The principal application domain for statistical process control (SPC) charts has been for process control and improvement in manufacturing businesses. However, the number of applications reported in domains outside of conventional production systems has been increasing in recent years. Implementing SPC chart approaches in non‐standard applications gives rise to many potential complications and poses a number of challenges. This paper reviews non‐standard applications of SPC charts reported in the literature from the period 1989 to 2000, inclusive. Non‐standard applications are analysed with respect to application domain, data sources used and control chart techniques employed. Applications are classified into five groups according to the types of problem to which control chart techniques have been applied. For each group the nature of the applications is described and analysed. The review does not show a paradigm shift in the types of SPC control chart applications but does show clearly that the application boundaries extend considerably beyond manufacturing and that the range of problems to which SPC control chart techniques can be applied is much wider than commonly assumed. The paper highlights the critical fundamental and technical issues that need to be addressed when applying SPC chart techniques in a range of non‐standard applications. Wider managerial issues of importance for successful implementations in non‐standard applications of SPC control charts are also discussed.


Objective Osteoblasts are discovered to secrete hormones with endocrine effects on metabolism, and osteocalcin (OC) is the most abundant non-collagenous protein in bone. We investigate the relationship between serum OC levels and glycolipid metabolism and muscle function in children with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). Methods A total of 225 children with OI and 80 healthy controls matched in age and gender were included in this single center study. Serum levels of fasting blood glucose (FBG), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low- and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C, HDL-C) were measured by automated analyzers. Serum levels of fasting insulin (FINS) were measured using an automated electrochemiluminescence system. Serum levels of OC and undercarboxylated osteocalcin (ucOC) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Grip strength and timed-up-and-go (TUG) test were measured. Bone mineral density (BMD) and body composition were measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Results OI patients had significantly higher body mass index (BMI), FBG, and HOMA-IR, but lower HDL-C levels, lower grip strength and longer TUG than control group (all P<0.05). Serum OC, ucOC levels, and ucOC/OC in OI type III patients were significantly lower than those in OI patients with type I and IV. Serum levels of OC, ucOC, and ucOC/OC were negatively correlated to BMI, FBG, insulin levels, and HOMA-IR (all P<0.05). The ratio of ucOC/OC was positively correlated to grip strength (r=0.512, P=0.036), lean mass percentage (%LM) of the total body and limbs, and negatively correlated to fat mass percentage (%FM) of the total body, %FM and fat mass index (FMI) of the trunk (all P<0.05). Conclusions Obesity, glucolipid metabolic abnormalities, and reduced grip strength were common in children with OI. Circulating osteocalcin and ucOC may play an important role in the regulation of glucose metabolism, as well as the muscle function of children with OI.


Introduction The 2010 competency based speciality-training curriculum for gastroenterology requires trainee's to obtain multiple learning objectives. To ensure these are met training programme directors and postgraduate deaneries need to implement changes in delivery of local education programmes. The aim of this study was to determine factors in the delivery of a locally organised and delivered gastroenterology teaching programme that have the greatest impact on improving educational quality and attendance. Methods All consultants and gastroenterology trainees within a deanery received a questionnaire evaluating the 2009–2010 competency based training programme. Responses were compared with data obtained evaluating a previous training programme between 2003 and 2009 designed around the 2003 gastroenterology curriculum involving 6-weekly, half day events at local hospitals organised by individual consultants. Significant interventions made to the new programme included a predetermined programme guide, whole day events, single venue, keynote speakers, continual professional development points, a local training website and increased trainee involvement in programme development. Results The majority (15/19) of respondents regarding the competency based training programme attended ≥50% or more of events, compared to only 7/24 in the 2003 curriculum based programme (p=0.001). Of the 11 trainee's in the region, a response rate of 73% was obtained with a significantly greater proportion (89%) stating that the competency based training programme met their training needs, compared to 42% surveyed on the 2003 curriculum based programme (p=0.001). Reasons for lack of attendance included insufficient time to cancel clinical commitments and poor educational value of the 2003 curriculum based programme. Consultant attendance at training meetings increased significantly following redesign of the programme, with 64% attending >50% of meetings compared 12% prior to instituting a competency based training programme (p=0.004). The three most important factors to increase attendance were full day meetings, a consistent venue and keynote speakers from outside of the region. Conclusion This longitudinal study is the first study to evaluate attendance and educational value of a competency based regional gastroenterology teaching programme. Despite increasing demand to provide service provision and restrictions on study leave allowance, implementation of simple measures as identified in this study may increase consultant attendance and educational quality of regionally organised teaching programmes. Competing interests None declared.


Research is a process of searching for knowledge by a scientific inquiry which is acceptable, reliable and considered to be the best at the present time. The body of knowledge gained from the research is be put to use and be beneficial for mankind continuously and endlessly from the past, present and in the years to come. The main issues of research are composed of a search for knowledge, a method of putting knowledge to use, an implementation of knowledge and an evaluation of the above process. To put it another way, a research process is in line with problem resolution or development which starts with the following process; (1) survey of the existing condition/problem (2) creation or development of problem resolution (3) implementation of process and (4) evaluation. However, the most important process of them all is the first follows that if a diagnosis of that illness is completely wrong, it will, by implication, eliminate the whole approach. Therefore, the first step of a research in a survey research which, in turn, is very important. Considering deeper, it is found that this fundamental issue should be kept in mind so that the final outcome of the survey research is modern, timely, and able to rightly and appropriately be put into use. Therefore the design of the conceptual framework is first and foremost important. There are several forms of conceptual framework. One of which is theoretical framework where by most of the knowledge are brought from one or more theories and put together to serve as a new conceptual framework for research. As of the conceptual framework, it is a gathering of knowledge from research findings, writings, articles or concepts of one or more academics and put together as a research framework, from which the research process can be carried out. This article introduces five dimensions of research conceptual frameworks as follows; Review of Literature, Grounded Theory, Rational Conceptual Thinking, Knowledge Management and Integrated Concept.


Nanocrystalline Li2CoSiO4 particles have been successfully synthesized via a supercritical fluid process. The as-synthesized and heated particles were 50–250 nm in diameter and were well dispersed as observed by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and elemental mapping by scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) show the purity and homogenous elemental distribution of the Li2CoSiO4 particles. The high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) images show well resolved lattice fringes of the crystalline Li2CoSiO4 particles. The structure of the Li2CoSiO4 particles has been determined for the first time by annular bright field-scanning transmission electron microscopy (ABF-STEM) and high angle annular dark field-scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM). The results revealed a tetrahedral arrangement of CoSiO4 in the Li2CoSiO4 structure. The electrochemical performance results support the idea that this material has potential as a positive electrode for use in a lithium ion battery.


Medicago truncatula NODULE ROOT1 (MtNOOT1) and Pisum sativum COCHLEATA1 (PsCOCH1) are orthologous genes belonging to the NOOT-BOP-COCH-LIKE (NBCL) gene family which encodes key transcriptional co-regulators of plant development. In Mtnoot1 and Pscoch1 mutants, the development of stipule, flower and symbiotic nodules is altered. MtNOOT2 and PsCOCH2 represent the single paralogs of MtNOOT1 and PsCOCH1, respectively. In M. truncatula, MtNOOT1 and MtNOOT2 are both required for the establishment and maintenance of the symbiotic nodule identity. In contrast to the NBCL1 genes, the role of NBCL2 genes in legume above-ground development is not known. To better understand the roles of NBCL genes in legumes, we used M. truncatula and P. sativum nbcl mutants from the literature, isolated a knockout mutant for the PsCOCH2 locus and generated Pscoch1coch2 double mutants in P. sativum. These new mutant lines enabled to compare the roles of MtNOOT2 and PsCOCH2 in both M. truncatula and P. sativum legume development. Our work shows that the single Mtnoot2 and Pscoch2 mutants develop wild-type stipules, flowers and symbiotic nodules. However, the number of flowers was increased and the pods and seeds were smaller in comparison to wild type. Furthermore, in comparison to the corresponding nbcl1 single mutants, both the M. truncatula and P. sativum nbcl double mutants show a drastic alteration in stipule, inflorescence, flower and nodule development. Remarkably, in both M. truncatula and P. sativum nbcl double mutants, stipules are transformed into a range of aberrant leaf-like structures.


This work is part of a European sponsored project named MECHEX (GRD2-2000-30035) which aims at providing a new insight and data about the ignition hazard induced by mechanical contacts classically termed as "grinding", "friction" and "impact" so that some sort of classification of mechanical equipments against this specific hazard could be issued. " Friction " and "grinding" might be understood as continuous mechanical solicitation whereas "impact" would be referred to as an instantaneous action such as that of a flying object striking freely on a fixed target. Within that scope, we undertook a detailed physical analysis of possible ignition mechanisms on the basis of precise measurements of hot spots, temperatures and fragments and tried to link them to the thermomechanical properties of the contacting bodies.


Parallel to the scientific and technological development, control over hardware used in industry and in daily life is being realized by using remote-controlled systems. Internet, mobile communications, and infrared and wireless control systems are often preferred. The control of a direct-current motor (DCM), which has become a part of our daily life, is achieved using a Pocket PC and General Packet Radio Service (GPRS). An Internet-based human-machine interface constitutes an embedded Visual Studio, which includes Windows CE 5.0 software and Smartphone and Pocket PC applications. An application server protocol is created using basic principles of GPRS control or communication system control. Client software is developed, real-time torque, speed, power, and current of a DCM are monitored, and motor speed control is performed using a monitoring system written in the C# language without using any additional equipment. The proposed system offers the possibility of real-time monitoring in a cost-effective manner.


Configuration design can be thought of as a process of generating artifacts by assembling predefined components. This paper introduces a method for reducing the size of configuration problems by abstracting components to higher levels of abstraction. At higher abstraction levels, less important detail is temporarily ignored, and each component represents a family of lower-level components. Configuration is then performed at the highest level, explicitly enumerating all configurations at that level. Any complete configuration at the highest level is recursively instantiated to lower levels. At the same time, any incomplete configuration at the highest level is eliminated, thereby eliminating all possible lower-level instantiations of that configuration. In this manner, all configurations of components at the lowest level of abstraction are implicitly enumerated.


BACKGROUND
Over the past decade, the number of unfilled positions in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Main Residency Match has declined by one-third, while the number of unmatched applicants has grown by more than 50%, largely due to a rise in the number of international medical school students and graduates (IMGs). Although only half of IMG participants historically have matched to a first-year position, the Match experiences of unmatched IMGs have not been studied.

OBJECTIVE
We examined differences in interview and ranking behaviors between matched and unmatched IMGs participating in the 2013 Match and explored strategic errors made by unmatched IMGs when creating rank order lists.

METHODS
Rank order lists of IMGs who failed to match were analyzed in conjunction with their United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 scores and responses on the 2013 NRMP Applicant Survey. IMGs were categorized as "strong," "solid," "marginal," or "weak" based on the perceived competitiveness of their USMLE Step 1 scores compared to other IMG applicants who matched in the same specialty. We examined ranking preferences and strategies by Match outcome.

RESULTS
Most unmatched IMGs were categorized as "marginal" or "weak". However, unmatched IMGs who were non-US citizens presented more competitive USMLE Step 1 scores compared to unmatched IMGs who were US citizens. Unmatched IMGs were more likely than matched IMGs to rank programs at which they did not interview and to rank programs based on their perceived likelihood of matching.

CONCLUSIONS
The interview and ranking behaviors of IMGs can have far-reaching consequences on their Match experience and outcomes.


Screening is proposed to allow an early intervention concerning a diseased individual, but its public health consequences are seldom considered. We propose criteria to judge whether a screening program can be associated to a benefit to patients or society. These criteria refer to the magnitude of disease, the characteristics of the pre-clinical stage, the availability of reliable and valid tests, the effectiveness and risk for all individuals, whether they are diseased or not, and acceptability to the health-care system and to individuals. We illustrate the application of these criteria to screening of human immunodeficiency virus among blood donors, hepatitis among recipients of labile blood products, and bacterial contaminations among febrile recipients. These criteria should be considered in decision analyses including alternatives to screening and all aspects of safety regarding patients and population.


&NA; Healthcare quality professionals need to understand and use inferential statistics to interpret sample data from their organizations. Since in quality improvement and healthcare research studies, all the data from a population often are not available, investigators take samples and make inferences about that population using inferential statistics. This series of six articles will give readers an understanding of the concepts of inferential statistics, as well as the specific tools for calculating confidence intervals and tests of statistical significance for samples of data. The statistical principles are equally applicable to quality improvement and healthcare research studies. This article, Part 4, starts with a review of the information contained in Parts 1, 2, and 3, which appeared in the July/August 2003 issue of the Journal for Healthcare Quality. This article describes t distributions and how these are used to calculate confidence intervals for estimating a population mean based on a sample mean of a continuous variable. Part 4 concludes with a discussion of standard error, margin of error, and confidence intervals for estimating a population proportion based on a sample proportion from a binomial variable.


In Flanders threshold values of soil mineral nitrogen (Nmin) in the soil profile (0-90 cm) in autumn are used in legislation to judge fertilization practices and evaluate the nitrate (NO3-) leaching risk during winter. The average Nmin measured in leek fields are high compared to most arable crops. The objective of this study was to investigate if high Nmin values at harvest can be decreased without reducing yield quantity and quality. We re-analyzed Flemish leek field experiments with various nitrogen (N) fertilizer application rates (2001-2016). We examined marketable yield quantity and quality and residual soil mineral N (RSMN) to rooting depth (0-60 cm) at harvest from July till April the next year. Considering the N supply (= applied effective N + Nmin (0-60 cm) at planting), the marketable yield was on average higher in July till December than in January till April. The maximum marketable yield was obtained at ≈150-200 kg N supply ha‑1. Generally RSMN values measured in July till December were higher than those in January till April. This can be explained by higher N mineralization rates in the first case and possibly some NO3- leaching in the latter case. There was no significant difference in scores of abrasion hardness nor leaf color or uniformity at ≈150-200 kg N supply ha‑1 compared to higher N supplies. Taking into account a mean Nmin value (0-60 cm) at planting of 69±45 kg N ha‑1 (average±standard deviation), effective N application rates in the order of 80-130 kg N ha‑1 are maximum, which allows Nmin values below 50 and 70 kg N ha‑1 in the 0-60 cm and 0-90 cm layer, respectively. These results indicate that N fertilization advices of leek can be reduced without risking a decreased marketable yield quantity and quality but minimizing NO3- leaching during winter.


The field of artificial intelligence (AI) has made tremendous advances in the last two decades, but as smart as AI is now, it is getting smarter and becoming more autonomous. This raises a host of challenges to current legal doctrine, including whether AI/algorithms should count as 'speech', whether AI should be regulated under antitrust and criminal law statutes, and whether AI should be considered as an agent under agency law or be held responsible for injuries under tort law. This book contains chapters from US and international law scholars on the role of law in an age of increasingly smart AI, addressing these and other issues that are critical to the evolution of the field.


November 28, 1981 'reforms' even before the formal meetings 'on the loan. Now it is being argued that India herself is onying out the kind of 'corrections' sought by the International Monetary Fund! The truth, of course, is quite dif- ftretit. An pen, debate on the condi- tions, very much like the free and creative exchanges which characterised the discussions which took place when Britain and Italy were being 'salvaged' by the IMF, would have helped to re-texture Indian self-reliance (which is so vital to our future planned development) and highlighted the imperatives of proper management, maintenance and productivity without which all the loans in the world cannot save India. The educative value of an open debate, and the resulting heightened economic consciousness about these matters, was aborted.


Knowledge sharing is widely recognized that it can promote the competitive ability of
an organization and it has been the focus of research for more than a decade. Recently,
there has been a growing interest in examining the factors that support or hinder one's
knowledge sharing behavior. However, still very few studies examined them from
both personal and social perspective. Moreover, in comparison with other countries,
relatively little work on this topic has been done in the Chinese context. In order to
deepen our understanding of the personal and social factors that increase or lessen
employee's knowledge sharing behavior in Chinese context, we developed a
theoretical model to explain it in this study. The Theory of Reasoned Action and
Social Exchange Theory are used in this study, as are the social information
processing theory. Through a survey of 136 employees from five IT companies in
China, we confirmed our hypothesis that attitude toward and subjective norms
regarding to knowledge sharing affected individuals' intentions to share knowledge.
We also found that subjective norms and anticipated reciprocal relationship had a
positive effect on individuals' attitudes toward knowledge sharing while loss of
knowledge power had a negative effect on individuals' attitudes toward knowledge
sharing. Moreover, both identification and compliance affected subjective norms
regarding to knowledge sharing. Theoretical and practical implications, as well as
directions for future research, are discussed.


SIR,-Reflection and learning should be part of audit. Dr Gifford F Batstone emphasises the procedure described by Dr C R Coles: note practice, learn from that, and change if necessary.' 2 Unless the educational benefits of audit highlighted by the Royal Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons-and accepted by the Secretary of State for Health-are exploited, the imposition of standards will be seen by the profession as a bureaucratic view of how to change practice. Dr Batstone was able to report that some district medical education committees have taken on the role of an audit advisory committee; but this is the exception, however desirable. The complex audit structuresthat are being established duplicate existingpostgraduate education committees, which are well able to carry out the role envisaged for audit committees. Hard pressed clinical tutors are being expected to take a leading role in two independent "productions" going on at the same time; only one committee-that concerned with the wider issue of education-is needed. In the family practitioner services, medical audit advisory groups have been, orare being, established separate from the postgraduate educational structure, sometimes with little educational advice on composition. Many regions are setting up audit committees-some (but not all) with the lone educational input of the postgraduate dean. Regional committees are more concerned with resource allocation than observing practice and reflecting on aims, and much of the allocation is to purchase hardware in the apparent-but mistaken -belief that audit is impossible without a computer. Hospital circular EL(90)179 and the secretary of state's speech to the York conference on postgraduate medical education recognised that the infrastructure for postgraduate and continuing education must be linked to audit arrangements if the lessons learnt from audit are to be used to develop educational programmes for groups and individuals. As it is now being developed, audit is not likely to create the conditions to help learning. The structures that are being put in place seem more concerned with controlling the actions of doctors. Those who can best advise how learning, based on experience, can be achieved should be permitted to have a greater lead role in audit. At regional level this should be the postgraduate dean, at unit level the clinical tutor; but the assistance of educationalists and those skilled in the behavioural sciences is increasingly important. Audit is too important an opportunity to enhance postgraduate and continuing education for it to be allowed to fail. At present there is a serious risk that the structure and resources will be hijacked by groups and individuals with little interest in education but every concern to develop a bureaucracy ofnumber crunchers. It is to be hoped that the hospital circular on audit in the hospital and community health services will recognise the leading role that tutors and deans have in achieving improvements in quality of care. This "window of opportunity" is available for a brief moment, enabling the profession to make the threat of audit a chance to improve education and training and create the climate for change. Finally, if postgraduate deans and clinical tutors are to become budget holders for postgraduate education-and if audit is primarily of educational benefit-it would surely be appropriate for audit money to be part of this budget.


A plant scale trial was conducted to recycle the mill oil waste through non recovery coke oven route. The waste mill oil was added in the coal blend as a binder before hammer mill and charged in the ovens. JSW Steel has non-recovery coke ovens synergized with vibro-compaction technology to produce coke of 1.2 Mtpa. About 300 L of the mill oil which is generated in the hot strip mill daily was used in the trial. A cake density of 1.1 t/m 3 has been achieved using vibro-compaction with optimized moisture, oil addition and crushing fineness. The coke produced with and without oil of same coal blend and coking conditions, was tested and compared. It is observed that utilization of mill oil has not shown any deteriorating effect on coke quality. There is a marginal increase in flue gas as well as oven crown temperature which helped to increase the power generation. This present paper describes the effect of mill oil addition on coke quality and the oven thermal conditions and the feasibility of recycling the waste through non recovery coke ovens at JSW Steel Ltd.


Background: The presence of comorbid atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients hospitalized for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and undergoing stent placement may necessitate the need for triple anti- thrombotic therapy including an anticoagulant plus dual antiplatelet therapy. We sought to determine the prevalence of comorbid AF in patients hospitalized for ACS and receiving a coronary stent and comorbid AF's association with the type of stent implanted. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis in the 2012 United States Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality National Inpatient Sample dataset. We included adult patients (age ≥18 years) hospitalized for ACS (International Classification of Diseases-Ninth Revision [ICD-9] diagnostic codes=410.x or 411.x in the primary position) who received either a bare-metal stent (BMS)(ICD-9 procedure code=36.06) or drug-eluting stent (DES)(ICD-9 procedure code=36.07). Patients were stratified into 2 cohorts based on the presence or absence of an ICD-9 diagnosis code in any position signifying comorbid AF (427.31 or 427.32). Multivariable logistic regression was performed to determine the association between comorbid AF and the odds of receiving a DES after adjustment for patient- and hospital-level covariates. Results are reported as adjusted odds ratios with accompanying 95% confidence intervals. Results: During the year 2012, there were 66,287 ACS patient admissions, of which, 24.7% received a BMS and 75.3% a DES. Of these admissions, 7,109 (10.9%) were for patients with comorbid AF (median [25%, 75% range] for CHA2DS2-VASc and ATRIA scores =3 [2, 4] and 1 [1, 3]). Following multivariable adjustment, the odds of receiving a DES were lower for ACS patients with comorbid AF (adjusted odds ratio=0.63, 95% confidence interval=0.59-0.67). Conclusions: Comorbid AF is not an uncommon condition in patients hospitalized for ACS and receiving a coronary stent. Our study suggests comorbid AF is associated with a significant 27% decreased odds of receiving a DES versus a BMS. This decreased utilization of DES may be secondary to concerns of increased bleeding from prolonged triple therapy and is not inconsistent with current guidelines.


Even while strong Soviet military and political support fo r Federal Nigeria in the civil war continues, relations betwee n Moscow and Lagos are becoming increasingly characterized by disagreements, disappointments, and frictions . Recent points o f tension include : disgust by high Nigerian Government officials a t the Soviet handling of a naval visit to Lagos, refusal by Nigeria n leader Gowon to let a Soviet technical team inspect a defense facility, Moscow's rejection of Nigerian pleas for more sophisticate d military support, and growing Soviet disappointment with the cours e


The integrity of a pipeline system is determined by its weakest links which may be the joints. Heat fusion is the most common method for joining gas distribution polyethylene (PE) piping. There are procedural, thermal, and mechanical aspects of making fusion joints. Acceptable procedural aspects, such as heater calibration and cleanliness, can be assured by rigorous training and certification of the operators. Thermal and mechanical aspects consist of specifying joining conditions such as the heater temperature, heating time, and joining pressure. In the absence of procedural errors, the strength of a fusion joint should depend on the pipe material, pipe dimensions, and the thermal and mechanical joining conditions. Socket heat fusion was studied both experimentally and analytically to determine how the strength of the joint varied with the conditions under which it was made. The standard tensile impact test was modified to test socket fusion joint samples in shear. The developed shear impact energy test data were found to be reliable measures of strength if the setup conditions were meticulously identical. A parameter, termed the socket joining parameter, was found to characterize the joining conditions. It is a strong function of melt volume at the end of the heating phase,more » and, physically, it is polyethylene transported parallel to the axis during insertion. The results for three resins are presented in the form of three nomographs. The nomographs may be used to select the required heater temperature or the heating time, for a given ambient temperature and a PE resin, to ensure a structurally sound socket heat fusion joint.« less


The net generation of students have characteristics which make them well-suited for participating in open source projects including being comfortable with information technologies, using IT as a form of communication, desiring to work in groups, a desire to do social good, and being fascinated by new technologies. The nature of open source projects where communities of developers from around the world collaborate to create useful applications are a natural fit for this generation of students. Humanitarian open source projects can serve as a solid foundation for providing software engineering education to the net generation of students. This paper discusses the initial stages of SoftHum, a project for developing course materials to support undergraduate involvement in humanitarian open source projects.


Twenty multiple stellar systems with solar-type primaries were observed at high angular resolution using the PALM-3000 adaptive optics system at the 5 m Hale telescope. The goal was to complement the knowledge of hierarchical multiplicity in the solar neighborhood by confirming recent discoveries by the visible Robo-AO system with new near-infrared observations with PALM-3000. The physical status of most, but not all, of the new pairs is confirmed by photometry in the Ks band and new positional measurements. In addition, we resolved for the first time five close sub-systems: the known astrometric binary in HIP 17129AB, companions to the primaries of HIP 33555, and HIP 118213, and the companions to the secondaries in HIP 25300 and HIP 101430. We place the components on a color–magnitude diagram and discuss each multiple system individually.


According to Searle (1969) a constitutive rule creates the very possibility of the entity it rules. Later on, other scholars - such as Benoist (2003), Conte (1983), Guastini (1983) - pointed out the inviolability of constitutive rules. In this paper we want to challenge the inviolability dogma by asking the following question: is it possible to have violations of constitutive rules? We will argue that a parametrical approach to constitutive rules can do away with the inviolability dogma. As a result, our approach allows for violations and introduces two different ways of exiting a game (semantic exit vs. practical exit).


Introduction: We attempted to extend findings of a relationship between formal thought disorder and left superior temporal gyrus (STG) volume in schizophrenia by examining two indices of formal thought disorder. Methods: Three brain regions of interest were selected from magnetic resonance imaging slices in 15 young, right-handed, male schizohrenia patients: the STG, the anterior hippocampus, and the amygdala. Thought disorder was assessed using the Bizarre-Idiosyncratic Thinking (BIZ) scale, a sensitive measure of formal thought disorder based on responses to a standard set of stimuli, and the BPRS Conceptual Disorganization item, a global rating based on a clinical interview. Results: BIZ ratings of thought disorder were significantly correlated with the left STG volume (Spearman r = −.73) and with the right STG volume (Spearman r = −.58). BIZ ratings were not significantly correlated with either the left or right anterior hippocampus or amygdala volumes. The BPRS Conceptual Disorganisation rating was not significantly related to the STG, anterior hippocampus, or amygdala volumes. Conclusions: This study confirms the previously reported association between the left STG and formal thought disorder, and suggests that detection of this relationship may be facilitated by use of highly sensitive formal thought disorder assessments.


The results of empirical research conducted by the author in 2013 among residents of the Tyumen region. The study covers the following aspects: the perception and evaluation of socio economic situation; dominant values; basic principles of life; social interaction and strategic goals. This revealed the following patterns: the problem of social life are perceived by all generations is almost identical, but differences are due to young maximalism and nostalgic memories of the older generation. The greatest pessimism seen in middle-aged persons, ie professionally socialized part of the population. Attempts to «synchronize» the pace of life of all generations are doomed to failure. That is why the actual direction of improvement (corrections) intergenerational interaction author considers functional specialization generations.


'Gold standard' OIE reference PCR assay was utilized to detect the presence of infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV) in freshwater ornamental fish from Malaysia. From total of 210 ornamental fish samples representing 14 species, ISKNV was detected in 36 samples representing 5 fish species. All positive cases did not show any clinical signs of ISKNV. Three restriction enzymes analyses showed that the fish were infected by identical strains of the same virus species within Megalocytivirus genus. Major capsid protein (MCP) genes of 10 ISKNV strains were sequenced and compared with 9 other reference nucleotide sequences acquired from GenBank. Sequence analysis of MCP gene showed that all strains detected in this study were closely related to the reference ISKNV with nucleotide sequence identity that was ranging from 99.8% to 100%. In addition, phylogenetic analysis of MCP gene revealed that viruses from genus Megalocytivirus can be divided into three genotypes: genotype 1 include reference ISKNV and all other strains that were detected in this study, genotype 2 include viruses closely related to red sea bream iridovirus (RSIV), and genotype 3 include viruses closely related turbot reddish body iridovirus (TRBIV).


International trade is currently under fire from many sides. Protectionist trade policies are on the rise, putting an end to the decade-long march of free trade. Making sense of the daily headlines and having an informed opinion on your own has rarely been more important than it is now. Our work aims to explain the driving forces behind international trade, its history, how it shaped the world, its economic models, issues ranging from job losses to the environment and why eating kangaroos is better than buying local. We summarize the most important academic literature on these topics in a non-technical, educational manner. If the readers conclude that our report has been useful in forming their own views on the pros and cons of international trade and that they can 'talk the talk', we are gratified with the fruit of our work.


Currently, the achievements of science and technological progress define in a greater degree new reference points of the strategic planning for national and regional development are d by. The results of research and development which are noteworthy from the point of view of the improvement of scientific, technological, socio- economic processes in northern and Arctic territories (in our case — the Republic of Komi), as a rule, take the form of interdisciplinary projects. These projects generate the results of research on the social and economic, humanitarian and medical- biological problems; conservation of biosphere and ecosystems with simultaneous development of bioresource economics; management of mineral-raw, fuel and energy resources; spatial development; creation and use of innovative technologies. The key idea of the paper is the realization of new industrialization of the Republic of Komi taking into account the results of the research works carried out at the institutes of the Komi Scientific Centre of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The applied research of the institutes of the Komi Scientific Centre is based on fundamental studies and is closely connected with the practice of the development and location of production. They are oriented at the realization of a new paradigm of the northern policy which consists not only in the development of mineral-raw and power resources for external consumers, but also in the arrangement, sustainable development and creation of appropriate conditions for the life of the population settled down in the North. Special attention is paid to the reproduction of human and natural resource potentials. The sectoral structure of the economy of the republic, as well as of the majority of other northern and Arctic regions, will not change drastically in the long term,, but the internal content of productive forces will be different. It will correspond to the concept of resource-innovative development.


Background: Guidance on process evaluation recommends analysis of mechanisms of impact to understand how complex interventions change behaviour. This is challenging, as mediation analysis has serious pitfalls even in experimental setups. Additionally, logic models often contain constructs from many theories, making the full causal model too complex for statistical testing. This paves the way for analytical flexibility, which science commonly deters by replication. In the absence of replication (and hence falsification), it is easy to be misled by data. We demonstrate opportunities to mitigate these risks using trial data from Let's Move It, a complex theory-based intervention to promote physical activity (PA).
Methods: 1120 older adolescents participated in the trial. Hypothesised mediators included psychosocial variables (e.g. autonomous motivation, self-regulation). The primary outcome was objectively measured PA (7-day accelerometry). Statistical methods included structural equation modelling.
Findings: Converting the logic model to a statistical causal model was challenging due to the multitude of estimable parameters. Piecemeal evaluation solved this problem, but created new ones for causal interpretation of mediation (e.g. excluding correlated mediators). Overfitting due to model complexity or researcher degrees of freedom could be alleviated by splitting one's data into training and testing sets. This "cross-validation" may be the best available alternative for replication, but requires adequate samples.
Discussion: We need to consider reliable ways of evaluating logic models statistically. When replication is not an option, special care must be taken to separate signal from the noise. Complexity science can aid in deciding between misleading and useful goals of mechanism analysis.


Forced migration in war is known to arise from serious assaults on populations and is known to carry serious consequences for the people who move. In the context of international humanitarian law, forced migration is viewed as a survival strategy, a resort to flight in order to get out of the way of hostile action. The varieties of injuries associated with forced migration have been largely assigned to the category of unavoidable or difficult-to-mitigate collateral costs of armed conflict. It is argued in this paper that the phenomenon of forced migration in war constitutes, in itself, a serious violation of international humanitarian law. The agency of government or military command is behind the military or political action that provokes population flight; the short and long-term mortality and morbidity always associated with forced migration occurs disproportionately and indiscriminately to civilian non combatants; and the dissolution of identity, the assault on dignity, the destruction of personal and community records, and the sweeping loss of livelihoods occasioned by war-induced forced migration represent in themselves war crimes or on a grand scale crimes against humanity. This paper presents evidence to substantiate the claim that forced migration in war inflicts intense and extended suffering on civilian populations. Reference is made to Hague and Geneva law, the two international human rights covenants (ICCPR and ICESCR) and to the Refugee Convention to find elements of what should arguably be advanced as the constituent basis for defining forced migration in war as a distinct and independent crime in international criminal law. In much of international humanitarian law, empirically grounded recognition of a new class of grievous injuries or a new category of people to protect leads to an expansion of a preexisting framework (civilian protection) or an entirely new treaty or convention (cluster munitions). The suggestion made here is that forced migration in war be considered within that historical continuum—not as a prevalent and (largely) unavoidable process but as a newly recognised crime.


In recent years several attempts have been made to determine what happens to iron crystals when they are strained and various conflicting statements have been made as to the connection between the crystal axes and the nature of the strain. No reliable results have been obtained, however, partly because the largest crystals available were too small tor accurate experiment, partly because workers have assumed that planes of slip coincide with crystal planes—an assumption which the experiments to he described prove to be erroneous— but chiefly because the analysis of strain has not been carried out in a systematic manner so as to obtain all information possible from external measurement of strained crystals. The work of Prof. Edwards and Mr. Pfeil has now enabled us to obtain crystals sufficiently large for the purpose, and, in fact, all the material used in the experiments now to be described was cut from specimens very kindly supplied by them.


Official data on mortality and the availability of food in Italy are used to analyze changes in the relationship between mortality and nutrition in the period from 1861 to 1921.


State-of-the-art CNN based recognition models are often computationally prohibitive to deploy on low-end devices. A promising high level approach tackling this limitation is knowledge distillation, which let small student model mimic cumbersome teacher model's output to get improved generalization. However, related methods mainly focus on simple task of classification while do not consider complex tasks like object detection. We show applying the vanilla knowledge distillation to detection model gets minor gain. To address the challenge of distilling knowledge in detection model, we propose a fine-grained feature imitation method exploiting the cross-location discrepancy of feature response. Our intuition is that detectors care more about local near object regions. Thus the discrepancy of feature response on the near object anchor locations reveals important information of how teacher model tends to generalize. We design a novel mechanism to estimate those locations and let student model imitate the teacher on them to get enhanced performance. We first validate the idea on a developed lightweight toy detector which carries simplest notion of current state-of-the-art anchor based detection models on challenging KITTI dataset, our method generates up to 15% boost of mAP for the student model compared to the non-imitated counterpart. We then extensively evaluate the method with Faster R-CNN model under various scenarios with common object detection benchmark of Pascal VOC and COCO, imitation alleviates up to 74% performance drop of student model compared to teacher. Codes released at https://github.com/twangnh/Distilling-Object-Detectors


It is well accepted that high levels of high density lipoproteins (HDL) reduce the risk of atherosclerosis in humans. Apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) and apoA-II are the first and second most common protein constituents of HDL. Unlike apoA-I, detailed structural models for apoA-II in HDL are not available. Here, we present a structural model of apoA-II in reconstituted HDL (rHDL) based on two well established experimental approaches: chemical cross-linking/mass spectrometry (MS) and internal reflection infrared spectroscopy. Homogeneous apoA-II rHDL were reacted with a cross-linking agent to link proximal lysine residues. Upon tryptic digestion, cross-linked peptides were identified by electrospray mass spectrometry. 14 cross-links were identified and confirmed by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Infrared spectroscopy indicated a beltlike molecular arrangement for apoA-II in which the protein helices wrap around the lipid bilayer rHDL disc. The cross-links were then evaluated on three potential belt arrangements. The data clearly refute a parallel model but support two antiparallel models, especially a "double hairpin" form. These models form the basis for understanding apoA-II structure in more complex HDL particles.


Space exploration involves unavoidable exposures to high-energy galactic cosmic rays whose penetration power and associated secondary radiation makes radiation shielding ineffective and cost prohibitive. NASA recognizing the possible health dangers from cosmic rays notified the U.S. Congress as early as 1959 of the need for a dedicated heavy ion accelerator to study the largely unknown biological effects of galactic cosmic rays on astronauts. Information and scientific tools to study radiation health effects expanded over the new decades as NASA exploration programs to the moon and preparations for Mars exploration were carried out. In the 1970 s through the early 1990 s a more than 3-fold increase over earlier estimates of fatal cancer risks from gamma-rays, and new knowledge of the biological dangers of high LET radiation were obtained. Other research has increased concern for degenerative risks to the central nervous system and other tissues at lower doses compared to earlier estimates. In 1996 a review by the National Academy of Sciences Space Science Board re-iterated the need for a dedicated ground-based accelerator facility capable of providing up to 2000 research hours per year to reduce uncertainties in risks projections and develop effective mitigation measures. In 1998 NASA appropriated funds for construction of a dedicated research facility and the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) opened for research in October of 2003. This year marks the 8th year of NSRL research were about 1000 research hours per year have been utilized. In anticipation of the approaching ten year milestone, funded investigators and selected others are invited to participate in a critical self-assessment of NSRL research progress towards NASA s goals in space radiation research. A Blue and Red Team Assessment format has been integrated into meeting posters and special plenary sessions to allow for a critical debate on the progress of the research and major gaps areas. Blue teams will highlight progress and important new knowledge gained. Red teams will challenge the Blue teams on proposed highlights and point to Gaps not considered. We will review the current space radiation Risks and Gaps under investigation at NASA, critical data sets and research highlights anticipated, and possible goals for future research at NSRL.


Smad4 is a critical regulator of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signaling and is defective in numerous human cancers. In total, 30% of pancreatic cancers harbor a homozygous deletion of Smad4. The human pancreatic cancer cell line, BxPC3, has been reported to be Smad4-null due to a homozygous deletion and has been widely used as a Smad4-null model. The present study reports that Smad4 DNA is present in BxPC3 cells, and under conditions of suppressed mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) and phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase, a truncated Smad4 protein is expressed. While a high level of Smad4 protein can be expressed in these cells, the cells do not respond to TGF-β. The Smad4 defect in BxPC3 cells likely occurs via translocation rather than deletion as previously reported.


The efficacy and safety of a new immunotherapy protocol for cancer were tested in a severe combined immunodeficient mouse model of human skin and metastatic lung melanoma. The protocol involves intratumoral injections of replication-incompetent adenoviral vectors encoding immunoconjugates composed of the Fc region of an IgG1 immunoglobulin conjugated to a tumor-targeting domain. One targeting domain is factor VII that binds to tissue factor expressed on endothelial cells lining the tumor neovasculature and on tumor cells; the active site of factor VII was mutated to inhibit the initiation of blood coagulation. Another targeting domain is a single-chain Fv antibody that binds to a cognate antigen expressed on human melanoma cells. The adenoviral vectors infect mainly the cells of the injected tumor, which synthesize and secrete the immunoconjugates. The bloodborne immunoconjugates induce a cytolytic immune response against the targeted neovasculature endothelial cells and tumor cells. The mouse model experiments showed that intratumoral delivery of the factor VII immunoconjugate, either alone or together with the single-chain Fv immunoconjugate, resulted in growth inhibition and regression of the injected tumor, and also of distant metastatic tumors, without evidence of damage to normal organs. There was extensive destruction of the tumor neovasculature, presumably mediated by the factor VII immunoconjugate bound to tissue factor on neovasculature endothelial cells. Because tissue factor is generally expressed on neovascular endothelial cells and tumor cells, a factor VII immunoconjugate could be used for immunotherapy against a broad range of human solid tumors.


Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC

The Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) fusion proteins such as EML4-ALK act as oncogenic drivers in approximately 5-7% of non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC). The rationale for targeting this kinase as a means of treatment has been validated by the clinical efficacy and subsequent approval of the ALK inhibitor, crizotinib (Xalkori ®). The overall response rate of 61% suggests potential intrinsic resistance to crizotinib. In addition, like many tyrosine kinase inhibitors, acquired resistance inevitably leads to treatment refractory cancers. To better understand resistance mechanisms (both intrinsic and acquired), and circumvent resistance to crizotinib, we developed in vitro resistance models through prolonged crizotinib exposure. We isolated resistance clones and characterization identified different resistance mechanisms, including pathway bypass as well as an ALK kinase mutation (G1269A), similar to those that have been reported from refractory patient samples. The majority of the resistance clones escaped crizotinib suppression via pathway bypass. In several resistance clones, simultaneous activation of EGFR and IGF1R receptors limited the efficacy of double combination strategies and required triple combinations. In addition, phospho-proteomic analysis revealed simultaneous activation of different receptor tyrosine kinases, suggesting that combination treatment with inhibitors of downstream mediators such as PI3K and MEK may be effective strategies.

Our resistance models demonstrate the heterogeneity of cancers and reveal the multiplicity of escape mechanisms. Our results provide support for the evaluation of combination therapy with downstream mediator inhibitors as a way to restore as well as enhance sensitivity to crizotinib.

Citation Format: Nathan V. Lee, Joan Cao, Timothy Scheffelin, Lars Engstrom, Stephen Huang, Maruja Lira, Scott Garza, Jing Yuan, Blake Enyart, James Christensen, Julie Kan. Elucidation of crizotinib resistance in NCI-H3122 and strategies to circumvent bypass resistance. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4464. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-4464


Experimental and clinical data suggest that GABA-ergic drugs such as valproate may have a potential role in the treatment of schizophrenia. The authors designed a 21-day prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled pilot study of divalproex sodium as add-on treatment to haloperidol in 12 hospitalized patients with acute exacerbations of chronic schizophrenia. All patients received haloperidol 10 mg/day for 3 days and 15 mg/day for the remaining 18 days. In addition, five patients were randomly assigned to receive divalproex augmentation and seven to receive placebo. The divalproex dose was adjusted to a target serum concentration of 75 microg/mL for 2 weeks; placebo replaced divalproex during the third and last weeks to determine any carryover effect. Psychiatric rating scales were administered at baseline and on days 7, 14, and 21. Although the placebo group improved with haloperidol treatment, the divalproex group demonstrated greater improvement. On day 21, the divalproex group had greater improvement from baseline on the Clinical Global Impression Scale (p < or = 0.04), Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (p < or = 0.13), and Schedule for Assessment of Negative Symptoms scores (p < or = 0.007). After divalproex withdrawal on day 15, a carryover effect was observed during week 3. The authors concluded that the addition of divalproex sodium to standard antipsychotic drugs may prove effective in relieving the symptoms of acute schizophrenia. Future studies may benefit from the design of this pilot study. However, it is premature to apply this augmentation strategy in the clinical setting just yet because of the small sample size and the likely heterogeneity of the disorder.


This paper describes a threshold-based wake-up mechanism to reduce the battery power consumption of a mobile data handset. The threshold approach switches the system into the sleep mode when the memory queue for arriving packets is empty, and switches on the system when the number of packets in the memory queue is above a threshold value. We propose several adaptive schemes capable of dynamically selecting the threshold value for the threshold approach. An adaptive algorithm adjusts the threshold value based on a pre-defined packet-dropping probability, for which the switch-on rate is kept reasonably small to maintain the actual packet-dropping probability as close as the pre-defined value. Two strategies are used in the adaptive algorithm to adjust the threshold value: binary-division and fixed-amount. Two calculation strategies are considered to measure the packet-dropping probability: window-averaging and leaky-bucket integration (LBI). Our study indicates that the binary-division strategy outperforms the fixed-amount strategy in adjusting the threshold value. Furthermore, with proper setting, the LBI strategy outperforms the window-averaging strategy.


PURPOSE
To test the performance of transrectal ultrasound (US) scanners in the detection of low-contrast focal lesions as a function of depth, size, and contrast.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
US images of two phantoms were analyzed by three observers. One phantom was most suitable for US units allowing scanning in the transverse or longitudinal planes, while the other was suitable for any scanning situation. Both phantoms were made of tissue-mimicking material and had six sections. Five sections contained different sizes of low-contrast simulated lesions, which were of different echogenicities and were randomly distributed to a depth of 8 cm. The sixth section contained only background material and served as a reference. A resolution zone, corresponding to the depth range over which a given type of lesion was detectable, was determined for each of the five lesion-containing sections and a figure of merit equal to a weighted sum of resolution zone lengths computed.

RESULTS
Data from 12 different scanner configurations were analyzed; a broad range of figures of merit were found. Agreement was found among the three observers regarding relative performance of the scanner configurations.

CONCLUSION
The phantoms are useful for comparing performances of different transrectal US configurations.


ABSTRACT Historicist approaches to the reading of sacred texts, rapidly attain a point where further research produces diminishing returns, resulting in more historical speculation rather than less. This is the opposite of the desired result. The cause of this impasse lies in a failure to discern the rhetorical techniques of the author as a basic reading strategy. Similarly, it is necessary to discern that the author has already made key determinations as to historicity. What is now required of the reader is a deepened appreciation of the intentional theological, ontological and existential implications of the narrative. This paper examines how a literary/rhetorical approach may yield positive results in the case of the call of Nathanael, a narrative fragment that poses intriguing critical questions, both theological and Christological. The results suggest a dominical encounter that supplies the reader with pre-emptive eschatological intensity through deliberate juxtaposition of Nathanael's disbelief and Jesus' selfawareness held together in a matrix of scriptural fulfilment


Real time controlling devices based on myoelectric singles (MES) is one of the challenging research problems. This paper presents a new approach to reduce the computational cost of real time systems driven by myoelectric signals (MES) (a.k.a Electromyography-EMG). The new approach evaluates the significance of feature/channel selection on MES pattern recognition. Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), an evolutionary computational technique, is employed to search the feature/channel space for important subsets. These important subsets will be evaluated using a multilayer perceptron trained with back propagation neural network (BPNN). Practical results acquired from tests done on six subject's datasets of MES signals measured in a noninvasive manner using surface electrodes are presented. It is proved that minimum error rates can be achieved by considering the correct combination of features/channels, thus providing a feasible system for practical implementation purpose for rehabilitation of patients.


Magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) that consist of two ferromagnets separated by a thin insulator are among the core devices used in spintronic applications such as magnetic sensors. Since magnetic sensors require high sensitivity for nondestructive eddy current testing, we developed and demonstrated magnetic sensors based on various configurations of serial MTJs. We fabricated sensors with 4, 16, 28, 40, and 52 serial MTJs in various numbers of rows (1, 4, 7, 10, and 13) to detect surface cracks via eddy current testing. All of the sensors could detect and discriminate between surface cracks 0.1 mm in width and 0.1 to 1.0 mm in depth on an aluminum specimen. Systematic studies on the effect of the number of MTJs showed a signal to noise ratio as high as 115 dB when detecting 0.1 mm deep cracks with 28 serial MTJs in 7 rows. This suggests that suitably configured serial MTJ sensors can offer an excellent performance in the detection of tiny surface defects via eddy current testing.Magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) that consist of two ferromagnets separated by a thin insulator are among the core devices used in spintronic applications such as magnetic sensors. Since magnetic sensors require high sensitivity for nondestructive eddy current testing, we developed and demonstrated magnetic sensors based on various configurations of serial MTJs. We fabricated sensors with 4, 16, 28, 40, and 52 serial MTJs in various numbers of rows (1, 4, 7, 10, and 13) to detect surface cracks via eddy current testing. All of the sensors could detect and discriminate between surface cracks 0.1 mm in width and 0.1 to 1.0 mm in depth on an aluminum specimen. Systematic studies on the effect of the number of MTJs showed a signal to noise ratio as high as 115 dB when detecting 0.1 mm deep cracks with 28 serial MTJs in 7 rows. This suggests that suitably configured serial MTJ sensors can offer an excellent performance in the detection of tiny surface defects via eddy current testing.


PURPOSE
Farnesyltransferase (FTase) is a zinc-dependent enzyme that adds a farnesyl group to the Ras proteins. L778, 123 is a potent peptidomimetic imidazole-containing FTase inhibitor.

METHODS
L778123 was synthesized according to known methods and evaluated alone and in combination with doxorubicin against A549 (adenocarcinomic human alveolar basal epithelial cells) and HT29 (human colonic adenocarcinoma) cell lines by MTT assay.

RESULTS
L778123 showed weak cytotoxic activity with IC50 of 100 and 125 for A549 and HT-29 cell lines, respectively. The combination of doxorubicin and L778123 can decrease IC50 of doxorubicin in both cell lines significantly.

CONCLUSION
It can be concluded that L778, 123 can be a good agent for combination therapy.


Plants can be used in the cleanup and prevention of environmental pollution. This relatively new and green technology that uses natural processes to break down, stabilize, or accumulate pollutants. Phytoremediation-related processes might amend the situation or chemical makeup of contaminants. Multidisciplinary studies will help to develop a better understanding of the ecological interactions that contribute to phytoremediation, the effects of phytoremediation on ecological relationships, and the movement of pollutants through ecosystems. Phytoremediation, requires careful choice of plant species and management practices are key to promoting ecological restoration and preventing pollutant dispersal. Native/local plant species with effective remediation properties should be used that provide natural hydraulic control and soil stabilization should be selected.


The Muslim Student Union organized an 18-day event entitled "Israel: the Politics of Genocide." Anna Baltzer is an activist for Palestinian rights and the author of "Witness in Palestine".


Mobile ad hoc network is a wireless mobile network that does not have any base station or other central control infrastructure. Design of efficient multicast routing protocols in such network is challenging, especially when the mobile hosts move faster. Shared tree routing protocol is a widely used multicast routing protocol in ad hoc network. However, there are problems in end-to-end delay and network throughput for this protocol. In this paper, we propose a protocol to improve the inherent problem of large end-to-end delay in shared tree method as a modification to the existing multicast Ad hoc On-demand Distance Vector (MAODV) routing for low mobility network. The protocol uses n-hop local ring search to establish new forwarding path and limit flooding region. We then propose an extension to our proposed protocol, which uses periodic route discovery message to improve the network throughput for high mobility network. Simulation results demonstrate the improvement with average end-to-end delay in low mobility case as well as high packet delivery ratio in high mobility case


PURPOSE
Nucleoside analogs (NAs) are considered as appropriate agents in the treatment of Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM), a lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma. Sporadic reports on increased incidence of transformation to high-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and development of therapy-related myelodysplasia/acute leukemia (t-MDS/AML) among patients with WM treated with NAs prompted us to examine the incidence of such events in a large population of patients with WM.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
We examined the incidence of these events in 439 patients with WM, 193 and 136 of whom were previously treated with and without an NA, respectively, and 110 of whom had similar long-term follow-up without treatment. The median follow-up for all patients was 5 years.

RESULTS
Overall, 12 patients (6.2%) either developed transformation (n = 9; 4.7%) or developed t-MDS/AML (n = 3; 1.6%) among NA-treated patients, compared with one patient (0.4%) who developed transformation in the non-NA treated group (P < .001); no such events occurred among untreated patients. Transformation and t-MDS/AML occurred at a median of 5 years from onset of NA therapy. The median survival of NA-treated patients who developed transformation did not differ from other NA-treated patients as a result of effective salvage treatment used for transformed disease. However, all NA-treated patients who developed t-MDS/AML died at a median of 5 months.

CONCLUSION
These data demonstrate an increased incidence of disease transformation to high-grade NHL and the development of t-MDS/AML among patients with WM treated with NAs.


1 The first four notes of this series appeared in these PROCEEDINGS, 14, 915-918 (1928); 15, 41-42 (1929); 16, 594-598 (1930); 17, 376-380 (1931). In these notes we were concerned exclusively with the methods of Hausdorff and Woronoi-Norlund. The results of the present note were communicated to the American Mathematical Society on April 14, 1933. Cf. also E. Hille, "Summation of Fourier Series," Bull. Amer. Math. Soc., 38, 505-528 (1932). 2 R. Schmidt, "UYber divergente Folgen und lineare Mittelbildungen," Math. Z., 22, 89-152 (1925). 3 E. Hille and J. D. Tamarkin, "On the Summability of Fourier Series. II," Ann. Math., (2), 34, 329-348 (1933). 4 R. E. A. C. Paley, W. C. Randels and M. Rosskopf, "On the Summation of Fourier Series," Bull. Amer. Math. Soc., 40, 69-74 (1934).


Head injury is one of the most prevalent events accounting for about one million of emergency visits in US and UK annually. It occurs in over the 50% of traumatic patients and is the leading cause of death and disabilities in children and younger adults all over the world (Holmes, et al., 2006; Kraus & Nourjah, 1998; Langlois, et al., 2006). Annually, traumatic brain injuries cause 435000 emergency department visits, 37000 hospital admissions, and 2685 deaths among children whose ages range from 0 to 14 in the USA (Jager et al., 2000; Langlois et al.,2004). While there has been an increase in the number of CT performed for traumatic patients, particularly those with a suspected head injury, different studies have estimated the prevalence of significant intracranial lesions on a CT to be something between 0.7% and 20% (Bordignon & Arruda 2002, Holmes et al., 2006, Mower 2005, Stiell 2001). Because most of these patients have insignificant injuries requiring no specific therapy, some authorities are reluctant to advocate CT studies in all such patients. In contrast, other authorities, concerned with the potentially dramatic consequences of a missed finding, tend to encourage the liberal use of brain CT in such patients bringing an estimated 750 million $ cost for health system (Borczuk, 1995; Jeret et al., 1993; Schynoll et al., 1993); however, it has been reported that reduction in the number of patients complicated due to head trauma is happening as a result of better control of developing seizure or raised intracranial pressure (Klauber et al. 1989). The majority of treated brain injuries are categorized as mild head injury (MHI) (Kraus & Nourjah,1988). While patients with moderate to severe head injury usually show obvious clinical signs, simplifying the decision to perform a head CT scan, there are controversies in the indications of CT scanning in MHI patients considering the fact that most of these patients represent minimal intracranial lesions, requiring no specific therapy (Shackford et al., 1992). This chapter will recap the application of CT scanning in MHI patients in adults and children.


Photochromism is the heart of photochromic fluorescent proteins. Excited-state proton transfer (ESPT) is the major cause of photochromism for the green fluorescent protein (GFP) and Z-E photoisomerization through τ-torsion is the major cause of photochromism for Dronpa (a GFP mutant). In this article, s-E-1 opens a third type of photochromism for GFP chromophore derivatives, which involves light-driven φ-torsion with no τ-torsion, followed by excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT), and is gated by environmental polarity. Since s-E-1 does not follow Z-E photoisomerization through τ-torsion but undergoes light-driven φ-torsion, which involves equilibration of the excited-state rotamers, it is clearly against the NEER (Non-Equilibration of Excited-state Rotamers) principle.


Background. These experiments evaluate the mechanisms associated with tolerance in mice treated with sirolimus, antilymphocyte serum (ALS), and donor-specific bone marrow (BM). Methods. Tolerance to fully MHC-incompatible skin allografts was induced as follows: C57Bl/10 (H2b) recipients received 0.5 mL of rabbit anti-mouse polyclonal ALS on days −1, +2, and +5 relative to B10.A (H2k) donor skin grafting on day 0. Sirolimus was given in a single dose (24 mg/kg intraperitoneally) on day 6. Freshly harvested B10.A (H2k) donor-specific BM was administered at a dose of 25×106 (ALS/BM25/sirolimus) or 150×106 (ALS/BM150/sirolimus) cells intravenously on day 7. Skin allograft survival was correlated with the recipient's immunologic status. Recipients were assayed for suppressor cell activity (mixed lymphocyte coculture assays), clonal deletion (T-cell receptor V&bgr;11 assay), peripheral and thymic chimerism (flow cytometry and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction), and anergy (response to exogenous interleukin 2). Results. Mice treated with ALS/BM25/sirolimus showed specifically prolonged but not indefinite allograft survival (median survival time 116 days). Allograft survival correlated with donor-specific clonal deletion and the presence of donor class II mRNA in the recipient's thymus. Mice given the ALS/BM150/sirolimus protocol showed indefinite donor-specific tolerance. Tolerance could not be broken with the administration of high doses of interleukin 2. Splenocytes taken from mice 14 days after tolerance induction inhibited donor-specific and third-party mixed lymphocyte culture proliferation in a dose-dependent fashion. This suppression could be ablated by depleting splenocytes of cells of donor origin before use in coculture. Clonal deletion was detectable 30 days after tolerance induction in mice treated with ALS/BM150/sirolimus and was maintained indefinitely. Conclusion. Induction of tolerance by ALS, BM, and sirolimus results in a state of donor-specific tolerance, and multilineage chimerism evolves that is permanent and associated with clonal deletion of alloreactive T cells.


Some atoms fail to absorb radiation even when the energy of the photons corresponds to the difference between two atomic levels. This phenomenon was discovered in 1961 by Ugo Fano of the University of Chicago, who explained it in terms of destructive interference: In the atoms that show this effect, there are two pathways leading to the same excited state, and their sum determines the probability for light to be absorbed. When these amplitudes interfere destructively, no photons are absorbed. One example is the transition from the ground state of helium to the 2s2p state, which lies in the continuum. The atom may be photoionized directly, or it may pass to the continuum via the discrete, autoionizing 2s2p state. As a result there is a window in the absorption spectrum for helium.


Step-fathering is becoming increasingly common in contemporary western societies, yet it has received little research attention from either social policy or sociological perspectives. In this article, we draw on our empirical studies of step-families in Britain and Sweden to argue that social context is important in shaping step-fathers' understandings of their position. Policy and legislation in these countries emphasise the importance of ascribed, biological parenthood, marginalising step-parents. There are, however, notable class differences in both our British and Swedish samples concerning whether step-fathers see their relationship to their step-children as the same as biological fathering, supplementary to it, or as disengaged from fathering. The analysis also reveals that policies simultaneously emphasise achieved contemporary involved fathering alongside promoting ascribed biological fatherhood. Such policies contain a contradiction for step-fathers' understandings of their everyday relationships with their step- children.


The purpose of this study was to determine if personality characteristics identified by Millon (1983) as strongly predisposing to enduring depression are useful in discriminating between transient and enduring depression in alcoholic women. A strong association was found between scores on a scale measuring passive-aggressive personality features and enduring depression among women completing treatment for alcohol abuse. Enduring depression among the alcoholic women in this study was also moderately associated with scores on a scale measuring avoidant personality features. Transient depression was positively associated with scores on a scale gauging compulsive—conforming characteristics. Results of this study of alcoholic women are generally consistent with the results of McMahon and Davidson's (1985) investigation of alcoholic men in indicating that personality factors usefully discriminate between transient and enduring depression.


The aim of this paper is to show how every language is determined by its syntactic structure when arranging information and words in lexicographic definitions. In the first two sections we analyze the difficulties we find in Basque with hyperonymic definitions of nouns: the informative structure. This kind of definition imposes goes from the general-hyperonym-to the particula-specific characteristics; but this order contrasts with the expansion of nominal nucleus modifiers towards the left, often found in Basque. Bearing in mind that Basque history regarding monolingual lexicography is very recent, in the third section we discuss and evaluate the solution to the aforementioned problem that Ibon Sarasola provides in his Euskal Hiztegia (Basque Dictionary, 1996). Basically, the solution resorts to appositional structures that get us closer to an analytical and more communicative model of definition: this way, the informative nucleus-hyperonym-precedes the specifications-modifiers in apposition. Finally, we extract the following conclusions of general-lexicography-and individual nature-Basque lexicography: Every language is determined by its syntactic structure regarding the model of hyperonymic definition and, because of that, it must look for its own syntacticdiscursive strategies. In the Basque dictionary Euskal Hiztegia, Sarasola specifies some syntactic-discursive strategies that have been proven adequate for the definition, which converge nicely with written tradition: one of the keys for these strategies is a moderate use of appositional structures to add specifications to the informative nucleushyperonym. The conclusions we have arrived at are also valid for the terminographic definition written in Basque, which similarly cannot differ in excess from the paradigm hyperonym (informative nucleus) + specific characteristics.


Minority owned businesses are an increasing important component of the U.S. economy, growing at twice the rate of all U.S. businesses between 2002 and 2007. However, a growing literature indicates that minority-owned businesses may have been especially impacted by the Great Recession. As house prices declined, foreclosures fell disproportionately on urban minority neighborhoods and one of the sources of credit for business owners was severely constrained. Using 2002-2011 data from the Longitudinal Business Database linked to the 2002 Survey of Business Owners, this paper adds to the literature by examining the employment growth and survival of minority and women employer businesses during the last decade, including the Great Recession. At first glance, our preliminary findings suggest that black and women-owned businesses underperform white, male-owned businesses, that Asian-owned businesses outperform other groups, and that Hispanic-owned businesses outperform non-Hispanic ones in regards to employment growth. However, when we look only at continuing firms, black-owned businesses outperform white-owned businesses in terms of employment growth. At the same time, we also find that the recession appears to have impacted black-owned and Hispanic-owned businesses more severely than their counterparts, in terms of employment growth as well as survival. This is also the case for continuing black and Hispanic-owned firms.


The skin and feather follicle epithelia of birds infected with Marek's disease virus (MDV) are the sites of infectious virus particle formation and shedding. However, the host responses and protein networks involved in the production of virus particles in the skin of MDV-infected chickens are poorly understood. This current study aimed to analyze the differential protein expression patterns in skin between MDV-infected and uninfected specific pathogen-free (SPF) chickens 28 days post infection (dpi) by combining two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) and mass spectrometry (MS) analyses. Through 2-DE analysis, our results revealed 23 proteins whose expression changed significantly following infection, of which 16 proteins were confirmed by MS. The identified proteins were functionally classified into 5 groups: immune-related, cell regulatory, cytoskeletal, metabolism-related and transport proteins. A single protein, beta 2-microglobulin, was further confirmed by real-time quantitative PCR. Beta 2-microglobulin expression was significantly increased in the infected group 28 dpi. This indicates that beta 2-microglobulin might play very important roles in the viral evasion from host immune response.


This should help the reader understand the issue in a manner that makes the extent of the problem clear and offers enough context to enable him/her to make a judgment about the applicability of the concerns to their own setting.


Conventional methods of Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) diagnosis require determining the concentration and identity of the involved bacteria, as well as their susceptibility to various antibiotics, the so-called antibiogram. Such assays require repeated culturing of a sample and need at least 48 hours in order for bacterial colonies to be grown, counted, and exposed to antibiotics. However, the patient cannot remain untreated during this rather prolonged period before definitive diagnosis of the suspected infection becomes available. As a result, physicians prescribe broad spectrum antibiotics prior to antibiogram availability. This practice has many undesirable consequences, both short term and long term: (i) unsuccessful treatments leading to chronic infections, (ii) increased health care costs, and, most importantly, (iii) increased antibiotic resistance by a growing number of bacterial strains (Gruneberg, 1994; Casadevall, 1996; Cosgrove, S. & Carmeli, 2003; Alanis, 2005). Given these concerns, it is obvious that rapid and accurate identification of UTI pathogens as well as determination of their susceptibility to antibiotics would offer significant clinical benefits. Such methodologies are currently being developed and include the promising application of Raman spectroscopy for the diagnosis of UTIs. Recently, rapid diagnosis methods based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) have been developed in order to bypass the need for culturing (Mothershed & Whitney, 2006) as well as to identify genes that confer antibiotic resistance (Rolain et al., 2004). Although such PCR assays are fast and very sensitive, they typically require species and strain specific probes that may or may not be available for a particular organism. In addition, amplification methods, like PCR, suffer from contamination problems, complex interpretation of results, as well as high costs. Mass Spectrometry is another method that has been proposed as an alternative approach for bacterial diagnostics without culturing (Chen et al., 2008). However, like the PCR approach, Mass Spectrometry also depends on prior knowledge of the pathogen under study and suffers from increased complexity and cost. Vibrational spectroscopies, like Raman spectroscopy, have been used, for the last few years, to detect bacteria with minimal sample manipulation (Maquelin et al., 2000; Schuster, 2000a, 2000b). Classification of bacterial species, as well as of subspecies, has been achieved with great accuracy and speed, especially with Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) (Kneipp et al., 2006) which allows enhancement of the inherently weak Raman signal. More


In this paper, we study the pulse shaping for delay-Doppler (DD) communications. We start with constructing a basis function in the DD domain following the properties of the Zak transform. Particularly, we show that the constructed basis functions are globally quasi-periodic while locally twisted-shifted, and their significance in time and frequency domains are then revealed. We further analyze the ambiguity function of the basis function, and show that fully localized ambiguity function can be achieved by constructing the basis function using periodic signals. More importantly, we prove that time and frequency truncating such basis functions naturally leads to delay and Doppler orthogonalities, if the truncating windows are orthogonal or periodic. Motivated by this, we propose a DD Nyquist pulse shaping scheme considering signals with periodicity. Finally, our conclusions are verified by using various orthogonal and periodic pulses.


Absorption coefficients have been calculated for the (4:4) superlattice on different SiGe buffers. It is shown that the buffer on which the superlattice is grown controls the skew of the spectral response compared with that for a SiGe alloy with a similar average composition. Compared with the absorption of the buffer, the presence of the superlattice always induces a knee in the band-edge response; this knee can exhibit significant polarisation dependence. The results for the (4:4) on Si are in good agreement with recent experimental results.


abstract (conclusion): 1) it is not evident when one examines table 1, that the overall marginal productivity of capital rises over time. but on the average (see table 2), this tendency may be said to hold true in case of most of the countries. one,in fact , needs to have data ranging over a period of more than 25 to 30 years to examine such phenomenon. only in such cases the calculated capital-output ratios will reflect the lagged effect on output of heavy investments (such as in infrastructure) that were undertaken decades earlier. 2) inspite of this limitation, one can at least expect on the basis of the available evidence of negative correlations, that if a country experiences increasing rates of growth over time, it will find its marginal productivity of capital rising gradually. as to the theoretical reasonings behind such inverse relationship dr. patel in his note has already given some hints and prof. leibenstein has discussed it elaborately in his article mentioned earlier. our findings lend further support to their empirical verifications.;


Indonesia has more than 129 volcanoes trough out its area. This fact may bring positive and negative effects. One of the negative effects is CO2 poisoned gas disaster that is caused by the volcano activities. CO2 gas is one of hardly detected gas. Besides that, CO2 also has no color, smell, and taste. However, this gas in high concentration may cause virulence as happened in Kepucuk Village, Dieng. On 20th February 1979, 149 peoples had been killed by CO2 gas. To solve those problems, we initiate to make a system that has the capability to detect CO2 gas concentration in every time (real-time) and also has been integrated to the evacuation system. We called it ICHAS (Integrated Carbon Dioxide Hazard Alert System). ICHAS was made by integrating three main components, which are CO2 detector, monitoring program, and evacuation system. When a volcano's crater erupted CO2 gas in high concentration that is potential to poison people around it, the detector will measure its concentration and transmit it to the Monitoring Station by using radio frequency. When CO2 reaches more than the threshold (5000 ppm), the detector will activate siren and evacuation lamp. Keywords— CO2, disaster, evacuation, volcano, wireless


This paper aims to introduce Distributed Systems as a field where the ideas and methods of physics can potentially be applied, and to provide entry points to a wide literature. The contributions of Leslie Lamport, inspired by Relativity Theory, and of Edsger Dijkstra, which has the flavor of a growth process, are discussed at some length. The intent of the author is primarily to stimulate interest in the statistical physics community, and the discussions are therefore framed in a non-technical language; the author apologizes in advance to readers from the computer science side for the unavoidable impreciseness and ambiguities.


Monthly population fluctuations of Radopholus similis in roots of "Valery" banana plants were determined in the Pacific growing region of Panama. Four peaks and depresseions in population densities of the nematode were found throughout the year. Peaks occur in May, September, November and January following corresponding depressions in the former months. The highest peak occurs in November, which is also where the maximum precipitation occurs, followed by May when the rainy season starts. Only depressions occurring in April and August were preceded by reductions in the nematode population densities for three consecutive months, which makes them the most favourable months for application of nematicides.


In the discussion about forest management the maintenance of biodiversity is coming more and
more to the fore. Like 120 other countries, Sweden committed itself to a sustainable use of for
ests at the convention of Rio de Janeiro. Sweden has a long tradition of forest management fo
cusing on woodproduction. This implies that almost all the forest land is managed and that the
area of natural forests is very small. The maintenance of biodiversity should therefor not be
limited to reserved areas but it should be incorporated into the management of the total forest
area. There is a need for improved methods to balance the economic and ecological benefits of
forest management. In this study I designed an algorithm for mathematical programming that
includes the determination of a contiguous area of old forest into a long range forest manage
ment plan that strives for the sustainable production of wood as well as the maintenance of
biodiversity.
The boreal forests of Sweden were characterised by two main disturbance patterns. In dry and
mesic forests, fires determined the structure of the forest. This resulted in large scale pattern
where Scots pine and broad-leaved trees dominated. In the wetter forests, dominated by Nor
way spruce, small scale disturbances like windthrow brought about a heterogeneous forest
structure with a long continuity. With the management of the forests for woodproduction, some
characteristic features disappeared. The amount of old-growth forests, deciduous trees and
coarse woody debris decreased significantly and large scale clearcuts resulted in a loss of re
tained trees, characteristic for an area after forest fire. Especially these features are of impor
tance for the maintenance of biodiversity. Rare and sensitive species are largely dependent on
structures determined by natural disturbance patterns.
The objective function in the long range forest management plan is a maximisation of the Net
Present Value of the woodproduction. To ensure a sustainable supply of wood in the future this
objective function is bounded by even flow and ending stock constraints. For the maintenance
of biodiversity, constraints are implemented as well. These constraints stem from the assump
tion that the biodiversity benefits by the establishment of certain features abundant in natural
forests and scarce in managed forests. Special attention is paid to a certain contiguous area of
old forest. This is a conversion of the current attention for spatial aspects in biodiversity. A
contiguous area of old forest ensures a core area without any edge effects. Many red-listed
species depend on this.
In natural resource management, Linear Programming (LP) is most common among the
mathematical programming techniques. It gives an optimal solution and is efficient. The model
described above can largely be solved with LP. The constraint on the contiguous area of old
forest will however cause problems. The way this constraint is formulated is known as a Quad
ratic Assignment Problem (QAP). This kind of problem is hard to solve and LP is not suitable.
Other exact solution methods like the Branch and Bound method can only solve very small
problems. Heuristics are a good alternative. Although they do not guarantee an optimal solu
tion, they are able to solve large problems in an acceptable amount of time. Simulated Anneal
ing (SA) is a heuristic method that gives high quality solutions because it has the ability to
overcome local optima and convergence to a high value. I have designed a sequential approach.
Herein the strong points of both methods are united. First the QAP is solved using SA. After
that, the rest of the problem is solved by LP. This part is bounded by the outcome of the SA. In
the objective function for the SA, next to a measure for the contiguous area of forest, the Net
Present Value is added. A weightfactor determines the relative importance of these two ele
ments in relation to each other. With this the SA solution will fit as effective as possible into
the final solution for the whole problem, that is at the least costs.
The algorithm is tested on validity, reliability and efficiency. Validity relates to the question if
the algorithm does what it is perceived to do. The test revealed some points that need extra attention. The determination of the parameters for the so called cooling down of the SA is some
what troublesome and needs to be regarded from case to case. Focusing strongly on either the
contiguous area or the NPV in the SA-objective function gives results that are poor in relation
to the results of an objective function wherein the two are balanced. The inclusion of the NPV
in the SA-objective function does make the SA-solution effective in terms of the final outcome.
In general the performance of the algorithm is as expected. The algorithm turned out to be very
reliable, that means that a repetition gives about the same value all the time. For a sample for
est of sixteen stands with more than 900 possible management regimes the algorithm could
produce a solution within a minute, indicating that it is efficient.
In a case study the sequential approach algorithm is applied on the Brattaker area, near Umea
in Northern Sweden. The Simulated Annealing created contiguous old forest areas. The results
are some more or less contiguous areas of between 100 and 150 hectares. The outcome is lim
ited by the actual situation in the area. Not all forest can be old in fifty years. Next to that the
algorithm shows a preference for small stands, causing a large part of the area, a part consist
ing of large stands, to be without old forest. The costs for contiguous old forest are relatively
small compared to non contiguous old forest. The Simulated Annealing algorithm has the ca
pability to form contiguous old forest in an efficient way. If the contiguous old forest is worth
the additional costs, compared to non contiguous old forest, is a question for the decision mak
ers. The Linear Programming produces a long range forest management plan. In this plan the
features of importance for biodiversity are all established. With this it is assumed that biodi
versity is maintained the coming fifty years. The sustainable provision of wood is guaranteed
for this period. But this is at the expanse of the further future because the age structure is se
verely distorted. The main reason for this seems to be the combination of interest rate, initial
age structure and the requirement for old forest. The used interest rate caused a strong prefer
ence for a present income to a future income. Because of that, and the initial age structure, the
cut volume in the first period is extraordinary high, which has its effects on the age structure
after 50 years. The requirement for old forest is in conflict with the age structure, which might
cause problems for the provision of old forest after the planning horizon of 50 years.
The main conclusion is that the algorithm can give good results. It shows some of the possibili
ties to link a heuristic method with Linear Programming. An improvement could be the use of a
shape index for the formation of contiguous old forest. It became clear that the situation and
parameters in a case study have a major influence. The interest rate and an already unbalanced
age structure limited the possibilities to test the algorithm. To generate data that is of use in the
decision making process the algorithm needs more refinement. The site characteristics should
be taken into account and a situation should be created that will ensure the sustainable provi
sion of wood and biodiversity also after the planning horizon.


Aim of the study: To identify the attitudes of undergraduate Saudi nursing students towards studying nursing profession.
Background: Nursing profession is the backbone of the healthcare services and nurses in the workplace should be accountable to deliver high-quality of care. The Saudi Society, cultural forces and values influence nursing profession and its development. Assessment of undergraduate attitudes towards nursing profession is vital as it can help to identify the potential barriers, deficits and challenges to conquer them.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was administered. The survey design was intended to identify the undergraduate Saudi nursing students' attitudes towards studying nursing profession. Questionnaires were randomly distributed to 250 nursing students. Descriptive statistics were employed to identify the students' attitudes towards the profession.
Results: A total of 141 students completed the survey questionnaires giving a response rate of 56.4%. The participating students 70 (52%) indicated that the most commonly reason to choose studying nursing was their own interest. Most of the students (48.90%) agreed that their English language proficiency is the hardest in the nursing program. The results showed that students favor to work on direct patient care rather than holding managerial or educational tasks. Generally speaking, the students' families and friends had positive attitudes towards nursing profession.
Conclusion: The nursing students and families in Saudi Arabia had strong positive attitudes towards studying nursing profession. Universities in Saudi Arabia are to increase enrolling students to study nursing and should commit to graduate highly competent nurses to compensate the nursing shortage. Lack of students' awareness of workplace literacy requirements might lead to difficulty in designing appropriate curriculum.


This article rests on the idea that knowledge is dispersed among different individuals and entities. For international entrepreneurial firms to create new knowledge, they need to find ways to combine these dispersed bits of knowledge. Because of the notion that resource constraints make international entrepreneurial firms dependent on external knowledge, it is assumed that a portion of knowledge combination takes place in networks. The purpose of this article was to investigate the prospective impact network knowledge and knowledge combinations have on entrepreneurial firms' knowledge creation. Three hypotheses are developed and tested in a structural equation model, using linear structural relations (LISREL, Scientific Software International, Inc.).