop further resources and capacities to identify new and additional ways supporting them in their struggle for survival. But these findings show as well a pattern that approaches to future orientation may not be sufficient, since
1. They do not resolve the dilemma of competing with products and services committed to the physical place against a shifting consumer behaviour pattern addressing the virtual space.
2. Constraints, like e.g., staff, physical facilities, skills and path-dependent reasons further marginal, or in Abernathy et al.s' understanding regular innovation or re-engineering fighting against radical innovation by both, technological impact and market linkages (1983, 1984).
3. The established customer-supplier relationships may be of disadvantage, since hindering replicators to have direct access to the point of consumption.
These indicators suggest that disruptive innovation will be stronger in the end and many present efforts may be in vain.


Learning and memory deficits are early clinical manifestations of Huntington's disease (HD). These cognitive impairments have been mainly associated with frontostriatal HD pathology; however, compelling evidence provided by several HD murine models suggests that the hippocampus may contribute to synaptic deficits and memory dysfunction in HD. The neurotrophin receptor p75(NTR) negatively regulates spine density, which is associated with learning and memory; therefore, we explored whether disturbed p75(NTR) function in the hippocampus could contribute to synaptic dysfunction and memory deficits in HD. Here, we determined that levels of p75(NTR) are markedly increased in the hippocampus of 2 distinct mouse models of HD and in HD patients. Normalization of p75(NTR) levels in HD mutant mice heterozygous for p75(NTR) prevented memory and synaptic plasticity deficits and ameliorated dendritic spine abnormalities, likely through normalization of the activity of the GTPase RhoA. Moreover, viral-mediated overexpression of p75(NTR) in the hippocampus of WT mice reproduced HD learning and memory deficits, while knockdown of p75(NTR) in the hippocampus of HD mice prevented cognitive decline. Together, these findings provide evidence of hippocampus-associated memory deficits in HD and demonstrate that p75(NTR) mediates synaptic, learning, and memory dysfunction in HD.


The performance of hedge funds during the financial crisis suggests that wide-ranging financial regulation is not always necessary to advance investor protection and financial stability. While 2008 was a year of record hedge fund losses and investor withdrawals that came about in part because many hedge fund managers failed to adequately respond to the financial crisis, the hedge fund industry significantly outperformed the heavily regulated mutual fund sector and, unlike the banking industry, was never in jeopardy of collapsing. Hedge funds did not cause or meaningfully exacerbate the financial crisis and in fact have reduced its impact and are helping the economy to recover.


When Sarah Burton returns to her hometown as headmistress she is full of ambition, determined to create a great school and to inspire her girls to take all they can from life. But in the aftermath of the First World War, the country is in depression and ideals are hard won. Lydia Holly, the scholarship girl from the shacks, is the most brilliant student Sarah has ever taught, but when her mother's health fails, her education must be sacrificed - there is nobody else to care for the children. Robert Carne of Maythorpe Hall stands for everything Sarah despises: his family has farmed the South Riding for generations, their position uncontested. Yet Sarah cannot help being drawn to this proud, haunted - and almost ruined - man. South Riding is a rich, panoramic novel, bringing vividly to life a rural community on the brink of change.


Quality-Diversity optimization is a new family of optimization algorithms that, instead of searching for a single optimal solution to solving a task, searches for a large collection of solutions that all solve the task in a different way. This approach is particularly promising for learning behavioral repertoires in robotics, as such a diversity of behaviors enables robots to be more versatile and resilient. However, these algorithms require the user to manually define behavioral descriptors, which is used to determine whether two solutions are different or similar. The choice of a behavioral descriptor is crucial, as it completely changes the solution types that the algorithm derives. In this paper, we introduce a new method to automatically define this descriptor by combining Quality-Diversity algorithms with unsupervised dimensionality reduction algorithms. This approach enables robots to autonomously discover the range of their capabilities while interacting with their environment. The results from two experimental scenarios demonstrate that robot can autonomously discover a large range of possible behaviors, without any prior knowledge about their morphology and environment. Furthermore, these behaviors are deemed to be similar to hand-crafted solutions that uses domain knowledge and significantly more diverse than when using existing unsupervised methods.


Users often fail to create strong passwords. Besides lack of motivation, another possible explanation are misconceptions about the factors that contribute to password strength. Such misconceptions play an important role for the design of feedback systems during password selection. In this paper, we present an online game that helps quantifying the perception of password strength. Players score points by rating the strength of passwords accurately under time pressure. We analyzed the usage logs from the first four months after rollout. We found that users underestimate passphrases by 1.4 points on a 5-point strength scale, while their other ratings are fairly consistent with our estimates. Although we used a different methodology, we were able to corroborate related findings and narrow down the features that users think contribute to password strength. We highlight how the data collected through PASDJO can help designing better password feedback and boost user experience during account creation.


Since the publication of my paper on the prawns of the subfamily Palaemoninae collected by the Siboga and Snellius Expeditions (Holthuis, 1950, Siboga Exped., mon. 39a9), I had the opportunity to examine more material of this group, which enabled me to make additions and corrections to the above paper. These additions and corrections are the subject of the present paper. During a visit to the Istituto e Museo di Zoologia della Universita at Turin, Italy, I examined the type material of Leander deschampsi Nobili, a species which in 1950 was placed by me among the species incertae. The examination of these types made it possible for me to fix the status of Nobili's species. The collection of the Turin Museum furthermore contained material of Macrobrachium hirtimanus (Olivier) from Reunion, which showed me that I was wrong in identifying Macrobrachium lepidactyloides (De Man) as Olivier's species. I wish to express here my sincere gratitude to Mrs. Teresita Paulucci Maccagno and to Professor Alceste Arcangeli for their help and kindness shown during my visit to their institute and for the loan of some material. I am also most grateful to Mr. Herbert M. Hale of the South Australian Museum, Adelaide, and to Mr. Frank A. McNeill of the Australian Museum, Sydney, who were kind enough to provide me with material of three Australian Palaemonids, two of which (Leander intermedius Stimpson and Leander litoreus McCulloch) in my 1950 paper were ranged under the species incertae. The position of these two species could now be determined. The third species, Leander serenus Heller, proved to have been incorrectly identified by me as Palaemon affinis H. Milne Edwards.


ABSTRACT HVEM (for herpesvirus entry mediator) is a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily and mediates entry of many strains of herpes simplex virus (HSV) into normally nonpermissive Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. We used sucrose density centrifugation to demonstrate that purified HSV-1 KOS virions bind directly to a soluble, truncated form of HVEM (HVEMt) in the absence of any other cell-associated components. Therefore, HVEM mediates HSV entry by serving as a receptor for the virus. We previously showed that soluble, truncated forms of HSV glycoprotein D (gDt) bind to HVEMt in vitro. Here we show that antibodies specific for gD, but not the other entry glycoproteins gB, gC, or the gH/gL complex, completely block HSV binding to HVEM. Thus, virion gD is the principal mediator of HSV binding to HVEM. To map sites on virion gD which are necessary for its interaction with HVEM, we preincubated virions with gD-specific monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). MAbs that recognize antigenic sites Ib and VII of gD were the only MAbs which blocked the HSV-HVEM interaction. MAbs from these two groups failed to coprecipitate HVEMt in the presence of soluble gDt, whereas the other anti-gD MAbs coprecipitated HVEMt and gDt. Previous mapping data indicated that site VII includes amino acids 11 to 19 and site Ib includes 222 to 252. The current experiments indicate that these sites contain residues important for HSV binding to HVEM. Group Ib and VII MAbs also blocked HSV entry into HVEM-expressing CHO cells. These results suggest that the mechanism of neutralization by these MAbs is via interference with the interaction between gD in the virus and HVEM on the cell. Group Ia and II MAbs failed to block HSV binding to HVEM yet still neutralized HVEM-mediated entry, suggesting that these MAbs block entry at a step other than HVEM binding.


Dialogic exchange is at the heart of anthropological, social and cultural evolution. Most of basic human interaction is mediated by dialogue. So it seems a natural step to transfer similar competences also to robots. Current prototypes reveal that this aim presupposes the implementation of a lot of skills and capabilities, which might pass unnoticed at first sight. In order to identify a roadmap towards further improvement, human-robot communication (HRC) has to be analyzed more deeply using methods from dialogue theory, conversational analysis and pragmatics. In our paper, we show this paradigmatically in the context of a particular multi-modal tutorial setting. In addition, we provide answers to the question how HRC contributes to a new theory of communication and vice versa.


In this poster we show two different ways of studing the ancient communication in the Iberian Cessetania (Tarragona, Spain. 6 th century – 2 nd century bC), and how we will finally compare both results. This research has some problems such as the big changes in the landscape after thousands of years, or the fact the traditional paths have been substituted for modern roads. It will be a big effort but we think it is important to go on in archaeological research of Iberian societies, because nobody has done this kind of studies yet and it surely will open new horizons in the research. We decided to focus our investigation between 5 th and 3 rd century bC, because this was the period when the Cessetanians developed completely their principal sites, and the settlement was definitely organized into a hierarchy. For trade, paying tributes or war there might have been paths which communicated all these sites. We will conduct the first part of research with GIS. The use of this technology for spatial archaeological studies is well known, we will work with it to calculate the possible paths using Arcgis software. On the other hand, we will do the second part of research with archaeomorphological methodology, working with historical and modern cartography, ancient and current aerial photography and field work, looking for paths or its parts that we can consider ancient ways. When we will have done this two preliminary researches, we will share them and we will look for coincidences and differences. Our aim is to compare the results of virtual reality with the real world, in order to check if it is worth to work with it. With these elements, we will try to answer the initial question of this poster.


The Sample Analysis at Mars Instrument Simulator (SAMSIM) is a numerical model dedicated to plan and validate operations of the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument on the surface of Mars. The SAM instrument suite, currently operating on the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), is an analytical laboratory designed to investigate the chemical and isotopic composition of the atmosphere and volatiles extracted from solid samples. SAMSIM was developed using Matlab and Simulink libraries of MathWorks Inc. to provide MSL mission planners with accurate predictions of the instrument electrical, thermal, mechanical, and fluid responses to scripted commands. This tool is a first example of a multi-purpose, full-scale numerical modeling of a flight instrument with the purpose of supplementing or even eliminating entirely the need for a hardware engineer model during instrument development and operation. SAMSIM simulates the complex interactions that occur between the instrument Command and Data Handling unit (C&DH) and all subsystems during the execution of experiment sequences. A typical SAM experiment takes many hours to complete and involves hundreds of components. During the simulation, the electrical, mechanical, thermal, and gas dynamics states of each hardware component are accurately modeled and propagated within the simulation environment at faster than real time. This allows the simulation, in just a few minutes, of experiment sequences that takes many hours to execute on the real instrument. The SAMSIM model is divided into five distinct but interacting modules: software, mechanical, thermal, gas flow, and electrical modules. The software module simulates the instrument C&DH by executing a customized version of the instrument flight software in a Matlab environment. The inputs and outputs to this synthetic C&DH are mapped to virtual sensors and command lines that mimic in their structure and connectivity the layout of the instrument harnesses. This module executes, and thus validates, complex command scripts prior to their up-linking to the SAM instrument. As an output, this module generates synthetic data and message logs at a rate that is similar to the actual instrument. The mechanical module simulates the actions of a number of mechanical components of the SAM instrument. This module contains the valves, the pumps, and the Sample Manipulation System (SMS). The response of each of these elements is modeled to produce outputs of state variables (velocity, position, force, etc.) that duplicate the behavior of the real elements. The thermal module simulates the action of ≈60 heaters and their local thermal impact on the instrument. It also predicts the individual temperatures sensed by ≈70 thermistors and transmitted to the C&DH. The gas flow module simulates the gas dynamics (time-dependent pressures and gas flows) in the Gas-Processing System (GPS) of SAM. The conductance of each gas transfer element (pipe, manifold, leak, pump, etc.) is dynamically computed as a function of the component dimension, gas composition, pressure, and temperature. The electric module captures the electrical behavior of motors, control boards, Bayard-Alpert gauges, detectors, valves, heaters, and all components that contribute to the instrument power profile. The behavior of each element of the SAMSIM model is reconstructed by accounting for all the relevant modules to that element. Complex components like pumps integrate contributions from modules to simulate the evolution of their command logic, rotor speeds, currents, temperatures, and throughputs. This development was conducted by Mehdi Benna of the Center for Research and Exploration in Space Science & Technology (CRESST) at Goddard Space Flight Center and Tom Nolan of Nolan Engineering, LLC. Further information is contained in a TSP (see page 1). GSC-16566-1


Most of the commercial peer-to-peer (P2P) video streaming deployments support hundreds of channels and are referred to as multichannel systems. Recent research studies have proposed specific protocols to improve the streaming quality for all channels by enabling cross-channel cooperation among multiple channels. In this paper, we focus on the following fundamental problems in designing cooperating multichannel systems: 1) what are the general characteristics of existing and potential designs? and 2) under what circumstances should a particular design be used to achieve the desired streaming quality with the lowest implementation complexity? To answer the first question, we propose simple models based on linear programming and network-flow graphs for three general designs, namely Naive Bandwidth allocation Approach (NBA), Passive Channel-aware bandwidth allocation Approach (PCA), and Active Channel-aware bandwidth allocation Approach (ACA), which provide insight into understanding the key characteristics of cross-channel resource sharing. For the second question, we first develop closed-form results for two-channel systems. Then, we use extensive numerical simulations to compare the three designs for various peer population distributions, upload bandwidth distributions, and channel structures. Our analytical and simulation results show that: 1) the NBA design can rarely achieve the desired streaming quality in general cases; 2) the PCA design can achieve the same performance as the ACA design in general cases; and 3) the ACA design should be used for special applications.


Introduction measles is a vaccine preventable, highly transmissible viral infection that affects mostly children under five years. We reviewed surveillance data on measles from Nigeria over a five-year period to highlights its burden and make recommendations for improvements. Methods we conducted a secondary data analysis of measles specific Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) records of all states in Nigeria over a five-year period. Results a total of 131,732 cases were recorded between January 2012 and September 2016. Most cases 57,892 (43.95%) were recorded in 2013 while the least 11,061 (8.4%) were recorded in 2012. A total of 817 deaths were recorded, with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 0.62%. The highest CFR (1.43%) was recorded in 2012 while the least CFR (0.44%) was recorded in 2016. Only 8,916 (6.7%) cases were confirmed by laboratory tests. The trend of measles cases followed the same pattern throughout the years under review, with cases peaking at March, then gradually reducing to lowest level at June, which was maintained throughout the rest of the year. States in northern region of Nigeria recorded the highest attack rate (Yobe: 480.29 cases per 100,000 population, Sokoto: 284.63 cases per 100,000 population and Katsina: 246.07 cases per 100,000 population) compared to States in the southern region (Rivers: 11.72 cases per 100,000 population and Akwa Ibom: 13.59 cases per 100,000 population). Conversely, States in the southern region recorded the highest CFR (Ebonyi: 13.43% and Rivers: 3.27%). Conclusion measles infection remains a burden especially in the northern region of Nigeria. Although measles fatalities declined over the years, laboratory confirmation was sub-optimal. We recommended improvement on routine immunization and strengthening of regional laboratories diagnostic capacities, for successful eradication of measles from Nigeria.


Patients with humoral autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjogren's syndrome contain antibodies in their sera directed against certain normal cellular components such as the La/SS-B autoantigen, an RNA-binding protein believed to function as a putative processor of RNA polymerase III precursor transcripts. We have identified cDNA clones from the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster that encode a protein displaying significant sequence homology with human La/SS-B. The fly protein (which we refer to as D-La) contains a putative ribonucleoprotein 1 (RNP1) and RNP2 RNA-binding domain. D-La also possesses a leucine zipper motif, suggesting that it may interact with itself or other proteins. Using gel retardation analysis, we show that D-La can bind RNA; in addition, we demonstrate the first reported DNA-binding activity associated with a La protein. Northern (RNA) blot analysis revealed a single 1,600-nucleotide transcript expressed throughout embryonic, larval, pupal, and adult development. Surprisingly, whole-mount in situ hybridization experiments revealed that D-La transcripts are not present in all ovarian tissues. In addition, early expression throughout the embryo is followed by a restricted pattern of mesodermal expression that is later confined to the visceral mesoderm, gonads, gut, and salivary glands. These results suggest that D-La may play a more specialized role during fly development as opposed to a rather general role inferred by its homology to La proteins from other organisms.


As a result of the rapid increase in requests and the ever-rising backlog of cases, forensic science laboratories are developing an intense interest in analytical procedures that can provide rapid, inexpensive, and sensitive methods for identifying drugs. However, the forensic chemist must always be aware of the scientific accountability that is expected of him or her in our adversary system of justice. The necessity for performing a specific identification far outweighs any shortcuts that may be adopted to expedite a chemical analysis. As the importance of scientific testimony grows, the courts are becoming more conscious of criteria that must be met to support the admissibility of scientific evidence. The accuracy of heretofore accepted statements and descriptions relating to the identification and comparison of physical evidence is increasingly becoming subject to scrutiny and debate. Practitioners of the law are starting to take advantage of inconsistencies in the scientific literature and the lack of experimental data to discredit an entire scheme of analysis. One only has to examine recent court decisions pertaining to the forensic analysis of marihuana to confirm this trend. The contrasting opinions of experts regarding the number of Cannabis species have served to confuse and, in some instances, discredit a botanical and chemical scheme of analysis that until the present has found general acceptanee in the forensic science community [1,2].


This article identifies the conditions leading to successful decentralized environmental management in the developing world. It focuses on Guatemala, a country where lawmakers have devolved forest protection to 331 municipalities. This study is based on an original survey of 100 randomly chosen mayors who held office between 1996 and 2000 and a database constructed from several national censuses that include geographic, demographic, socioeconomic, and biophysical variables. It suggests that local community pressure and central government support encourage mayors to value forest protection. Survey results also indicate that mayors allocate staff to forest protection when the central government makes this a priority. Mayors also dedicate personnel to this sector when they have more education and when their municipalities boast larger amounts of forested area.


This portal has been developed by the SAI Teaching and Learning Committee as a resource for faculty excellence at Miami Dade College. Please use the many resources you find and share your own tips and best practices through the various social media links.


Determining planetary surface composition via remote spectroscopy frequently requires the use of inverse modeling, as the surface presents a complex mixture of materials which cannot be directly identified from the spectra. Depending on the complexity of the radiative transfer model (RTM) used, however, the inverse problem can be nonlinear and very high-dimensional, and the computational cost of traditional optimization methods becomes prohibitive. We demonstrate the utility of a multi-step metaheuristic approach for the inversion of high-dimensional RTMs, using the example of Pluto.


Substance abuse among public secondary school students is reality that is spreading at an alarming rate. If not checked, it could destroy the youth who are in their formative stage in life. Its outcomes include school dropouts, injuries, loss of lives, destruction of properties, moral decadence, misallocation of resources, indiscipline and compromised academic standards. According to the findings of a study conducted in 2005 on substance abuse in five major cities in Kenya, Kisumu and Nakuru lead the rest of the major cities and towns in the country in the prevalence of substance abuse. The study established that the factors that influence students most into substance abuse were peer pressure, media influence, frustrations and copying of idols. Alcohol, Cigarettes, Miraa/Khat and Marijuana were found to be the most commonly abused substances in dealing with substance abuse among students. The three strategies used most frequently by managers of public secondary schools were; use of professional counsellors, teachings on substance abuse, and training of peer educators while challenges encountered by managers of public secondary schools (principals, deputy principals and heads of departments) were found to be the rehabilitation of substance abusers, reducing the prevalence of substance abuse, and improving the performance of substance abusers. The study's recommendations were that a comprehensive curriculum on substance abuse be introduced in schools, areas around the schools should be made as drug free as possible, the education of students on substance abuse should start in primary schools, the Teachers' Service Commission should post full time professional counsellors to public secondary schools, and the government should establish free rehabilitation centres to cater for students who are substance abusers. The findings of this study are significant to the managers of public secondary schools in Kisumu East Sub County because it may help them to better understand the issues related to substance abuse among students in their schools and to come up with effective strategies to be used in addressing substance abuse related issues. It is significant to educational planners and economists whose concerns are optimal utilization of inputs and outputs for efficiency of educational systems.


BACKGROUND
Healthcare workers in primary care are at risk of infection during an influenza pandemic. The 2009 influenza pandemic provided an opportunity to assess this risk.

AIM
To measure the prevalence of seropositivity to influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 among primary healthcare workers in Canterbury, New Zealand, following the 2009 influenza pandemic, and to examine associations between seropositivity and participants' sociodemographic characteristics, professional roles, work patterns, and seasonal influenza vaccination status.

DESIGN AND SETTING
An observational study involving a questionnaire and testing for influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 seropositivity in all primary healthcare workers in Canterbury, New Zealand between December 2009 and February 2010. Method Participants completed a questionnaire that recorded sociodemographic and professional data, symptoms of influenza-like illness, history of seasonal influenza vaccination, and work patterns. Serum samples were collected and haemagglutination inhibition antibody titres to influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 measured.

RESULTS
Questionnaires and serum samples were received from 1027 participants, from a workforce of 1476 (response rate 70%). Seropositivity was detected in 224 participants (22%). Receipt of seasonal influenza vaccine (odds ratio [OR] = 2.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.2 to 3.3), recall of influenza (OR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.3 to 2.8), and age ≤45 years (OR = 1.4, 95% CI = 1.0 to 1.9) were associated with seropositivity.

CONCLUSION
A total of 22% of primary care healthcare workers were seropositive. Younger participants, those who recalled having influenza, and those who had been vaccinated against seasonal influenza were more likely to be seropositive. Working in a dedicated influenza centre was not associated with an increased risk of seropositivity.


According to the approaches of landscape aesthetics developed in the twentieth century based on environmental psychology and experimental works, landscape and urban planning is of high priority . On the other hand, the effect of aesthetics on the perception, experience and changes of landscape is highly highlighted. According to researchoriented perspectives, aesthetics is very important for perception and experience of landscape. Aesthetics also affect the changes of landscape. Nowadays, aesthetics plays a significant role in the landscape architecture and is used as a driver to change the landscape in term of cultural values, social justice and environmental rights.. Aesthetics provide a new form of sustainable landscape and contribute to beauty, acceptance and make sense of the landscape. The objective of this study was to find the paradigm of landscape aesthetics in the future. According to the qualitative data of previous studies, to understand future researches in the field of aesthetic landscape, three different approaches should be concerned that are described in detail in this study. These approaches including phenomenological, psychological and ecological can shape the general paradigm of landscape aesthetic and determine the direction of the future researches in the field of landscape; therefore, this paper tries to answers these questions: what are the new approaches to study the landscape aesthetics? How these approaches can be used to shape the researches in the field of landscape aesthetics in the future? This is a descriptive-analytical study.. In this study, scientists' views and intellectual typology of the past century have been collected by analysis of the approaches mentioned above. If the phenomenological approach is perceived as the exchanged type and the ecological approach as a holistic one, psychological approach is as psychological and evolutionary approach. According to the results of study on the future researches on landscape aesthetics, the approaches mentioned above are neither incompatible nor consistent. These approaches complement each other, but explain different aspects of landscape aesthetics.


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On 26 September 2009, approximately 4,000 citizens in 38 countries participated in World Wide Views on Global Warming (WWViews). WWViews was an ambitious first attempt to convene a deliberative mini-public at a global scale, giving people from around the world an opportunity to deliberate on international climate policy and to make recommendations to the decision-makers meeting at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen (COP-15) in December 2009. In this paper, we examine the role that deliberative mini-publics can play in facilitating the emergence of a global deliberative system for climate change response. We pursue this intent through a reflective evaluation of the Australian component of the World Wide Views on Global Warming project (WWViews). Our evaluation of WWViews is mixed. The Australian event was delivered with integrity and feedback from Australian participants was almost universally positive. Globally, WWViews demonstrated that it is feasible to convene a global mini-public to deliberate on issues of global relevance, such as climate change. On the other hand, the contribution of WWViews towards the emergence of a global deliberative system for climate change response was limited and it achieved little influence on global climate change policy. We identify lessons for future global mini-publics, including the need to prioritise the quality of deliberation and provide flexibility to respond to cultural and political contexts in different parts of the world. Future global mini-publics may be more influential if they seek to represent discourse diversity in addition to demographic profiles, use designs that maximise the potential for transmission from public to empowered space, run over longer time periods to build momentum for change and experiment with ways of bringing global citizens together in a single process instead of discrete national events.


Abstract For steel castings produced in sand moulds, the expansion of the sand and have a significant impact on the final size and shape of the casting. Experiments are conducted using a cylindrical casting to study this effect for different sands (silica and zircon) and different sand binder systems (phenolic urethane and sodium silicate). The type of sand has a significant effect on the final casting dimensions, in particular because the expansion of silica sand can be irreversible. The sand expansion effect is enhanced by the presence of sodium silicate binder. In addition, the size of the core, which in the present experiments controls the amount of steel in the mould and thus the heat input to the mould, strongly affects the internal and external dimensions of the resulting casting. A combined casting and stress simulation code is used to predict the dimensional changes of the castings. In several cases, the pattern allowances are predicted successfully both for free and hindered shrinkage cases. Disagreements between the simulation results and the measurements can be attributed to the fact that the stress model does not account for the irreversible nature of the silica sand expansion, which is important when silica sand is heated to temperatures above ∼1200°C; and the outer mould sand surrounding the casting, which can cause inaccuracies when there is significant early mould expansion, hindrance, or movement.


Curcumin is a natural polyphenolic compound with multiple properties such as anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiviral, and cytoprotective action. It is expected that curcumin has the therapeutic potential to prevent diverse lifestyle-related diseases. However, curcumin is not readily soluble in water and presents low stability under light, heat and physiological pH conditions which, in addition, implies an extremely low level of bioavailability. On the other hand, oleogels are semisolid systems composed of a liquid phase that is physically entrapped by a structurant network, ultimately leading to the formation of a gel. The continuous phase consists of a hydrophobic liquid (e.g., an oil) where a self-assembled network (composed by the structurant) is responsible for the physical entrapment of the liquid. The structural conformation is always dependent on the type of structurant used, which will dictate the desired final application of the oleogels. In this work, the formulation of an oleogel specially designed to stabilize and transport curcumin and to protect the lipid phase –mainly composed of a fish oil concentrate– against oxidation processes has been optimized.To this end, a Box-Behnken Design was carried out to study the influence of the curcumin amount, the structurant concentration and the manufacturing temperature on the oxidation degree of the oleogelified lipid matrix and on the chemical stability of the curcumin transported by this system. The results were interpreted by using the multi-response surface methodology, obtaining the optimal oleogel formulation to minimize the lipid oxidation and maximize the content of vehiculized curcumin.The results show that the optimal oleogel formulation –for samples stored at 23 oC– was achieved for the following values of the variables studied: [Curc.] = 0.150 wt.%, [Struc.] = 4.461 wt.% and T = 64.63 oC. In contrast, for samples stored at 40 oC, the optimal formulation obtained changed slightly: [Curc.] = 0.150 wt.%, [Struc.] = 7.000 wt.% and T = 62.82 oC. Finally, results suggest that oleogels are interesting structured lipid systems to transport and protect bioactive compounds.


The electro-optical properties of vertically aligned in-plane switching (VA-IPS) liquid crystal (LC) cells are transformed by polymer networks. Three kinds of monomer materials are separately mixed with nematic E7 LC. The threshold voltage behavior reveals the strongest anchoring effect from the cross-linking TA-9164 polymer cell, which sustains good light transmittance at higher voltages and significantly improves the display responses. Without overdrive, the rising-time response of the TA-9164 polymer cell is comparable to that of the pure cell under overdrive. This paper demonstrates that a suitable monomer material applied to VA-IPS LC cells can boost their electro-optical performance.


BACKGROUND Guava is an herbal with proven antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-arthritic activity of the ethanol extract of Psidium gujava leaves (EEPG) against complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) induced arthritis in rats. METHODS An experimental study was conducted on 40 male Wistar Sprague Dawley rats, which were divided into 5 groups. Each group was induced with 0.2 mL CFA (1 mg/mL) on day 1 and 0.1 CFA mL booster injection on day 5. Group I served as an arthritic control, group II received dexamethasone (6.75 mg.kg-1 orally), group III, IV and V received EEPG at oral doses of 250, 500, and 750 mg/kg BW, respectively, on days 14 to 28. Anti-arthritic activity was observed from the arthritis score, the paw circumference was measured on days 0, 1, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, and 28, the mobility score was determined on days 12 and 28, and the histolopathology of the knee joint was examined on day 29. RESULTS Ethanol extract of Psidium guajava leaves significantly suppressed the swelling of the paws in chronic phase based on increasing of edema (%), while starting on day 20. EEPG at 250 mg/kg was most effective in significantly reducing arthritis scores (p<0.05). Histopathological examination showed repair of the knee joint synovial membrane and cartilage. CONCLUSIONS Psidium guajava leaf extract is effective in decreasing the inflammatory response and arthritic symptoms in rats with adjuvant-induced arthritis. Psidium guajava leaves can be developed into an alternative anti-arthritis treatment.


Introduction: This study aimed to determine inefficiencies in current educational programs for promoting of healthy lifestyles and prevention of obesity from the perspective of adolescents and mothers. Materials and Methods: This was a qualitative study conducted based on a grounded theory approach. To collect data, 23 personal interviews and 12 semi-structured focus group discussions were conducted with overweight/obese adolescents and mothers who had at least one overweight/obese child. To maximize the variation of participants' experiences with different socio-economic backgrounds, two demographically diverse areas from the north and south of Tehran were selected and followed with theoretical sampling. All the interviews and focus group discussions were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data collection and analysis were done simultaneously, using the Strauss and Corbin analysis method. Results: In the current study, inefficient education was explored using two main themes including "Single dimensional curriculum of schools" and "Inefficient public education". The single dimensional curriculum of schools was found to be characterized by "lesson-based curriculum" and "burdensome educational programs" and the inefficient public education was characterized by "inappropriate content", "lack of comprehensive educational program", "inappropriate ways of messaging" and "contradictory messages". Conclusions: Based on the findings of this study, "single dimensional curriculum of schools" and "Inefficient public education" were the main correlates of inefficient education in our society, which led to obesity-related behaviors and consequently excessive weight gain in Tehranian adolescents. The results of this study may be effective in prioritizing and designing health promotion programs aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles and prevention of obesity in children and adolescents.