In a complex management environment, the events to be controlled cannot be comprehended within a reasonable time. The different aspects of the events, however, may be grouped into modules, which can be controlled as one unit. This type of control is influenced by the dependence of modules. This dependence may result where the controlling of one aspect limits the choice in another aspect. If these limitations exist within one module, the control is not impaired; if they exist from module to module, the modules are dependent ('bound foreign aspects' are not controlled by us, but they limit the choice in the control of our module). Decision making for a module demands data, both for the 'indigenous' aspects of the module and for its bound foreign aspects. The data take the following form: 'reports' describe the situation to depart from, 'orientations' the decisions from the modules that limit our choice, 'extrapolations' the most probable outcome of uncontrolled aspects. These three types of data are combined and evaluated to form 'predictions' which describe the course of events as accurately as possible. For every module there also is a 'statute' containing the rules (prescribed or discretionary) that govern the actions of the controlling unit of the module. The statute and predictions are combined to yield a 'decision' that is published as a plan insofar as it implies limitations elsewhere. After some delay, necessary for the dependent modules to react to this plan (for them an orientation) the decision is executed or implemented (to be executed by others). The 'term' of a module is the average time needed to initiate the execution of a decision with respect to the aspects in that module. A close relationship must exist between the term of a module and the time needed to change the initial situation to the desired situation. This relationship is used to determine the allowable term of a module and hence, depending also on the kind of aspects, its size. The formation of modules leads to a management structure that is subject to a number of efficiency criteria: viz. economy, completeness, consistency and 'power' (the number of aspects that are controlled within a given time). The enhancement of the 'power' of a management unit ought to be considered as the primary objective of measures to change the structure or to accellerate the data processing. Structural measures consist of lodging new aspects in modules or of joining and splitting existing modules into new ones. It appears necessary to continually reorganise a management structure. A management structure is not homogeneous; there are 'lower' and 'higher' modules. The latter comprise those aspects which cause numerous limitations and are therefore considered important. Important aspects usually are concurrent with a long term of the module: this is not always the case. The relations between management units are determined by the relative superiority of their decisions: superior meaning 'close to reality, workable' rather than 'close to an ideal'. Units that frequently publish superior decisions become dominant in the structure; the control of higher modules must be realised by dominant units. The prescribed part of the statute of a module originates with a number of dominant modules; not with one 'boss'. In this concept of a management structure there is no place for notions like 'span of control', 'vertical hierarchy', 'staff and line functions' etc. In our idea, a structure appears as a dynamic, pyramidical form in which a number of modules exist with multiple connections of different kinds for the exchange of information. The term of a module is partly determined by the information technique employed in and between the management units. Fast processing of data leads to bigger modules, more power, a better approximation of completeness and perhaps to more economic control. These results can only be reached if the better information technique is supplemented by the appropriate structural changes. Data processing is an ubiquitous activity: it appears useful to define some of its concepts in detail. First we introduce an information system as being a set of data with a corresponding separation function to divide sets of data into three subsets: useful within the system; useful outside the system, useless. We then recognize 'observations' (data to be appended to the system) 'messages' (data to be released by the system) and 'experience' (data retained by the system at a given moment). Observations contain information, if the experience is changed as a result of the processing of that observation. Within the set 'experience' we recognize the subset 'procedures'; it is the description of all functions that can be applied in the system. Part of the procedures - the construction - cannot be changed without altering the system; the remaining part of the procedures - the instructions - can be modified within the system. Some procedures are described exactly; they are programs. Other procedures are described insufficiently, or not at all; some are even indescribable as yet. Computers can execute all data processing, including modification of instructions, provided the procedures are nothing but programs. The abstract formulation of the concept information system leads to the mathematical descriptions of system, subsystem, union of systems, and intersection of systems. An algebra of systems can now be developed for stationary systems (no modification). An interesting kind of information system is the control system, that contains in its experience a realised model of a module of aspects. The observations of a control system concern the indigenous and bound foreign aspects of the module, the messages give rise to the fixing of the indigenous aspects. The definition of module (assuming the simultaneous control of all aspects) implies that control systems cannot have a union and cannot be split. Subsystems of control systems, however, can be integrated into a union of systems. The information technique as it exists in a management structure can be improved in several ways. Qualitative improvement can be made' by the application of refined models, by a decrease in the delays that render predictions useless and by an increase in the consistency of reporting. Quantitative improvement can be made by an increase in data processing speed. Fast information techniques can result from three measures: standardization, integration, mechanization; these measures are sometimes interchangeable and, moreover, partly interdependent. Standardization is the effort to use identical components in different systems; integration is the development of systems that comprise a number of (sub)systems; mechanization is our word for the application of computers in information systems. Each of these measures has advantages and disadvantages, not necessarily all systems must be standardized, integrated and mechanised. The concept 'total system' is not useful. Integration appears efficient where systems serve dependent modules and have common components (files or procedures). The time needed to develop an integrated system, however, can be too long with a view to the rapidly changing demands. (In the next decade this is the case.) Computers offer the opportunity to design systems with intricate procedures and yet a short response time. Through the use of remote and multiple input/ output equipment and a central memory the consistency of the data can be insured. An integrated, mechanised information system for a management structure (MIB) can supply the reports, the orientations, the extrapolations and the analyses of tentative decisions for a number of control systems. The human element in such a system demands that the computer element responds immediately to tentative decisions. A constraint of this nature suggest a random access memory organisation: one possibility is to employ the chain addressing method. The specifications of the computer for a MIB are such that we may expect these systems in the near future.


The vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) gene is an attractive therapeutic target because both activation and repression of the gene are useful for treatment or cure of many diseases related to abnormal angiogenesis. To modulate the endogenous gene expression artificially, we previously designed a six-finger AZP to recognize a 19-bp DNA in the VEGF-A gene, and fused the AZP with a nuclear localization signal and a repressor domain to generate an artificial transcription factor (ATF). Using the ATF, we demonstrated efficient modulation of the VEGF-A expression. In the present study, we evaluate the ability of the ATF to modulate the gene expression in more detail. First we examined the ability of the ATF under hypoxia condition. ELISA of the VEGF-A protein in the culture medium revealed that the gene-delivered ATF repressed the expression rate of the VEGF-A gene under hypoxia condition.


As a global language, English is taken up and used in local contexts in ways that cannot be accounted for by limited World Englishes (WE) paradigm. This can be illustrated through an analysis of the performative agency of individuals' language usage in specific contact contexts. After a brief overview of the WE paradigm, this article offers a consideration of the Malaysian linguistic context and Malaysian English from a 'post-WE' perspective. The conclusion is that, rather than think of the respective WE and post-WE approaches as opposed to one another, it is more useful to characterize them as distinctive theoretical prisms that illuminate divergent issues.


In this paper, a low-cost, flexible, ultrathin absorber comprising a simple square patch-shaped frequency selective surface (FSS) is proposed for wearable applications. The FSS based absorbing structure contains periodic graphite patch pattern placed on a thin paper substrate, and backed with a copper foil-based ground plane. The dimension and periodicity of the unit cell are 0.31λo and 0.36λo respectively, while the thickness of the absorber is approximately λo/85, where λo is the wavelength of free space at 10 GHz. The characteristics of the FSS absorber is optimized in terms of unit cell periodicity, and dielectric substrate height using a full-wave high frequency structure simulator software (HFSS). The effects of the parameters are also examined using equivalent circuit approach. The proposed absorber shows insensitivity towards the angle of incidence as well as angle of polarization. Finally, a prototype model is fabricated, measured, and validated with simulation results. A good agreement is depicted between simulated and experimental models. The proposed absorber finds application in the field of wearable electronics, medical, and automotive applications for effective mitigation of the EMI.


Differing patterns of taurodeoxycholate (TDC) metabolism and biliary excretion were studied with a forward-and-backward perfusion model of the isolated rat liver. Livers were perfused with 8 microM TDC via either the portal vein (forward) or the hepatic vein (backward). Bile was collected, total bile acids measured enzymatically, and bile composition determined by high-pressure liquid chromatography and thin-layer chromatography. During backward perfusion 48% of infused TDC was metabolized to taurocholate (TC) and 22.0% to other minor TDC metabolites. During forward perfusion, however, only 16% of administered TDC was metabolized to TC and 6.5% to minor metabolites. Total bile acid output was similar for both forward and backward perfusions. The kinetics of biliary bile acid excretion also differed between forward and backward perfusion. The time necessary for 50% excretion of labeled TDC and its metabolites was 3.5 +/- 0.45 min during forward and 18 +/- 3.50 min during backward perfusion, a time difference of 14.5 min. The greater biotransformation of TDC during backward perfusion could be explained by its longer intracellular residence. The reason for the delayed excretion of TDC during backward perfusion is unknown.


: This paper proposes an improved algorithm for 4-degree of freedom robot arm forward/inverse kinematics with vision sensor fusion utilizing Hough transform for a pick and place application. As a result, an optimized approach for path planning and end-effector velocity generation is enabled. The main advantage of the algorithm is the simplicity of deriving the manipulator kinematic equations and generating solutions. This is achieved by deriving a common set of simultaneous equations that characterize the system for both forward/inverse kinematics, and subsequently solving numerically using Matlab symbolic toolbox. The solution incorporates input from vision sensor for object detection and tracking by implementing OpenCV vision libraries under Matlab, interfaced with a low cost microcontroller that controls the manipulator servos. The path planning approach involves segmentation of identified optimal path and stabilizing end-effector velocity by calculating corresponding joint angular velocity of each segment. To test the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, Matlab simulations are conducted and preliminary results are produced for three components namely the kinematics algorithm, vision Hough Transform besides the optimal path planning approach. The superiority of this proposal is in the simplicity, compared to the widely used homogeneous matrix transformation that implements the cumbersome Denavit-Hartenberg convention for setting up the frame coordinate, also the proposed algorithm removes singularities and redundancies from the solution and confine the solution to the servos operating limits. It is envisioned that this algorithm will be efficient in the design of practical high performance, low cost robot arm in preparation for the ongoing industrial revolution.


During the process of Selective Laser Melting (SLM), there is a complex nonlinear relationship between forming quality (Densification, elongation, and mechanical properties) and laser process parameters, and improper laser process parameters will directly lead to forming defects, including holes, cracks and even printing failure.

Forming quality is limited by a series of factors, such as raw material properties, equipment properties, laser process parameters, and the post-treatment process, etc.

In this paper, the feasibility test and density data test (laser power 130-280 w, laser scanning speed 1200-1500 mm/s, laser scanning distance 0.01 mm, and thickness 0.03 mm) were carried out by experiments. And the mathematical model of the Zl205A densification prediction curve and the densification distribution cloud plot were obtained.

The BP neural network prediction system for ZL205A by SLM was developed with the help of the BP neural network toolbox. The prediction system was applied to ZL205A densification prediction with an error of less than 5%.


Background Barriers exist which often compromise the care a patient and their relative/carer receive at the end of life.1 One barrier that has been identified is the preparation student nurses receive in order to adequately care for this group of patients.2 Subsequently the DH suggested that "end of life care needs embedding in training curriculums at all levels and for all staff groups".1 (pg 14) The general population may not experience or deal with death until they reach middle age.3 A number of student nurses therefore may have limited experience in dealing with the emotional death and grief. The nursing programme is competence based therefore student nurses may view their own distress negatively. The impact may be inhibit sharing and seeking support. EOL education may be challenging as it can provoke anxiety. Providing an environment that reassures and feels safe with a philosophy of shared compassion for all involved is an essential element within end of life educational interventions. Aims Introduce an educational initiative that provides a culture for change Improve end of life care experiences for all involved Develop a pathway of support which will allow students to process their experiences and achieve the necessary skills. Framework Embed initiative within each stage of the BSc (Hons) nursing award. ▸ Cooperative learning ▸ Safe environment ▸ Peer support promoting a sense of family4 The effectiveness will be measured using an adapted version of the Evaluation Toolkit Conclusions High quality end of life care is essential and pre-registration training has been acknowledged as an area where shortcomings may be addressed. Student nurses require supportive educational interventions surrounding end of life care that facilitate changes in knowledge, behaviour and attitudes in preparation for their transition into the nursing profession.


Error propagation analysis with soil process models requires realistic quantification of errors in model inputs, model parameters and model structure. Once this is achieved, the error propagation analysis itself is relatively straightforward, and can for instance be done by employing a Monte Carlo simulation approach. Input error assessment is often complicated because it must include spatial, temporal and cross-correlations of input errors and must assess these at the right spatio-temporal support. Data-driven methods are preferred, but when data availability is poor, a people-driven method using expert elicitation can be used. Errors in model parameters can best be derived using Bayesian calibration, which requires that sufficient model output observations are available at the right support, and that the calibration procedure accounts for model input and structural errors. Bayesian model averaging is advocated for model structural error quantification, but this will only work when multiple models are available that cover the entire space of plausible models. If this cannot be guaranteed, a more sensible approach is to use a stochastic model that incorporates model structural error as system noise.


This talk will present the VkFFT version 1.3 and the new platform for runtime GPU code generation it is based on. The main reason for this update is to make algorithms implemented in VkFFT available for many other GPU applications and standardize the way the code is generated in it. The platform presented allows fine-tuning of the algorithms for a particular GPU and API they are executed on at runtime. It aims to make it easier for competent GPU programmers to express themselves to different APIs, as the design logic of modern GPUs is fairly similar between all vendors. This is the main difference between the platform and other existing API-independent ways to write code, as they usually aim at fast prototyping and simple optimizations under the hood for beginner-level GPU programmers. The platform has a hierarchical structure design: Application -> Plan -> Code. At the application stage, the platform performs all interactions with the user and resources management. This includes configuration parsing, calls to the application initialization, update, dispatch and deletion with optional binary caching. The plan stage is the internal configuration stage that constructs the intermediate representation of the problem to be solved. This includes all algorithm decision-making, resource allocation, calls to the code generator and code compilation. The code generation stage produces a string that will hold GPU code for a particular API that can be later compiled and used. It is further divided into multiple levels: level 2 subkernels – a clear description of the problem via a sequence of calls to lower levels; level 1 subkernels – simple routines: matrix-vector multiplication, FFT, pre- and post-processing, R2C/R2R mappings; level 0 subkernels – memory management, basic math, functions inlining, API-dependent definitions. The code generator operates on special data containers, that can hold either known during the plan creation integer/float values or strings of variable names. Using a multiplication operation that performs A=B*C as an example, if all containers have known values, A can be precomputed during plan creation. If A, B and C are register names, we print to the kernel an operation of multiplication to be executed. This talk will also discuss multiple algorithms implemented with this platform. On the example of VkFFT we will demonstrate the overall platform structure and the general GPU application design guidelines, mainly related to optimization of memory layout, such as having no CPU-GPU transfers during execution except for asynchronous downloads from the GPU, minimization of GPU dedicated memory-L2-L1 communication and maximization of on-chip memory usage. To go even further, we will demonstrate how a finite difference solver can be implemented with a help of the platform using only low-level warp shuffling instructions to perform on-chip data transfers instead of using the shared memory of the streaming multiprocessor (on-chip memory accessible by all threads). This considerably reduces the number of communications between threads, which can be a performance-limiting factor for high-order schemes. We will demonstrate the benchmark comparison of warp communication performance of modern GPUs, including high-end HPC GPUs from Nvidia and AMD and consumer-level solutions.


Acquired hemophilia is a severe hemorrhagic diathesis characterized by the emergence of anti-factor VIII inhibiting antibodies. It is rarely seen in certain types of cancers as a paraneoplastic syndrome. The case of a 73-year-old patient who developed acquired hemophilia during the course of treatment for a gastrointestinal stromal tumor is presented. A discussion of the diagnosis and treatment of acquired hemophilia as a paraneoplastic syndrome is also included.


Objective: To assess the knowledge about different mandibular nerve block techniques of fresh dental graduates, dental surgeons and specialists to attain mandibular nerve block for dental treatment in Multan. Design of the Study: It was a cross-sectional survey. Study Settings: This study was carried out at Department of Dentistry at Multan Medical & Dental College, Nishtar Institute of dentistry (Nishtar Medical University) and Bakhtawer Amin Dental College from August 2019 to August 2020. Material and Methods: The study involved 220 respondents. The questionnaire was administered to fresh dental graduates (house officers) and dental surgeons in 3 dental colleges of Multan, and was collected on the same day. House officers who did not return the forms were reminded personally and contacted on the phone thrice over the following week. Results of the Study: The frequency of respondants who could administer Gow-Gates without supervison was 20.9% (n=46). Participants from NID, Multan had the highest frequency (35.3%) with the lowest in BIMDC (16.6%)and MMDC(20.6%). The differences were non-significant (p=0.19). Significantly higher frequency of male respondants (10%, n=22) claimed they could administer Gow-Gates without supervison compared to female respondants (5.4%, n=12, p=0.012, Chi-Square). Training for Gow-Gates had been received by 12.7% (n=28) of the House Officers and dental surgeons. The Highest frequency of training was in NID, Multan (5.4%, n= 12, p= 0.016, chi-square). Conclusion: The majority of the dental practitioners of Multan used IANB as their primary LA technique and intraligamental injections as a supplemental LA technique in their clinics to attain mandibular molars anesthesia for general dental procedures like fillings, root canals and extractions. Keywords: Mandibular local anesthesia, Inferior alveolar nerve block, Gow-Gates technique


In this paper we provide a sufficient condition for a social welfare relation to be a social decision relation (i.e. an acyclic social welfare relation) when the profile of individual preferences is given.


Ozone exposure stimulates an oxidative burst in leaves of sensitive plants, resulting in the generation and accumulation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in tobacco and tomato, and superoxide (O2–•) together with H2O2 in Arabidopsis accessions. Accumulation of these reactive oxygen species (ROS) preceded the induction of cell death, and both responses co-occurred spatially in the periveinal regions of the leaves. Re-current ozone exposure of the sensitive tobacco cv. Bel W3 in closed chambers or in the field led to an enlargement of existing lesions by priming the border cells for H2O2 accumulation. Open top chamber experiments with native herbaceous plants in the field showed that Malva sylvestris L. accumulates O2–• at those sites that later exhibit plant cell death. Blocking of ROS accumulation markedly reduced ozone-induced cell death in tomato, Arabidopsis and M. sylvestris. It is concluded that ozone triggers an in planta generation and accumulation of H2O2 and/or O2–• depending on the species, accession and cultivar, and that both these reactive oxygen species are involved in the induction of cell death in sensitive crop and native plants.


In recent years, awareness that design students need to be better equipped to deal with complexity has increased. The practical implications for design education are less evident. While students appreciate explicit methods and tools, we argue that they have to learn to work with ambiguity and interconnections as well. We performed research on the differences that advanced design students experience in terms of process and outcome when switching from self-chosen familiar tool-supported design methods to using a less familiar and less prescriptive multi-contextual approach. The latter represents our chosen manifestation of possible real-life complexity in design challenges. The reflections show a diversity of non-parametric patterns. In general, the intentional multi-context approach was appreciated for its positive effect on encouraging creativity and quality of the results. The reflections raise several points of attention when addressing the concept of complexity with design students in education curricula.


This paper addresses the problem of shadow extraction from a single image of a complex natural scene. No simplifying assumption on the camera and the light source other than the Lambertian assumption is used. Our method is unique because it is capable of translating very rough user-supplied hints into the effective likelihood and prior functions for our Bayesian optimization. The likelihood function requires a decent estimation of the shadowless image, which is obtained by solving the associated Poisson equation. Our Bayesian framework allows for the optimal extraction of smooth shadows while preserving texture appearance under the extracted shadow. Thus our technique can be applied to shadow removal, producing some best results to date compared with the current state-of-the-art techniques using a single input image. We propose related applications in shadow compositing and image repair using our Bayesian technique.


As one of the most abundant biopolymers, cellulose has been a basic but essential building block of human society; its use dating back thousands of years. With recent developments in nanotechnology and increasing environmental concerns, cellulose-based nanomaterials are now gaining attention as promising green material candidates for many high-value applications due to their biocompatibility and advantageous physical and chemical properties. In particular, cellulose nanocrystals are notable for their optical properties that can respond to various environmental stimuli as a result of the material's unique chiral nematic structure. Compositing cellulosic materials with functional polymers, small molecules, and other nanomaterials can further stabilize and amplify these responsive optical signals and introduce multiple new functionalities. Based on these capabilities, many advanced applications of cellulose nanomaterials have been proposed, including chemical sensors, photonic papers, decorative coatings, data security, and smart textiles. In this review, we discuss and summarize recent advances in this emerging field of stimuli-responsive optics based on cellulose nanomaterials.


Objectives To systematically assess the efficacy of acupuncture combined with rehabilitation on unilateral neglect after stroke. Methods The Cochrane Library, PubMed, Excerpt Medical Database (EMBASE), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), China Science and Technology Journal Database (VIP), Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), and Wan Fang databases were searched online for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture and its effects on unilateral neglect after stroke from their inception to September 2019. RCTs on acupuncture combined with rehabilitation in the experimental group for unilateral neglect compared with rehabilitation alone or rehabilitation plus sham acupuncture in the control group were included. Two authors separately screened the literature, extracted the data, and evaluated the quality of the included studies. Review Manager 5.3 software was used for the data analysis. Results A total of 542 patients from nine RCTs were included. The meta-analysis showed that the experimental groups could significantly improve Fugl–Meyer Assessment (FMA) (MD = 11.54, 95% CI [9.54, 13.54], P < 0.00001) and the ability of daily living (SMD = 1.35, 95% CI [0.64, 2.07], P < 0.00001) and the ability of daily living (SMD = 1.35, 95% CI [0.64, 2.07], P < 0.00001) when compared with the control groups. However, there was no significant difference in the drop of Catherine Bergego Scale (CBS) and Behavioural Inattention Test-conventional (BIT-C) between the two groups. Conclusions Acupuncture combined with rehabilitation was more effective in improving the motor function and the ability of daily living. Because of the limitations regarding the quantity and quality of the studies in this meta-analysis, high-quality and well-designed RCTs are necessary to validate the above conclusions.


Happy people often fail to elaborate on persuasive arguments, while people in sad moods tend to scrutinise messages in greater detail. According to some motivational accounts, however, happy people will elaborate a message if they believe it might maintain their positive mood. The present research extends this reasoning by demonstrating that happy people will elaborate arguments from message presenters that convey positive hedonic attributes (i.e., source likeability). In a pilot study, we show that happy people believe persuasive messages from a likeable source will be mood maintaining. The results of Study 1 demonstrate that these expectancies have important message-processing implications. In Study 1, sad participants elaborated arguments from both likeable and dislikeable sources, while happy participants only elaborated arguments from a likeable source. Consistent with motivational explanation of these effects, in Study 2, happy participants elaborated arguments from a likeable source when not distracted, but used likeability as a heuristic when distracted with a cognitive-load manipulation. Implications of these results for understanding the effects of mood on processing strategy, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.


Caring for a child also involves contact with their family, with their culture, experience and own knowledge. Taking into account the place and role of everyone in the family facilitates the care relationship.


The nondestructive reversible complexation of the macrocyclic group 11 metal pyrazolates {[3,5-(CF3)2Pz]M}3 (M = Cu(I), Ag(I)) to the halogen atom X = Cl, Br of η(3)-allyliron tricarbonyl halides (η(3)-2-R-C3H4)Fe(CO)3X is revealed by the variable-temperature spectroscopic (IR, NMR) study combined with density functional theory calculations. The composition of all complexes at room temperature is determined as 1:1. In the case of the [AgL]3 macrocycle, complexes 1:2 are observed at low temperature (<260 K). The complex's stability depends on the substituents in the allyl fragment and halide ligand as well as on the metal atom (Ag(I), Cu(I)) in the macrocycle. For bulky substituents (Me and Ph) the endo/exo equilibrium of the parent (η(3)-2-R-C3H4)Fe(CO)3X shifts upon the complex formation in favor of the exo isomer due to additional noncovalent interactions of the substituent with macrocycle.


1443 Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a common neoplasm which is characterized by the clonal expansion of mature B-cells. CLL cells in circulation are non-proliferating and the systemic accumulation of these cells is primarily due to defects in apoptosis. There is no curative therapy option, and while CLL may run an indolent course for several years in some patients, there is a cohort which develops progressive disease for whom outcome is poor. Current treatment modalities, such as the use of the nucleotide analogue fludarabine, may ameliorate symptoms; however no survival advantage has been demonstrated. Pyrrolo-1,5-benzoxazepines (PBOX) are novel agents which we have shown induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in chronic myeloid leukemia cell lines. In addition we have shown that a potent PBOX compound, PBOX-15, induces apoptosis in CLL cells ex vivo. Recently we have shown that apoptotic-inducing PBOX compounds bind tubulin and cause microtubule depolymerization in breast cancer cells. Microtubule targeting agents act by inducing mitotic arrest and subsequent apoptosis in cancer cells, however this mechanism of action does not account for PBOX-15 induced apoptosis in non-proliferating CLL cells. In order to further assess the mechanism of PBOX-15 induced apoptosis in CLL, we treated peripheral blood mononuclear cells from CLL patients (n=34) with this agent ex vivo. PBOX-15 induced apoptosis in CLL cells was demonstrated by annexin V binding, PARP cleavage and mitochondrial membrane depolarization. In addition to activity in material from treatment-naive patients, PBOX-15 induced apoptosis in fludarabine resistant CLL cells (n=5) harboring a 17p deletion resulting in loss of expression of p53. PBOX-15 induced apoptosis in CLL cells was partially inhibited by a specific inhibitor to JNK, and was partially dependant on caspase 8 activation. Anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins are over-expressed in CLL cells and have been implicated in CLL resistance to apoptosis, however no change in Bcl-2 proteins were observed prior to PBOX-15 induced apoptosis. PBOX-15 exhibited selective cytotoxicity against CLL cells when compared with normal donor peripheral blood mononuclear cells (n=5), normal donor B-lymphocytes (n=5) and normal donor bone marrow progenitor cells (n = 5). In conclusion, PBOX-15 has promise as a novel anticancer agent and may, in addition, provide insights into the molecular mechanisms resulting in the aberrant apoptosis that is characteristic of CLL.


Making use of the numerical analysis method, the ductility of reinforced concrete column with Z-shaped cross-section was analyzed. Considering stirrup confinements' influence upon concrete deformation, with using self-made programs, some elements imposing influence on column section ductility were analyzed, such as axial compressive ratio、loading angle、material strength and setting mode of reinforcing bars. The results indicates that the loading angle has great influence on section especially under smaller compressive ratio, while the strength changes of the concrete and reinforced bars has a little influence. Thus, without changing amount of steel, encrypted hooping will effectively improve the ductility of column section.


This article describes two learning activities on Greek art and my reflections on the design elements which were influenced by the principles and recommendations that are particularly useful for distance education. The project arose out of a desire to emulate online the classroom experience of studying and analysing images of Greek art and had two goals: to provide students (1) with an opportunity to practise on their own visual analysis and interpretation of Greek images and apply them to new examples; and (2) with comprehensive but progressive feedback that would guide them in their way of thinking to reach the correct answer. In the Greek Art module, the activity assists students in dating vase paintings. Each example offers a choice of chronological periods in which to place the image. Errors in selection are used constructively, with the feedback providing hints on which elements of the image to pay attention to in order to arrive at the correct dating. Correct answers are accompanied by questions guiding students to consciously justify their selection. In the Greek Mythology module, the activity assists students in the identification of figures involved in mythological depictions. By clicking on the figures students can see not only the correct answer but also a series of questions that guide them to justify their answer by referring to the specific features on which they based their identification. These interactive activities can be used at the students own pace and provide immediate and constructive feedback. At the same time, they allow reflection before the correct answers, given in small successive steps, are revealed. The activities are linked to learning outcomes and prepare students for future summative assessment. They are a pedagogically sound computermediated tool to encourage active, deep and reflective learning.


Abstract In the digital economy, consultants must help client's companies develop digital transformation to increase their market value. This implementation requires the solutions we will indicate in this article. These solutions come from our interviews with 81 senior managers from eight countries. Consultants can make their consulting on digital transformation more effective with these solutions.


The Internet of Things (IoT) is a rapidly growing system of physical sensors and connected devices, enabling advanced information gathering, interpretation, and monitoring. The realization of a versatile IoT edge computing framework will accelerate seamless integration of the cyber-world with new physical IoT devices, and will fundamentally change and empower the way humans interact with the world. While there are many cloud-based IoT computing frameworks, they cannot support the needs of IoT applications that require local processing and guarantee of consumer's privacy. This article presents experimentation with the opensource plug-and-play IoT middleware, called Cordova Accesor Host. We demonstrated that Cordova Accessor Host supports the essential ingredients of the composition and reusability of IoT services using the accessor as the basic building block and adopting an accessor-module-plugin design pattern. The portability is demonstrated by using the same accessor for collecting sensor data from radically different IoT devices such as, wearables (e.g., smartwatches) and microcontrollers (e.g., Arduino). Our energy profiling experiments show that IoT services deployed using the Cordova Accessor Host consume around 35% less battery power than the same IoT services deployed in the native Android operating system.


Abstract SHOOTMERISTEMLESS (STM) encodes a member of the class I KNOX homeodomain protein family that is required for meristem development and maintenance. We have isolated both genomic and cDNA clones of STM from the perennial weed leafy spurge. A comparison to other class I KNOX genes indicates that EeSTM represents an orthologue of AtSTM and not one of the other class I KNOX gene family members. 5′ rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) indicated that the transcription initiation site is close to the start of translation and is conserved between arabidopsis and leafy spurge. Putative cis-acting elements were identified in the EeSTM promoter, including a tuber-specific sucrose-responsive element, which could play a major role in the expression of EeSTM in root tissue. Nomenclature: Arabidopsis, Arabidopsis thaliana L. ARATH; leafy spurge, Euphorbia esula L. EPHES.


Hypobaric hypoxia (HH) results in the increased formation of ROS and induces a wide range of deleterious effects on the brain. Nitronyl nitroxide radicals are a kind of stable organic nitroxide radicals with a good ability to scavenge ROS. Herein, a series of new nitronyl nitroxide radicals was synthesized according to the previous method. Among them, a compound with six carbon atoms alkyl chain (HPN-C6) was screened for estimating the protective effect against HH-induced brain injury in the acute HH mouse model. The results showed that HPN-C6ameliorated oxidative stress by decreasing the activity of LDH and the content of H2O2, NO, and MDA, increasing the activities of SOD, CAT and GSH-PX in the brain tissue of HH injured mice. Moreover, HPN-C6exhibited an anti-inflammatory effect by reducing the level of IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6 in the brains of mice after HH exposure through regulating the P38 MAPK signaling pathway. In addition, HPN-C6exhibited the protection effect by inhibiting the release of mitochondrial cytochrome C, locking the activation of caspase-3, and downregulating the expression of Bax and upregulating the expression of Bcl-2. HPN-C6pretreatment could inhibit the caspase-dependent mitochondria apoptosis pathway. These findings indicate that HPN-C6is a potential therapeutic agent to prevent brain damage induced by HH.


Thirty patients needing exodontias of the lower molars, assisted in the Stomatological Department of "Dr. Joaquin Castillo Duany" Teaching Provincial Hospital from Santiago de Cuba, during February to March, 2008 were evaluated in order to specify the effectiveness of the application of the anesthetic techniques: conventional conductive technique and the variant technique of Dr. Mandado Bertod. Two stomatologists of wide experience and good performance in the procedures and 15 patients for each technique were selected, as well as the variables that allowed to determine and to measure the MEDISAN 2010;14(7):949 effectiveness for each of these techniques. The variant technique of Dr. Mandado turned out to be more effective to block the inferior alveolar nerve, with the administration of less than a carpule for each molar extraction carried out, however, the conventional one required 1,3 carpules as average and its effectiveness was unsatisfactory.


Following a stressful life event, there is considerable variation in how individuals respond and adapt. Multiple models of risk and resilience show that adverse childhood experiences may be associated with an individual's response to stress later in life. While there is considerable support that early adversity can sensitize the stress response system and lead to adverse outcomes later in life, there is mounting evidence that in adolescence and young adulthood, certain biological predispositions to stress may be associated with resilience in the context of subsequent stressors. In this study, we evaluated how individual differences in vagally mediated heart rate variability moderated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and grief among a sample of individuals experiencing a stressful life event (i.e., spousal bereavement) over time. Data were collected at approximately 3, 4.5, and 6.5 months after the death of a spouse (n = 130). Heart rate variability moderated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and grief symptoms over time (b = -0.03, p < .001), such that among individuals with more severe experiences of childhood maltreatment, those with higher heart rate variability had a faster recovery from grief than those with low heart rate variability. This research highlights an overall pattern of resilience among older adult's following spousal bereavement, as well as the relationships between childhood maltreatment, heart rate variability, and differential responses to grief following the loss of a spouse. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).


Oxygen is primarily transported throughout the body in red blood cells, attached to hemoglobin molecules. Oxygen is also dissolved directly in the bloodstream, but this dissolved fraction contributes little to the to the total amount of oxygen carried in the bloodstream. Henry's Law states that the dissolved fraction is proportional to the atmospheric pO2, but the solubility of oxygen is so low that only 3ml O2/L of blood is dissolved at atmospheric oxygen tension. Hemoglobin carries 98% of the oxygen in the blood in the protein-bound form, approximately 197 ml/L. It is important to differentiate between pO2 (mm Hg, the dissolved fraction), oxygen saturation (% of hemoglobin occupied), and O2 content (expressed as a volume percentage). Arterial oxygen content is approximately 20 g/dL, the venous oxygen content is 15 g/dL, and dissolved oxygen contributes 0.1 g/dL in each case (but is continuously replenished from the hemoglobin bound pool).


Abstract The role of a clinical workstation is examined as an integral part of a larger, clinical information delivery and acquisition system. Different care scenarios and environmental factors influence the behavior of a workstation. The common functional components of a workstation are information resources, application logic and presentation. A workstation is successful when each of its components operates within an information architecture and contributes to meet user needs. New technologies to integrate and display information are making the workstation functions independent of the actual hardware and software platform.


This paper analyses the factors determining reservation wages in Estonia, and estimates the influence of the reservation wage on unemployment duration. According to estimations there is no statistically significant effect of unemployment benefit and social assistance on the reservation wage in Estonia. While evidence was found, that the higher the reservation wage, the lower the probability of finding a job, if all other things are equal. It was also found that the eligibility of unemployment benefit or social assistance increases the duration of the unemployment period, which indicates the lower offer arrival rate in the case of unemployed receiving assistance, which might be caused by a lower search intensity.


Counterflow centrifugal elutriation (CCE) separates mixed cell populations into distinct subpopulations, on the basis of different sedimentation characteristics, without impairment of cell function or yield. The advantages of this technique are the high recovery and viability of fractionated cells, as well as the rapidity and the reproducibility of results. CCE alone, or in combination with other separation methods, can provide homogeneous populations of cells for further investigations. Recently, CCE was employed in clinical studies aimed at preventing graft-versus-host disease in bone marrow transplant recipients, by depleting lymphocytes prior to bone marrow infusion. This article reviews the principles of elutriation and describes the possible experimental and clinical applications of this technique, which seems suitable for both peripheral blood (PB) and bone marrow (BM) separation.


Adversaries leverage social network friend relationships to collect sensitive data from users and target them with abuse that includes fake news, cyberbullying, malware, and propaganda. Case in point, 71 out of 80 user study participants had at least 1 Facebook friend with whom they never interact, either in Facebook or in real life, or whom they believe is likely to abuse their posted photos or status updates, or post offensive, false or malicious content. We introduce AbuSniff, a system that identifies Facebook friends perceived as strangers or abusive, and protects the user by unfriending, unfollowing, or restricting the access to information for such friends. We develop a questionnaire to detect perceived strangers and friend abuse. We introduce mutual Facebook activity features and show that they can train supervised learning algorithms to predict questionnaire responses. We have evaluated AbuSniff through several user studies with a total of 263 participants from 25 countries. After answering the questionnaire, participants agreed to unfollow and restrict abusers in 91.6% and 90.9% of the cases respectively, and sandbox or unfriend non-abusive strangers in 92.45% of the cases. Without answering the questionnaire, participants agreed to take the AbuSniff suggested action against friends predicted to be strangers or abusive, in 78.2% of the cases. AbuSniff increased the participant self-reported willingness to reject invitations from strangers and abusers, their awareness of friend abuse implications and their perceived protection from friend abuse.


The development of diode lasers started about 40 years ago with low power devices which were operated at cryogenic temperatures. Since then diode lasers made great progress in power, lifetime and costs. Some of the first widespread applications like tele-communication and home entertainment used the advantage of narrow line width and compactness, rather than efficiency and power. Especially in the last decade, great improvements were made in terms of output power as well as in costs of operation. From about 10W per 1cm laser bar 15 years ago, they have developed to 150W for continuous operation recently. In the same time, the price dropped from about 100$/W to little over 2$/W today. Besides chip technology, new technologies for packaging were developed and experiences with high power electronic devices and telecom lasers helped introducing cost efficient and highly reliable devices for industrial use.These achievements enabled a breathtaking development of this technology and generated a wide variety of industrial applications. Today, diode lasers offer many advantages over other laser systems which further favour this technology.The development of laser bar as well as packaging will be reviewed. Advantages and areas for further optimizations as well as examples for industrial application of diode lasers will be given. An outlook on what will be available in the near future will finish the talk.The development of diode lasers started about 40 years ago with low power devices which were operated at cryogenic temperatures. Since then diode lasers made great progress in power, lifetime and costs. Some of the first widespread applications like tele-communication and home entertainment used the advantage of narrow line width and compactness, rather than efficiency and power. Especially in the last decade, great improvements were made in terms of output power as well as in costs of operation. From about 10W per 1cm laser bar 15 years ago, they have developed to 150W for continuous operation recently. In the same time, the price dropped from about 100$/W to little over 2$/W today. Besides chip technology, new technologies for packaging were developed and experiences with high power electronic devices and telecom lasers helped introducing cost efficient and highly reliable devices for industrial use.These achievements enabled a breathtaking development of this technology and generated a wide variety of ...


Dear Editor,

Estrogen deficiency in women is an important risk factor for serious disorders such as severe cardiovascular diseases (1). Several different conditions can lead to estrogen deficiency with premature ovarian failure (POF) being an important one (2, 3). POF includes the cessation of normal ovarian function before age 40, causing menopausal symptoms and general health problems. Although there are several known causes of ovarian failure i.e chromosomal defects, autoimmune disease, exposure to radiation and certain drugs; but most cases of POF are of unknown etiology. Consequently, further work is required to understand the etiology, possible prevention and treatment of POF (4).

The most influential Iranian physician between 9th and 14th centuries AD was Ibn-Sina or Avicenna (980-1037 A.D). He was a great physician and has written more than 335 books on various subjects. His chief medical book is "Al-Qanon fi Al-Tibb" or "The Canon of Medicine" (5).

According to "The Canon of Medicine", the basis of health is the right proportion and specific equilibrium of humors (Akhlat) according to their quality and quantity (6). Based on Iranian traditional medicine, there are four humors in the body: "Phlegm, Blood, Yellow bile and Black bile" (7). Each of them is related with a pair of qualities, including cold and wet, hot and wet, hot and dry, and cold and dry, respectively (6).

In Iranian traditional medicine, premature ovarian failure is not defined the same as known today, but in many cases, it has been described as a disorder (8). Due to lack of biochemical analysis of blood parameters, almost all disease states have been defined based on clinical symptoms (9). The most obvious manifestation of POF is amenorrhea (10). The twenty-first chapter of third book of Al-Qanon fi Al-Tibb deals, principally with various kinds of uterine diseases. In this section, amenorrhea is described under a different title: "Ehtebase Tams" which means lack of menstruation. Avicenna has stated that one of the major causes of "Ehtebase tams" is abnormal black bile predominance (8). Based on The Canon of Medicine other symptoms that are seen in the "Ehtebase tams" of abnormal black bile predominance are as follows: vaginal dryness, dry eye, dry skin, anxiety, depression, somatization, sensitivity, hostility, forgetfulness, tiredness, headache, appetite disturbance, sleep disorder and depression and less satisfaction with sexual life (8). New studies have proven all of these symptoms (10). Black bile is divided into two categories: normal and abnormal. In contrast to normal black bile, abnormal black bile has affinity to deposit in any tissue and organ. As a consequence, in cases of abnormal black bile predominance, a high level of its deposition in the ovaries can lead to their dysfunction similar to its effect on other organs and tissues (arteries) (5, 7).

According to this letter, it seems that the treatment of "black bile predominance" can be used as one of the first steps in treating POF patients. This finding can be used as an important theory to design the prevention and treatment plan of POF based on Iranian traditional medicine text books. Most obviously further clinical study is recommended to investigate this issue.


ABSTRACT This study reviews the performance of the Improvement of Quality and Equity in Higher Education programme (MECESUP). MECESUP was executed in three stages between 1999 and 2016 by Chile's Ministry of Education and its directly state-subsidised university sector, with World Bank financing and advisory. The account explores achievements and failures in pursuing the twin expansion and modernisation of Chilean universities under a New Public Management (NPM) consciousness. A review of primarily European understandings of policy rationalisation in the context of the massification of higher education informs and contrasts with the Chilean case, which in turn may be instructive for similar initiatives in other Latin American and developing world contexts. The study tables illustrative interview data from personnel contemporaneously embedded in government, quasi-autonomous regulatory agencies and universities. The data falls into four key dimensions: first, participants' initial expectations of the programme; second, issues that stem from the throwing open of substantial contestable funding; third, how an NPM philosophy would be planted within universities through MECESUP's influence; and, lastly, the ways in which quality assurance attained centrality within Chilean higher education policy.


Thirteen placentas were studied from 5 normal pregnancies and 8 from pregnancies complicated by fetal growth restriction (4 with present, 3 with absent, and 1 with reversed end-diastolic velocities at Doppler interrogation of the umbilical arteries). On immunohistochemically stained slides, the diameter (d) and the wall thickness (t) of the arterial vasculature of the stem villi were measured for a total of approximately 10,000 vessels. A multivariate 'mixed effect model' statistical analysis was performed using d and t as dependent variables and gestational age, delivery mode, fetal and placental weight, the degree of vascular collapse and Doppler blood flow patterns as independent variables. Gestational age, Doppler pattern and the degree of vascular collapse significantly affected both d and t, the mode of delivery influenced d while fetal and placental weights scarcely affected the dependent variables. The above parameters should therefore be taken into account when investigating placental stem vessel morphometry.


This paper presents a novel method for extracting the fetal ECG (FECG) from a single-lead abdominal signal. A dynamical model for a modified abdominal signal is proposed, in which both the maternal ECG (MECG) and the FECG are modeled, and then a parallel marginalized particle filter (par-MPF) is used for tracking the abdominal signal. Finally, the FECG and MECG are simultaneously separated. Several experiments are conducted using both simulated and clinical signals. The results indicate that the method proposed in this paper effectively extracts the FECG and outperforms other Bayesian filtering algorithms.


The potential of micro-needles to provide an interconnection between the microscopic and the macroscopic worlds makes it one of the most revolutionary fields in health care, allowing for precise transdermal drug delivery of highly targeted small doses of the active compound. Current micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) technologies, originally designed for the micro-electronics industry, have been utilized in the fabrication of different micro-needle designs and their integration with various microfabricated micro-fluidics devices. The target of this thesis is to achieve a micro-needle injection system to deliver several strains of pico-liter volumes of a fluid combination of transgenic virus and luminescent compound, to be injected into the visual cortex of mice in order to study the structure and function of the neural networks of the brain. Microneedles having a body dimension of 10 mm x 10 mm and a shaft 1 mm wide and 3 mm long have been constructed from silicon wafers, using technologies originally developed for integrated circuit (IC) fabrication. Silicon wafers have also been used in the fabrication of the needle channels having a width of 4 μm and a total depth of 60 μm with a 20 μm deep channel at the base of the 40 μm trench. Both wet and dry bulk micromachining techniques have been used to create the needle bodies and channels. The optimum fabrication method has been found to be the deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) and SiO2 deposition using the plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) has been used to seal the channels.


Molybdenum abundances in the stars from 13 different open clusters were determined. High-resolution stellar spectra were obtained using the VLT telescope equipped with the UVES spectrograph on Cerro Paranal, Chile. The Mo abundances were derived in the LTE approximation from the Mo I lines at 5506 A and 5533 A. A comparative analysis of the behaviour of molybdenum in the sampled stars of open clusters and Galactic disc show similar trends of decreasing Mo abundances with increasing metallicities; such a behaviour pattern suggests a common origin of the examined populations. On the other hand, the scatter of Mo abundances in the open cluster stars is slightly greater, 0.14 dex versus 0.11 dex. The results are discussed, considering the abundance trends with the age of clusters and distances from the center of the Galaxy.


Background: Limited data are available on the clinical course of patients with Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) and acute respiratory failure requiring admission to ICU. Objectives: To investigate the outcome of patients with ILD and acute respiratory failure with special attention to Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) or Drug-induced ILD (DI-ILD). Methods: Retrospective identification of patients with ILD admitted into ICU between 1993 and 2009. Primary end-point was in-hospital mortality. Results: 72 subjects could be included, divided into 3 groups: IPF, n=28; DI-ILD, n=20 and Miscellaneous, n=24. The in-hospital mortality rates were 68, 40 and 25% for IPF, DI-ILD and Miscellaneous, respectively, (p=0.006) and reached 100, 64 and 60%, respectively, in those receiving mechanical ventilation (p=0.007). On multivariate analysis, the need for invasive or non invasive ventilation (OR= 35; [95% IC, 5-255]), the type of ILD (IPF vs Miscellaneous) (OR=22; [95% IC, 3-147]), and high-dose steroids during ICU stay (OR=0.19; [95% IC, 0.04-0.99]) were found to be independent determinants of in-hospital mortality. Conclusion: This study highlights the poor prognosis of IPF in ICU particularly if mechanical ventilation is required. DI-ILD and Miscellaneous with comparable severity criteria have a better prognosis than IPF. High-dose steroids appear as a protective factor whatever the type of ILD.


Background Entrococcus faecalis is a known cause of endodontic treatment failure. Synthetic drugs have been preferred for decades, but recently, many plants have been reported for their antibacterial activity. Aim To investigate the antibacterial effect of Gum Arabic (GA) processed with two different processing methods against Enterococcus faecalis. Method Antibacterial susceptibility tests against Enterococcus faecalis (ATCC 29212) were performed for 200mg/ml ethanolic extracts of spray-dried and mechanically ground GA using Agar disc diffusion. Sodium Hypochlorite (1%), Chlorhexidine (0.2%), and Antibiotic multi-disc were used as positive controls, and ethanol (20%) as a negative. The inhibition zones diameters were measured. Serial dilutions of both types of Gum Arabic (100, 50, 25, 12.5 mg/ml) were tested for their antibacterial activity. Results In Concentration 200 mg/ml, spray-dried GA displayed a significantly greater inhibition zone against E. faecalis than mechanically ground (P=0.02). Both types of Gum Arabic exhibited lower antibacterial activity than chlorhexidine (0.2%). However, only mechanically ground GA showed significant result (P=0.005). Spray-dried GA showed significantly higher antibacterial activity against than Tetracycline 300mcg (P=0.005). The antibacterial activity of spray-dried GA exceeded that of mechanically ground in all concentrations of serial dilutions, except for 12.5mg/ml, both are similar. Conclusion processing method of Gum Arabic affects its antibacterial potency against E. faecalis. In high concentrations, spray-dried GA is active antibacterial, while mechanically ground is non-active. Decreasing the concentration of mechanically ground GA increases its inhibitory effect, but the opposite effect was observed with spray-dried GA.


The local magnitude (ML) scale 6.22 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan on 6 February 2018. The epicenter was on the coastline near Hualien and caused a maximum shaking intensity of 7 in Hualien City, which was the most severely affected area. The crushed buildings and main surface cracks are distributed along the Milun fault, which is a oblique-slip fault. The earthquake is the largest of a sequence of events that affected the area over a period of days. In order to identify the surface deformation from Milun fault to coastal mountain range of Taiwan, we processed C-band Sentinel-1 and L-band ALOS-2 interferometric pairs acquired across the earthquake date, from both ascending and descending orbits. The Generic Mapping Tools Synthetic Aperture Radar (GMTSAR), and SNAPHU tools were used. According to the interferometric line-of-sight (LOS) displacement maps, the northwestern Milun fault moved of about 40 cm in the descending geometry, and about 0-10 cm in the ascending one, while the southwestern part of the fault moved 15-20 cm in the ascending geometry and is stable in the descending one. By combining interferometric LOS displacements derived from both ascending and descending acquisition geometries, just E-W and vertical displacement components can be derived. However, GPS and field survey results show northwards movements ranging from 50 and 70 cm over the Milun tableland, which is located on the eastern side of Milun fault. In order to provide SAR-based displacement measurements along north-south direction, we adopted the pixel-off set technique. The offsets along the azimuth direction were derived by computing the maximum of the amplitude cross-correlation of two SAR images, by using estimation windows of 128 x 128 pixel size. The 3D displacement was then computed by combining through least-square method the interferometric LOS displacements from ascending and descending acquisition geometry, and azimuth displacement component derived though pixel offset. Results indicate that, in the northern part of Milun tableland the maximum of E-W displacement reaches 60 cm, and that the whole Milun tableland moves northwards (up to about 60 cm) and upwards (up to about 40 cm). Moreover, the western side of Milun fault shows westwards movement, while Hualien city is affected by subsidence. The correlation coefficients in three directions between GPS data and 3D displacement are 0.81 (E-W), 0.89 (N-S), and 0.91 (U-D).


Two new Stephanostomum-like cercariae, Cercaria capricornia VII and Cercaria capricornia VIII (Digenea: Acanthocolpidae), are described from the nassariid gastropods Nassarius dorsatus and Nassarius olivaceus collected from the intertidal zone in the Capricornia region of Central Queensland, Australia. Morphological analysis of these new cercariae was augmented with DNA sequence data from the large subunit (LSU) ribosomal DNA region to aid in identification. Bayesian inference analysis of the LSU rDNA revealed that these putative acanthocolpid cercariae nested well within a clade containing species of Stephanostomum, which along with morphological data, suggests they are species of Stephanostomum. Comparative analysis of LSU rDNA sequences also indicates that these two cercariae are not S. adlardi, S. bicoronatum, S. tantabiddii or S. cf. uku, all species known from Australian fishes. The secondary structure of the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) rDNA region was inferred for these two cercariae using minimum free energy modelling algorithms. Both cercarial types displayed a four helix ITS2 secondary structure model and differed from each other by two compensatory base changes (CBCs) and nine hemi-CBCs.


We are interested in drug abuse, specifically morphine and methadone, by pregnant women and the effect that this drug use has on the respiratory function of their infants. Clinical data indicate that children born to drug-abusing mothers are oftentimes born prematurely, underweight, and most importantly may have acute respiratory depression followed by hyperventilation and acid-base disturbances. We are interested in determining whether the guinea pig is an appropriate model for studying opioid-induced respiratory depression of the neonate after chronic in utero exposure to the opioid analgesics methadone and morphine. The guinea pig is a more appropriate model for the human neonate based upon the respiratory and molecular data, as well as the maturity of the guinea pig at birth compared with the immaturity of the rat or the mouse pup. The goal of this report is to focus on the molecular pharmacology aspects of the mu opioid receptor (MOP) in vitro. In this project, we cloned the cDNA for rat and guinea pig MOP (Smith et al, 2004) into the mammalian expression vector pcDNA3.1. The DNA was sequenced and analyzed to show the homology of these two clones. The functionality of the cloned rat and guinea pig-MOP were analyzed when expressed in vitro in Chinese hamster ovarian cells. We describe the characterization of these mu opioid receptors using 3 H-diprenorphine saturation and competition ligand binding assays, and opioid-stimulated 35 S-GTP-γ-S binding data. The present data show that the guinea pig and rat MOP possess similar functional characteristics in these two assays, thereby making guinea pigs an acceptable model for the human MOP. Supported in part by HD46420 and DA007912.


The thesis describes a new approach to paper machine process data analysis using onedimensional and two-dimensional discrete wavelet transforms. These techniques have been adapted from a general theory that has been developed in recent years on the application of wavelets to signal analysis. Application areas in which the theory was first applied have included image processing and bandwidth compression for communications. Two main applications of the discrete wavelet transform have been analyzed in this thesis. First, an analysis of the use of wavelets for processing scanned data representing basis weight and moisture variations on a paper machine has been carried out. It has been shown that wavelets are effective for the detection of process signals in noisy data, so leading to better estimation and visualization of the machine direction and cross machine variations in process data. The second main application of the method has been to allow significant compression of the process data without diminishing the ability to reconstruct accurate profiles. It has been shown that the compression method can be embedded into the estimation algorithm, producing excellent results without a major expense in computation time. It has been shown that, in both applications, the new methods produce results superior to the industrially accepted procedures. For appropriate choice of wavelets, profile estimates are improved over those obtained using exponential filtering or other standard analysis methods. The data compression technique presents a new concept in paper machine data analysis and the author is not aware of any previous references to this subject. The ability to reduce data storage requirements is of importance in mill-wide process monitoring systems. A comprehensive analysis of the proposed algorithms has been carried out on a variety of simulated data sets for which the true process variations are known. Industrial data has also been analyzed and it is apparent that the method had many desirable characteristics.


The NBOMe derivatives are phenethylamines derived from the 2C class of hallucinogens. Only a few human pharmacologic studies have been conducted on these drugs, and several cases of intoxication and deaths have been reported. Presently, NBOMe are not a part of the routine drugs-of-abuse screening procedure for many police forces, and there are no rapid immunoassay screening tests that can detect the presence of those compounds. In this Article, the voltammetric behavior of 25B NBOMe and 25I NBOMe were investigated and their electroanalytical characteristics determined for the first time. A novel, fast, and sensitive screening method for the identification of the two most common NBOMes (25B-NBOMe and 25I-NBOMe) in real samples is reported. The method uses the electrochemical oxidation of these molecules to produce an analytical signal that can be related to the NBOMe concentration with an average lower limit of quantitation of 0.01 mg/mL for both of them. The method is selective enough to identify the two compounds individually, even given the great similarity in their structure.


abstract:This article elaborates a deceptively simple suggestion made by Hegel (philosophy is the activity of thinking things over). It relates Hegel's suggestion above all to Dewey's stress on looking back, looking around, and looking ahead. In this endeavor the article touches upon two seemingly contradictory facets of philosophical thought—the autonomy and heteronomy of such thought (on the one hand, the apparent capacity of philosophy not only to transcend its time and place but also to unfold according to its own immanent logic and, on the other hand, the manifest entanglement of philosophy with historical circumstances) (West 1989, 7–8). To a greater extent, however, the article focuses on the dramatic character of philosophical efforts to think things over, once again. The drive to think things over is frequently rooted in historical crises, in experiential conflicts. The actuality of philosophy cannot be adequately understood apart from such dramas and conflicts, ones taking place far outside the studies and classrooms of thinkers.


We report a measurement of the antineutrino rate from the fission of ^{235}U with the STEREO detector using 119 days of reactor turned on. In our analysis, we perform several detailed corrections and achieve the most precise single measurement at reactors with highly enriched ^{235}U fuel. We measure an IBD cross section per fission of σ_{f}=(6.34±0.06[stat]±0.15[sys]±0.15[model])×10^{-43}  cm^{2}/fission and observe a rate deficit of (5.2±0.8[stat]±2.3[sys]±2.3[model])% compared to the model, consistent with the deficit of the world average. Testing ^{235}U as the sole source of the deficit, we find a tension between the results of lowly and highly enriched ^{235}U fuel of 2.1 standard deviations.


Parental knowledge is crucial in the development of behavior that promotes or discourages children's dental and oral hygiene. The goal of this research was to investigate how much knowledge parents had about their children's oral health. Interviews and questionnaires were used to gather information. The findings revealed that the majority of parents were unaware of their children's oral health. On the other hand, parents with sufficient knowledge did not always practice good oral hygiene, and parents with less knowledge did not always raise unhealthy children. While knowledge is one of the determinants of dental and oral hygiene in children, other factors such as parents' attitudes and awareness have an impact on the role of parents in maintaining their children's dental health.
Keywords: parental knowledge, dental health, early childhood


Software systems have evolved to the age of Artificial Intelligence (AI), consist- ing of independent autonomous agents interacting with each other in dynamic and unpredictable environments. In this kind of environment it is often very difficult to predict all the interactions between the agents. Hence verification of an interaction between multiple agents has become a key research area in AI. In this paper we model and verify an Automatic Meeting Scheduling (AMS) problem having multiple agent communication.
The AMS problem helps us to emulate a real life scenario where multiple agents can argue over the defined constraints. A weighted strength based argu- mentation scheme is proposed, where each argument is weighed against each other to determine the strongest evidence. The argumentation model described in the paper have six agents: Initiator, Scheduler and four Participant agents. We have formalized the agent interactions using Computation Tree Logic (CTL) and verified the scheme by providing suitable specifications (SPEC) in a symbolic model verifier tool called, NuSMV.


This PhD research project is concerned with the development of accurate and efficient numerical methods, which are based on one-dimensional integrated radial basis function networks (1D-IRBFNs), point collocation and Cartesian grids,
for the numerical simulation of heat and viscous flows in multiply-connected domains, and their applications to the numerical prediction of the material properties of suspensions (i.e. particulate fluids). In the proposed techniques, the employment of 1D-IRBFNs, where the RBFN approximations on each grid line are constructed through integration, provides a powerful means of representing the field variables, while the use of Cartesian grids and point collocation provides an efficient way to discretise the governing equations defined on complicated domains.

Firstly, 1D-IRBFN-based methods are developed for the simulation of heat transfer problems governed by Poisson equations in multiply-connected domains. Derivative boundary conditions are imposed in an exact manner with
the help of the integration constants. Secondly, 1D-IRBFN based methods are further developed for the discretisation of the stream-function - vorticity formulation and the stream-function formulation governing the motion of a New-
tonian fluid in multiply-connected domains. For the stream-function - vorticity formulation, a novel formula for obtaining a computational vorticity boundary condition on a curved boundary is proposed and successfully verified. For
the stream-function formulation, double boundary conditions are implemented without the need to use external points or to reduce the number of interior nodes for collocating the governing equations. Processes of implementing cross
derivatives and deriving the stream-function values on separate boundaries are presented in detail. Thirdly, for a more efficient discretisation, 1D-IRBFNs are incorporated into the domain embedding technique. The multiply-connected
domain is transformed into a simply-connected domain, which is more suitable for problems with several unconnected interior moving boundaries. Finally, 1D-IRBFN-based methods are applied to predict the bulk properties of particulate
suspensions under simple shear conditions.

All simulated results using Cartesian grids of relatively coarse density agree well
with other numerical results available in the literature, which indicates that the
proposed discretisation schemes are useful numerical techniques for the analysis
of heat and viscous flows in multiply-connected domains.


This review highlights several classes of natural product hybrids. First, structural hybrids emanating from different biosynthetic pathways exemplified by the polyketide peptide alkaloid anachelin are discussed. Another class is the so-called functional hybrids, where different functions of natural products are hybridized. The conjugate between nostocarboline and the well-known antibacterial agent ciprofloxcin displays a very broad spectrum of activity combining photosynthesis and gyrase-inhibiting activity. Last, higher order hybrids are discussed. We present ternary hybrid of titanium dioxide, the anachelin chromophore and poly-ethyleneglycol (PEG). This chimera allows for the functionalization of TiO2 surfaces to render those protein resistant. This article thus shows how natural products can be hybridized to generate compounds with unprecedented bioactivity thus enabling the development of novel drugs and advanced materials.


The origin, evolution, structural and stratigraphical features of the Palentian Domain (Cantabrian Mountains, N Spain) are summarily described. The boundaries of the Givetian succession (ca. 40 m thick) in that area are established from previously known conodont and ammonoid data. The base of the Givetian is situated in the upper part of the Gustalapiedra Formation, at the base of the La Pedrosa Member. The upper Givetian boundary is situated at the top of the lower calcareous interval of the Cardano Formation. Middle Devonian brachiopods are scarce in the Palentian Domain. In fact no Givetian form has been cited in the area until now. In this paper nine brachiopod species (three new) of the Givetian interval are described and figured: Skenidium cf. polonicum, Rhyssochonetes aff. douvillei, Prodavidsonia havliceki n. sp., Bifida aff. lepida, Ambothyris cf. infima, "Pyramidalia" palentina n. sp., Cingulodermis sotoana n. sp., Parastringocephalus cf. dorsalis, and Ense andrea. The genera Skenidium, Rhyssochonetes, Ambothyris, Cingulodermis, Parastringocephalus, and Ense are cited in Spain for the first time. Parastringocephalus is moreover the first stringocephaline found in Palencia. "Pyramidalia" palentina n. sp. is an impunctate form provided with a nearly complete symphytium, a delthyrial plate and short dental plates; these features separate the genus Pyramidalia both from Cyrtinaella and Thomasaria with which the former genus has sometimes been synonymised. Near the base of the Cardano Fm. a coquina with thousands of specimens of Ense andrea has been found. This coquina could represent the area of the famous "Pumilio" Event, described previously from Germany, France and North Africa. The Spanish Ense andrea specimens are endopunctate and a sectioned shell shows a centronelliform brachidium. The terebratulid nature of the species is certain and the features referred to above and the external morphology of the shell are closer to the Subfamily Adreninae than to the Subfamily Mutationellinae where Ense had previously been tentatively included.


Alkyl nitrates are a significant component of the "odd nitrogen" reservoir and play an important role in regulating tropospheric ozone levels in remote marine regions. Measurements of methyl and ethyl nitrate in seawater and air samples along two Atlantic Ocean transects provide the first direct evidence for an oceanic source of these compounds. Equatorial surface waters were highly supersaturated (up to 800%) in both species, with the waters in the temperate regions generally being closer to equilibrium. A simple box model calculation suggests that the equatorial source could be a major component of the local atmospheric alkyl nitrate budget.


Let $R$ be a commutative ring with identity. The paper studies the problem of self-orthogonality and self-duality matrix-product codes (MPCs) over $R$. Some methods as well as special matrices are introduced for the construction of such MPCs. A characterization of such codes (in a special case) is also given. Some concrete examples are presented throughout the paper.


Scientists traditionally use the term 'Addiction' for substances that clearly abet physical dependence. However new studies indicate that as far as the brain is concerned a continuous sequence of rewards can even risk the brain to be trapped in a ceaseless chain of compulsion. Irrespective of the reward, it's like a chemical reaction or an experience such as eating, gambling, etc. Internet addiction is the latest form of addiction. Moreover, various studies have shown the escalated influence of excessive internet use on the masses. This attracted the considerable attention of media and researchers. Internet Addiction (IA) causes severe changes in lifestyle. It affects not only physically but also mentally. It hijacks our hormones and causes several disruptions. It can change the basic nature of a person, which could even hassle out real life. This paper aims to provide brief information on IA, its causes, its symptoms including both mental and physical, diagnosis, and its treatment. In this article, the effect of the internet on our society is mentioned. The familiar nature with the benefits of the internet is quite well known, but it is also important to note the second face of the card.


Three new mixed-alkaline borates Na2M2B20O32 (M = Rb, Cs) and Li4Cs4B40O64 with unique structures were synthesized by the spontaneous nucleation method, and their structures were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The B-O networks of Na2M2B20O32 (M = Rb, Cs) are constructed by two independent interpenetrating three-dimensional (3D) frameworks, which is the first case in anhydrous mixed-alkaline borate systems. In addition, Li4Cs4B40O64 shows high B-O polymerization with a new fundamental building block B40O77. Meanwhile, detailed structure comparisons containing the cation effect on the framework have been discussed. UV-vis-NIR diffuse reflectance spectra and the infrared spectra were measured. The band structures and the density of states were performed using density functional theory calculation.


Many people and organizations are accessing data in the cloud due to the rapid growth of cloud computing .Fog computing interface used between cloud and the end devices to reduce the overhead of the cloud computing and better network services, with secure data transmission requirement. In this paper, Identity Based Broadcast Encryption with Decrypting Time Interval (IBBE-DTI) scheme is proposed for protecting the data securely. This facilitates the data to be encrypted with authentication token which is the combination of private key and identities of users who wants the data. To increasing the security, data owner additionally set decrypting time interval along with the data to be encrypted which leads to additional key namely Time Secret Key (TSK) for decryption. This paper proposed a dual verification process for efficient user authentication based on authorization token, which will be defined by the data owner, and a Unique Signature, which will generate by the fog processor at the time of encryption. This proposed work supports both security of data and verifies the user authentication for efficient data transmission with low computation overhead.


Background As teens with rheumatic conditions (RCs) approach adulthood, they are expected to take on more responsibility for their care. Poorly planned transition can result in treatment non-adherence and increased disease morbidity. Youths must be properly prepared for this transition and an accurate assessment of their readiness for transition and transfer to adult care is essential. Our group aims to develop a valid questionnaire to measure transition readiness in adolescents with RCs using a phased approach. Phase 1 (systematic literature review) revealed a lack of well-validated readiness measures. Phase 2 (two day consensus conference) resulted in expert agreement on readiness domains and items for inclusion in the final version of the questionnaire. Objectives To determine the face and content validity of the RACER questionnaire. Methods A qualitative design with iterative cycles was conducted with (a) experts in rheumatology, transition and adolescent medicine and (b) adolescents with RCs. Fifteen experts (independent of Phase 2) participated in face and content validity testing via an online survey. A purposive sample of 14 youths (12-18 years) was then recruited from a rheumatology clinic at a Canadian paediatric hospital to participate in semi-structured interviews in iterative cycles. All participants rated the importance of each RACER domain and item, assessed the understandability of items, and evaluated whether important domains or items were missing. Results Online expert face and content validity testing led to the deletion of one item ("Do you talk about your health condition with your teachers and/or your boss?") due to redundancy. This item was replaced with, "Do you use healthy ways of managing your emotions?" The item "Do you make plans for medical care when you travel?" was modified to "Do you make plans for medical care when you leave home? (e.g. travel, school, job)". Testing with the first 7 teens necessitated clarification of two items: "Do you know your rights with regards to privacy?" was modified to "Do you know your privacy rights regarding your health information?" and "Do you recognize the signs that you are getting sick?" was modified to "Do you recognize the signs that your rheumatic condition is getting worse (flare)?" Neither group suggested additional items or domains be added. No changes were suggested in the second testing cycle. Conclusions This study established the face and content validity of the RACER questionnaire. Next steps will determine the psychometric properties of RACER. Establishment of a valid transition readiness measure will identify areas for adolescent education and aid in evaluating transition program effectiveness for this population. This will help adolescents with RCs transition successfully into adult health care and improve health outcomes. Disclosure of Interest None Declared


Abstract The pending dispute at the ICJ between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Republic of Italy on jurisdictional immunities of states bears on the hotly debated question of whether a state having committed a violation of jus cogens loses its immunity from civil jurisdiction abroad, as maintained by the Italian Court of Cassation. The article aims to demonstrate the untenability of the position of the Italian Court of Cassation, not only under current international customary law, but also under a prospective de lege ferenda. Nevertheless, different options are open to the ICJ to adjudicate the case, without impinging on possible future developments of state practice. The article closes by pointing at the risks that, in a strict dualist/pluralist perspective, not even an ICJ's decision in favour of Germany would eventually ensure compliance by Italian domestic judges.


The article reviews and describes the problems of the railway point heating conventional control system considering its structure, simple design, disadvantages and nonconformity. As a solution to the described problem, an innovative and advanced point heating control algorithm is proposed based on Mathlab's Fuzzy Logic Designer module, which will allow control of heating more effectively and intellectually. The tasks for the advanced and intellectual point heating control system were set. The interdependency of different input variables and their weights of the proposed algorithm are shown and described. Conclusions show that the approach of introducing a control algorithm based on Fuzzy Logic will allow to control point heating in a more advanced and efficient way switching on and off based on the interdependency of different weather conditions and weather forecast; the input data control system will decide automatically when to switch the heating on and off.


The paper promotes the use of novel Web services in the daily work and
 research of social scientists and other professionals. The case presented in
 the paper pertains to demographers and their research, but the technology
 used is generic and can be easily instantiated for use by other social
 science researchers. Specifically, the case covers facilitating collaboration
 between a university research group in the field of demography and
 professionals in the field of demographic statistics. The technology used is
 a set of new Web services developed as parts of an EU research project. The
 paper explains the case itself and the motivation for using the services,
 describes the services themselves, and discusses the experience acquired and
 the benefits and lessons learned by using the services so far.


A laser-atom interaction simulator derived from quantum electrodynamics (LASED) is presented, which has been developed in the python programming language. LASED allows a user to calculate the time evolution of a laser-excited atomic system. The model allows for any laser polarization, a Gaussian laser beam profile, a rotation of the reference frame chosen to define the states, and an averaging over the Doppler profile of an atomic beam. Examples of simulations using LASED are presented for excitation of calcium from the 4 1 S 0 state to the 4 1 P 1 state, for excitation from the helium 3 1 D 2 state excited by electron impact to the 10 1 P 1 state, and for laser excitation of caesium via the D 2 line.


Abstract : Twelve of the 20 states deemed by the Failed States Index (FSI) to be at greatest risk of collapse in 2010 are in Africa. These fragile and failed states account for much of the continent's ongoing conflict, instability, and humanitarian catastrophes. State failure raises the risk of personal insecurity, lawlessness, and armed conflict. Such persistent and randomized insecurity undermines all aspects of ordinary life, forcing people to stay in their homes and close their businesses for fear of violence. Under such circumstances, residents become willing to support or accept virtually any groups that are able to restore order -- be they warlords, local gangs, or organized criminal syndicates. Among the violent actors that fill the power vacuums of Africa's fragile and failed states are Islamist extremists. By providing security and basic services, they hope to gain greater public acceptance of their ideological agendas. A state's failure to assert a monopoly on legitimate force accordingly opens the door for extremists to build their bases of political power. Of the 12 high-risk states in Africa, 8 have populations that are one-third or more Muslim, a feature that more than doubles a state's risk of instability and provides fertile ground for Islamist extremists. Africa's fragile states create political and security environments that enhance the leverage of Islamist extremists in their ongoing struggle with moderates for influence. Countering extremism in Africa, therefore, cannot be separated from building stronger, more legitimate states. Robust state security operations can neutralize extremists in the short term. However, they are an insufficient long-term counterextremism strategy unless coupled with opportunities for moderates to engage in the political process. In fragile states, maintaining moderate Islamist support for the state should be a central stabilization objective.


Why did you become a GP or family physician? Whatever we call ourselves, one of the attractions is being a generalist physician who cares for families over time, rather than individuals or specific body systems in isolated encounters. Many GPs will have been particularly attracted by the opportunity to see children and their carers in the context of their community. The challenge of providing continuity is such that every household may not be known to us, but electronic records allow us to cross-check information about people registered at the same home address; and personal knowledge is shared between primary healthcare team members.

Around 11% of our consultations are for people under 15 years1 and the idea of community-based paediatricians, rather than GPs, providing primary care to children is not new.2,3 A mix of different types of providers is found in Europe, with paediatric primary care provided by GPs in only 41% of European countries;4 and in the US, where a third of children are cared for by family physicians rather than paediatricians.5 Yet, there are recurring calls for all …


To cope with explosive vehicular traffic and ever-increasing application demands in the vehicular cellular network, opportunistic vehicular networks are used to disseminate mobile data by high-capacity device-to-device communication, which offloads significant traffic from the cellular network. In the current opportunistic vehicular data transmission, coding-based schemes are proposed to address the challenge of opportunistic contact. However, whether coding techniques can be beneficial in the context of vehicular mobile data offloading is still an open question. In this paper, we establish a mathematical framework to study the problem of coding-based mobile data offloading under realistic network assumptions, where 1) mobile data items are heterogeneous in terms of size; 2) mobile users have different interests to different data; and 3) the storage of offloading participants is limited. We formulate the problem as a users' interest satisfaction maximization problem with multiple linear constraints of limited storage. Then, we propose an efficient scheme to solve the problem, by providing a solution that decides when the coding should be used and how to allocate the network resources in terms of contact rate and offloading helpers' storage. Finally, we show the effectiveness of our algorithm through extensive simulations using two real vehicular traces.


We consider the problem of scheduling a set of jobs on a single machine subject to random breakdowns. We focus on the preemptive‐repeat model, which addresses the situation where, if a machine breaks down during the processing of a job, the work done on the job prior to the breakdown is lost and the job will have to be started from the beginning again when the machine resumes its work. We allow that (i) the uptimes and downtimes of the machine follow general probability distributions, (ii) the breakdown process of the machine depends upon the job being processed, (iii) the processing times of the jobs are random variables following arbitrary distributions, and (iv) after a breakdown, the processing time of a job may either remain a same but unknown amount, or be resampled according to its probability distribution. We first derive the optimal policy for a class of problems under the criterion to maximize the expected discounted reward earned from completing all jobs. The result is then applied to further obtain the optimal policies for other due date‐related criteria. We also discuss a method to compute the moments and probability distributions of job completion times by using their Laplace transforms, which can convert a general stochastic scheduling problem to its deterministic equivalent. The weighted squared flowtime problem and the maintenance checkup and repair problem are analyzed as applications. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2004


INFLUENCES ON THE DECISION-MAKING, BELIEFS, PEDAGOGY, AND PRACTICES OF A PRIMARY GRADE 3 LITERACY TEACHER IN UGANDA Jill Jenkins, Ph.D. George Mason University, 2009 Dissertation Director: Dr. Elizabeth Sturtevant This study investigated how the context of a Primary 3 (P3) teacher of Luganda in Uganda influenced the teacher's literacy instructional decision-making, beliefs, pedagogy, and practices before and after she was provided with supplies and literacy instructional procedures that helped produce reading materials for her students. The contextual problems that were addressed were the poverty context that included the lack of opportunities for P3 students to read in their native language due to having few or no books in Luganda (a minor language), and instructional practices that focused on rote learning which put students in a passive learning environment. The study was conducted for eight months in a rural/urban, public primary school P3 classroom with over 100 students. There were few teacher and student resources and 18 different mother tongues represented in the classroom. For six weeks the teacher taught the researcher about her beliefs, pedagogy, and practices through interviews, observations, and writing. The researcher also conducted interviews with selected students and community members. The innovation was based on Ball's teacher change model and involved the researcher modeling Language Experience Approach book writing, sharing information on literacy pedagogy, and collaborating and supporting the teacher's reflection and decision-making to develop literacy activities. A model was developed that included small group book writing that took the local context into account. The teacher experimented with the model and changed it according to her desires. The results included an increase in teacher capacity; changes in her beliefs, pedagogy, and practices; and modifications in the context. Less advanced students received support from more advanced peers, and the teacher had more time to work with groups and individual students. In addition, at minimal cost, students authored books on the curriculum in a minor language and read