INTRODUCTION
Group prenatal care models have been in use in the USA for over 20 years and have shown benefits in reducing rates of preterm birth and low birth weight infants in high-risk civilian populations. Group prenatal care has been widely implemented at military treatment facilities, despite a lack of high-quality evidence for improved perinatal outcomes in this population.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
In this randomized, controlled trial, 129 patients at a military treatment facility received either traditional one-on-one prenatal care or group prenatal care using the CenteringPregnancy model. CenteringPregnancy care was administered by certified nurse midwives and family medicine residents and faculty. The primary outcomes were infant birthweight appropriateness for gestational age, maternal anxiety (as measured by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) and depression (as measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale), and patient satisfaction (as measured by the Short-Form Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire). Infant birthweights were compared using Chi-square tests for the categorical variables of small for gestational age (SGA), appropriate for gestational age (AGA), or large for gestational age. Maternal mood and satisfaction scores were evaluated before, during, and after the intervention and analyzed using rank sum tests. Additional demographic and outcome data were collected directly from participants and extracted from patient records.

RESULTS
Patients receiving group care were more likely to deliver an infant that was appropriate for gestational age, with an incidence ratio of 1.12 [CI = 1.01-1.25, p = 0.04]. Depression and anxiety levels remained similar between groups throughout the study. Satisfaction was similar between groups, though patients receiving group care reported higher satisfaction with the accessibility and convenience of their care at the study's end [p = 0.048]. There were no differences between groups in preterm births, maternal or neonatal morbidity, mode of delivery, maternal weight gain, or breastfeeding rates.

CONCLUSIONS
Military parturients receiving group prenatal care in the CenteringPregnancy model were less likely to deliver an small for gestational age or large for gestational age newborn and were more likely to be satisfied with their access to care. Group prenatal care is well received by patients and may positively influence neonatal metabolic status.


Two major new Waste-To-Energy (WTE) Projects have received Air Construction Permits under the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) program during the past two years and a third is scheduled to receive its permit prior to NAWTEC 20. These new facilities are being required to operate with significantly lower emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and other major air pollutants than similar existing US facilities. This paper will explore the permitting process on these three projects and the divergent approaches being taken by the applicants to meet the stringent emission requirements imposed by the PSD permits.The Palm Beach County (Florida) Renewable Energy Facility No. 2 (PBREF No. 2) will be a three unit, 3,000 ton per day (tpd) mass burn facility which will utilize Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) systems similar to that used in many recent European WTE facilities for NOx control. The Fairfield (Maryland) Renewable Energy (Fairfield) and Aercibo (Puerto Rico) Renewable Energy (Aercibo) Projects are each two unit, 2,106 tpd Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) facilities which will utilize regenerative SCR (RSCR®) systems. This will be the first time RSCR® has been used in a WTE application. All three permits require achievement of a NOx emission rate of 45 parts per million by volume at 7% O2 dry basis (ppmvd).PBREF No. 2 and Fairfield received PSD permits from delegated state programs prior to the new Greenhouse Gas (GHG) and condensable PM2.5 permitting rules going into effect at the beginning of 2011. Aercibo is being permitted by United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region II and will reflect new GHG and condensable PM2.5 permitting rules. This paper discusses the approach to the Best Available Control Technology (BACT) and Lowest Achievement Emission Rate (LAER) determinations and differences in final permit requirements.Copyright © 2012 by ASME


It would be an understatement to say that implant technology has changed the face of dentistry in the past 10 years or so. Both the surgical and restorative specialties have undergone dramatic transformation from treatment planning through all phases of rehabilitation. However, the same cannot necessarily be said for the specialty of orthodontics. Although it could be argued that implants have had an impact on the planning and setup of orthodontic cases (such as in congenitally missing teeth situations), the actual utilization of implants as an integral part of mechanotherapy has only begun to be realized. The ultimate extension of this application of using implants to enhance tooth movement would be to employ implants that are designed solely for the purpose of facilitating orthodontic therapy, with no intention to restore, but rather to explant such implants, after their purpose is fulfilled.


This paper presents a proposal for the integration of enhanced ATM, that is capable of supporting switched virtual circuits, dynamic bandwidth re-negotiation, enhanced IP, and quality of service (QoS) guarantee through RSVP and packet scheduling. Rather than viewing IP packet scheduling and ATM-level QoS mechanisms as mutually exclusive, the approach in this work is to take advantage of both, exploiting new mechanisms for the integration of RSVP and ATM signalling. This paper discusses the main principles of the proposed architecture and documents the development of a prototype implementation. Preliminary experimental measurements contrast the performance of our proposal against conventional alternative solutions.


Solutions of benzenesulfonic acid (BSA) and monohydrated 4-toluenesulfonic acid (PTSA) in dimethylformamide (DMF) were studied by FT-Raman spectroscopy in the concentration range 1.0–5.0 mol dm−3. Spectra in the region of the acid S—OH and benzenesulfonate anion SO3− stretching bands were analysed using band-fitting procedures in order to ascertain the degree of acid dissociation. In BSA solutions, this parameter changes from 0.34 (1.02 M solution) to 0.11 (5.01 M solution) despite the strong character of the acid. Interaction of DMF with undissociated BSA produces a new band in the ν(C′—N—C′) Raman spectral region near 866 cm−1, displaced −11.0 cm−1 and assigned to DMF molecules hydrogen-bonded to BSA. In PTSA solutions, hydrogen bonds are formed with the oxonium ion (H3O+) dissociated from the acid. In this case, the displacement observed is only −7.0 cm−1, indicating a weaker interaction. From the concentration of hydrogen-bonded DMF, the mean number of hydrogen-bonds participating in bonding with each solvent molecule can be calculated. This number changes, in BSA solutions, from ca. 0.5 in the less concentrated solutions up to ca. 1.0 in the most concentrated. This result supports the conclusion that BSA–DMF complexes of fixed stoichiometry are not present in the range of concentrations studied here. On the contrary, the oxonium ions form a stable complex of stoichiometry (DMF)2·H3O+ which does not change with the acid concentration. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


THIS PAPER PRESENTS A new approach to Pictish and Viking culture contact in Orkney using the material culture of everyday life, focusing in this case on implements used in textile production. The production of textiles was a major component of everyday life between the 5th and 12th centuries and the tools of production have survived well in the archaeological record. This paper uses a study of the implements used in textile production from six Viking and Pictish period sites on Orkney to assess the nature of textile production at this time and investigate whether or not it was affected by the arrival of Scandinavians. The results demonstrate that significant changes took place at the beginning of the Viking Age, with different thicknesses of thread being spun and woven, new materials and styles of artefacts being used, and new types of tools employed for particular tasks. The early Viking Age (9th–10th centuries) produced a great variety of textile tools, representing both Pictish and Scandinavian practices, suggesting a time of transition in which both Pictish and Viking styles were accommodated.


Teenage pregnancy has become a global and a public health concern as mortality rates associated with it are on the increase. In the last 2 decades, worldwide, the pregnancy rates are slowly decreasing. However, this is not the case in the Philippines, yet not much is known about its background as majority of the studies have focused on teen motherhood and its effects. This current study explores the underlying causes of teen sexual activity that leads to pregnancy and the psychological consequences in the light of Bronfenbrenner's ecological model. Utilizing qualitative case study method, 9 participants (3 teen mothers, 3 friends, and three parents) were interviewed. Data were transcribed and analyzed using Miles, Huberman, and Saldana's thematic analysis. Three main themes emerged, namely: sociocultural factors (peer influence, lack of parental guidance, culture, and transactional sex), individual factors (curiosity and poor sex knowledge, uncontrolled emotions, and revenge), and psychological consequences (emotional reactions, fear, and low self-esteem). Implications are discussed and recommendations for future research are made.


Background: Differences in perception among pharmacists and the absence of standards or regulations for labelling prescribed medicines in Indonesia make the labels patients receive have different designs and contents. Incomplete information and insufficient medicine label design can lead to medication errors.
Objective: This study aimed to determine the pharmacists' perception of the design and content of prescribed medicine labels.
Method: This study was conducted by survey using an online questionnaire developed based on the "FIP Guidelines for The Labels of Prescribed Medicines" and Regulation of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia number. 73 the year 2016 concerning Pharmaceutical Service Standards in Pharmacies. Questionnaires were distributed through personal chat and social media groups of community pharmacists.
Result: A total of 925 pharmacists from 32 provinces of Indonesia participated in this study. Respondents considered the most important information on the label of prescribed drugs  namely instructions for drug use (84.6%), patient name (81.6%), pharmacy name (76.1%), special instructions (71.5%), and pharmacist name (63.9%). For the label's design, most respondents preferred printed and handwritten labels (61.2%).
Conclusion: It can be concluded that different pharmacists' perceptions affect the labelling of prescribed medicines. There is a need for regulations or standards of labelling prescribed medicines.


Efforts to build a regional human rights mechanism in Asia are being renewed. Separation of powers adjudication will be inevitable if the right of access to court is included in the new mechanism. This is significant since the potential for separation of powers cases involving human rights issues in Asia is high. An Asian human rights mechanism must take this possibility into account, since adjudicating on such issues may severely impact its stability and long-term viability. A mechanism based on existing regional systems such as the ECHR can seek to minimize these risks via institutional solutions. On the other hand, an Asian mechanism can side-step these issues in the short term by focusing on a narrow set of rights, which minimize the potential for raising issues of separation of powers. In the long term, however, a complete charter of fundamental rights cannot ignore separation of powers issues being linked with human rights. The aim of this paper is to highlight both the inevitability and risks of adjudicating cases involving a nexus between separation of powers and human rights by a regional human rights court.


The results of a series of replicated fertilization trials established throughout the Inland Northwest were reviewed for information specific to ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa P. and C. Lawson) nutrition. Ponderosa pine nitrogen (N) status was often better than the N-status of other Inland Northwest species, and therefore growth response to N fertilization was often lower than that of other species. Fertilization of ponderosa pine with N alone sometimes appeared to cause increased tree susceptibility to mortality by insect, disease and perhaps abiotic stresses. Growth and mortality response to N fertilization appeared to be related to foliage potassium (K)/N ratio in some cases. The application of K and micronutrients in combination with N may have protected the trees from N-related mortality while stimulating a growth response. Sulfur fertilization was not found to evoke a growth response in ponderosa pine, and may have increased mortality rates slightly. On certain rock types and vegetation series, ponderosa pine showed high growth response to macronutrient plus micronutrient fertilization as well as herbicide treatment. Ponderosa pine generally did not show a strong growth response to N fertilization, except on 'good' rock types on moist sites. Multinutrient (macroplus micronutrient) fertilization combined with an herbicide treatment often provided a better response than N alone on moderate to dry sites and/or 'bad' rock types. Other species in mixedconifer stands, particularly grand fir (Abies grandis (Dougl. ex D. Don) Lindl.), often showed a better growth response to fertilization than ponderosa pine. The nutritional ecology of ponderosa pine is unique among Inland forest tree species and should be considered when evaluating nutrient management options.


Migration from poor countries is constantly increasing, but at the same time it is becoming more difficult to legally enter and seek asylum in the European Union. Fences were erected in several countries, such as Hungary, Slovenia, Macedonia and Austria. Due to the lack of opportunities, thousands of desperate people are forced to embark on a dangerous journey across the Mediterranean Sea, considered one of the deadliest seas in the world. For the past fifteen years, Italy has been increasingly affected by the phenomenon of migrants and applicants for international protection arriving by sea, departing from the coasts of Libya, Tunisia and Egypt. These flows incremented significantly in 2011 related to the political changes in the countries of North Africa (especially in Tunisia and Libya), called the "Arab Spring," and with the intensification of the conflict in Syria. Since the Arab uprisings, the Mediterranean region has been confronted with unprecedented refugee and migratory fluxes: in 2014 over 170.000 people arrived by sea, of which more than 42.000 Syrian citizens fleeing the war.As a consequence of their geographical position and the implementation of the Dublin Regulation – which sets the procedures for asylum applications in the European Union – countries of first arrival such Italy, Greece, and, to a lesser extent, Spain have been most affected. This paper analyses the Italian's center-left government decision to launch the Mare Nostrum operation, opening the path for the Search and Humanitarian missions. Mare Nostrum was a year-long naval and air operation initiated by the Italian government on October 18, 2013 after the greatly mediatized Lampedusa shipwrecks of 3rd and 11th of October 2013 near the island of Lampedusa when 636 migrants died off the Italian coast. The Italian operation aimed to identify boats in distress and to launch a proactive "Search and Rescue" operation with a policing and anti-smuggling component, covered an area of 70.000 square kilometers, and operated close to the Libyan coast. Leading this military-humanitarian operation, Italy succeeded in raising the awareness of EU member states' governments and public opinion that the Mediterranean migration crisis affects all EU member states - not just Italy or other South-European countries. The Mare Nostrum operation ended suddenly, after a series of harsh critics, largely because of a lack of European Union supported being considered a "pull factor" for migration, but its consequence was that it paved the way for a greater humanitarian response to this complex phenomenon that affects the economic, social and security aspects of Europe in the world of mass human movements. It was superseded by Frontex's Operation Triton, an operation which had no naval or air force of its own, instead, it had to rely on the help of the EU countries. The aim of the new European operation led by Italy as host state was not to save human lives but, basically it was a border control operation. Triton replaced also two old operations the agency used to coordinate in the South of Italy, Hermes which controlled the border along the Italian coastline, and Aeneas which controlled migrant flows from Egypt and Turkey (via Greece) to Italy. Another mission under Italian naval command and headquartered in Rome was the Sophia Operation, launched in June 2015, an anti-people smuggling mission in the Mediterranean Sea, ended in March 2019. The ending decision relates to Italy's reluctance to allow rescued people to disembark in its own ports.


The blue coke activated carbon (BAC) modified by nitric acid at different concentrations was used as an adsorbent to remove COD from coking wastewater. Characterization of BAC was performed using N2 adsorption/desorption techniques, scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Boehm titration. The results showed the Brunner–Emmet–Teller (BET) specific surface area and iodine value of BAC became higher after modification, and the adsorption capacity of BAC for coking wastewater was effectively improved with nitric acid modification. The optimal nitric acid concentration for modification was 3 mol/L (BAC-N3), which had more acid functional group contents than unmodified. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal rate was to reach 77.05% when 4 g BAC-N3 was added into 50 mL coking wastewater in 120 min with a shaking speed of 100 rpm at 25°C. Langmuir model could better describe equilibrium adsorption data by BAC-N3, and the kinetic study showed that the adsorption process was best fitted by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model.


OBJECTIVE: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. During the partial curfews implemented in the pandemic period, the pediatric patients presenting to the dermatology clinic of our hospital were examined taking the necessary precautions. We aimed to identify children and adolescent cases requiring dermatology services and their urgency when the number of COVID-19 cases was rapidly increasing and partial curfews were being imposed in Turkey. METHODS: The study was conducted with pediatric patients that presented to our hospital dermatology outpatient clinic, a tertiary health care institution between March 11, 2020, and May 29, 2020, and their differences according to age groups and presentation period were evaluated. RESULTS: The most common reason for a dermatology clinic visit was acneiform diseases (n=103, 33.3%). According to age groups, the most common diagnosis was eczema diseases in both the 0–2 and 3–6 years groups (n=10 [55.6%] and n=11 [47.8%]), respectively), infectious diseases in the 7–12 years group (n=19, 31.10%), and acneiform diseases in the 13–18 years group (n=100, 48.3%). While 144 patients visited the clinic within the first 15 days after the declaration of pandemic, the number of patients presenting in the following month decreased by more than 80% (n=23 for the second 15-day period and n=14 for the third 15-day period). There was a moderate increase in the number of pediatric dermatology patients 45 days after the declaration of pandemic (n=57 for the fourth 15-day period and n=71 for the fifth 15-day period). A correlation was observed between the number of newly diagnosed COVID-19 cases in Turkey and the number of pediatric patients presenting to our outpatient clinic CONCLUSION: Considering that non-urgent and follow-up pediatric patients continue to present to dermatology outpatient clinics during the pandemic process, it is necessary to encourage the implementation of patient care methods, such as telemedicine in hospitals as part of the health system.


Abstract The regulation of products suitable for both civilian and defence purposes may seem to be a marginal area; however, it affects both inner and outer safety. We present a peculiar case of this regulation: even though the EU legal framework exists for implementation in national laws, the Hungarian authorities follow a different practice, often conflicting with the spirit of the applicable EU laws. As a result, the export and import of specific dual-use products under Hungarian law is more complicated than that intended by EU law, which restricts the ability of companies in this area to conduct their business operations. The aim of the article is to present the legal framework behind the regulations, and to demonstrate the difficulties the inconsistent interpretation of these by the applicable national authorities can cause to market participants.


OBJECTIVE
To create an empirical model, describing factors of importance to the elderly in accepting influenza vaccinations.

DESIGN
Epidemiologic study with two coupled questionnaires. In September 1996 a 46-item questionnaire was sent to 2147 elderly people (> or = 65 years). The questionnaire comprised questions about general health, and questions based on the Health Belief Model and the Multidimensional Locus of Control Theory. In February 1997 a postcard questionnaire was sent to the same elderly people asking whether they had been vaccinated against influenza in the past season.

SETTING
All Danish counties.

SUBJECTS
2147 persons randomly sampled from the The Civil Registration System.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE
Factors influencing the rate of influenza vaccine uptake in the elderly. Influenza vaccination rates.

RESULTS
In the high-risk group 51% (95% confidence interval: 46-55%) were vaccinated compared to 29% (26-32%) in the low-risk group as regards influenza. By logistic regression the Health Belief Model dimensions "perceived barriers", "perceived benefits" and "perceived severity" were found to be significant predictors of acceptance of influenza vaccinations.

CONCLUSIONS
An empirical model based on the Health Belief Model predicting acceptance of influenza vaccinations with a positive predictive value of 91% (87-94%) and a negative predictive value of 86% (83-88%) was obtained.


There has been considerable debate and analysis about the nature and extent of what many believe to be a replication crisis in psychology and other social sciences. And perhaps to a lesser degree in the medical sciences. Our approach to the nature and value of replication has been based on the idea that the overriding purpose of replication is to ferret out and identify confounding causes. In other words, to reduce systematic uncertainty. This has led us to understand replication in a broader sense than ordinarily understood. We have developed this approach in considerable detail in three recent books which include both abstract analysis and many case studies drawn primarily, but not exclusively, from physics. We have, for example, considered the difficulty of deciding whether a replication has been successful or has failed, the roles of null experiments, and episodes in which a single experiment has been sufficient to decide, or to further investigate, an issue. In this two-part essay we will review and summarize our approach and results.


Digitally composed from stereo photographs over a century old, Ken Jacobs's 2006 Capitalism films unsettle spatiotemporal relationships that structure not only photographic and cinematic representation but also dimensions of perception and history. They explore depth as an aesthetic and a conceptual paradox, which has driven Jacobs's career-long experiments in "paracinema."


A family/systems approach allows us to see the individual in context. The family and the informal social network constitute the most important environment for a child. A basic assumption is that changes in family interaction patterns will have an impact on somatic as well as psychiatric symptoms in the child. In modern paediatric practice parents are routinely instructed to give their sick child the prescribed treatment and to implement preventive measures; they are recruited as part of the medical team. A family/systems approach helps families to identify their strengths and needs. The approach described here with a session transcript illustrates how understanding the ways in which family relationships interact with the course of illness and treatment can influence quality of life.


Objective: In vivo visualization and quantification of edema, or 'tissue swelling' following injury, remains a clinical challenge. Herein, we investigate the ability of reflective terahertz (THz) imaging to track changes in tissue water content (TWC)—the direct indicator of edema—by comparison to depth-resolved magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a burn-induced model of edema. Methods: A partial thickness and full thickness burns were induced in an in vivo rat model to elicit unique TWC perturbations corresponding to burn severity. Concomitant THz surface maps and MRI images of both burn models were acquired with a previously reported THz imaging system and T2-weighted MRI, respectively, over 270 min. Reflectivity was analyzed for the burn contact area in THz images, while proton density (i.e., mobile TWC) was analyzed for the same region at incrementally increasing tissue depths in companion, transverse MRI images. A normalized cross correlation of THz and depth-dependent MRI measurements was performed as a function of time in histologically verified burn wounds. Results: For both burn types, strong positive correlations were evident between THz reflectivity and MRI data analyzed at greater tissue depths (>258 μm). MRI and THz results also revealed biphasic trends consistent with burn edema pathogenesis. Conclusion: This paper offers the first in vivo correlative assessment of mobile TWC-based contrast and the sensing depth of THz imaging. Significance: The ability to implement THz imaging immediately following injury, combined with TWC sensing capabilities that compare to MRI, further support THz sensing as an emerging tool to track fluid in tissue.


Abstract:In light of the growing scholarly interest in gender in the Hebrew Bible, this article builds on the work of Cynthia Chapman and Julia O'Brien by demonstrating that the use of water imagery in Nahum contributes to the book's portrait of masculine conflict between YHWH and the king of Assyria. I argue two central theses: that water imagery constitutes a recurring motif in Nahum, as is evident in 1:4, 8; 2:7, 9; 3:8, 14; and that water imagery contributes to the gender dynamics present in the book. The water images in their present arrangement build on one another and, in doing so, contribute to the portrait of YHWH's masculine military might in Nah 1, presenting YHWH's victory over his enemies as assured. Subsequently, in Nah 2–3, water imagery contributes to the depiction of the shameful defeat of the king of Assyria and the violation of feminine Nineveh; it is the king's task to protect the feminine Nineveh in keeping with expectations for male behavior in the ancient Near East.


The potential of the mouse hepatocarcinogen dichloromethane (DCM) to induce hepatocellular division, as monitored by increased DNA synthesis, has been evaluated using B6C3F1 mice--the strain in which it is carcinogenic but not apparently genotoxic. Male mice were exposed to DCM either by oral gavage in corn oil (1000 mg/kg) or by inhalation of an atmosphere containing 4000 p.p.m. DCM for 2 h. Cells undergoing DNA synthesis (S-phase) were radiolabelled by means of four consecutive i.p. injections of tritiated thymidine at hourly intervals prior to killing. No evidence of S-phase activity was observed in the gavage studies. The inhalation studies resulted in some weak, but statistically significant increases in S-phase incidence, but the biological significance was unclear due to similar increases being observed in some control groups. It is concluded that DCM does not share the mitogenic properties of such presumed non-genotoxic mouse liver carcinogens as trichloroethylene, polybrominated biphenyls and carbon tetrachloride, and as such its carcinogenicity to the mouse liver remains mechanistically obscure.


Jobling and Petersen10 presented evidence as long ago as 1914 that the lipoids of tubercle bacilli inhibit proteolytic enzymes. More recently, Peck"5 has shown that these lipoids also inhibit crystallized trypsin and that the higher the molecular weight of the lipoid the greater is its interference with the enzyme function. Further investigation involving fractions of tubercle bacilli and enzyme activity has been reported from this laboratory.8 It has been shown that lecithinase, one of two enzymes essential for the cleavage of tubercle phosphatide, is strikingly inhibited by fatty acids split off from the phosphatide, which is one of the most potent components of the tubercle bacillus (Sabin"7). This adverse effect of fatty acids varies with enzymes derived from different species or different organs of the same species, and correlates with the ability of different organs to split tubercle phosphatide. These facts supplement the finding that enzyme activity, as determined on model substrates, does not necessarily indicate the effect of the enzyme on tubercle phosphatide. Several problems present themselves. As will be shown, the difference in the response of the enzymes is not due to substances incidentally present in the enzyme test solutions. This made it desirable to determine how the lipoids affect the enzyme. The mechanism of inhibition or inactivation effected by lipoids has been considered of practical importance and has been investigated (Peck," Stock and Francis"8). The problem whether molecular weight or chemical structure of the fatty acids or changes they exert on surface tensions are the factors that determine inhibition and its extent was studied with reference to lecithinase.


This tutorial introduces the concepts and technologies needed to build projector-based display systems. Tiled displays offer scalability, high resolution, and large formats for various applications. Tiled displays are an emerging technology for constructing semi-immersive visualization environments capable of presenting high-resolution images from scientific simulation. The largest impact may well arise from using large-format tiled displays as one of possibly multiple displays in building information or active spaces that surround the user with diverse ways of interacting with data and multimedia information flows. These environments may prove the ultimate successor to the desktop metaphor for information technology work. Several fundamental technological problems must be addressed to make tiled displays practical. These include: the choice of screen materials and support structures; choice of projectors, projector supports, and optional fine positioners; techniques for integrating image tiles into a seamless whole; interface devices for interaction with applications; display generators and interfaces; and the display software environment.


Incidents in which children or young people experience severe distress or harm or cause distress or harm to others occur frequently in children and young people's institutional settings. These incidents are often managed using restrictive practices, such as restraint, seclusion, sedation or constant observation; however, these also present significant risks of physical and psychological harm to children and young people as well as staff. Numerous interventions aim to reduce the use of restrictive techniques, but research is hampered by limited attention to specific intervention components. The behavior change technique taxonomy may improve reporting by providing a common language for specifying the content and mechanisms of behaviour change. This study aimed to identify, standardise and report the effectiveness of components of interventions to reduce restrictive practices in children and young people's institutional settings.

 To map interventions aimed at reducing restrictive practices in children and young people's institutional settings internationally, to conduct behaviour change technique analysis of intervention components, to identify process elements, and to explore effectiveness evidence to identify promising behaviour change techniques and compare the results with those found in adult psychiatric inpatient settings in a companion review.

 Systematic mapping review with programme content coding using the behavior change technique taxonomy.

 Eleven relevant English-language health and social care research databases 1989–2019 [including Applied Social Sciences Index (ASSIA), Criminal Justice Abstracts, Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC), MEDLINE and PsycInfo®], grey literature and social media were searched during 2019 (updated January 2020). Data extraction, guided by Workgroup for Intervention Development and Evaluation Research (WIDER), Cochrane Library and theory coding scheme recommendations, included intervention characteristics and study design and reporting. Screening and quality appraisal used the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. The behavior change technique taxonomy was applied systematically, and interventions were coded for behaviour change technique components. Outcomes data were then related back to these components.

 There were 121 records, including 76 evaluations. Eighty-two interventions, mostly multicomponent, were identified. Evaluation approaches commonly used a non-randomised design. There were no randomised controlled trials. Behaviour change techniques from 14 out of a possible 16 clusters were detected. Four clusters (i.e. goals and planning, antecedents, shaping knowledge, and feedback and monitoring) contained the majority of identified behaviour change techniques and were detected in over half of all interventions. Two clusters (i.e. self-belief and covert learning) contained no identified behaviour change techniques. The most common setting in which behaviour change techniques were found was 'mental health'. The most common procedure focused on staff training. The two most common behaviour change techniques were instruction on how to perform the behaviour and restructuring the social environment. Promising behaviour change techniques included instruction on how to perform the behaviour, restructuring the social environment, feedback on outcomes of behaviour and problem-solving. Compared with the companion review, service user perspectives were more sparse and there was more interest in trauma-informed approaches. Effectiveness evidence, range of interventions and reporting were broadly similar.

 Poor reporting may have prevented detection of some behaviour change techniques. The finding that the evidence was weak restricted the feasibility of examining behaviour change technique effectiveness. Literature searches were restricted to English-language sources.

 This study generated, to our knowledge, the first review of evidence on the content and effectiveness of interventions to reduce restrictive practices in children and young people's institutional settings. Interventions tend to be complex, reporting is inconsistent and robust evaluation data are limited, but some behaviour change techniques seem promising.

 Promising behaviour change techniques could be further explored. Better evidence could help address the urgent need for effective strategies.

 This study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42019124730.

 This project was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Health and Social Care Delivery Research programme and will be published in full in Health and Social Care Delivery Research; Vol. 10, No. 8. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.


The issue of meaningful yet unexpressed background-to language and to our experiences of the body-is one whose exploration is still in its infancy. There are various aspects of "invisible," implicit, or background experiences which have been investigated from the viewpoints of phenomenology, cognitive psychology, and linguistics. I will argue that James's concept of the phenomenon of fringes, as explicated by Gurwitsch, provides a structural framework from which to investigate and better understand ideas and concepts that are indeterminate, particularly those experienced in the sense of being sought-after. Johnson's conception of the image-schematic gestalt (ISG) provides an approach to bridging the descriptive gap between phenomenology and cognitive psychology. Starting from an analysis of the fringes, I will turn to a consideration of the tip-of-tongue (TOT) state, as a kind of feeling-of-knowing (FOK) state, from a variety of approaches, focusing mainly on cognitive psychology and phenomenology. I will then integrate a phenomenological analysis of these experiences, from the James/Gurwitsch structural viewpoint, with a cognitive/phenomenological analysis in terms of ISGs, and further integrate that with a cognitive/functional analysis of the relation between consciousness and retrieval, employing Anderson et al's theory of inhibitory mechanisms in cognition. This synthesis of these viewpoints will be employed to explore the thesis that the TOT state and similar experiences may relate to the gestalt nature of schemas, and that figure/ground and other contrast-enhancing structures may be both explanatory and descriptive characterizations of the field of consciousness.


We present the case of a 30-year-old woman who presented with sexual disinhibition and altered behaviour following an episode of optic neuritis. Her only history was of anxiety disorder. Her differential diagnosis was neurological versus psychiatric. Routine blood tests were unremarkable at this stage. MRI revealed non-specific change and lumbar puncture revealed a slight lymphocytosis and elevated protein and glucose in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). PCR on the CSF was negative for viruses: Adenovirus, varicella zoster virus, herpes simplex virus, enterovirus and parechovirus. She was initially treated with intravenous acyclovir to little effect. Antipsychotics olanzapine and haloperidol were also trialled and continued for 3 weeks in total. Once again these medications failed to affect the patient's behaviour but she did begin to show the side effects associated with these medications. Further test results became available at this point—she was anti-N-methyl d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antibody positive. A diagnosis of anti-NMDA receptor antibody encephalitis was made. The patient was started on cyclophosphamide and methylprednisolone to good effect.


convert a plastic waste feedstream having a mixed poly meric composition in a manner such that pyrolysis of a given polymer to its high value monomeric constituent occurs prior to pyrolysis of other plastic components therein comprising: selecting a first temperature pro gram range to cause pyrolysis of said given polymer to its high value monomeric constituent prior to a temper ature range that causes pyrolysis of other plastic com ponents; selecting a catalyst and support for treating said feed streams with said catalyst to effect acid or base catalyzed reaction pathways to maximize yield or en hance separation of said high value monomeric constit uent in said temperature program range; differentially heating said feed stream at a heat rate within the first temperature program range to provide differential py rolysis for selective recovery of optimum quantities of the high value monomeric constituent prior to pyrolysis of other plastic components; separating the high value monomeric constituents; selecting a second higher tem perature range to cause pyrolysis of a different high value monomeric constituent of said plastic waste and differentially heating the feedstream at the higher tem perature program range to cause pyrolysis of the differ ent high value monomeric constituent; and separating the different high value monomeric constituent.


Parallel robots are widely used in the academic and industrial fields. In spite of the numerous achievements in the design and dimensional synthesis of the low-mobility parallel robots, few research efforts are directed towards the asymmetric 3-DOF parallel robots whose end-effector can realize 2 translational and 1 rotational(2T1R) motion. In order to develop a manipulator with the capability of full circle rotation to enlarge the workspace, a new 2T1R parallel mechanism is proposed. The modeling approach and kinematic analysis of this proposed mechanism are investigated. Using the method of vector analysis, the inverse kinematic equations are established. This is followed by a vigorous proof that this mechanism attains an annular workspace through its circular rotation and 2 dimensional translations. Taking the first order perturbation of the kinematic equations, the error Jacobian matrix which represents the mapping relationship between the error sources of geometric parameters and the end-effector position errors is derived. With consideration of the constraint conditions of pressure angles and feasible workspace, the dimensional synthesis is conducted with a goal to minimize the global comprehensive performance index. The dimension parameters making the mechanism to have optimal error mapping and kinematic performance are obtained through the optimization algorithm. All these research achievements lay the foundation for the prototype building of such kind of parallel robots.


This paper introduces a sectoral model for the Spanish economy that allows a better understanding of the propagation of sector-specific shocks taking into account different network interdependencies. In particular, the model features sector interactions along several dimensions in an open economy setting, either in the provision of intermediate inputs and capital goods or competing in the labour market. This framework is flexible enough to provide insights into the effect of several policy-relevant shocks, such as global value chain bottlenecks, increases in production costs in energy-intensive sectors or large public investment programmes. In order to illustrate the role of such sectoral interactions, we consider a sectorisation of Next Generation EU (NGEU) funds based on Spain's Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (RTRP) which will mobilize €69.5 bn in grants. According to our findings, the average impact over a 5-year horizon is 1.15% of GDP if we consider only the direct effect of the investment programmes and expenditure plans, but it increases to 1.75% if we take into account the increase in the productive capacity of certain sectors and its propagation through the production network. Moreover, the resulting expansion is particularly strong in sectors highly dependent on high-skilled labour, such as IT and professional services, which might lead to shortages of high-skilled workers, reducing the aggregate impact on GDP by 25%.


The Kolka Glacier, which rushed down the Genaldon valley on September 20, 2002 (North Ossetia), is now recovering after this catastrophe. One of the most important ways to predict a new disaster is to determine the rate of ice accumulation of the new glacier and to monitor the glacier volume regularly, since its trigger mechanisms have not yet been fully studied. Recent changes of the Kolka Glacier were investigated by means of ground stereoscopic photography. The field works were carried out in 2014, 2016 and 2017. Shooting was made manually with a digital camera Canon 5D Mark II (without using a tripod) at arbitrary points, the distance between which did not exceed 100 m. The reference points were placed on the elevated relief forms on the glacier surface and coordinated by a differential GNSS receiver in the "fast static" mode. Laboratory processing of the photos was performed using Agisoft Photoscan software in automatic mode, except for the procedure of identification of reference points on stereo images. The processing made possible to obtain digital models of the glacier surface in Geo-TIFF format, the vertical error of which amounted to 0.7 m, while the horizontal one – 2.3 m. In 2014–2017, the maximal increase in height of the surface (up to 30 m) was recorded in the low part of the glacier tongue that was the result of advancing of the Kolka front along the ice-free surface. Mean annual increase in the surface elevation was equal to 2.2 m/year. Lowering of the surface in some areas may be explained by the slowing-down of the glacier flow rate, which led to the appearance of thermokarst. The glacier volume increased by 7.4±0.7 million m3. As a result, the glacier tongue advanced by 50–70 m. Average over 2014–2017 increasing in the surface elevation (2.2 m/year) was slightly smaller than in 2004–2014 (3 m/year). Quick growth of the Kolka Gacier contrasts sharply with decreasing of volume of the representative Caucasus, Djankuat and Garabashi, over the same period.


In regression analysis the use of least squares method would not be appropriate in solving problem containing outlier or extreme observations. So we need a parameter estimation method which is robust where the value of the estimation is not much affected by small changes in the data. In this paper we present M estimation, S estimation and MM estimation in robust regression to determine a regression model. M estimation is an extension of the maximum likelihood method and is a robust estimation, while S estimation and MM estimation are the development of M estimation method. The algorithm of these methods is presented and then we apply them on the maize production data. AMS Subject Classification: 62J05, 62G35


Trophoblast cells (TBCs) form the blastocyst-derived component of the placenta and play essential roles in fetal maintenance. The proinflammatory cytokine IFN-γ plays a central role in activating cellular immunity, controlling cell proliferation, and inducing apoptosis. IFN-γ is secreted by uterine NK cells in the placenta during pregnancy and in mice is required for proper formation of the decidual layer and remodeling of the uterine vasculature. Despite the presence of IFN-γ in the placenta, TBCs do not express either MHC class Ia or class II Ags, and are resistant to IFN-γ-mediated apoptosis. In this study, we demonstrate that IFN-γ-induced expression of multiple genes is significantly reduced in human trophoblast-derived choriocarcinoma cells relative to HeLa epithelial or fibroblast cells. These results prompted us to investigate the integrity of the JAK/STAT-1 pathway in these cells. Choriocarcinoma cells and HeLa cells express comparable levels of the IFN-γ receptor. However, tyrosine phosphorylation of JAK-2 is compromised in IFN-γ-treated choriocarcinoma cells. Moreover, phosphorylation of STAT-1 at tyrosine 701 is substantially reduced in both IFN-γ-treated human choriocarcinoma and primary TBCs compared with HeLa cells or primary foreskin fibroblasts. A corresponding reduction of both IFN regulatory factor 1 mRNA and protein expression was observed in IFN-γ-treated TBCs. Treatment of choriocarcinoma cells with the tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor pervanadate significantly enhanced IFN-γ-inducible JAK and STAT-1 tyrosine phosphorylation and select IFN-γ-inducible gene expression. We propose that phosphatase-mediated suppression of IFN-γ signaling in TBCs contributes to fetal maintenance by inhibiting expression of genes that could be detrimental to successful pregnancy.


Breast cancer susceptibility gene 1 (BRCA1) was first identified in 1994 and has since been shown to encode a tumor suppressor protein that maintains genetic stability through DNA damage response pathways. Carriers of mutations in BRCA1 are predisposed to breast and ovarian cancer; however, their cancers lack the targets for existing anticancer drugs. We describe a novel chemoprevention approach that uses DNA repair-activating agents to enhance the repair of oxidative DNA damage and, in turn, prevent tumorigenesis in the presence of mutant BRCA1.


Background: Tuberculosis affects one-third of the world's population. Increasing number of tuberculosis cases also leads to the increase of anti-tuberculosis drugs use, such as ethambutol. Ethambutol is one of the most effective and rarely resistant tuberculosis drugs. Objective: To determine the relationship between duration of ethambutol therapy with toxic optic neuropathy in tuberculosis patients Method: This study enrolled MDR-TB patients who visited MDR-TB Unit of Dr. Soetomo General Hospital from July 2014 until the sufficient amount of sample was achieved. The patients enrolled are those who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Inclusion criteria consisted of MDR TB patients treated with ethambutol therapy, aged of 20-69 years old, and whose VEP examination results showed extension of P100 latency. Results: The mean of <6 month duration was 3.24±1.348, while for the ?6 months was 11.71±5.764. This difference was statistically significant with p = 0.043. Conclusion: There is a correlation between duration of ethambutol therapy with toxic optic neuropathy in patients with MDR-TB.


One of the important issues in the study of hybrid stochastic differential delay equations (SDDEs) is the automatic control, with consequent emphasis being placed on the asymptotic analysis of stability and boundedness. In the study of asymptotic properties, the robust stability has received a great deal of attention. The theory of robust stability shows how much perturbation a given stable hybrid SDDE can tolerate so that its perturbed system remains stable. Almost all results so far on the robust stability require that the underlying SDDEs be either linear or nonlinear with linear growth condition. However, little is known on the robust stability of nonlinear hybrid SDDEs without the linear growth condition, which is one of the key topics in this paper. The other key topic is the robust boundedness. The aim here is to answer the question: how much perturbation can a given asymptotically bounded hybrid SDDE tolerate so that its perturbed system remains asymptotically bounded?


This paper proposes a multimodal generalized Gaussian distribution (MGGD) to effectively model the varying statistical properties of the extrinsic information. A subsidiary maximum likelihood decoding (MLD) algorithm is subsequently developed to dynamically select the most suitable MGGD parameters to be used in the component maximum a posteriori (MAP) decoders at each decoding iteration to derive the more reliable metrics performance enhancement. Simulation results show that, for a wide range of block lengths, the proposed approach can enhance the overall turbo decoding performance for both parallel and serially concatenated codes in additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN), Rician, and Rayleigh fading channels.


It has been suggested that genes which exercise checkpoint control during cell cycle traverse are equally important to the process of apoptotic cell death. In this study, we show that the key cell cycle regulatory gene p21WAF1 is also involved in the execution of apoptosis. p21WAF1 expression was down‐regulated during NaBu‐induced apoptosis of senescent normal diploid human 2BS fibroblasts. Conversely, when p21WAF1 expression was actively suppressed in 2BS cells by a stably transfected antisense p21WAF1 construct, apoptosis was accelerated and senescence was delayed, as shown by several markers of cell aging. Down‐regulation of p21WAF1 by antisense caused an increase in the phosphorylation and inactivation of pRb. Phosphorylation of pRb was further enhanced upon induction of apoptosis by NaBu. Our results suggest that p21WAF1, acting through the phosphorylation of pRb, regulates whether 2BS cells cease to proliferate and become senescent but resistant to apoptosis, or whether they accelerate proliferation while becoming more susceptible to apoptotic stimuli. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


The rotor blade tip leakage flow and associated formation of the tip leakage vortex and interaction of the tip leakage vortex with the shockwave, particularly in the case of a transonic compressor rotor have significant impact on the compressor performance and its stability. Air injection upstream of the compressor rotor tip has been shown to improve compressor performance and enhance its stability. The air required for rotor blade tip injection is generally taken from the later stages of the compressor thus causing penalty on the gas turbine performance. In this study, effects of water injection at the rotor tip with and without the wet compression on the compressor performance and its stability have been examined. To achieve the stated objectives, the well tested transonic compressor rotor stage, NASA rotor stage 37, has been numerically simulated.The evaluation of results on various performance parameters such as total pressure ratio, inlet flow capacity and adiabatic efficiency combined with contours of total pressure losses, entropy, Mach No., and temperature including limiting streamlines, shows that the blade tip water injection could help in reducing low energy region downstream of the shockwave and strength of the tip leakage vortex with the compressor operating at its rotating stall boundary condition. The extent of reduction depends on the droplet size, injection flow rate and its velocity. Furthermore, results show that combined case of the blade tip water injection and the wet compression could provide better stall margin enhancement than the blade tip water injection case.Copyright © 2012 by ASME


A zero-voltage-switched three-port bidirectional converter which is able to handle wide input voltage ranges such as fuel cells and supercapacitors is presented in this paper. The converter consists of three active bridges coupled by a three-winding transformer. A simplified duty cycle control method is introduced to extend the soft-switching range. The system is modeled and a dual-PI-loop control strategy is proposed to achieve regulated output voltage and power flow management. In addition, the soft start-up procedure for the converter is discussed. Simulation and experimental results on a 1 kW prototype verify the effectiveness of the proposed converter and its control strategy


Drawing from an interactionist approach and feedback research, we examine the role of developmental feedback and proactive personality on newcomer task performance and helping behavior. Data were collected from 2 high-tech joint-ventures within the information technology and manufacturing industries located in Shanghai, China. Results based on 151 newcomer-manager dyads showed that supervisor developmental feedback (SDF) positively related to newcomer helping behavior and that SDF and coworker developmental feedback interactively predicted newcomer task performance. We also found differential moderating effects of proactive personality: SDF more strongly related to helping behavior when proactive personality was lower; conversely, coworker developmental feedback more strongly related to helping behavior when proactive personality was higher.


This article explores the relationships between the philosophical foundations of quantum field theory, the currently dominant form of quantum physics, and Deleuze's concept of the virtual, most especially in relation to the idea of chaos found in Deleuze and Guattari's What is Philosophy?. Deleuze and Guattari appear to derive this idea partly from the philosophical conceptuality of quantum field theory, in particular the concept of virtual particle formation. The article then goes on to discuss, from this perspective, the relationships between philosophy and science, and between their respective ways of confronting chaos, a great enemy but also a great friend of thought, and its greatest ally in its struggle against opinion.


A construction of a new family of optical orthogonal codes (OOC) for use in code division multiple access (CDMA) fiber-optic LANs is given. Previous families of OOC are reviewed and basic requirements for successful implementation of the fiber-optic CDMA system in LAN given. The new code construction is based on Costas arrays and the codes are proved to be (/spl omega/(2p-3), /spl omega/, 1, 1), p a prime and w*Q/spl les/p-1, where Q is the maximum number of users, OOC codes. The probability of error in the multiuser system as a performance measure is calculated and compared with that of existing OOC. The size of the code family is compared against the Johnson bound. Examples of codes and their auto- and cross-correlation functions are also given.<<ETX>>


labelling.' PCNA immunohistochemical expression (evaluated with the PCI0 monoclonal antibody) seems to be related to cellular proliferation in many normal tissues and in some neoplasms,2 such as gastrointestinal lymphomas,3 central nervous system tumours,4 lung neuroendocrine neoplasms,' and prostatic carcinomas.' However, in other tumours, like breast and gastric cancer, PCNA (PC 10) expression seems aberrant and not strictly related to proliferative activity.' 7 8 Various factors unrelated to cell proliferation may influence the immunohistochemical expression of PCNA, including posttranscriptional regulation (and deregulation) of the PCNA gene,8" long half-life of the PCNA protein,'0 involvement of PCNA protein in DNA repair synthesis," and tissue and section processing-type and ionic strength of the fixatives, fixation time, section heating, immunohistochemical techniqus8 . 2 1 3 ques. Further problems in PCNA immunohistochemical staining, as in other kinetic quantitative immunohistochemical studies, concern evaluation and scoring methods. '4 15 Should we use quantitative or semiquantitative methods? How many cells should be counted? Which tumour areas should be evaluated (the most positive or random selected areas)? Which immunoreactive cells should be evaluated (all positive cells or only the most intensely stained)? Particular attention should be also drawn to the kind of antibody used to localise PCNA. Different staining patterns may be seen with different antibodies, and this may add to conflicting and confusing results.'4 In our opinion PCNA immunostaining should be evaluated with great caution and in some fields even with scepticism. More work is needed to assess the extent and range of PCNA staining in different tissues and lesions (neoplastic and non-neoplastic). PCNA counts should be evaluated concurrently with the different anti-PCNA available antibodies and the results should be compared with other "proliferation markers" and especially with clinical data. The possibility that PCNA immunostaining may have diagnostic5 or prognostic value7 is intriguing and carefully performed clinicopathological studies are needed to assess this possibility further. This will be the only way to know if we are faced with an interesting but clinically worthless tool or with an important test to be added to the routine evaluation of neoplasms.


A growing body of evidence points to large negative economic and health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on low-income, Black, and Hispanic Americans (see this LSE post and reports by Pew Research and Harvard). Beyond the consequences of school cancellations and lost social interactions, there exists considerable concern about the long-lasting effects of economic hardship on children. In this post, we assess the extent of the underlying economic and financial strain faced by households with children living at home, using newly collected data from the monthly Survey of Consumer Expectations (SCE).


This paper investigates the relationship between firm's financing regime and business cycle in an innovative environment, in which the performance of the banking system is not predetermined but depends endogenously on firms' financing strategy and pricing behavior, the rate of innovation and the behavior of the banking system in setting its spreads. The process was investigated using an agent-based model featuring 100 firms interacting with each other and the banking system, with the hedge, speculative and Ponzi financing regimes being emergent properties of the economy. These properties were explored through several simulations which differ from each other by random changes in the probability of innovation. The resulting artificial time series of the most relevant variables were investigated using cointegration and Granger causality tests. In the scenario of high technological dynamism (as measured by the probability of innovation), labor-saving technological change increased the financial fragility of the economy, and the Granger causality between output growth and financial fragility was bidirectional. In the scenario of low technological dynamism, meanwhile, the Granger causality between the same variables was bidirectional, and there was no causality between output growth and financial fragility. Finally, while in the scenario of low technological development the higher the degree of financial fragility, the higher the frequency and amplitude of the business cycles, in the scenario of high technological development the same Granger causality is bidirectional.


The frequent occurrence of sponge spicules in the Yoredale Series of North West Yorkshire was noted by Dr. G. J. Hinde1 who also remarked on the association of such spicules with the numerous chert beds present in that series, beds which he considered were formed from the debris of siliceous sponges. Sponge spicules are also common both in the limestones and the calcareous shales, and there is no doubt that sponges were most abundant organisms in the seas in which the Yoredale beds were formed. Entire sponges are, however, rare in the Carboniferous. Only two specimens have been described from the Yoredales— Pemmatites constipatus, G. J. Hinde, and Pemmatites sp., Garwood and Goodyear. The few specimens from the Lower Limestones of Ayrshire, described by Young and Carter as entire specimens, were regarded by Zittel as aggregates of spicules.

This paper records the occurrence of a sponge bed packed with fossil siliceous sponges which have been preserved entire and with recognisable form and from which spicules are easily isolated. This sponge bed has been traced in the Carboniferous rocks of the Lake District and in those of the Pennines of Yorkshire, Durham and Westmorland; it is of constant, horizon, and was apparently deposited under lagoon conditions.

For the most part the sponges described in this paper occur as small well-defined nodules either in shale or in limestone. When broken they are red or dark grey in colour and, therefore, stand out from the surrounding limestone. The occurrence of this nodular band ...


Purpose. On the territory of Moldova the rendzina soils are developed on the toltrel ridges and on exposed limestone surfaces in valleys of the Dniester and Prut rivers and its numerous tributaries. The aim of the study was to assess the some sub-typical features of rendzina soil-forming in conditions of the Dniester-Prut interfluve in the northern part of Moldova.Methodology. Digging soil pits, its morphological and morphometric description, sampling for laboratory analysis, as well as the determination of physical and chemical properties were performed using approved standard methods.Findings and Results. Rendzina as a special type of intrazonal soil is developed on eroded limestone rocks. The total area of these soils is 14656 hectares, or 0.43 % of the country of Moldova. It is a very shallow soil with a dark horizon A, rich in humus, directly overlying the horizon C of very calcareous parent material.Typical rendzina are widely distributed in the northern part of Moldova on multiple sites under petrophytic steppe, while leached subtype occurs only under petrophytic forests on the slopes of the valleys.


The fundamental physical features of convective heat transfer for laminar and turbulent flow in ducts and boundary layers are brought out and analyzed quantitatively. A simplified variational method is used which is shown to be remarkably accurate by applying it to special cases where exact solutions are known. Results are expressed in nondimensional form by means of two universal trailing functions which embody the essential features of heat transfer for laminar and turbulent flow and are approximated by very simple piece‐wise analytic expressions. The results are applicable to nonparallel streamlines as encountered in duct entry and most boundary layers. This is achieved by introducing a new transformation which provides a suitable extension of the ``conduction analogy'' to these cases. Drastic simplifications are derived in the analysis of convective heat transfer. In particular it is shown how the trailing function is used in evaluating the heat transfer in heat exchangers and in the much more complex problem of transient heat conduction in a structure adjacent to a moving fluid. In the latter case it is pointed out how the use of the trailing function avoids serious errors in thermal stress analysis.


For an academic, there is no greater reward than having one's scholarship taken seriously. The five distinguished scholars who have contributed to this symposium on The Force of Law (Schauer [Schauer, F., 2015]) have done just that, with varying degrees of agreement and disagreement, praise and criticism. But even critical commentary, and perhaps especially critical commentary, is evidence of serious engagement. More importantly, the commentaries contained here have advanced our understanding of law in valuable ways. I respond to each in this reply, but with full acknowledgment that my responses cannot do justice to the full breadth of their contributions and challenges. My hope is not that I will persuade readers that I am correct and my critics mistaken, but rather that the reader who absorbs both the challenges and my response will come away with a greater understanding of the issues that The Force of Law seeks to place on the agenda of contemporary jurisprudence.


.. Adult brachial plexus injury is a now a common problem due to high incidence of motorbike accidents. Among all types, C 5 and C6 (upper brachial plexus injury) is the most common. If the patient present within 6 months then nerve transfer is the preferred treatment. However, there are different options for nerve transfer and different approaches for surgery. Objectives: The objective of the study was to share our experience of nerve transfer close to target muscles in upper brachial plexus injury. Study Design: Quaisi experimental study. Setting: National Orthopaedic Hospital, Bahawalpur. Period: January 2015 to June 2018. Material & Methods: Total 32 patients were operated with isolated C5 and C6 injury. In all patients four nerve transfers were done. For shoulder abduction posterior approach was used and accessory to suprascapular nerve and one of motor branch of radial to axillary nerve were transferred. Modified Oberlin transfer was done for elbow flexion. Both shoulder abduction and elbow flexion was graded according to medical research council grading system. Results: After one year follow up more than 75% of the patients showed good to normal shoulder abduction and 87.50% showed good to normal elbow flexion. Residual Median nerve damage was noted only in two patients (6.25%). Conclusion: If there is no evidence of recovery up to three months early nerve transfer should be considered, ideal time is 3-6 months. Nerve transfer close to target muscle yields superior results. The shoulder stabilizers and abductors should ideally be innervated by double nerve transfer through posterior approach. Similarly double fascicular transfer (modified Oberlin) should be done for elbow flexion.


Essay explores the Non-Profit Industrial Complex's (NPIC) substantive role in imposing neoliberalism on public education. Using the experiences in Los Angeles specifically, it looks at the connections between foundations and 501(c)3s that share and advance an agenda of deregulation, austerity, and privatization. Additionally, the essay examines to how privately managed charter schools aren't just part of the NPIC, but are the primary weapon in the push for privatization. Lastly, the paper looks at the pushback from communities, and some alternatives to the NPIC with movements like the demands for ethnic studies, that are genuinely grassroots, in contradistinction to the NPIC.


Renal transplantation is the treatment of choice for most patients with end stage renal disease. Most of the time, transplantation rejection is immunological mediated. Both T cells and circulating antibodies are induced against allograft. Successful organ transplantation requires the use of immunosuppressive drugs to prevent the host's immune system from rejecting the transplanted organ. The development of immunosuppressive drugs is the key to successful allograft function Immunosuppressive agents are used for induction ( intense immunosuppressant in the initial days after transplantation), maintenance and reversal of established rejection. This review focuses on agents that are either approved or in phase 2 or phase 3 trials in kidney transplantation.


1 Tansley's ecosystem concept remains a vital framework for ecological research in part because the approach facilitates interdisciplinary analyses of ecological systems. 2 Features of the Hawaiian Islands – particularly the nearly orthogonal variation in many of the factors that control variation among ecosystems elsewhere – make the archipelago a useful model system for interdisciplinary research designed to understand fundamental controls on the state and dynamics of ecosystems, and their consequences for human societies. 3 Analyses of rain forest sites arrayed on a substrate age gradient from c. 300 years to over 4 million years across the Hawaiian archipelago demonstrate that the sources of calcium and other essential cations shift from > 80% rock‐derived in young sites to > 80% derived from marine aerosol on substrates older than 100 000 years. Rock‐derived phosphorus is retained longer within ecosystems, but eventually long‐distance transport of continental dust from Asia becomes the most important source of phosphorus. 4 A biogeochemical feedback from low nutrient availability to efficient resource use by trees to slow decomposition and nutrient regeneration accentuates the geochemically driven pattern of low phosphorus availability and phosphorus limitation to net primary productivity in the oldest site. 5 Variations in ecosystem biogeochemistry across the archipelago shaped the development and sustainability of Polynesian agricultural systems in the millennium between their discovery of Hawai'i and contact by Europeans. Irrigated pondfields were largely confined to stream valleys on the older islands, while rain‐fed dryland systems occupied a narrow zone of fertile, well‐watered soils on the younger islands. 6 The ecosystem approach often represents the most appropriate level of organization for analyses of human influences on ecological systems; it can play a central role in the design and analysis of alternative agricultural, industrial and residential systems that could reduce the human footprint on the Earth.


The NP-hard number-partitioning problem is to separate a multiset S of n positive integers into k subsets such that the largest sum of the integers assigned to any subset is minimized. The classic application is scheduling a set of n jobs with different runtimes on k identical machines such that the makespan, the elapsed time to complete the schedule, is minimized. The two-way number-partitioning decision problem is one of the original 21 problems that Richard Karp proved NP-complete. It is also one of Garey and Johnson's six fundamental NP-complete problems and the only one based on numbers. This article explores algorithms for solving multi-way number-partitioning problems optimally. We explore previous algorithms as well as our own algorithms, which fall into three categories: sequential number partitioning (SNP), a branch-and-bound algorithm; binary-search improved bin completion (BSIBC), a bin-packing algorithm; and cached iterative weakening (CIW), an iterative weakening algorithm. We show experimentally that, for large random numbers, SNP and CIW are state-of-the-art algorithms depending on the values of n and k. Both algorithms outperform the previous state of the art by up to seven orders of magnitude in terms of runtime.


The purpose of this study was to compare retrospectively the results of a single-stage dorsal approach versus the posterior approach for the surgical treatment of congenital vertical talus (CVT) at a single institution. Twenty-four patients (33 feet) with CVT were treated surgically between 1960 and 1998. Eighteen patients (25 feet) underwent a posterior release (group 1), and six patients (eight feet) underwent surgery via the dorsal approach (group 2). All patients were evaluated at a minimal follow-up of 3 years. Preoperative and follow-up radiographs were evaluated, and a modified version of the clinical score by Adalaar was used. Group 1 had 45 procedures on 25 feet, whereas group 2 had no repeated or revision operations. The clinical score was 6.75 for group 1 and 8.0 for group 2. Tourniquet time was 123 minutes and 87 minutes for groups 1 and 2, respectively. Twelve group 1 patients (48%) had avascular necrosis (AVN) versus none of the group 2 patients. Both groups had similar preoperative and postoperative radiographic measurements. Both approaches were able to reduce successfully the talonavicular joint; however, the single-stage dorsal incision group required significantly less operative time, had better clinical scores, and had fewer complications 3 years after surgery.


An innovative method was developed to study the specific uncoupled effect of temperature and water activity (Aw) during mango drying. Thermal treatment of reconstituted lyophilized mango powder at targeted Aw enabled evaluation of the inactivation of polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase activity in a range 0.98–0.6 Aw and a time-temperature range of 1–4 h and 50–60°C. We established that thermal treatment of the enzymatic extract was not the same as the inactivation phenomena that occurred in the mango matrix, mainly due to differences in the pH of the buffer extract (6.4) and reconstituted food matrix (3.8). Even if the inactivation of these two enzymes was directly correlated with the temperature of the treatment, this behavior was also strongly linked to the Aw. A two-step change in the fruit was observed at high Aw (i.e., at 0.98 in fresh fruit), polyphenol oxidase (PPO) was shown to be more thermostable than peroxidase (POD), whereas when evaporation reduced the Aw to around 0.6, the opposite behavior was observed. As a consequence, enzymatic inactivation during drying should be considered as the result of the coupled effects of time-temperature and water activity.


Teachers in Middle School Sub Rayon 23 Medan still has low competence in making learning media. The creative ideas from the science teacher have not yet emerged, the teacher's understanding of making the learning media expansion is still minimal, the teacher has not been motivated to make the media curiosity about the media is still low. This study aims to find out how to improve teacher competencies in making science learning media, especially expansion. The action hypothesis in this study is the teacher's competence in making science learning media possible improved through workshops. The subjects of the study were 9 people of Natural Sciences at Sub Rayon 23 Junior High School in Medan. The object of research is learning media especially expansion. Media Learning IPA is Swelling Solids of goods secondhand or materials that price it cheap so it can be affordable. The results of the data analysis makes learning media Expansion Solids in cycle 1 at 29.33 (Less), Cycle 2 at 64.00 (Good), and meeting 3 at 84.89 (Very good). Increase in the average value of teacher competence: 84.89%-29.33% = 55.56%. The results of the questionnaire analysis showed that 95.00% of the science teachers of the Sub- Rayon 23 Junior High School in Medan strongly agreed to make the learning media for Solid Substance Expansion through workshops conducted by researchers because of their increased competence.


A 15-state R-matrix calculation has been carried out at 530 energies ranging from the n=2 threshold up to the n=5 threshold at 13.06 eV to map out the resonant profiles for the 1s-2p integral and differential excitation cross sections. The polarization of Lyman radiation, the angular distribution of spin asymmetry and the electron-photon coincident parameters are also calculated as functions of energy at fixed angles. They are found to be extremely sensitive to the presence of resonances. The calculations are compared with experiments whenever possible. This paper suggests that normalization of experimental cross sections at low energy should be explored as information extracted from the studies on resonant phenomena could be useful to gauge the quality and sensitivity of the experimental system.


On behalf of my co-editors and our authors, thank you for joining us in our explorations of the space of Mobile Media Learning (MML). The bulk of this book consists of reports from the mobile frontier: students, educators, and researchers who have explored many educational contexts by inventing with mobile technologies. This is bookended by some editorial material to add context. The first chapter situates our book as part of a continuing conversation about MML and sets forth our mode of presentation, a co-edited volume of individual stories. The second chapter positions the study of MML within a larger historical picture, where we consider Seymour Papert's take on the computer as a tool for educational self-determinism as analogy and history lesson. In the third chapter we descend from theoretical to practical consideration of MML, providing a short manual for those who wish to design their own learning projects using mobile technology. Together, this introductory matter gets at the what, why, where and how of MML.


Background: Application of certain agricultural chemicals could modulate the soil microbiome and induce potential antagonistic microbes. However, the specific selective effects of agricultural chemicals on soil bacterial functions and their co-occurrences are not well understood, and no studies have verified that the enriched potential antagonistic microbes could enhance the antagonistic functions of the soil microbiome.Results: Here, the effects of potassium phosphite (KP), an environment-friendly agricultural chemical, on the soil bacterial composition, co-occurrences and antagonistic functions were determined, and the potential antagonistic bacteria against the tomato bacterial wilt pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum were isolated to test their functions and associations among these strains. Our results showed that application of KP enriched Bacillus, Paenibacillus and Streptomyces. The positive links among the OTUs belonging to these genera were increased, and positive associations between these OTUs and predicted genes related to antagonistic substance production were revealed. Two strains, Streptomyces coelicoflavus F13 and Paenibacillus favisporus Y7, were isolated, and they inhibited the growth of R. solanacearum. Genomic sequencing showed that both strains harboured streptomycin synthetic genes, and P. favisporus Y7 also contained surfactin synthetic gene cluster. Synergistic inhibition of R. solanacearum growth by P. favisporus Y7 and S. coelicoflavus F13 was observed in soil. Genome-scale metabolic modelling showed that dextrin and lactic acid were potential cross-feeding metabolites. In addition, the KP-modulated soil microbiome could suppress R. solanacearum growth. Conclusions: Our results highlight that a KP-modulated soil microbiome has considerable potential for biocontrol and indicate a new mechanism for the inhibition of R. solanacearum by KP-enriched soil bacteria.


The kinase insert domain-containing receptor (KDR) for vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been shown to be involved in vasculogenesis and angiogenesis. This receptor is characterized by seven immunoglobulin (Ig)-like domains within its extracellular region. To identify the domains involved in VEGF binding, we constructed various deletion mutants of the extracellular region fused with the crystallizable fragment portion of an IgG and then examined the binding affinity with VEGF by means of the BIAcore biosensor assay. Deletion of the COOH-terminal two or three Ig-like domains out of a total of seven affected ligand dissociation rather than association. Further deletion of the fourth domain caused a drastic decrease in the association rate. Binding ability was abolished completely with removal of the third domain. The mutant KDR proteins lacking the NH2-terminal Ig-like domain exhibited a slightly higher association rate compared with those of the mutants having this domain. Deletion of the first two NH2-terminal Ig-like domains caused a drastic reduction in the association rate, but affinity to VEGF was retained. These results suggest that the third Ig-like domain is critical for ligand binding, the second and fourth domains are important for ligand association, and the fifth and sixth domains are required for retention of the ligand bound to the receptor molecule. The first Ig-like domain may regulate the ligand binding.


Higher education worldwide is facing several challenges spanning from economic, social, technological, demographic, environmental, to political tensions. Calls to rethink, reimagine, and reform higher education to respond to such challenges are ongoing, and need to be informed by a wide variety of stakeholders. To inform such efforts, we interviewed thirty-seven faculty members at Canadian colleges and universities to develop a greater understanding of their hopes and anxieties about the future of higher education as they considered what higher education may look like five years into the future. Results centred on four themes: (1) anxieties and hopes are shaped by supports and resources from various sources, (2) faculty members face anxiety over matters that negatively impact them but are beyond their control, (3) faculty members hope that "good" comes from the COVID-19 pandemic, and (4) faculty members hope for a well-rounded education that will enable students to succeed both within and beyond their careers. Implications for these findings suggest a need to direct research efforts and practices toward more hopeful futures for higher education, especially in the context of online and blended learning.


Polyethylene block-copolymer films containing negative anhydride groups were used to immobilize TiO2, Fe2O3, and Fe3+ photocatalysts. The kinetics of the mineralization of azo-dye Orange II and chlorophenols on copolymer−TiO2, copolymer−Fe2O3, and copolymer−Fe3+ have been tested under optimized experimental conditions. In the case of copolymer−TiO2, the degradation kinetics for the model organic compounds were about the same as those observed with TiO2 suspensions containing about a 27 times higher amount of TiO2 per unit volume. The surface of the derivatized copolymer semiconductor catalysts was studied by infrared attenuated total reflection spectroscopy. The spectroscopic data provided evidence for a TiO2 interaction with the negatively charged conjugated carboxylic groups of the copolymer, leading to an asymmetric-stretching band of −COO−Ti4+ at the position expected for metal carboxylates. In the case of Fe2O3 and Fe3+, the asymmetric-stretching carboxylate bands are ascribed to the carboxylate bands of −COO−Fe2O3 and −COOO−Fe3+. Evidence is presented by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy for the existence of two oxidation states of Ti and Fe after the photocatalytic degradation of Orange II. This observation is consistent with light-induced interfacial charge transfer (redox processes) taking place at the metal−oxide copolymer surface. The nature of the latter processes is presented in detail during this study.


Objective. This study sought to describe how the use of technology  intervenes in the nurse-patient relationship, from the nurse's point  of view. Methodology. This was a qualitative research with tools  from grounded theory. Twenty semi-structured interviews were  conducted with nurses working in emergency services in three  municipalities of Colombia. Results. Four categories emerged:  1) direct care, the maximum interaction or being in front of  the patient; 2) fairly direct care; 3) indirect care, institutional management; and 4) minimum interaction; technology as facilitator of the interaction and awareness of the necessity for  interaction. Conclusion. This study shows the irreplaceable  nature of the nurse and the fundamental necessity of technology.  The dual mediations of technology constitute a paradoxical matter  that reveals the importance of placing it as a means; warning on  the danger of converting it an end in and of itself.


Microwaveable packaging material should ensure good preservation of the product before cooking/ heating such as high barriers to gases and aromas and adequate control of water vapor transmission. Among the polymers used in flexible packaging, crystalline poly(ethylene terephthalate) (CPET) is characterized by good oxygen barrier properties and quite high heat stability which ensures the absence of alterations of foods flavors. CPET trays or films are suitable for Ready To Cook (RTC) products within a temperature range from -40 to + 220°C. The aim of this work was the production and characterization of nanocomposite multilayer PET films, for microwave applications, in which the nanoclay acts as a heating enhancer. Films prototypes were made by means of laboratory compounding equipment for the production of nanocomposite CPET and by a co-extrusion equipment for producing multilayer films using two different PET copolymer matrices and a modified nanoclay (Cloisite 20A) as heating enhancer. The study of morphology of nanocomposite layer by means of X-ray diffraction experiments was carried out in order to correlate the intercalation/ exfoliation degree of nanoclay with cooking performance.


Continuous attempts are being made to discover new approaches to design materials with extraordinary nonlinear optical responses. Herein, for the first time, we report the geometric, electronic, and nonlinear optical properties of novel Janus transition metalides AM-J-TM (where AM = Li, Na and K, and TM = Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn) containing alkali metals as a source of excess electrons for transition metals to generate metalides. The Janus organic complexant used for the study is all cis 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexafluorocyclohexane F6C6H6 (J). These complexes contain the unique involvement of alkali metals (AM = Li, Na and K) as a source of excess electrons, which significantly affects the hyperpolarizability values of the resulting transition metalides. The NBO analysis reveals the charge transfer from alkali metals to the transition metals, thereby confirming the metalide behavior of the complexes. Moreover, the metalide nature of these complexes is validated through frontier molecular orbital (FMO) analysis. The values of interaction energies, vertical ionization potential (VIP) and vertical electron affinity (VEA) illustrate the stability of the metalide complexes. Ultimately, the hyperpolarizability values confirm the excellent nonlinear optical response of the designed transition metalides. The remarkable static first hyperpolarizability (β0) response up to 4 × 108 a.u. is observed for complexes of vanadium. Similarly, the complexes of AM-J-Mn and Li/Na-J-Sc show significantly high NLO response. These compounds besides providing a new entry into excess electron compounds will also pave the way for the design and synthesis of further novel NLO materials.


This new disease was named as skin sooty dapple disease of Asian pear, and isolated 123 isolates from the infected plants. After bioassay for pathogenicity of each isolate, 114 isolates were selected for further studies. Each isolate was identified by morphological characteristics under microscopic observations. The isolates were identified as Cladosporium, Tripospermum, Tilletiopsis, and Leptosphaerulina, and some isolates did not form any spore. Among the isolates, 74% of the isolates were identified as Cladosporium spp., 5-7% of the isolates were identified as Leptosphaerulina, Tripospermum, Tilletiopsis, and unidentified species, respectively. This result indicates that Cladosporium isolates could be main pathogens for skin sooty dapple disease of Asian pear. In addition, only Cladosporum isolates caused mild maceration on pericarp by injection of inoculum suspensions.


Satellite altimeters can capture storm surges generated by typhoons and tropical storms, if the satellite flies over at the right time. In this study, we show TOPEX/Poseidon altimeter-observed storm surge features off Southeast China on 10 October 1994 during Typhoon Seth. We then use a three-dimensional, barotropic, finite-volume community ocean model (FVCOM) to simulate storm surges. An innovative aspect is that satellite data are used to calibrate the storm surge model to improve model performance, by adjusting model wind forcing fields (the National Center for Environment Prediction (NCEP) reanalysis product) in reference to the typhoon best-track data. The calibration reduces the along-track root-mean-square (RMS) difference between model and altimetric data from 0.15 to 0.10 m. It also reduces the RMS temporal difference from 0.21 to 0.18 m between the model results and independent tide-gauge data at Xiamen. In particular, the calibrated model produces a peak storm surge of 1.01 m at 6:00 10 October 1994 at Xiamen, agreeing with tide-gauge data; while the peak storm surge with the NCEP forcing is 0.71 m only. We further show that the interaction between storm surges and astronomical tides contributes to the peak storm surge by 34% and that the storm surge propagates southwestward as a coastally-trapped Kelvin wave.


The activity of hydrolases (maltase, saccharase, amylolytic activity) in the intestinal mucosa of the plankton-feeding zope Ballerus ballerus and the benthos-feeding white-eye bream Ballerus sapa was investigated. The temperature characteristics of maltase hydrolysis (T(opt) and E(act)) are similar in both species. The lower K(m) of maltase hydrolysis in the white-eye bream reflects a higher enzyme/substrate affinity and indicates a more effective carbohydrate hydrolysis in the benthos-versus plankton-feeding species. The glycosidase activity in the white-eye bream is twice as high as in the zope. This may be due not only to different feeding spectra and biochemical food contents but also to the differences in thyroid status of species under consideration.


Radiation treatment of arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) has a slow and progressive vaso-occlusive effect. Some studies suggested the possible role of vascular structure in this process. A detailed biomathematical model has been used, where the morphological, biophysical and hemodynamic characteristics of intracranial AVM vessels are faithfully reproduced. The effect of radiation on plexiform and fistulous AVM nidus vessels was simulated using this theoretical model. The similarities between vascular and electrical networks were used to construct this biomathematical AVM model and provide an accurate rendering of transnidal and intranidal hemodynamics. The response of different vessels to radiation and their obliteration probability as a function of different angiostructures were simulated and total obliteration was defined as the probability of obliteration of all possible vascular pathways. The dose response of the whole AVM is observed to depend on the vascular structure of the intra-nidus AVM. Furthermore, a plexiform AVM appears to be more prone to obliteration compared with an AVM of the same size but having more arteriovenous fistulas. Finally, a binomial model was introduced, which considers the number of crucial vessels and is able to predict the dose response behavior of AVMs with a complex vascular structure.


countries, and the contents were mostly combinations or slight modifications of preceding studies. It may be time to return to the starting point and reconsider the study objective. Various studies on regeneration have been performed in the regenerative dental field, but very few results have actually been clinically applied, and many new ideas have already been disregarded. To overcome this situation, studies based on original ideas not per-formed in other countries may be initially necessary to promote regenerative dental research in Japan.


Microsolvation offers a bottom-up approach to investigate details of how solute-solvent interactions affect chemical reaction dynamics. The dynamics of the microsolvated S(N)2 reaction F(-)(H2O) + CH3I are uncovered in detail by using direct chemical dynamics simulations. Direct rebound and stripping and indirect atomic-level mechanisms are observed. The indirect events comprise ∼70% of the solvated reaction and occur predominantly via a hydrogen-bonded F(-)(H2O)···HCH2I prereaction complex. The reaction dynamics show propensity for the direct three-body dissociation channel F(-)(H2O) + CH3I → CH3F + I(-) + H2O after passing the reaction's dynamical bottleneck. The water molecule leaves the reactive system before traversing the postreaction region of the PES, where water transfer toward the product species occurs. This provides an insight into the very interesting finding of strongly suppressed formation of energetically favored solvated products for almost all SN2 reactions under microsolvation.


In this paper, we compare the performance of the diversity approach at the application layer and that at the physical layer for H.264/AVC encoded streaming video transmission in a wireless system with two independent channels. The application layer diversity is achieved by using multiple description source coding, while the physical layer diversity is obtained by channel coding over the two channels. Numerical results show that PHY layer diversity always outperforms the application layer diversity.


This short chapter unpacks the social construction of corruption which is then linked to the Afghan context. The morality of acts, corruption being deemed as an immoral act, evilness and dirtiness is contrasted with corruption forming the basis of a social contract or connections to get things done. This debate provides the contention between wickedness and undermining red tape to benefit political and economic integration under a functionalist model. In particular, examples derive from Afghan civil servants who are poorly paid and thus the public recognise that a gift is required to speed-up the service process which in turn engrains corruption in everyday interactions. Gift-giving is subsequently discussed in the contexts of China and Russia to maintain personal relationships and recognisable circles respectively. These contexts infer that gift-giving practices are practices to preserve business and social relations in a variety of contexts which differ from Western criminological literature deeming it as corruption or an integrity violation.


The European Union is one of the most powerful and autonomous international organization in existence. But the powers of the Union are not subject to external judicial review – despite the fact that all of its 27 member states have submitted themselves to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).This is set to change. Following the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, the Union is obliged to accede to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Negotiations on the modalities of accession hit a critical point in the summer of 2011, when the expert group tasked with drafting an accession treaty published its final draft. Further negotiations on the basis of this draft are expected to conclude in 2012.Even prior to the Union's accession, the ECtHR has had to deal with cases involving Union acts. Such cases raise delicate issues. In addition to their obligations under EU law, the member states also have obligations under the ECHR. There is an obvious potential for conflict between the two. But, if a Union act is inconsistent with the ECHR, the EU member states will nevertheless be obliged under Union law to implement it. In other words, they are forced into a conflict of international obligations.As this paper shows, the ECtHR has approached these delicate issues very cautiously. It has sought to solve the dilemmas faced by the EU member states by granting them a margin of discretion so wide that it may almost be characterized as a de facto immunity. While this approach might have prevented an immediate crisis between the Union's and the ECHR's legal orders, it is argued that the cost of this solution is a reduced effectiveness of the European system of human rights protection.The ECHR is written with state parties in mind, and relies heavily on concepts such as territory, sovereignty and nationality. However, the Union is not a state, but an international organization comprised of 27 member states. The Accession Agreement is supposed to act as a lubricant between the Union's multi-leveled system of governance and the ECHR system. Drawing on the draft Accession Agreement, this paper analyzes how the ECtHR will apply the basic concepts underlying the Convention in relation to the Union – including issues such as attribution of responsibility between the Union and its member states, the level of scrutiny applicable to Union acts, and the scope of the principle of subsidiarity.This paper is ~40,000 words in length, and was handed in as a Master's thesis at the University of Oslo, Faculty of Law in April 2012.