Natural killer (NK) cells are multicompetent lymphocytes of the innate immune system that play a central role in host defense and immune regulation. Although increasing evidence suggests that innate immunity plays a key role in the pathogenesis of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), the role of NK cells in CRS has been poorly studied. This study aimed to characterize the peripheral blood NK cells from patients with CRS, and to compare the functions of these cells with those from non-CRS controls. The correlation between NK cell functional activity and prognosis was also assessed. Eighteen CRS patients and 19 healthy non-CRS controls were included. The patients with CRS were classified into two subgroups, namely a treatment-responsive group and recalcitrant group. NK cell degranulation was determined by measuring the cell surface expression of CD107a against 721.221 and K562 cells. Intracytoplasmic cytokine production was determined by flow cytometry. Compared to the controls, the NK cells of CRS group had an impaired ability to degranulate and to produce cytokines such as IFN-γ and TNF-α. The recalcitrant subgroup showed the most severe defects in NK cell effector functions. Moreover, the decreased NK cell functions in patients with CRS were associated with poor prognostic factors such as concomitant asthma and peripheral blood eosinophilia. NK cells, which were originally named for their ability to mediate spontaneous cytotoxicity towards diseased cells including infected cells, may play an important role in regulating the inflammatory process in CRS pathogenesis.


Over the past thirty years, much research on primary level foreign language
education has been conducted in the areas of language immersion/bilingualism
and communicative methodologies, and little on the significant area of foreign
language curriculum implementation. In fact, much of the literature existing on
primary foreign language curriculum implementation is based on anecdotal
evidence about what teachers have long "known" (Met & Galloway, 1992).
This study presents findings concerning foreign language curriculum policy
implementation in the state of Tasmania, Australia in the 1990s. The Tasmanian
Department of Education and the Arts (DEA) released its Languages other than
English (LOTE) Policy in November 1995 (DEA, 1995a), responding to national
and international trends in delivering foreign language curriculum programs at
primary level. The focus of this study is on both Policy intentions and primary
LOTE teachers' perceptions of Policy intentions. It also traces Tasmanian
primary LOTE teachers' reports of how districts and schools were implementing
the Policy and how teachers themselves negotiated a new curriculum area.
A conceptual framework based on the work of Fullan (1991a) and Kali& and
Lundgren (1979) structured the data within existing theories of curriculum policy
implementation. Utilising both quantitative and qualitative data collection
methods, data were assembled to create a picture of models of implementation in
schools and teachers' practices and beliefs about the policy/practice nexus.
The findings show that many components suggested by the research literature as
necessary in language policy are evident in the Tasmanian LOTE Policy. Three
key components characterised the "intended" Tasmanian LOTE Policy: a
guaranteed eight-year pathway of study for students; "team" delivery by the
LOTE specialist with the generalist class teacher; and provision of information
technology hardware and software for teacher and student use. School and
classroom implementation of the Policy was through semi-specialists, visiting,
and peripatetic teachers delivering communicative-based language and culture
programs, supported by generalist class teachers, as intended by Policy. Reasons
for LOTE teachers implementing programs as they did, and issues for teachers
implementing curriculum change, are discussed.
This study contributes to an understanding of how LOTE curriculum policy is
constructed in practice. It is significant for policy developers who match intended
curriculum with operationalised curriculum for evaluation purposes.
Conclusions are drawn about the factors influencing teachers' negotiation of the
policy implementation process. Recommendations are made regarding further
research, establishing which policies and practices can assist teachers to continue
to meet the challenge of curriculum implementation.


There are at least two kinds of similarity. Relational similarity is correspondence between relations, in contrast with attributional similarity, which is correspondence between attributes. When two words have a high degree of attributional similarity, we call them synonyms. When two pairs of words have a high degree of relational similarity, we say that their relations are analogous. For example, the word pair mason:stone is analogous to the pair carpenter:wood. This article introduces Latent Relational Analysis (LRA), a method for measuring relational similarity. LRA has potential applications in many areas, including information extraction, word sense disambiguation, and information retrieval. Recently the Vector Space Model (VSM) of information retrieval has been adapted to measuring relational similarity, achieving a score of 47% on a collection of 374 college-level multiple-choice word analogy questions. In the VSM approach, the relation between a pair of words is characterized by a vector of frequencies of predefined patterns in a large corpus. LRA extends the VSM approach in three ways: (1) The patterns are derived automatically from the corpus, (2) the Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) is used to smooth the frequency data, and (3) automatically generated synonyms are used to explore variations of the word pairs. LRA achieves 56% on the 374 analogy questions, statistically equivalent to the average human score of 57%. On the related problem of classifying semantic relations, LRA achieves similar gains over the VSM.


Functional Dependency has been extensively studied in database theory. It provides an elegant formalism for specifying key constraints and is the basis for normalization theory used in Relational database design. Given its known axiomatization through logical implications it is expected that the ontology community would be interested in investigating its applicability to conceptual modeling. This paper investigates the extension of OWL ontologies with functional dependencies. In particular, we focus on key dependency and a new class referred to as explicit dependency. The latter is a functional dependency in which the function that correlates the left-hand side to the right-hand side of the dependency is known. We extend current formalism to allow functions to appear in the consequent of a dependency declaration. A mapping of the proposed formalism to Horn clause is specified and permits FDs to be evaluated as logic rules. The ontology therein produced may present different behaviors depending on the interpretation given to functional dependencies. Interesting enough is that explicit dependency adds one extra possible interpretation, similar to views in databases. We have integrated the extended formalism into OWL and used SWRL to map dependencies to logic rules. A prototype has been implemented and illustrates the proposed approach.


Background: Costal osteochondral grafting is a technique to achieve anatomical and biological repair of articular defects. Some small series of clinical applications of this procedure for advanced osteochondritis dissecans of the humeral capitellum, with short-term follow-up, have been reported; however, longer-term outcomes remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to clarify longer-term clinical outcomes of costal osteochondral autografts in the treatment of advanced osteochondritis dissecans of the humeral capitellum. Methods: Seventy-two patients with an osteochondral defect of the humeral capitellum were treated with costal osteochondral autograft and followed for a minimum of 3 years (mean follow-up, 57 months; range, 36 to 147 months). The mean patient age was 14.3 years. Clinical outcomes, including elbow range of motion, Timmerman and Andrews clinical rating score, donor-site morbidity, responses to a questionnaire regarding a return to sporting activities, and radiographic findings, were evaluated. Results: The mean elbow range of extension/flexion increased significantly, from −21°/122° preoperatively to −4°/136° postoperatively (p < 0.001). The mean clinical rating score improved significantly, from 101 to 190 by the latest follow-up (p < 0.001). The overall clinical score-based assessment was excellent for 60 patients, good for 9, and fair for 3. Seventy of the 72 patients returned to their original sport. The remaining 2 patients had changed sporting activities before surgery and did not return to baseball, despite satisfactory clinical results. Conclusions: Costal osteochondral autograft successfully achieved anatomical and biological reconstruction in the treatment of advanced osteochondritis dissecans of the humeral capitellum. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.


OBJECTIVES: To determine whether occupational exposure to raw tobacco causes respiratory or allergic diseases, an excess of respiratory symptoms, a decrease in lung function, or parenchymal changes in chest radiography among Finnish cigar workers. METHODS: This cross sectional study included all Finnish cigar workers (n = 106) exposed to raw tobacco and also a group of unexposed matched referents. Data were collected with a self administered questionnaire, flow volume spirometry, measurements of diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide, chest radiography and skin prick tests. A questionnaire was also sent to former workers of the factory. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the groups in the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and chest radiography findings. Nine of 102 tobacco workers had pulmonary fibrosis of at least 1/0 (according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) 1980 classification) and the corresponding figure was five for the referents. The tobacco workers tended to have a low forced vital capacity (FVC), and they had impaired forced expiratory volume in 1 second and lower means of the maximal expiratory flow at 25% of the FVC significantly more often than the referents. Diffusing capacity tended to be lower among the referents. The referents more often had atopy and earlier atopic diseases than the exposed workers. These results indicate the possibility of selection among the exposed workers. CONCLUSIONS: No excess of prevalence of respiratory symptoms in the tobacco workers was found. According to the questionnaire episodes of allergic alveolitis may have occurred in the cigar factory workers. However, in the absence of impairments in lung function and radiological changes it was not possible to distinguish humidifier fever and allergic alveolitis. In exposure conditions that include humidification of the air humidifier, fever and allergic alveolitis constitute a risk for tobacco workers. No effects were shown of exposure to tobacco dust on lung function.


ABSTRACT European administrative networks (EANs) are a key building block of the European Administrative Space (EAS). Crucially, they are to fill the gap between the EU's policy ambitions and its limited administrative capacities. Whereas ample research has been done on policy preparation networks, the role of implementing EANs has received less attention in the EAS literature. This article fills this gap by providing a systematic review of relevant insights in four adjacent literatures: EU governance; international relations; public administration; and EU compliance. Employing a systematic literature review, it reports divergent findings on EAN establishment, functioning and impact, as well as variant normative evaluations. These variant findings partly relate to a lack of comparative research, selective policy coverage and predominant focus on North-western states. We conclude by suggesting a number of lines for future research on these four important themes, arguing that the crucial question will be which impact these EANs have on the national implementation and enforcement of EU law.


In recent decades there has been an increase in the number and scope of white-collar and non-violent crimes around the world (Kane and Wall, 2005). Criminals who commit these illegal acts have become more sophisticated, there actions more calculated, there approach more strategic and meticulously carried out. While collar crime is a serious problem and has a profound adverse financial impact on individuals, communities, corporations and government agencies, those convicted of these crimes tend to receive relatively shorter sentences when compared to those convicted of similar criminal acts (U.S. Sentencing Commission, 2005). There are a number of factors which may have contributed to the increase in white collar criminal acts world wide. The global economic recession has certainly forced many to seek unorthodox means to generate revenue. The primary objective of this chapter is to examine factors which have lead to an increase in white collar crimes. This chapter also evaluates the social, economic and political consequences of white collar crime. Historically, white collar crime has been viewed as non violent and in many cases victimless crimes. It is clear that white collar crime has serious social, economic and political implications. It is also clear that white collar crime is on the rise and, for various reasons, is far more difficult to detect and deter. More importantly, it is clear that white collar crimes are not always victimless and can result in serious injury and death. These crimes cost governments, civilians, major corporations and small businesses more than $10 trillion annually worldwide (Millennium Project, 2008). It is also clear that with the current global economic recession the number of white collar crimes will continue to increase. As such, this chapter will outline viable, cost effective actions, particularly by government, which can be employed to reduce white collar crime globally.


Background: Health-care workers have a major role to play in ensuring that malaria treatment is carried out in accordance to treatment guidelines, to ensure the quality of patient care. Having the requisite knowledge of the ailment and its management is a necessity in achieving optimal treatment outcomes. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess and compare health-care workers' knowledge on malaria and its treatment across public and private primary health-care facilities of Bassa Local Government Area, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: Two hundred pretested semi-structured questionnaires were administered to health-care workers across selected public and private facilities; and the generated data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences software version 20. Results: A total of 184 health-care workers (92% of the study population of 200) participated in the study. The majority of the health-care workers (65.8%) were from the public sector, while 34.2% were from private health facilities. Most of the respondents were Junior Community Health Extension Workers (23.4%) and Community Health Extension Workers (22.8%). The other health workers included in the study were nurses and laboratory and pharmacy technicians involved in the management of malaria. The respondents had a good knowledge of the cause, symptoms, and diagnosis of malaria across the facilities, based on their item scores; however, their knowledge on anti-malarial drugs was poor. Workers with >10 years in practice had significantly better knowledge (45.3%) than those with lesser experience (28.4%) (P = 0.018). Those in private practice had marginally better knowledge (44.4%) than those in public sectors (38.8%). Conclusion: The respondents had good knowledge of the etiology, symptoms, and diagnosis of uncomplicated malaria across the facilities, but knowledge of the recommended antimalarials and symptoms of complicated malaria was poor. The outcomes will be useful in educating health-care professionals in the facilities, with an emphasis on the recommended drugs for malaria.


The speed at which non-volatile memory can be accessed has become faster. To exploit the features of non-volatile memory, an executable file format, OFF2F: Object File Format consisting of 2 Files, was proposed for speeding up program execution. OFF2F focuses on the access modes when the program is executed in the memory. OFF2F is designed based on the assumption that the memory of a computer comprises of both volatile and non-volatile memory. However, current computers do not have a mix of volatile and non-volatile memory. Therefore, in this study, we propose a method to simulate non-volatile memory using volatile memory to construct a volatile and pseudo non- volatile mixed-memory environment. We also present a method to execute OFF2F programs using the pseudo non-volatile memory. The performance in terms of the speed of program execution of the OFF2F program using a pseudo non-volatile memory is compared with a conventional executable file format. The results show that OFF2F requires lesser number of reads from external storage device and shorter page fault processing time.


Understanding the response of predator populations to varying prey fields is a prerequi- site for understanding prey population dynamics and to correctly parameterise multi-species stock assessment or ecosystem models. Previous analyses on the large scale feeding response of predator populations, however, came to unrealistic results for the North Sea. The observed feeding response types (e.g. negative prey switching) would lead to the extinction of prey populations when these become scarce. We analysed the large scale response of North Sea cod Gadus morhua and whiting Merlangius merlangus populations to varying prey fields using Generalised Additive Models (GAMs). Thereby, we took changes in predator-prey overlap explicitly into account, in contrast to previous analyses. The composition of the prey field and changes in predator-prey overlap had significant effects on the diet composition in the final GAM, explaining 65.6% of the variance. The existence of a large scale prey refuge at low prey abundances as proposed by the Holling type III functional response could be demonstrated from field data. The refuge was caused by active prey-switching behaviour of the predators, and also by a passive change in the availability of prey due to changes in predator-prey overlap associated with changes in the prey abundance. In addition, a rapid increase in relative stomach contents was observed if the prey populations passed the abundance threshold of the prey refuge leading to a predator pit. At even higher abundances a saturation effect in relative stomach contents was detected. This study demonstrates that current diet selection models can be significantly improved by taking into account changes in spatial predator-prey overlap.


The southern Prince Albert Mountains, between David and Mawson Glaciers (75°30' to 76°S) in Victoria Land, Antarctica, comprise a series of nunataks with elevations ranging from 800m near the coast to 2300 m ~130 km inland. Geochemical and grain-size analyses of tills from these nunataks reveal three major groups of deposits: (1) coarse to medium sandy tills, found on Glaciolly streamlined summit plateaus of Kirk-pat rick Basalt above 2000 ma.s.l.., with geochemical compositions very similar to those of the underlying jurassic Kirkpatrick Basalt; (2) bimodal silty and sanely tills of the Sirius Group with Ferrar/Beacon-dominated geochemical compositions, at elevations of 1300-1600 m a.s.l. on striated summit plateaus and high-elevation terraces; (3) fine-grained tills with high SiO2 contents from ice-cored moraines at the lee sides of large nunataks. The geochemical composition of sandy tills from the highest summit plateaus suggests that valleys had not yet cut through the Kirkpatrick Basalt and into Beacon and Ferrar rocks at the time of deposition. These tills represent a phase of temperate glaciation prior to deposition of diatom-bearing Sirius Group tills. The latter were deposited after a first phase of landscape dissection as inferred from geochemical data. The fine-grained ice-cored moraines are late-Pleistocene basal tills. The presence of pre-Pliocene Glacial deposits on high mountain summits in the Prince Albert Mountains has implications for the interpretation of high-elevation Sirius Group sediments in other areas of the Transantarctic Mountains. It is possible that the "Sirius debate" has its origin in interpretations of both thin, barren pre-Pliocene deposits on high mountain summits and thick sequences of diatom-bearing deposits in valleys elsewhere in the Transantarctic Mountains. Both types of deposits are associated with the Sirius Group, but they belong to separate Glacial episodes.


Best known as Abraham Lincoln's secretary of state during the Civil War, William Henry Seward conducted full careers as a statesman, politician, and visionary of America's future, both before and after that traumatic conflict. His greatest legacy, however, lay in his service as the secretary of state, leading the diplomatic effort to prevent European intervention in the conflict. His success in that effort marked the margin between the salvation and the destruction of the Union. Beyond his role as diplomat, Seward's signature qualities of energy, optimism, ambition, and opportunism enabled him to assume a role in the Lincoln administration extending well beyond his diplomatic role as the secretary of state. Those same qualities secured a close working relationship with the president as Seward overcame a rocky first few weeks in office to become Lincoln's confidant and sounding board.
 Seward's career in politics stretched from the 1830s until 1869. Through that time, he maintained a vision of a United States of America built on opportunity and free labor, powered by government's active role in internal improvement and education. He foresaw a nation fated to expand across the continent and overseas, with expansion occurring peacefully as a result of American industrial and economic strength and its model of government. During his second term as secretary of state, under the Johnson administration, Seward attempted a series of territorial acquisitions in the Caribbean, the Pacific, and on the North American continent. The state of the post-war nation and its fractious politics precluded success in most of these attempts, but Seward was successful in negotiating and securing Congressional ratification of the purchase of Alaska in 1867. In addition, Seward pursued a series of policies establishing paths followed later by US diplomats, including the open door in China and the acquisition of Hawaii and US naval bases in the Caribbean.


This document describes general security considerations for the Reliable Multicast Transport (RMT) Working Group set of building blocks and protocols. An emphasis is placed on risks that might be resolved in the scope of transport protocol design. However, relevant security issues related to IP Multicast control-plane and other concerns not strictly within the scope of reliable transport protocol design are also discussed. The document also begins an exploration of approaches that could be embraced to mitigate these risks. The purpose of this document is to provide a consolidated security discussion and provide a basis for further discussion and potential resolution of any significant security issues that may exist in the current set of RMT standards. [Page 1] Informational Adamson & Roca


It has been known that melanoma cells can suppress the immune system by the Fas ligand. The present study investigated whether interleukin (IL)-18, which can enhance Fas ligand expression, is produced by B16F10 melanoma cells and is involved in immune escape of tumor cells. Immunohistology, reverse transcription-PCR, intracellular fluorescence-activated cell-sorting analysis, and immunoblotting demonstrated that melanoma cells express IL-18. C57BL/6 splenocytes cultured with culture supernatants of B16F10 melanoma cells enhanced IFN-gamma production, which was blocked by anti-IL-18 antibody, indicating that IL-18 in the culture supernatants is functional. In addition to IL-18, the IL-18 receptor was also detected in B16F10 melanoma cells, suggesting a role of this cytokine in regulating the functions of B16F10 melanoma cells. The functional effect of IL-18 on B16F10 melanoma cells was shown by reduction of Fas ligand expression in cells treated with anti-IL-18 antibody or transfected with IL-18 antisense cDNA. In addition, the same treatments decreased intracellular reactive oxygen intermediate levels in B16F10 melanoma cells, indicating that IL-18 regulates reactive oxygen intermediate production, which is involved in Fas ligand expression. Furthermore, transfection of IL-18 antisense cDNA into melanoma cells increased the susceptibility of tumor cells to natural killer cells in vitro. When IL-18 antisense transfectants were implanted into syngeneic mice, severe reduction of tumor cell growth was observed with concomitant infiltrated natural killer cells in the tumor area. Taken together, these results demonstrate that IL-18 has a critical role as a survival factor for B16F10 melanoma cells.


This paper explores the mobile payment phenomenon from SME perspectives in the Kenyan retail sector. Following a qualitative approach, and in-depth interviews, the study concludes that the contextual challenges of Kenya have rendered other forms of mobile payment such as making contactless payments, unknown. However, when other mobile payment options were made known, there was strong support for proximity mobile payments. The findings show that the introduction of any alternative mobile payment option in the Kenyan context would be a challenge against the stable trusted way of conducting mobile payments. It is recommended that strategies for building trust and customer awareness and adoption of alternative payment methods; be prerequisite towards new and alternative mobile payment options by retailers. The findings show how mobile payments, such as Lipa na MPesa have become institutionalised in the Kenyan SME structures; and how SMES themselves mobilize to legitimize mobile payments. Additional results show that Kenyan retailers are strongly driven by customer's attitude, perception and willingness to adopt new payment methods. They identify mobile network reliability as a challenge and indicated that degradation in service levels resulted in a bad customer experience as it led to confusion of a transactions success.


The slow hydrolytic reaction catalyzed by calf spleen purine nucleoside phosphorylase [Kline, P. C., & Schramm, V. L. (1992) Biochemistry 31, 5964-5973] has been investigated using pre-steady-state kinetic isotope effects and solvolysis studies. The stoichiometric reaction between enzyme and inosine forms 1 mol of free ribose per trimer of purine nucleoside phosphorylase and a tightly bound complex of enzyme and hypoxanthine. The experimental kinetic isotope effects from [1'-3H]-, [2'-3H]-, [4'-3H]-, [5'-3H]-, [1'-14C]-, and [9-15N]inosine are 1.151 +/- 0.004, 1.145 +/- 0.003, 1.006 +/- 0.004, 1.028 +/- 0.005, 1.045 +/- 0.005, and 1.000 +/- 0.005, respectively, for the pre-steady-state conditions. Substrate trapping experiments demonstrated that there is no detectable forward commitment to catalysis for inosine hydrolysis. In contrast, bound inosine is 2.1 times more likely to form product than to dissociate when the enzyme-inosine complex is exposed to saturating PO4. The lack of an observed 9-15N isotope effect is consistent with an internal equilibrium between enzyme-inosine and the enzyme-hypoxanthine-ribose complex in which N9 of hypoxanthine is protonated. The equilibrium occurs as a consequence of slow product release and tightly bound hypoxanthine (Kd = 1.3 x 10(-12) M). This internal equilibrium has a minimal effect on the intrinsic kinetic isotope effects from ribose since equilibrium isotope effects for conversion of inosine to ribose are near unity. When the single-turnover hydrolytic reaction was accomplished in 20% methanol, approximately 85% of the product sugar was 1-methylribose. Under these conditions, the anion-binding pocket fills with solvent which competes for the oxocarbenium ion of inosine formed at the transition state. In the presence of arsenate, no methanolysis of inosine occurs [Kline, P. C., & Schramm, V. L. (1993) Biochemistry 32, 13212-13219]. The results define a transition state with oxocarbenium ion character and weak participation of the attacking solvent nucleophile. Electrostatic potential surfaces of the transition states indicate that arsenate anion is more effective in neutralizing the oxocarbenium ion than is H2O.


The COVID-19 pandemic has brought into sharp focus the need to understand respiratory virus transmission mechanisms. In preparation for an anticipated influenza pandemic, a substantial body of literature has developed over the last few decades showing that the short-range aerosol route is an important, though often neglected transmission path. We develop a simple mathematical model for COVID-19 transmission via aerosols, apply it to known outbreaks, and present quantitative guidelines for ventilation and occupancy in the workplace.


Between August 2014 and September 2016, the Academic Book of the Future Project, initiated by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the British Library, explored the current and future status of the traditional academic monograph. Marilyn Deegan, one of the co-investigators on the project and author of the project report, reflects on its findings, welcoming them as an opportunity to open up further dialogue on the horizons of the academic book.


At the Projectafdeling Culturele Minderheden (Cultural Minorities Department) of the Rotterdam Schooladviesdienst (Educational Ad-vice Service) language programmes are being developed, aimed at preparing the second language speaking 16+ group for vocational training courses.The programmes can be split up into a general basic programme and various specific follow-up programmes. In order to establish the entry and the target levels of the programmes, the following activities have been undertaken:1 analysis of the proficiency that may be expected from existing beginners programmes, which has determined the entry level of the basic programme;2 analysis of the language requirements that the participants on the training courses must meet, from which the target levels of the follow-up programmes have been derived.A third activity that has been undertaken is to determine the syllabus design, i.e. which skills can be distinguished; which steps have to be taken within each separate skill; which unit of organisation is to be adopted. In connection herewith, the rele-vance of the communicative approach has been examined, especially in the light of the numerous publications on syllabus design which this approach has yielded.In this article a number of aspects of the communicative approach and communicative syllabus design are treated, namely the suitability of the approach for different types of courses, the position of grammar within the approach, criticism of the approach, and some alternatives of the notional/functional syllabus. Finally the relevance of the approach for the development of second language programmes is evaluated.Some conclusions are, that for several reasons the notional/func-tional approach has not been adopted. Build-up schemes for each of the four skills and grammar have been devised instead. These separate schemes are interrelated during the actual programme de-velopment. Grammar is partly integrated in each skill and partly practised in isolation in the form of language awareness activities. An important asset of the communicative approach is the suggestion to carry out language needs analyses. However, no use could be made of a model like Munby's, as it did not suit the purpose. The supposition is put forward that the communicative approach has more to offer in the field of methodology than in that of syllabus design.


The effects of high temperature on tropical corals have been studied extensively, but little is known of their response to high frequency thermal fluctuations that are common in many reef habitats. To better understand how oscillatory temperatures affect corals, Pocillopora meandrina and Porites rus from the lagoon of Moorea were used to test the effects of fluctuating temperatures on coral physiology. Corals were incubated at a stable temperature (28 oC), or diurnally fluctuating temperatures (26 – 32 oC) that simulate the conditions in the lagoon. Their response was assessed through dark-adapted maximum quantum yield (FV/FM), Symbiodinium density, and holobiont respiration. Following incubations, Symbiodinium density and FV/FM were depressed 25 42%, and 20 23%, respectively, for both species under fluctuating compared to the stable temperature treatment. Additionally, respiration was 55-63% lower in the fluctuating compared to the stable conditions, although this effect was only found in one of two replicate experiments. These results demonstrate that corals can be strongly affected by diurnal temperature fluctuations in lagoon habitats.


In many real-world situations we are charged with detecting change as soon as possible. Important examples include detecting medical conditions, detecting security breaches, and updating caches of distributed databases. In those situations, sensing can be expensive, but it is also important to detect change in a timely manner.

In this paper we present tractable greedy algorithms and prove that they solve this decision problem either optimally or approximate the optimal solution in many cases. Our problem model is a POMDP that includes a cost for sensing, a cost for delayed detection, a reward for successful detection, and no-cost partial observations. Making optimal decisions is difficult in general. We show that our tractable greedy approach finds optimal policies for sensing both a single variable and multiple correlated variables. Further, we provide approximations for the optimal solution to multiple hidden or observed variables per step. Our algorithms outperform previous algorithms in experiments over simulated data and live Wikipedia WWW pages.


Gain a new understanding of moral intelligence, and a step-by-step program for its achievement from bestselling author, Michele Borba. In this indispensable book for parents, Borba has created a new break-through in conceptualizing and teaching virtue, character and values under the auspices of a measurable capacity: Moral Intelligence. This book confronts the front-page crisis we now face in our country regarding youth violence, alienation, self-destructive behavior, cold-heartedness, lack of compassion, insensitivity, intolerance and the break down of values. The author provides a new way to understand, evaluate and inspire our kids with the seven essential virtues which comprise moral intelligence.


In this study, we have investigated the ground state energy level of electrons in modulation doped GaAs/AlxGa1 - xAs heterojunctions. For this purpose, Schrodinger and Poisson equations are solved self consistently using quantum genetic algorithm (QGA). In this way, we have found the potential profile, the ground state subband energy and their corresponding envelope functions, Fermi level, and the amount of tunneling charge from barrier to channel region. Their dependence on various device parameters are also examined.


Results of study is a benchmark in view the success of student learning. The level of achievement of learning outcomes allegedly influenced by many factors. Study habits and is one of the factors suspected to affect learning outcomes. This study aimed to describe the contribution of the habit of learning on student learning outcomes. This study uses a quantitative approach a descriptive correlational. The study population 212, and a sample of 139 students obtained via technique. Proportional Random Sampling instruments used are instruments of learning habits, while the study results obtained from the value of student learning outcomes. Analysis of data using simple regression techniques. The research result shows that the habit of learning and learning outcomes at the high category. Contributions habit of learning to the learning outcomes 32.9%.


This paper explores the possibility that governance indicators can be harmonized across three levels (within an individual ministry or government department, across government as a whole, and at the level of global governance) and that doing so will produce effective governance. Specifically, I argue that those operating on the global level -- particularly in the domain of safety, justice, and the rule of law -- might design their indicators from the bottom up, supporting local ambitions and building on the legitimate sources of authority close to the operations they seek to influence, rather than starting with ambitions and power at a global level.


Planning and scheduling are among the most important parts of the management's duties. Development of an efficient scheduling method can results in productivity improvement of an organization. Given the importance of production scheduling in an organization, this research seeks to propose a solution for one of the important problems for the production managers. This problem occurs if a considerable percentage of available production times is allocated to machine setup times. The objective of this research is to find a scheduling method to reach minimum of total production time, earliness and tardiness times. In previous researches not all effective factors on this scheduling method such as machine idle times and machine setup costs have been studied simultaneously. A mathematical model for the optimization of multi-product single-machine scheduling problem have been developed which considered sequence dependent setup costs, costs due to delay in delivery, holding costs, and costs related to machine idle time. Comparative results for the random small size test cases show that the proposed mathematical model can obtained an optimal solution in a relatively low computation time, however, for the large-scale cases this model is not efficient and an approximate method is required for these cases.


The aim of this investigation is to examine whether the adults' difficulty in placing the written accent in Spanish words is related to their ability in perceiving stress. The following variables were also taken into account in this study: the participant's education level (academic and non-academic), the stimulus lexical status (words and non-words), accentual pattern (proparoxytone, paroxytone and oxytone words) and length (2, 3 and 4 syllables). Participants performed a stress identification task and a word spelling task. Besides the effects of lexical status, education level and accentual pattern, results show an effect of the stress perception in the assignment of the written accent: stimuli with a correctly identified stress were more likely to be correctly written (i.e. with or without written accent) than the incorrectly perceived stimuli. This finding reinforces the idea that there is a relationship between prosodic and written skills.


Abstract Objective To explore the experience of providing and receiving primary care from the perspectives of primary care health professionals and patients with serious mental illness respectively. Design Qualitative study consisting of six patient groups, six health professional groups, and six combined focus groups. Setting Six primary care trusts in the West Midlands. Participants Forty five patients with serious mental illness, 39 general practitioners (GPs), and eight practice nurses. Results Most health professionals felt that the care of people with serious mental illness was too specialised for primary care. However, most patients viewed primary care as the cornerstone of their health care and preferred to consult their own GP, who listened and was willing to learn, rather than be referred to a different GP with specific mental health knowledge. Swift access was important to patients, with barriers created by the effects of the illness and the noisy or crowded waiting area. Some patients described how they exaggerated symptoms ("acted up") to negotiate an urgent appointment, a strategy that was also employed by some GPs to facilitate admission to secondary care. Most participants felt that structured reviews of care had value. However, whereas health professionals perceived serious mental illness as a lifelong condition, patients emphasised the importance of optimism in treatment and hope for recovery. Conclusions Primary care is of central importance to people with serious mental illness. The challenge for health professionals and patients is to create a system in which patients can see a health professional when they want to without needing to exaggerate their symptoms. The importance that patients attach to optimism in treatment, continuity of care, and listening skills compared with specific mental health knowledge should encourage health professionals in primary care to play a greater role in the care of patients with serious mental illness.


Several genes that are involved in the regulation of circadian rhythms are implicated in the susceptibility to bipolar disorder (BD). The current study aimed to investigate the relationships between genetic variants in NR1D1 RORA, and RORB genes and BD in the Han Chinese population. We conducted a case-control genetic association study with two samples of BD patients and healthy controls. Sample I consisted of 280 BD patients and 200 controls. Sample II consisted of 448 BD patients and 1770 healthy controls. 27 single nucleotide polymorphisms in the NR1D1, RORA, and RORB genes were genotyped using GoldenGate VeraCode assays in sample I, and 492 markers in the three genes were genotyped using Affymetrix Genome-Wide CHB Array in sample II. Single marker and gene-based association analyses were performed using PLINK. A combined p-value for the joining effects of all markers within a gene was calculated using the rank truncated product method. Multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) method was also applied to test gene-gene interactions in sample I. All markers were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P>0.001). In sample I, the associations with BD were observed for rs4774388 in RORA (OR = 1.53, empirical p-value, P = 0.024), and rs1327836 in RORB (OR = 1.75, P = 0.003). In Sample II, there were 45 SNPs showed associations with BD, and the most significant marker in RORA was rs11639084 (OR = 0.69, P = 0.002), and in RORB was rs17611535 (OR = 3.15, P = 0.027). A combined p-value of 1.6×10−6, 0.7, and 1.0 was obtained for RORA, RORB and NR1D1, respectively, indicting a strong association for RORA with the risk of developing BD. A four way interaction was found among markers in NR1D1, RORA, and RORB with the testing accuracy 53.25% and a cross-validation consistency of 8 out of 10. In sample II, 45 markers had empirical p-values less than 0.05. The most significant markers in RORA and RORB genes were rs11639084 (OR = 0.69, P = 0.002), and rs17611535 (OR = 3.15, P = 0.027), respectively. Gene-based association was significant for RORA gene (P = 0.0007). Our results support for the involvement of RORs genes in the risk of developing BD. Investigation of the functional properties of genes in the circadian pathway may further enhance our understanding about the pathogenesis of bipolar illness.


The purpose of this paper is to ascertain the awareness and use of cloud computing technologies among the library professionals in the Kerala University Library system, India. A survey was conducted using questionnaire among the 102 library professionals employed in the central and departmental libraries of the University of Kerala. The study revealed that 42.16% of the library professionals did not have much idea about cloud computing technology. Analysis showed that Facebook and Google Apps like Gmail, Google Doc etc are the cloud computing technologies used by majority of the respondents. It is also worth to note that the library professionals in Kerala University Library are using cloud computing technologies without being aware of doing so. Library professionals' awareness of cloud service models is relatively very low. Web OPAC and Journal Discovery Service are the areas known to the respondents in applying cloud computing technologies in libraries. Out of 102 respondents, 14.71% of the library 2 professionals in the University of Kerala have average skill in using these technologies. The findings of the study throw lights into the need of providing training for the library professionals in handling technology enriched library services to the users.


The Maritime Transportation System (MTS) accounts for more than 80% of global merchandise trade in volume and roughly a sixth of the Total Gross Output of the United States. Given that national and global economies depend upon efficient supply chains, port stakeholders must develop security plans to respond to all hazards, natural and manmade. Given recent cyber attacks affecting shipping ports, along with the multi-billion dollar cyber insurance gap, ports need to understand the tradeoffs between increased competitiveness and increased risk through investment in automation and advanced logistics technologies. This article addresses the need to understand the economic impact of cyber attacks that affect shipping port operations and thereby enable risk assessments that holistically evaluate interactions among port Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT) systems. We extend Boland et al's Dynamic Discretization Discovery (DDD) algorithm to include capacity constraints and delay arcs to accommodate commodities arriving late due to disruption. Using a Nearly-Orthogonal Latin Hypercube (NOLH) experimental design, we construct disruption profiles based on actual cyber attacks that specify the range of operational effects of IT/OT dependencies on stakeholder transportation assets. Economic loss functions for seven commodity categories based on the willingness to pay literature are used to compute delay costs so that stakeholders can estimate the range of economic and operational impacts within a disruption profile. Results based on data provided by Port Everglades, FL, illustrate impacts at $80,000 and $1.2M on average for cyberattacks on landlord port and terminal operator assets during the first week in October, 2017. The runtime performance of our DDD algorithm improves on the state of the art by an order of magnitude and on larger problem sizes based on real-world port networks.


The provenir ontology is an upper-level ontology to facilitate interoperability of provenance information in scientific applications. The description logic (DL) expressivity of provenir ontology is ALCH, that is, it models role hierarchies (H) (without transitive roles and inverse roles). Even though the complexity results for concept satisfiability for numerous variants of DL such as ALC with transitively closed roles (ALCR+ also called S), inverse roles SI, and role hierarchy SHI have been well-established, similar results for ALCH has been surprisingly missing from the literature. Here, we show that the complexity of the concept satisfiability problem for the ALCH variant of DL is PSpace complete. This result contributes towards a complete set of complexity results for DL variants and establishes a lower bound on complexity for domain-specific provenance ontologies that extend provenir ontology.


We introduce an efficient synchronization model that organizes a population of integrate-and-fire oscillators into stable and structured groups. Each oscillator fires synchronously with all the others within its group, but the groups themselves fire with a constant phase difference. The structure of the synchronized groups depends on the choice of the coupling function. We show that by defining the interaction between oscillators according to the relative distance between them, our model can be used as a general clustering algorithm. Unlike existing models, our model incorporates techniques from relational and prototype-based clustering methods and results in a clustering algorithm that is simple, efficient, robust, unbiased by the size of the clusters, and that can find an arbitrary number of clusters. In addition to helping the model self-organize into stable groups, the synergy between clustering and synchronization reduces the computational complexity significantly. The resulting clustering algorithm has several advantages over conventional clustering techniques. In particular, it can generate a nested sequence of partitions and it can determine the optimum number of clusters in an efficient manner. Moreover, since our approach does not involve optimizing an objective function, it is not sensitive to initialization and it can incorporate nonmetric similarity measures. We illustrate the performance of our algorithms with several synthetic and real data sets.


Microplastics are now firmly recognized as a ubiquitous and growing global threat to marine biota, as well as their associated ecology and habitats. The prevalence of microplastics in the marine waters within Qatar's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) was investigated. Following sample extraction, microplastics were characterized using Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, and the polymer type then verified using OMNIC Spectra Library. Synthetic polymer microplastics were identified in seawater sampled from ten out of twelve marine monitoring stations, with varying shapes and sizes. Granular shaped microplastics present ranged from 120µm to 1.2mm in size, and fibrous microplastic ranged from 150µm to 10mm. Polypropylene (PP), low density polyethylene (LDPE), polyethylene (PE), polystyrene (PS), polyamide (PA), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and cellophane microplastic particles were identified. Copolymers were also identified from the collected samples, including poly(styrene:vinylidene chloride), poly(ethylene:propylene:diene) and alkyd resin e.g. paint debris. The most numerous type of synthetic polymer microplastic identified was polypropylene, with the greatest concentration found near Halul Island in the north east of the Qatar EEZ, where nearby anthropogenic activities include oil-rig installations and shipping operations. In addition, as par to the investigation, an optimized method was also developed for the extraction of microplastics from seawater samples rich in phytoplankton. The use of 1M NaOH proved to be more efficient digestion treatment than 10M NaOH and 22.5M HNO3 solutions, as the latter two solutions resulted in structural damage and discoloration of the reference polymers: polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polystyrene (PS), polyethylene (PE), and nylon.


Voice from the North resurrects the forgotten historical memory of the people and region in late Choson Korea while also enriching the social history of the country. Sun Joo Kim accomplishes this by examining the life and work of Yi Sihang, a historically obscure person from a hinterland in Korea's northwestern region who was also a member of the literati. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Yi Sihang left numerous writings on his region's history and culture, and on the political and social discrimination that he and others in his region faced from the central elite. This work explores a regional history and culture through the frames of microhistory and historical memory. Kim criticizes the historiographical problem of "otherizing" the northern region and fills a gap in Korean historiography-the lack of historical study of the northern region from a regional perspective, P'yongan Province in particular. The biographical format of this work engages readers in the investigation of a person's life within the changing world of his time and also creates a space where private and public intersect. Kim places Yi Sihang at the center of the historical stage while describing, analyzing, and reconstructing the world around him through his life story.


This special issue of JIME brings together several papers that were produced following a symposium on Portable Learning - Learner and Teacher Experiences with Mobile Devices held in June 2005 at the UK Open University. There is considerable interest in how mobile devices of various kinds can support learning in different contexts ranging from their use in formal settings such as schools and universities through to more informal settings.

The area of mobile learning is a very busy one with a regular stream of conferences and workshops. However, as with all technologies in their early days, there is a real need to distinguish the hype and rhetoric from the empirical evidence and reality of use. The symposium papers were grounded in the developing literature and in empirical work. They focused on user experiences and often explored the potential in terms of scenarios of use.

The purpose of the symposium on Portable Learning was two-fold: to bring together research on mobile devices from different areas of the Open University, and to share experiences with researchers from elsewhere.

Open University work represented at the symposium included empirical studies on the use of Tablet PCs in Schools (Peter Twining et al.). Researchers from the university's Knowledge Media Institute (Paul Mulholland et al.) described how technology can link a museum visit to follow-up learning activities. Patrick McAndrew and Doug Clow presented a first-aider training scenario from the MOBILearn project. Eileen Scanlon gave an account of informal learning in science, while Agnes Kukulska-Hulme's talk explored the changing roles of teachers and learners, with reference to mobile foreign language learning.

Invited researchers included Rose Luckin from the Human Centred Technology group in Sussex, (now at the London Knowledge Lab) who emphasised the importance of learning context in educational applications of mobile technologies. Dan Sutch from Nesta FutureLab discussed learners as producers - a project that helps young people to engage creatively with their environment by getting them to contribute to resources in an ever-evolving tour of Deptford Creek in London. Virpi Oksman from the University of Tampere, Finland, provided a Scandinavian perspective and described ongoing research into the significance of the mobile phone in the social relationships of young people and seniors.

Abstracts for papers not represented in this special issue can be found on the symposium website - http://kn.open.ac.uk/public/index.cfm?wpid=4379

The symposium was co-sponsored by the Computers and Learning Research Group (CALRG) and Telelearning Research Group (TLRG): both are research groups in the Open University's Centre of Excellence for Educational and Educational Technology Research, established in 2004. The CALRG group was set up in 1978 to bring together researchers involved in the University's pioneering work on using computers to support learners. The group's work soon expanded to include a wide variety of research interests and approaches to studying the use of technologies in education. Although there is a focus on higher and distance education, members of the CALRG group research the use of learning technologies across all sectors, with adults and children alike and also outside institutional learning. The TLRG research group developed alongside the growth of the Open University's Masters in Online and Distance Education with a particular focus on Online Learning. Many members of TLRG teach on the Masters programme and research aspects of course design and student experience. The two groups have many common interests and come together from time to time to work on projects. The Portable Learning symposium allowed us all to exchange perspectives on this fast developing field and we are very pleased to share the outcomes with the wide readership of JIME.


[About the Book:] Young children as citizens explores how young children (birth to 12 years of age) can and should participate in civic life. It reflects new images of young children as social actors, together with the increased interest in children's rights in the public sphere. The contributors are early childhood researchers, pedagogues, children and policy makers from Australia and Europe. They present a rich diversity of research-based case studies in which policy-makers and educators have listened to young children¹s views on public issues and responded in respectful and ethical ways. Young children as citizens is a unique resource for policy-makers, those working in children's services and child advocates. It shows how best to consult young children and it presents a range of arguments that consulting young children about policies and decisions that affect them supports and enhances a vigorous democratic society. Students (undergraduate and postgraduate), teachers and researchers in early childhood studies can use individual chapters of Young children as citizens selectively to explore issues of increasing complexity in different courses. The book would be a good set text for Honours and Master's programs that address issues of children's rights.


Investigating the role of appetite‐related hormones on energy balance and body composition when varying diets are consumed could provide insight into the etiology of obesity. Eight female subjects, ages 20–30, were used in this study: four normal subjects with body mass index (BMI) of 19–24 and four overweight/obese subjects with of BMI of 27–30. Each subject received both treatments by a crossover design. Two normal and two overweight subjects were assigned to the Atkins' diet. The Atkins' diet contained 10% of energy as carbohydrate, 45% of energy as protein, and 45% of energy as lipid. The remaining two normal and two overweight subjects were assigned to the AHA diet that contained 63% of energy as carbohydrate, 12% of energy as protein, and 25% of energy as lipid. Each diet was fed for 14 days, and then subjects were switched to the other diet. On days 6 and 20, blood was taken at one hour before and after the noon meal. Blood was taken every hour from 7 am to 9 pm on days 13 and 27 of the study. On days 14 and 28, subjects were fasted from 7 am to 12 pm and fed their meal at noon. Two blood samples were taken on days 14 and 28 at 11am and one hour after the meal. All plasma samples were analyzed for ghrelin. We hypothesized that subjects consuming the Atkins' diet will have lower plasma ghrelin concentrations than subjects consuming the AHA diet. Women consuming the Atkins diet tended to have lower fasting ghrelin concentration than did women consuming the AHA diet (p=0.13). These results indicate a relationship of appetite‐related hormones with respect to diet composition.


To explore the ways in which teacher-guided and student-centered instructional approaches influence students' conceptual understanding of seasonal change, we designed a technology-enhanced learning (TEL) course to compare, by means of concept maps, the learning outcome of students in two groups: a teacher-guided (TG) class (with whole-class presentations) and a student-centered (SC) class (with individual online learning). The participants were two classes of second-year senior high school students in Taiwan. Overall, the results showed that most students developed a deep and accessible understanding of the reasons for the seasons after undergoing experiences provided by the TEL course. More importantly, it was found that, in this technologically enhanced environment, the student-centered approach was more effective than the teacher-guided approach in altering students' alternative conceptions of seasonal change (F = 28.05, p < 0.001). The conceptual evolution of students in the two groups was plotted and compared. These plots indicated that, first of all, the cognitive processes of contextualization and sense making helped students re-examine their old ideas about the phenomena, leading them to generate alternative conceptions and undergo both positive and negative conceptual change. The student-centered approach allows students to more freely test their own hypotheses in the processes of exploration and modeling, and thus move from assimilatory to properly scientific explanations. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed92:320–344, 2008


Recent platforms, like Uber and Lyft, offer service to consumers via "self-scheduling" providers who decide for themselves how often to work. These platforms may charge consumers prices and pay providers wages that both adjust based on prevailing demand conditions. For example, Uber uses a "surge pricing" policy, which pays providers a fixed commission of its dynamic price. With a stylized model that yields analytical and numerical results, we study several pricing schemes that could be implemented on a service platform, including surge pricing. We find that the optimal contract substantially increases the platform's profit relative to contracts that have a fixed price or fixed wage or both, and although surge pricing is not optimal, it generally achieves nearly the optimal profit. Despite its merits for the platform, surge pricing has been criticized because of concerns for the welfare of providers and consumers. In our model, as labor becomes more expensive, providers and consumers are better off with surge pricing because providers are better utilized and consumers benefit both from lower prices during normal demand and expanded access to service during peak demand. We conclude, in contrast to popular criticism, that all stakeholders can benefit from the use of surge pricing on a platform with self-scheduling capacity.

The e-companion is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2017.0618 .


Digital resampling is a process that converts a digital signal from one sampling rate to another. This process is performed by means of interpolating between the input samples to produce output samples at an output sampling rate. The digital interpolation process is accomplished with an interpolation filter. The problem of resampling digital signals at an output sampling rate that is incommensurate with the input sampling rate is the first topic of this thesis. This problem is often encountered in practice, for example in multiplexing video signals from different sources for the purpose of distribution. There are basically two approaches to resample the signals. Both approaches are thoroughly described and practical circuits for hardware implementation are provided. A comparison of the two circuits shows that one circuit requires a division to compute the new sampling times. This time scaling operation adds complexity to the implementation with no performance advantage over the other circuit, and makes the "division free" circuit the preferred one for resampling. The second topic of this thesis is performance analysis of interpolation filters for Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) signals in the context of timing recovery. The performance criterion of interest is Modulation Error Ratio (MER), which is considered to be a very useful indicator of the quality of modulated signals in QAM systems. The methodology of digital resampling in hardware is employed to describe timing recovery circuits and propose an approach to evaluate the performance of interpolation filters. A MER performance analysis circuit is then devised. The circuit is simulated with MATLAB/Simulink as well as implemented in Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). Excellent agreement between results obtained from simulation and hardware implementation proves the validity of the methodology and practical application of the research works.


This paper examines the relationship of Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) implementation to firm performance, the mediating role of strategic agility and moderating role of quality of internal audit function in this relationship among Malaysian public listed companies (PLCs). ERM implementation was conceptualized with the elements in COSO (2004) ERM Integrated Framework, and firm performance was measured by financial and non-financial indicators. A total of 137 responses were obtained through questionnaire from PLCs in main market of Bursa Malaysia. The empirical findings of the study suggest that ERM implementation has a significant relationship to firm performance and strategic agility significantly mediate the relationship. However, quality of internal audit function does not significantly moderate the relationship between ERM implementation and firm performance. Low response rate presents a challenge to generalize the content to all public listed companies in Malaysia. Due to time and cost constraints this study did not acquire any secondary data and interviews which may provide further in-depth findings related to the research. In this study ERM framework as an integrative risk management has been recognized as the contributor to the firm performance of sample companies. Public listed companies, Securities Commission and Institute of Internal Auditors Malaysia will benefit from the findings of this study.


Primary myelofibrosis is a myeloproliferative neoplasm that is a precursor to myeloid leukemia. Dysmegakaryopoiesis and extramedullary hematopoiesis characterize primary myelofibrosis, which is also associated with bone marrow stromal alterations marked by fibrosis, neoangiogenesis, and osteomyelosclerosis. In particular, contributions to primary myelofibrosis from mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) have been suggested by mouse studies, but evidence in humans remains lacking. In this study, we show that bone marrow MSCs from primary myelofibrosis patients exhibit unique molecular and functional abnormalities distinct from other myeloproliferative neoplasms and these abnormalities are maintained stably ex vivo in the absence of leukemic cells. Primary myelofibrosis-MSC overexpressed heparin-binding cytokines, including proinflammatory TGFβ1 and osteogenic BMP-2, as well as glycosaminoglycans such as heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate. Transcriptome and functional analyses revealed alterations in MSC differentiation characterized by an increased osteogenic potential and a TGFβ1 signaling signature. Accordingly, phospho-Smad2 levels were intrinsically increased in primary myelofibrosis-MSC along with enhanced expression of the master bone regulator RUNX2, while inhibition of the endogenous TGFβ1 receptor TGFβR1 impaired osteogenic differentiation in these MSCs. Taken together, our results define the source of a critical osteogenic function in primary myelofibrosis that supports its pathophysiology, suggesting that combined targeting of both the hematopoietic and stromal cell compartments in primary myelofibrosis patients may heighten therapeutic efficacy.


The aim of this study was to determine the number and state of activity of cytolytic T lymphocytes (CTL) and their precursors (CTL‐P) present in vivo during the early stages of viral infection. The local response to lethal infection with rabies virus was used as a model system that is not accessible to analysis by secondary activation in vitro. The local response to alloantigen served as a control. Experimental protocols were established that allow frequency estimates of in vivo antigen‐triggered CTL‐P. Data allow a distinction between CTL‐P activated in vivo by alloantigen and viral antigen with respect to their different capacity to utilize T cell growth factors (inter‐leukins). In vivo alloantigen‐primed CTL‐P generate, in vitro, an active effector progeny in the presence of interleukins of xenogeneic origin, whereas the majority of virus‐specific CTL‐P, in spite of considerable expansion in vivo, fail to generate CTL in vitro unless antigen is added.


© 2015 Ivette Vargas-O'Bryan and Zhou Xun. All rights reserved. Recent academic and medical initiatives have highlighted the benefits of studying culturally embedded healing traditions that incorporate religious and philosophical viewpoints to better understand local and global healing phenomena. Capitalising on this trend, the present volume looks at the diverse models of healing that interplay with culture and religion in Asia. Cutting across several Asian regions from Hong Kong to mainland China, Tibet, India, and Japan, the book addresses healing from a broader perspective and reflects a fresh new outlook on the complexities of Asian societies and their approaches to health. In exploring the convergences and collisions a society must negotiate, it shows the emerging urgency in promoting multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research on disease, religion and healing in Asia. Drawing on original fieldwork, contributors present their latest research on diverse local models of healing that occur when disease and religion meet in South and East Asian cultures. Revealing the symbiotic relationship of disease, religion and healing and their colliding values in Asia often undetected in healthcare research, the book draws attention to religious, political and social dynamics, issues of identity and ethics, practical and epistemological transformations, and analogous cultural patterns. It challenges the reader to rethink predominantly long-held Western interpretations of disease management and religion. Making a significant contribution to the field of transcultural medicine, religious studies in Asia as well as to a better understanding of public health in Asia as a whole, it will be of interest to students and scholars of Health Studies, Asian Religions and Philosophy.


: Trinucleotide CAG repeat expansion in the coding region of genes has a propensity to form polyglutamine (polyQ) aggregates that contribute to neuronal disorders. Strategies in elevating autophagy to disintegrate the insoluble aggregates without injuring cells have become a major goal for therapy. In this work, a triazole derivative, OC-13, was found accelerating autophagic clearance of polyQ aggregation in human neuroblastoma cells following induction of the enhanced green fluorescence-conjugated chimeric protein that enclosed 79 polyQ repeats (Q79-EGFP). OC-13 accelerated autophagy development and removed nuclear Q79-EGFP aggregates. The increase of Beclin-1, turnover of LC3-I to LC3-II and degradation of p62 supported autophagy activation. Pretreatment of autophagy inhibitor, bafilomycin A1, not only suppressed autophagolysome fusion, but also impeded aggregate eradication. The study also showed that c-Jun N-terminal kinase/Beclin-1 pathway was activated during OC-13 treatment and c-Jun N-terminal kinase inhibitor impaired autophagy and final breakdown. Autophagic clearance of the insoluble aggregates demonstrated the feasibility of OC-13 in alleviating neuronal disorders because of expanded glutamine stretches.


To determine whether metformin- clomifene citrate and metformin – letrozole combined drug treatment has beneficial effects on biochemical and hormonal changes in infertile polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) Women in an infertility clinic. All patients between the age of 27 and 37 years who attended a infertility clinic with a suspicion of PCOS. PCOS patients in both groups were received 1500 mg metformin (Glucophage, Merck, West Drayton, UK) a day (500 mg three times a day) for 6–8 weeks. If pregnancy occurred, the patient was excluded from the study. However, in case of failure of pregnancy after the end of this period, the patients in the group III were given 100 mg clomiphene citrate and group IV patients received 2.5 mg letrozole (Femara, Novartis, Quebec, Canada) from 3-7 days of their menstrual cycle. The demographic characteristics like body weight, BMI, hirsutism, menstural status was significantly (p<0.001) decreased, Biochemical parameters such as glucose, cholesterol have the significant difference (Fig II) But, lipid profile have not significantly differ after the treatment period. Endocrinological parameters of thyroid hormones were not significantly differ. But, Insulin , LH, FSH and testosterone hormones have a significant difference after the treatment period. In the present study we suggest, Comparatively Metformin – letrozole have a better result in demographic, Biochemical and endocrinoligical parameter. Especially PCOS patient androgen metabolisms were highly alter. Its exceedingly helpful to induce the ovulation and pregnancy level of infertile PCOS patients.


Josephson parametric amplifiers (JPA) have become key devices in quantum science and technology with superconducting circuits. In particular, they can be utilized as quantum-limited amplifiers or as a source of squeezed microwave fields. Here, we report on the detailed measurements of five flux-driven JPAs, three of them exhibiting a hysteretic dependence of the resonant frequency versus the applied magnetic flux. We model the measured characteristics by numerical simulations based on the two-dimensional potential landscape of the dc superconducting quantum interference devices (dc-SQUID), which provide the JPA nonlinearity, for a finite screening parameter $\beta_\mathrm{L}\,{>}\,0$ and demonstrate excellent agreement between the numerical results and the experimental data. Furthermore, we study the nondegenerate response of different JPAs and accurately describe the experimental results with our theory.


The potential for seed-eating birds to disperse viable canola (Brassicaceae: Brassica napus) seeds and establish feral populations or disperse genetically modified cultivars was investigated in captive feeding trials determining the: 1) acceptability of canola as food, 2) passage time of canola through the gut (PT), and 3) viability of passed seed. Four dove/pigeon, one finch, and two duck species were tested. Only Crested Pigeons Ocyphaps lophotes and some Wood Ducks Chenonetta jubata ate canola seed in significant amounts in the presence of other food. Over 460 faecal pellets were examined for the presence of whole/ viable seed, but only seven pellets (∼1.5%), all from Wood Ducks, contained whole seed. Of the 11 passed seeds (represents <0.01% of seed ingested by these ducks), only five germinated successfully (cf. 50 of 50 control seeds). Mean passage time of seed was quick for most species, ranging from 0.5 h in Senegal Doves, Streptopelia senegalensis, 1.3 h in Bronzewing Pigeons, to 2-3 h in the ducks C. jubata, and Anas superciliosa. This suggests that potential seed dispersal distances via these birds may generally be short (<10 km). Although the passage of viable diaspores was rare, the large number of birds likely to be feeding on canola seed in agricultural fields or at spillages on roadsides and loading zones suggests there is the potential for birds to disperse viable canola seed, including viable seed from genetically modified canola crops. Management options such as avoiding large piles of spilt seed or storing canola seed near watercourses would minimize this risk. However, the eradication of any established feral herbicide-resistant GM-canola plants could remain problematical.


As the population ages, providing health services for the growing number of older people will become an increasingly difficult problem. In countries where the health services are provided by the government, these problems are involved with complicated issues of finance and ethics. This is the case of the National Health Service, the government institution providing health care for the citizens of the United Kingdom. Knowing what social factors influence health care usage can be a link to match usage and funding. Literature has shown that health care utilization can be predicted by social factors, as well as the medical model, and from this orientation social variables were drawn from the 1994 General Household Survey. Social factors were analyzed to determine relationships that exist between certain types of health care use and these factors. Age, sex, and class, the three main factors shown in literature to affect usage, were then analyzed to determine if services are allocated on the basis of these factors or the basis of need from illness and disability. Results of the study show that of the predisposing variables, age, sex, and class, are associated with most types of health care use. From the enabling variables, both source of income and visits from friends and relatives are associated with most types of health care. Of the illness determinants, disability, limiting illness, restricted activity days and eyesight difficulty were all related to health care use. When intervening control variables were introduced, the intervening control variables of difficulty with activities of daily living and difficulty with instrumental activities of daily living had an explanatory effect on the use of home help, district nursing, consultations with a general practitioner at home, consultations with a general practitioner at a surgery or health clinic, and inpatient stays. These services were offered more according to need than the factors of age, sex, and class.


This is the image of Catherine of Aragon who has always suffered in comparison to the heir - providing Jane Seymour or the vivacious eroticism of Anne Boleyn. But when Henry VIII married Catherine, she was an auburn-haired beauty in her twenties with a passion she had inherited from her parents, Isabella and Ferdinand, the joint-rulers of Spain who had driven the Moors from their country. This daughter of conquistadors showed the same steel and sense of command when organising the defeat of the Scots at the Battle of Flodden and Henry was to learn, to his cost, that he had not met a tougher opponent on or off the battlefield when he tried to divorce her. Henry VIII introduced four remarkable women into the tumultuous flow of England's history: Catherine of Aragon and her daughter 'Bloody' Queen Mary; and Anne Boleyn and her daughter, the Virgin Queen Elizabeth. 'From this contest, between two mothers and two daughters, was born the religious passion and violence that inflamed England for centuries,' says David Starkey. Reformation, revolution and Tudor history would all have been vastly different without Catherine of Aragon. Giles Tremlett's new biography is the first in more than four decades to be dedicated entirely and uniquely to the tenacious woman whose marriage lasted twice as long as those of Henry's five other wives put together. It draws on fresh material from Spain to trace the dramatic events of her life through Catherine of Aragon's own eyes. "Enthralling biography...this lively and richly detailed book...describing the queen's fierce battle to retain her crown, Tremlett brilliantly breathes life into the shadowy figure of a stubborn and finally heroic woman." (Daily Telegraph).


This companion volume to Conference Interpreting – A Complete Course provides additional recommendations and theoretical and practical discussion for instructors, course designers and administrators. Chapters mirroring the Complete Course offer supplementary exercises, tips on materials selection, classroom practice, feedback and class morale, realistic case studies from professional practice, and a detailed rationale for each stage supported by critical reviews of the literature. Dedicated chapters address the role of theory and research in interpreter training, with outline syllabi for further qualification in interpreting studies at MA or PhD level; the current state of testing and professional certification, with proposals for an overhaul; the institutional and administrative challenges of running a high-quality training course; and designs and opportunities for further and teacher training, closing with a brief speculative look at future prospects for the profession.


Our previous screening of 50 240 structurally diverse compounds led to the identification of 39 influenza A virus infection inhibitors (Kao R.Y., Yang D., Lau L.S., Tsui W.H., Hu L. et al. Nat Biotechnol 2010;28:600-605). Further screening of these compounds against common respiratory viruses led to the discovery of compound FA-613. This inhibitor exhibited low micromolar antiviral activity against various influenza A and B virus strains, including the highly pathogenic influenza A strains H5N1 and H7N9, enterovirus A71, respiratory syncytial virus, human rhinovirus A, SARS- and MERS-coronavirus. No significant cellular toxicity was observed at the effective concentrations. Animal studies showed an improved survival rate in BALB/c mice that received intranasal FA-613 treatments against a lethal dose infection of A/HK/415742Md/2009 (H1N1). Further cell-based assays indicated that FA-613 interfer with the de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway by targeting the dihydroorotate dehydrogenase. Surprisingly, FA-613 lost its antiviral potency in the interferon-deficient Vero cell line, while maintaining its inhibitory activity in an interferon-competent cell line which showed elevated expression of host antiviral genes when infected in the presence of FA-613. Further investigation of the specific connection between pyrimidine synthesis inhibition and the induction of host innate immunity might aid clinical development of this type of drug in antiviral therapies. Therefore, in acute cases of respiratory tract infections, when rapid diagnostics of the causative agent are not readily available, an antiviral drug with properties like FA-613 could prove to be very valuable.


Young readers will share Abner Doubleday's enthusiasm and love of baseball and recognize him as a heroic general who fought bravely in two wars in this installation of the Young Patriots series. An early adapter of modern baseball rules, Abner adored the sport and helped bring it into mainstream American sporting life. As a boy, he loved nothing more than playing ball--whether it be "one old cat" or "three old cat"--with his brother and friends. When not on the playing field, Abner sought out adventures, which lead him to a historic meeting with the French Revolutionary War-hero General Lafayette, the recovery of a stolen trunk in the woods, and a hitched ride aboard a rickety stagecoach. Even as a child, Abner displayed the leadership skills and good sportsmanship that helped him advance the rules of baseball and lead his soldiers into battle during the Mexican-American and Civil Wars. Special features include a summary of Abner's adult accomplishments, fun facts detailing little-known tidbits of information about him, and a time line of his life.


The Physical Habitat Simulation System (PHABSIM) was developed in the 1970s to fill an important void in instream flow assessment. Although considerable progress has been made in ecological modeling since the 1970s, there has been little change in instream flow assessment. PHABSIM has two general problems. First, PHABSIM is a habitat selection model (HSM)—but not a good one: it no longer conforms to standard practices in the wider fields of ecological and wildlife modeling, especially by using inappropriate spatial scales and outdated methods for modeling habitat preference and by producing output that lacks clear meaning. Second, HSMs, in general, are not well suited for many instream flow decisions. HSMs cannot consider variation in flow over time, whereas dynamic flow regimes are now considered essential, and HSMs do not make testable predictions of fish population responses. Alternatives to PHABSIM include analyses based on explicit understanding of species ecology, individual-based models, and more p...


The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence, antecedents, and outcomes of diversity training in intercollegiate athletics. Data were collected from senior level administrators and aggregated to the department level for NCAA Division I (n = 239), Division II (n = 205), and Division III (n = 231) athletic departments. Only 53% of the athletic departments offered training. Logistic regression indicated that gender diversity, sexual orientation diversity, divisional affiliation, and the presence of a proactive diversity culture were all predictive of whether the department offered training. Additional analysis indicated that sensitivity to individual needs and understanding different cultures were the topics most covered in the training. Finally, the motivation for training (either compliance- or effectiveness-based) and the degree to which the training was systematically integrated were predictive of transfer of training, with the latter variable holding the strongest association. Implications, l...


Reflections upon this year's CND are mixed. On the one hand, some states went further than ever before in openly challenging the current regime on the grounds that, after a century, it needs modernising. That the government of Uruguay is currently considering a domestic policy on cannabis that would put it in breach of the Single Convention shows that, in one instance at least, we have moved beyond rhetoric and posturing. Moreover, while couched in terms of 'containment' and a confidence in the fundamentals of the treaty framework as it stands, Mr. Fedotov's pronouncement that human rights and public health considerations must be at the core of international responses to drug use and to HIV represents the continuation of a welcome shift away from a law enforcement approach, an approach too long privileged within the Commission.On the other hand, it is difficult to ignore several issues of concern. Vienna remains out of step with many other parts of the UN system in its dealings with non-governmental organisations (NGOs). This was at its most startlingly obvious in the Committee of the Whole during discussions of possible civil society engagement in the high-level review next year. This, however, is surely the time when all expertise, inter-governmental and NGO alike, must be brought to bear upon the issue. Moreover, it is hard to be positive about the demeanour of the President of the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) at this year's meeting with NGOs. This remained hostile and confused, particularly relative to the INCB's mandate. Indeed, while in the current atmosphere there is a temptation to become preoccupied with potentialities beyond the present treaty framework, the INCB's overstepping of its remit regarding scheduling within the current regime has once again become a serious point of unease.This report aims to provide a summary of what was discussed – and to highlight what was not – at this year's meeting, including various side events, and offers some analysis of the key discussions, debates and emerging new trends, as well as the Commission's re-engagement with some that are more familiar.


The SCIGN radome is widely used within the geodetic community to protect GPS antennas at permanent sites from snow, debris accumulation, and vandalism. It was designed to have uniform thickness, minimizing its impact on the electrical phase center of the associated antenna. Dragert and Schmidt in their paper "The Effect of SCIGN Domes on the Vertical Phase Centre Position in Routine Processing of GPS Data" found that the radome altered the vertical coordinate solutions by 1.5 cm when used with a Dorne-Margolin(DM)/JPL Chokering antenna. This report suggested that this coordinate change was induced by a misalignment of the radome center of curvature with the mean L1/L2 electrical phase center. Ken Hudnut (the designer of the radome) confirmed this misalignment noting that the radome was designed to have a radius of curvature centered at the physical center of the DM element. There is a 3.5 cm difference between the physical position of the element and the electrical phase center; the electrical phase center is higher. Gerry Mader at the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) suggested that the NGS phase center variations (PCV) for the antenna and radome configuration should properly model this misaligment, and the radome should have no impact on geodetic parameter estimates. Dragert argues, that the empirical PCV determination technique used by the NGS does not estimate tropospheric delay parameters, inducing an error when these parameters are included in the data analysis. This report summarizes a detailed analysis of data collected at the Piñon Flat Observatory specifically collected to quantify what impact the SCIGN radomes have on geodetic parameter estimates.


Purpose

– The aim of the article is to investigate what characterizes the information constructs that the archival discourse and the open data discourse communicate in text, and what their similarities and differences are. This article proposes that it is possible to see the open data initiative and modern archival practice as two discourses that have used different terminology to express and communicate their messages in the literature. In this article, we have applied a hypothesis-like assumption that the information constructs used in open data are actually nothing other than records, as they are in the archival discourse.

Design/methodology/approach

– This article is based on a mixed method approach. A quantitative text analysis (word count) was carried out in a large set of documents representing the open data discourse and in the archival discourse. This was followed by a qualitative text analysis.

Findings

– It was found that both discourses did focus on records. However, the opendata discourse very seldom used the term record, but used information and data much more frequently. The archival discourse used the term information almost as often as record. A possible adaption of communication strategies can be identified, targeting a much wider audience through a user-centered approach. This could be an indication of a change in the archival discourse, which seems to be moving from a discourse that is very much regulated by law toward a discourse that is more focused on benefit and usability.

Originality/value

– This research indicates that it is possible to interpret both the open data and the archival discourse as one united discourse, an effect derived from working with e-government. There is an ongoing harmonization of the words used, and in the studied archival discourse, a more user- and business-oriented focus can be seen.


As social networks become more prevalent, there is significant interest in studying these network data, the focus often being on detecting anomalous events. This area of research is referred to as social network surveillance or social network change detection. While there are a variety of proposed methods suitable for different monitoring situations, two important issues have yet to be completely addressed in network surveillance literature. First, performance assessments using simulated data to evaluate the statistical performance of a particular method. Second, the study of aggregated data in social network surveillance. The research presented tackle these issues in two parts, evaluation of a popular anomaly detection method and investigation of the effects of different aggregation levels on network anomaly detection. Analysis and Evaluation of Social Network Anomaly Detection


Retention forestry places seedlings in proximity to residual trees, exposing seedlings to additional sources of ectomycorrhizal fungus (EMF) inoculum. To investigate this, Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) seedlings were planted near (2–6 m) and far (16–30 m) from 44- to 72-year-old residual Douglas-fir trees in western Washington, USA. From 1998 through 2000, seedling shoot and root biomass was assessed and EMF taxa were identified using morphology and sequence analysis of internal transcribed spacer and large subunit ribosomal RNA genes. Seedlings near residual trees had significantly greater ectomycorrhiza (ECM) abundance (percent active ECM root tips), less necrotic root tips, and higher root to shoot biomass ratios. Seedlings near trees had a richness index of 4.1 EMF taxa per seedling and 42 total taxa compared with 3.5 taxa per seedling and 33 total taxa for seedlings far from trees. Proximity to residual trees may increase seedling ECM abundance and diversity.


Creativity is an
essential attribute for the development of creative potential. However, it is
not always developed properly in the school context, especially when it is
about gifted students education. Because these children need a specialized
service to attend their special needs. In this sense, this study aims to
contribute in order that education professionals reflect and become aware of
the importance of creativity in education. The method of this research was
based on national and international studies which focused on the area of High
Abilities/Giftedness and creativity in the school context. The conclusion is
that the development of creativity depends on a good teacher education in
preparing activities that arouse curiosity and interest of each gifted,
enabling the student creative and independent, investigative and critical
thinking. Furthermore, teachers should provide new opportunities of reflection
on the process of teaching and learning.


syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive genodermatosis characterized by early onset of poikiloderma and several other cutaneous and organ involvements. We are going to report a 14-year-old girl who has been diagnosed with Rothmund- Thomson syndrome since she was 3 years old and has been suffering from pain and swelling of the right elbow and forearm for about 6 months. There are few previous reports on Rothmund-Thomson syndrome associated with malignant fibrous histiocytoma. We decided to report this case as another supporting document for this association. (Iran J Dermatol 2010;13: 27-29)


Since its introduction, click chemistry has received a considerable amount of interest. In this contribution, the term click chemistry and the reactions that fall under this term are briefly explained. The main focus of this review is on the application of click chemistry in conjunction with living radical polymerization for the synthesis of advanced macromolecular architectures. Therefore the most powerful living radical polymerization (LRP) techniques are discussed and an overview of click chemistry in the different synthetic schemes is given. A large number of examples are shown that include the synthesis of block copolymers, star-shaped polymers, surface modified particles, and polymer-protein conjugates. The enormous potential of LRP/click chemistry is probably best exemplified by the synthesis of different mikto-arm star copolymers.


Since the early 1990s leading speciality coffee shop chains have provided a lucrative market for investment and during the early part of this decade, despite the worst recession occurring since the war, coffee shop chains managed to prosper and make substantial profits. However evidence does suggest that there are a number of challenges now facing the industry. This paper represents an initial investigation into how financially sensitive specialist coffee shop chains are in an economic downturn. In particular, the paper investigates the marketing strategies coffee shops should adopt for weathering difficult economic trading periods and considers how customer satisfaction can be sustained now and in the future. The central aims of the research were to: 1) identifies key variables which constitute customer satisfaction in a specialist coffee shop market context. For the purpose of this paper, specialist coffee shop chains are defined as those holding a higher percentage of the market share and located in prime locations on the UK high street which include Costa Coffee, Caffe Nero and Starbucks; 2) to establish survival strategies for coffee chains in a difficult and challenging economic environment.


Across cultures. Identity and the experience of cultural strangeness in Tajjib Salich's Zeit der Nordwanderung and Barbara Frischmuth's Vergiss Agypten
In real life and in literary texts the experience of alienation in different societies results in an identity crisis. Encountering new cultures raises questions regarding the other and the self. When the other is regarded as an alternative conception of life, the self-image and personal attitudes are questioned. The personal and cultural self-perception are affected by the new cultural context and are subject to criticism. With reference to theoretical concepts by Homi Bhabha and to the views by Austrian author Barbara Frischmuth, the process of identity formation within Arab and Western cultures is investigated in an Arabic and German novel in this paper.


Abstract This paper extends the authors previous work discussed at 2014 ISSS Conference, "Civilization Level Index (CLI): A Systemic Instrument for Measuring the Level of Development, or How Human Are We Actually Becoming." Since the theme of this year's conference is Anthropocene, it is relevant that we recognize as clear as possible what humanity exactly is and how human we are at current time. The biological definition of humanity has been clear even it starts being challenged by frontier researches in artificial intelligence and genome engineering. But the consensus of sociological and anthropological definition of humanity in this planet has yet to be formed at the global level. Civilization Level Index is a candidate tool for clarifying this issue. However, a full scale implementation of CLI measurement is a huge project requiring institutional support that is yet to be found, the author as an independent researcher can only initialize the first step, i.e. to use limited data available from the internet to present a small subset of CLI here for discussion and for attracting interests of cooperation for further work.