Medical personnel such as those working in emergency medical systems are in direct contact with the patient or the injured and are exposed to workplace violence. This study aimed to determine workplace violence against prehospital paramedical personnel and factors related to this type of violence in Iran. The cross-sectional study was conducted in 72 prehospital emergency centers affiliated with Kerman University of Medical Sciences in 2019. Using a researcher-made questionnaire, we assessed workplace violence and factors associated with this type of violence in prehospital paramedical personnel with a census method (N = 308). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics including mean and standard deviation (SD), frequency, percentage, and analytic statistics, such as the Kolmogorov–Smirnov, ANOVA, t test, and multiple linear regression tests. The results of this study showed that the most frequent types of workplace violence were verbal violence (47%), physical violence (32.50%), cultural violence (16%), and no violence (4.50%), respectively. From the perspective of paramedical personnel, the total mean score of workplace violence was at a moderate level (52.19 ± 10.72). The most important factors affecting workplace violence from the perspective of paramedical personnel were "lack of awareness of people about the duties of emergency medical personnel" and "lack of specialists in prehospital (city or road) bases." Majority of the paramedical personnel believed that "no reaction and observance of patients and their families' rights" were the most important types of reactions. They also believed that violence was normal at the workplace and should not be considered in emergency medical services. Results suggest that national and local policies in Iran should provide prehospital paramedical personnel with various training courses about how to decrease the rate of workplace violence, promote public health, and decrease their psychological stresses and occupational burnout.


Victory or triumph display is a post-contest signal, performed only by winners and not by losers. While much is unknown about its function, there is mounting evidence that victory displays are widespread among animals. However, evidence remains anecdotal in crabs. Sesarmid crabs belonging to the genera Parasesarma and Perisesarma are known to have characteristic stridulatory structures on their chelipeds. In Perisesarma eumolpe, a mangrove crab, stridulation has been anecdotally purported as a triumph display. We examined whether stridulation in P. eumolpe is a victory display and the factors affecting it by staging 17 contest trials among males and investigating the factors influencing stridulations and fight outcome in 55 fights. Using generalised linear mixed-effects models, we find that stridulations were generally performed by winners and after fights, especially when the fights were intense. In addition, stridulation was only observed in the context of a contest, never before or outside of it. Stridulation in P. eumolpe is likely a victory display, and, unlike other forms of victory display described for other species, it appears exclusively used for asserting victory.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate clinical efficacy of unstable pelvic fractures in the treatment with percutaneous sacroiliac screws and sacroiliac joint anterior plate fixation.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
64 patients with unstable pelvic fractures were selected in the hospital from January 2008 to June 2011, and were randomly divided into two groups.(32 patients with sacroiliac anterior plate fixation as the control group, and another 32 patients with percutaneous sacroiliac screw internal fixation as the observation group). The perioperative period clinical indicators, postoperative Matta score, postoperative Majeed function score of all patients were compared and analyzed.

RESULTS
The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, wound total length, postoperative fever time, duration of hospitalization in the observation group were significantly less than those in the control group. The complication rate (3.1%) in the observation group was lower than that in the control group (21.9%). The rate of Matta score excellent (96.9%) in the observation group was higher than that in the control group (81.2%) after the treatment. The rate of Majeed function score excellent (93.8%) in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group (75%) after the treatment.

CONCLUSIONS
Percutaneous sacroiliac screw internal fixation in the treatment of unstable pelvic fractures has less injury, less bleeding, less pain and rapid recovery which is a safe and effective minimally invasive operation method. The clinical curative effect of percutaneous sacroiliac screw internal fixation is better than anterior plate fixation for the treatment of sacroiliac joint. The full preparation before the surgery and patients with positive can substantially reduce the occurrence of complications rate.


Health care is changing dramatically for those who seek care and for those who deliver it. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will bring health care coverage to millions of consumers who previously could not afford or did not want health insurance. For many people, the health benefit exchange experience will present them with a variety of choices and complexities to consider. These choices will be very individual and difficult. Others may need to make health care decisions, as individuals, perhaps for the first time. Tomorrow's health care consumers will reflect great diversity in race, ethnicity, language, and culture. They will have varying experience and confidence to make health care decisions.

Tomorrow's health care consumers will be asked to make many difficult health care decisions and become more personally and financially accountable for their decisions. Experience and research has demonstrated that consumers are currently being overwhelmed by the flood of information they receive and by all the decisions they need to make. Tomorrow's health care consumers will need, more than ever, simple, accessible, understandable, and actionable health communications.

At UnitedHealth Group, we are aware of the role that health literacy plays in the provision of high quality, safe, effective, and efficient care. We appreciate the research that has explored the relationship between health literacy and access to and utilization of health care, provider and patient interaction, as well as self-care. Health insurers need information to answer the following questions:

What health literacy interventions work, and what works best?

What is the evidence that health literacy can improve long-term health outcomes and that it affects health status and quality of life?

Is there information that tells us how individuals with varying degrees of health literacy may respond differently to various engagement strategies?

Is there a literature review that looks at studies that make "the business case" for health literacy?

How can the health literate care model suggested by Koh, Brach, Harris, and Parchman (2013) be incorporated into tomorrow's health care system?

Understanding that the language of health is a key to living a healthier life is a key for tomorrow's health care consumer. Tomorrow's health care system needs evidence-based recommendations for helping people access, understand, and use health communications. These research findings must be scalable into larger operational organizations. We recommend that health literacy researchers plan their studies with a goal of helping large numbers of health care consumers better access, understand, and use health communications.


The purpose of this paper is threefold. First, a critique of the current literature on the acculturation experience of Vietnamese international students is provided. Second, a review of the distinctive cultural-historical traits of Vietnamese international students is presented, demonstrating their differences relative to other Asian sojourning groups as well as other Vietnamese migrant groups. A third purpose of this paper is to present a Vietnamesespecific psychological acculturation framework that might pave the theoretical foundation for investigations on the acculturation experience of Vietnamese international students. This framework is based upon Berry's (1997) acculturation framework, and De Jong and Fawcett's (1981) value-expectancy model.


In this paper, we consider the following form of temporal abduction: given a domain theory where each explanatory formula is augmented with a set of temporal constraints on the atoms occurring in the formula, and given a set of observed atoms, with associated temporal constraints, the goal is the generation of a temporally consistent abductive explanation of the observations. Temporal abduction is the basis of many problem solving activities such as temporal diagnosis or reasoning about actions and events. This paper presents an e cient nondeterministic algorithm for temporal abduction which exploits the STP framework [8] in order to represent temporal information. In particular, we exploited some properties of STP, proved in [3], which allow us to e ciently prune temporally inconsistent candidate explanations as soon as possible. The pruning is achieved by interleaving abductive steps with temporal reasoning localized to the constraints on the formula used at each abductive step. The paper discusses the properties of the algorithm, providing both analytical and experimental evaluations of its performance.


Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) can be used in various ways for the optimization of supply chain management processes. However, there are technological constraints that delay a reliable and productive use of the technology. One of these constraints is the problem of false-positive RFID tag reads i.e., tags that have been read unintentionally by an RFID reader. We propose a machine learning based approach that makes use of the low-level reader data collected when reading tags to detect such false-positives. We evaluate our approach by verifying it with data collected in a productive RFID enabled distribution center, where it is necessary to distinguish between pallets that are loaded onto trucks and pallets that are in range of the reader by accident only. Furthermore, we identify several attributes which are expected to reveal characteristics within the low-level reader data that is typical to such false-positive reads.


In today's globalizing society, schools strive to equip their learners with the necessary knowledge and skills to develop international mindedness and intercultural literacy. This has led to changes in the educational field, including the development and implementation of international curricula. Both the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program (IB MYP) and Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) offer some valuable possible contributions to a more international education system. Therefore, this study strives to identify and describe factors that influence the successful implementation of the IB MYP and CLIL in Dutch secondary education. The successfulness is evaluated on two criteria; institutionalization (the degree to which the change is integrated in the everyday teaching and learning practice) and outcomes (the degree to which the desired outcomes are achieved). The research was conducted at the TTO (bilingual education) department of a Dutch secondary school. This school offers the TTO-track for four years, after which most students complete their final two years of secondary education at the VWO (pre-university secondary education). Different groups of stakeholders were interviewed to gather their views on the factors affecting successful implementation of CLIL and the IB MYP, which were categorized according to a number of general factors affecting implementation. In conclusion, the lack of clarity and the complexity of the IB MYP aspect of the curriculum, that also impacted its practicality, the lack of support from some teachers and the concern of equipping students to meet national requirements affected the institutionalization of the IB MYP and CLIL in a negative manner, whereas the support and enthusiasm of the TTO teachers, the professional development activities and teacher collaboration were identified as (indispensable) factors supporting the institutionalization of the IB MYP and CLIL. Although there were some issues on how exactly to implement and institutionalize the IB MYP, students and teachers indicated that TTO students developed a number of skills inherent to the IB MYP. The problems that the students experienced during the transition to the VWO regarding content knowledge gaps were not due to the quality/practicality of the IB MYP. Rather, they were due to a different focus between the IB MYP and the VWO and the national requirements of the VWO. CLIL did not cause that many issues, which is reflected in the learning outcomes. The English proficiency of TTO students was above average, although they did not perform as well on grammar. Some issues with the quality/practicality of the program regarding content and first language learning barely affected the desired learning outcomes. Although these factors offer some preliminary insights in the implementation of an internationalized curriculum within Dutch secondary education, further research is needed to establish the outcomes and effects of internationalized curricula within the Dutch context. THE INTERNATIONALIZATION OF EDUCATION WITHIN THE DUTCH CONTEXT 3


We determined the seed dispersa] rate of two species of Spondias (S. mombin and S. venulosa) by woolly monkeys at Tinigua National Park, Colombia. Focal sampling was used to quantify the dispersa] pattems during one year. Woolly monkeys disperse seeds of S. mombin more frequently than seeds of S. venulosa (11.2 vs. 0.4 seeds per hour of fruit consumption). In order to find out if differences in shape were correlated with the differences in dispersa] rates of the two species of seeds, we compared severa] morphological features of a sample of 587 seeds and 65 whole fruits, belonging to a total of 23 individualtrees. As seed. width was differerit in the two species; on average, seeds of S. venulosa were wider thanS. mombin seeds. Additionally, a sample of seeds collected frorn the rnonkey's feces indlcated that, on average, seeds dispersed by the rnonkeys are ·srnaller than those available in the forest. The rnorphological differences between the fruits and seeds of the two species of Spondias. are rtpt Iikely to be dlie to .allornetric relationships. The interspecific variation was srnaller than that found between trees of the same species, suggesting a high heritable cornponent in the rnorphological characteristics Then, it is possible that woolly rnonkeys in this cornrnunity put a significant selective pressure on the fruit rnorphology of Spondias species. Given their dispersa! patterns, probably they are affecting also the population densities of the plants. Further work on the effect of woolly rnonkeys and other dispersa! agents on the reproductive success of the dispersed is necessary to conf"mn our interpretations.


Residual stresses due to manufacturing processes, such as welding, change the load bearing capacity of cracked components. The effects of residual stresses on crack behaviour in single edge bending specimens were investigated using Finite element analyses. Three parameters (J, Q and R) were used to study the crack behaviour. The J-integral predicts the size scale over which large stresses and strains exist, the constraint parameter Q describes the crack-tip constraint as a result of geometry, loading mode and crack depth and the constraint parameter R is used to describe the constraint resulting from residual stresses. To carry out a systematic investigation on the effect of residual stresses on the J-integral and crack-tip constraints, models under different combinations of residual stresses and external loads with different crack depths were analysed. It has been shown that the crack-tip constraint R increased by tensile residual stresses around the crack-tip. On the other hand, the constraint parameter R decreased and tended to zero at high external load levels.


First-order voltage-mode all-pass filter providing high input and low output impedances is described. The proposed filter employs a fully-differential operational amplifier, a current-controlled current conveyor CCCII, and one capacitor, with the possibility of electronic control of natural frequency. Two voltage outputs are simultaneously available for non-inverting and inverting transfer functions, with the possibility of utilizing them as a differential output.


Neurotrophins are profound regulators of neuronal survival in the developing peripheral nervous system and are synthesized by peripheral neurons themselves both during development and in maturity. Neuronal neurotrophin expression may be importantly related to survival of mature neurons, both in normal and pathological states. We show here that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene expression in dorsal root ganglia is strongly stimulated in vivo by another neurotrophin, nerve growth factor (NGF). Furthermore, colocalization studies show that many BDNF-expressing sensory neurons also express trk A, the high-affinity NGF receptor. These results demonstrate a novel regulatory mechanism for neurotrophin gene expression and suggest a paracrine function for neurotrophins in mature animals.


Systems and methods for timing of a keep-alive messages used in a system for mobile network resource conservation and optimization are disclosed. In one aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure include a method, which may be implemented on a system, of detecting a rate of content change at the content source and adjusting adjusts timing of keep-alive messages sent to the mobile device based on the rate of content change. The timing of the keep-alive messages can further be determined using different polling rates for the content polls of the multiple applications on the mobile device detected by the local proxy.


The paper presents molecular analysis of archaeological human remains from Zagajci near Belišće in Croatia. Bone sample from a single human cranium and two tooth samples obtained from teeth in a scanty "set" of remains found in farther vicinity (all secondary finds) were employed in DNA typing. DNA was analysed for autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) loci and the amelogenin – sex typing locus. The aim was obtaining STR loci profiles in order to investigate possible molecular relatedness between examined materials. Another aim was molecular identification of unknown sex of an individual represented by scanty remains, and confirming of the sex of the individual whose skull was estimated female by morphology. We obtained either low/partial STR loci allelic profiles for tooth samples, or a complete STR loci dropout for a bone sample. There was a single allele (17) of the D3S1358 locus shared among tooth samples. However, molecular sex identification confirmed the presence of a female individual in a scanty "set" of remains in accordance with archaeological data. Major or complete loci STR allele dropout is suggestive of a severe DNA degradation. A complete allelic loci dropout in a bone sample is also suggestive of the lack of contamination with modern DNA.


Sixteen outcrops throughout the Cañon City Embayment and surrounding areas in Colorado were stratigraphically described to conclude that two ancient genera of fish, Astraspis desiderata and Eriptychius americanus, inhabited a low wave energy microtidal shallow marine environment. Debated for over a century, the habitat of these fish has been previously interpreted as fluvial, estuarine and marine. The facies interpretation and sequence stratigraphic analysis presented here provide new understanding to the ongoing debate. The Harding is interpreted here as mostly shoreface facies interrupted with an interval of lagoonal associated facies in the Cañon City area. Low wave energy conditions near the shore allowed extensive burrowing by organisms in the sediment that resulted in the pervasive bioturbation and lack of sedimentary structures. Fish remains are most commonly preserved on flooding surfaces either overlying or underlying shoreface facies and are associated with minor condensed intervals.


This paper addresses the tsunami propagation and subsequent coastal areas flooding by means of a depth-integrated numerical model. Such an approach is fundamental in order to assess the inundation hazard in coastal areas generated by seismogenic tsunami. In this study we adopted, an interdisciplinary approach, in order to consider the tsunami propagation, relates both to geomorphological characteristics of the coast and the bathymetry. In order to validate the numerical model, comparisons with results of other studies were performed. This manuscript presents first applicative results achieved using the weakly dispersive Boussinesq model in the field of tsunami propagation and coastal inundation. Ionic coast of Sicily (Italy) was chosen as a case study due to its high level of exposure to tsunamis. Indeed, the tsunami could be generated by an earthquake in the external Calabrian arc or in the Hellenic arc, both active seismic zones. Finally, in order to demonstrate the possibility to give indications to local authorities, an inundation map, over a small area, was produced by means of the numerical model.


The differences in methods between our meta-analysis and that of Swaen et al ( see page 286 ) did not 'vastly alter' our most important finding or change our overall conclusion ( Occup Environ Med 2008; 65: 371–8). Our major conclusion was that evidence of an association between benzene and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) could be found when analyses were focused on results from highly exposed workers and were appropriately adjusted for the healthy worker effect. In their analysis of high exposure benzene studies, Swaen et al …


With the exception of the sodium D-lines, recent calculations of line broadening cross sections for several multiplets of sodium by Leininger et al (Leininger T, Gadea F X and Dickinson A 2000 J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 33 1805) are in substantial disagreement with cross sections interpolated from the tables of Anstee and O'Mara (Anstee and O'Mara 1995 Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 276 859) and Barklem and O'Mara (Barklem P S and O'Mara B J 1997 Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 290 102). The discrepancy is as large as a factor of 3 for the 3p-4d multiplet. The two theories are tested by using the results of each to synthesize lines in the solar spectrum. It is found that generally the data from the theory of Anstee, Barklem and O'Mara produce the best match to the observed solar spectrum. It is found, using a simple model for reflection of the optical electron by the potential barrier between the two atoms, that the reflection coefficient is too large for avoided crossings with the upper states of subordinate lines to contribute to line broadening, supporting the neglect of avoided ionic crossings by Anstee, Barklem and O'Mara for these lines. The large discrepancies between the two sets of calculations is a result of an approximate treatment of avoided ionic crossings for these lines by Leininger et al (Leininger T, Gadea F X and Dickinson A 2000 J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 33 1805).


Contaminants and other agents are often present at the interface between two fluids, giving rise to rheological properties such as surface shear and dilatational viscosities. The dynamics of viscous drops with interfacial viscosities has attracted greater interest in recent years, due to the influence of surface rheology on deformation and the surrounding flows. We investigate the effects of shear and dilatational viscosities on the electro-deformation of a viscous drop using the Taylor-Melcher leaky dielectric model. We use a large deformation analysis to derive an ordinary differential equation for the drop shape. Our model elucidates the contributions of each force to the overall deformation of the drop and reveals a rich range of dynamic behaviors that show the effects of surface viscosities and their dependence on rheological and electrical properties of the system. We also examine the physical mechanisms underlying the observed behaviors by analyzing the surface dilatation and surface deformation.


In recent years, small craft used for drug trafficking, smuggling, human trafficking and piracy have posed a growing threat to ocean observations and maritime traffic surveillance. In order to combat such threats, microwave radars have been widely used, for maritime surveillance and target reconnaissance tasks, due to their capabilities to operate in all weathers and day and night. However, maritime radars, and particularly those carried on aircraft (such as drones), are confronted with disturbances due to sea clutter which has a strong impact on the detection function, in particular for observations at very grazing angles. Despite that airborne maritime radars typically operate at low grazing angles, from necessity or to achieve the best detection performance, it has also become important to better understand the characteristics of clutter observed at medium and higher grazing angles to undertake maritime reconnaissance using radar embedded on drones. Thus, with a view to better control of sea clutter in a context of observation via a drone with the development of functions for detecting, locating and tracking targets present in a maritime environment, this paper offers a summary of different modelling and characterization of sea clutter in grazing to very grazing configurations.


The impacts of local polymer chain conformations on the methine and carbonyl 13C-NMR chemical shifts for polyethylene acrylic acid p(E-AA) copolymers were predicted using ab initio methods. Using small molecular cluster models, the magnitude and sign of the γ-gauche torsional angle effect, along with the impact of local tetrahedral structure distortions near the carbonyl group, on the 13C-NMR chemical shifts were determined. These 13C-NMR chemical shift variations were compared to the experimental trends observed for precise p(E-AA) copolymers as a function acid group spacing and degree of zinc-neutralization in the corresponding p(E-AA) ionomers. These ab initio calculations address the future ability of 13C-NMR chemical shift variations to provide information about the local chain conformations in p(E-AA) copolymer materials.


We developed greening method by using stiffening material N.S.S. which has been one of our systems for recycling wood chips. It is made of natural stabilizer soil(N.S.S.) and wood chips and has a porous structure. In this study, the uniaxial compression test is experimented with cement stabilizer to estimate the characteristics of strength. The stabilizer is manufactured with various mixing ratio(2%, 4%, 6%, 8%) and curing period(7 day, 14 day, 21 days, 28 day). The result of uniaxial compression test for clay witch mixed cement and natural soil stabilizer (N.S.S), the optimal mixing ratio to obtained suitable strength is about 4~6% and the curing period is 14 days.


Because of the illposedness of soft field, the quality of EIT images is not satisfied as expected. This paper puts forward a threshold strategy to decrease the artifacts in the reconstructed images by modifying the solutions of inverse problem. Threshold strategy is a kind of post processing method with merits of easy, direct and efficient. Reconstructed by Gauss-Newton algorithm, the simulation image's quality is improved evidently. We take two performance targets, image reconstruction error and correlation coefficient, to evaluate the improvement. The images and the data show that threshold strategy is effective and achievable.


Meeting on January 8th. At the suggestion of Dr. P.I. Dobrynin, prof. G.E. Rein, and his comrade, senior doctor of the Ryazan regional hospital, D.S. Shchetkin. Prof. G.E. Rein turned to the section with a speech, in which he thanked for the honorary election. I read the report of Dr. A. I. Zamshin (St. Petersburg). "Bacteriological and experimental research on antiseptic during childbirth and on self-infection."


Food security and sustainability are arguably the most important issues facing the agri-food sector at the beginning of a new millennium. In an era of globalization, where nation states appear to have a diminishing role in governing these matters, the existing and emerging power relations underpinning agri-food regulation demand renewed scholarly attention.

Drawing upon the expertise of some of the most prominent writers in rural sociology, geography and anthropology, this book shows how globalization processes open up a new regulatory politics in which 'non-political' forms of governing play an increasingly influential role in shaping agricultural production and consumption.

The first of its kind to critically and comprehensively examine new forms of governing and regulation, this important text explores the relationship between globalization and new sites, spaces and agents of agricultural regulation, using detailed case studies in developed nations to illustrate points made. Demonstrating the political significance of regulatory mechanisms extending beyond the state, the book also discusses the consequences for the governing of the agri-food sector.


The authors propose a new paradigm for designing and managing behavioral health care systems by using artificial neural networks to measure quality of care (Q), using length-of-stay (LOS) prediction and the variation in LOS prediction, and subsequently using the variation of Q to obtain a measure of uncertainty in treatment. The paper proposes that mental illness is fractal in nature (self-similar at all scales) and conforms to power laws like the Gutenberg-Richter (G-R) law, whereby there is a log-log relationship between frequency of episodes (ie, admissions) and the severity of those episodes. The paper also hypothesizes that 28% is the average uncertainty (residual or excess entropy) in the treatment of mental illness. The authors use the G-R paradigm to calculate the severity of admission and, subsequently, the minimum number of beds for different behavioral health care facilities and propose the optimal partition of beds between community and state services, thereby "balancing" the delivery system. The data presented support the notion that mental illness manifests complexity and "self-organized criticality." The authors hypothesize that correcting deviations from the theoretical G-R curve for each level of care will allow optimum resource distribution, improve quality of care, and reduce costs.


This article provides the first published information on Boor, an Eastern Chadic language spoken in a single village in the Moyen Chari Region of Chad. First, the sociolinguistic situation of the language and its speakers is presented, along with the conditions under which the present data was collected. Then follows a very provisional statement about the consonant and vowel systems of the language, along with some remarks about nominal and verbal morphology. The article finishes by presenting several tables of lexical data, comparing Boor words with those of several nearby languages, in the interest of better understanding the place of Boor within the Eastern Chadic family.


The aim: to study the features of daily profile and circadian rhythm of blood pressure (BP) in groups of patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), depending on glycemic control. Materials and methods: 63 patients with T1DM, age: 18-45 years without hypertension were examined. Patients were divided into groups: Group 1 — HbA1c≤7.0% (n=21), Group 2 — HbA1c>7.0% (n=42). 10 sex- and agematched healthy controls were included. Results: Patients with T1DM had a significantly higher pulsatile blood pressure (PBP) per night, higher daily systolic blood pressure (SBP) variability, compared with healthy controls, and significantly higher daily SBP area index (SPAI24), daily SBP time index (SPTI24), daily diastolic blood pressure (DBP) area index (DPAI24), daily DBP time index (DPTI24). The double product (DP) was higher in patients with T1DM in the daytime and within 24 hours compared to control (p=0.002) and (p=0.001) respectively. Pathological profiles of daily blood pressure were found. In group 1, according to the dipping in SBP 28.57% of patients were non-dippers, 4.76% were extreme dippers. In group 2, the non-dipper profile had 33.33%, the reverse dipper had 2.38%, and extreme dipper had 11.90% of patients. According to the dipping in DBP: in group 1 33.33% were non-dippers, and 9.53% were extreme dippers. In group 2 non-dippers — 19.04%, extreme dippers — 2.38%, extreme dippers — 38.10%. HbA1c directly correlates with: (DPAI24) (ρ=0,301; р=0,014), DPAI night (ρ=0,292; р=0,010), DPTI24 (ρ=0.292; p=0.012), DPTI night (ρ=0.268; p=0.018). Conclusions. The daily blood pressure profile in patients with T1DM without arterial hypertension is characterized by insufficient decrease in BP at night, an increase in the average daily DBP, PBP, as well as DPAI24, DPTI24, DP and the variability of the average daily SBP. Poor glucose control led to led to an increase in hemodynamic load. It is the risk factor cardiovascular complications in patients with T1DM.


Purpose: This paper aims to check the contribution of Logistics Information Systems – LIS to supply chain optimization in the steel industry group of Bachir Rachid. This group that owns eight independent companies and numerous points of sale and warehouses, has to be connected by such advanced systems to ensure effectiveness and profitability. Methodology: A questionnaire was distributed among a group of employees, and the collected data was later analyzed by SPSS 25 and complemented by further structured and unstructured interviews. We have realized an analysis of variance to evaluate the impact of LIS on logistics activities, supply chain management, and integration as well as optimization. The test of Kruskal-Wallis H was chosen due to the non-linearity of the data. Results: This work proves that Logistics Information Systems contribute to the performance of logistics activities, supply chain integration, and supply chain optimization through the enhancement of the efficiency of supply chain management and by the reduction of supply chain costs. The theoretical contribution: The contribution made to the theory of logistics and supply chain management lies in confirming previous findings on the contribution of LIS to logistics and supply chain optimization in Algeria, and more specifically, in the steel industry.


Increasing ship energy efficiency is essential to reducing fuel consumption and ship-based harmful emissions. In a ship's engine room, there are a lot of electric motors, and their energy consumption is remarkable. The effective operation of these electric motors becomes significant when taking into account ship energy efficiency with regard to the effects on the environment and climate change. The electrical, mechanical, and operational efficiencies of electric motors can be improved with a variable frequency drive. In order to improve the ship's overall energy efficiency, the electric motors used for engine room ventilation are examined in this paper using variable frequency drives for two different ambient temperatures. Energy consumption of the engine room ventilation fans is calculated and the change in the efficiency depending on the air temperature is analyzed. By using data from actual crude oil tanker ships, the outcomes are compared with those of the traditional system. The results indicate an energy consumption reduction of more than 80% is achievable by using VFD electric motors for engine room fans. The result corresponds to 153.279 kWh of energy instead of 613.116 kWh annually.


The social role of Islamic banks shows inconsistencies both at home and abroad; this is the basis for con-ducting this research to re-explain the Islamic Corporate Governance (ICG) and Islamic Social Reporting (ISR) relationship, models. This study aims to examine the indirect effect of ICG disclosure on ISR disclo-sure with financial performance as a mediating variable in Islamic Banking in Indonesia. This study uses secondary data with annual report data sources and financial statements on Islamic banking in Indonesia. They are testing this study using stepwise regression analysis with data for the annual reporting period of 2016 through 2019. The result that financial performance mediates the effect of disclosure of ICG on ISR; this shows that proper management of Islamic banks will produce high financial performance so that they can carry out their social roles well too. The contribution of this study is to develop a new model of the part of financial performance mediating the effect of ICG disclosure on ISR so that it is beneficial for the development of science.


The morphological and mechanical properties of thiolated ssDNA films self-assembled at different ionic strength on flat gold surfaces have been investigated using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). AFM nanoshaving experiments, performed in hard tapping mode, allowed selectively removing molecules from micro-sized regions. To image the shaved areas, in addition to the soft contact mode, we explored the use of the Quantitative Imaging (QI) mode. QI is a less perturbative imaging mode that allows obtaining quantitative information on both sample topography and mechanical properties. AFM analysis showed that DNA SAMs assembled at high ionic strength are thicker and less deformable than films prepared at low ionic strength. In the case of thicker films, the difference between film and substrate Young's moduli could be assessed from the analysis of QI data. The AFM finding of thicker and denser films was confirmed by X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Spectroscopic Ellipsometry (SE) analysis. SE data allowed detecting the DNA UV absorption on dense monomolecular films. Moreover, feeding the SE analysis with the thickness data obtained by AFM, we could estimate the refractive index of dense DNA films.


The study on damage evaluation induced by atmospheric corrosion of engineering structures has attracted more and more international concern over the past three decades. However, the effects of atmospheric corrosion on reticulated shells have not been systematically investigated. In this regard, the performance assessment of a reticulated shell subjected to atmospheric corrosion damage is actively conducted in this study. The atmospheric corrosion model of shell elements is first presented, and a refined exponential model for estimating the corrosion depth of steel materials is developed by using the pattern recognition technique. The sensitivity of stiffness matrix to element thickness is established by using Euler–Bernoulli beam element. The sensitivity of mass matrix to element thickness is developed based on lumped mass assumption. Then, the expression of natural frequency sensitivity to element thickness and mass is derived by considering the section loss induced by both the inner and outer surface corrosion. In addition, the explicit expression of frequency sensitivity to mass of spherical joints is also established in detail. The nonlinear static structural analysis is conducted to evaluate effects of atmospheric corrosion on the stress of structural elements. A real reticulated shell constructed in northern China is taken as the example structure to examine the feasibility of the proposed approach and to assess the potential damage caused by atmospheric corrosion to the structure.


BACKGROUND
Understanding racial influences on human papillomavirus (HPV) distribution in women with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) cytology via partial genotyping in a statewide population can inform HPV-based prevention efforts.

METHODS
Women aged 21 to 65 years with any cytology result and partial HPV genotyping for ASCUS triage between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2017, were included. All women attended a Mississippi State Department of Health clinic. Age, race, cytopathologic, and HPV data were extracted from the electronic health record and analyzed. Cytologic specimens were processed with ThinPrep and HPV testing with the Cobas 4800 assay. HPV genotypes were evaluated in hierarchical categories. Chi-square tests and multinomial logistic regression models evaluated associations between race and type prevalence.

RESULTS
There were 43,106 women who underwent cervical cancer screening with cytology and ASCUS triage. Of these, 34,363 (80.2%) had normal cytology, 4672 (10.9%) had ASCUS, 2683 (6.3%) had a low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion, and 633 (1.5%) had a high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion. Blacks represented 69.3% of the sample and had a higher proportion of HPV-positive ASCUS (6.5%) in comparison with whites (5.6%). Blacks had significantly decreased odds of HPV-16 (odds ratio [OR], 0.66; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.6-0.9; P = .002) and significantly increased odds for 12 other types (OR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.2-1.5; P < .0001) in comparison with whites.

CONCLUSIONS
In a diverse population, significant differences in HPV genotypes are shown by race. Importantly, blacks with ASCUS are less likely to be positive for HPV-16 in comparison with whites. Ongoing work is evaluating the individual genotype prevalence and genotype-specific risk of precancer by race.


More and more people in big cities choose urban rail transit as the main means of public transportation. With the increasing unbalanced passenger flow in time and space, the traditional operation mode with fixed train formation (or composition) is difficult to satisfy the varying passenger demands. This paper distinguishes different train formations in urban rail transit, and specifies the definition and the operation process for flexible composition of trains. An integrated train scheduling problem with flexible train composition is proposed, where the key constraints for practical train operation and the utilization of rolling stocks are considered. These constraints involve turnaround constraints, flexible train formation constraints, headway constraints and passenger flow constraints. The resulting problem is a mixed integer nonlinear programming problem, which can be transformed into a mixed integer linear programming problem and then be solved using existing optimization solvers, e.g., CPLEX. Based on the practical infrastructure and passenger demand data of the Beijing Daxing International Airport Express, a set of case studies is carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness of the presented model and solution approach. The computational results show that the train schedule with flexible train compositions can largely reduce the number of waiting passenger when compared with the train schedules with fixed train compositions and with multiple train compositions.


ABSTRACT Textbooks provide the most serious source of knowledge construction and transmission for children at schools. This paper used a discursive and qualitative content analysis approach to extract the dominant values, ideologies and identities in four social studies textbooks taught nationwide to children in primary schools in Iran. Textual and visual analysis were applied on these textbooks and the results showed the saliency of four dominant discourses and values including pre-Islamic ethos and Iranian-Islamic identity, war and peace, social and traditional values in Iranian culture, and respect for diversity. Each of these discourses are discussed and some recommendations are made at the end of the paper to better situate the significance of these values in school textbooks.


Data on the valence isomerisation of norbornadiene and its derivatives into the corresponding quadricyclanes published between 1990 and 2001 are considered and described systematically. The applicability of this reaction for the storage of solar energy is discussed. The bibliography includes 112 references.


Since the establishment of a CO 2 laser beam as a heat source for welding, its application has moved into new areas, replacing existing joining processes. This paper presents an automotive application of laser beam welding for joining hinges to the reinforcement structure of car doors. The objectives of the investigation were to increase productivity, improve repeatability, and maintain overall joint quality, while satisfying the needs for a perfect surface appearance and the structural reliability achieved with the gas metal arc welding (GMAW). Experiments were carried out in two distinct phases. The first dealt with technological feasibility and the second examined the influence of the main laser welding parameters on the quality of the joint. At the end of each phase, nondestructive X-ray and metallographic analyses were applied, allowing the selection of the best overall laser welding conditions. These conditions were then implemented to evaluate the structural integrity of the joints by means of typical automotive industry tests.


Ceftriaxone is a third-generation cephalosporin with a wide spectrum of activity against both gram-negative and gram-positive organisms. Ceftriaxone has proven efficacy against severe and difficult-to-treat community-acquired infections including typhoid fever and other sepsis syndromes caused by multi-drug resistant organisms. Several studies including prospective studies exist in the literature that described the accumulation of sonographically demonstrable sludge (or precipitates) in the gallbladder and sometimes in the urinary tract. The accumulation of sludge occurs during therapy for severe infections in some children identified with certain predisposing factors. The condition is often asymptomatic but might be associated with clinical features that could mimic disease progression in patients with intra-abdominal manifestations of infection such as typhoid fever. Five Nigerian children aged between 4 and 11 years developed demonstrable gallbladder sludge (precipitate) while on treatment for typhoid fever with ceftriaxone. Three of the children manifested clinical features suggestive of gallbladder precipitate accumulation following commencement of the antibiotic, while the other two did not. Ceftriaxone therapy was continued to completion in all the cases along with conservative management. Four of the children recovered and had resolution of the sludge, while the fifth died of multi-organ failure after surgery for intestinal perforation. Although several studies exist in the literature regarding this condition, our search using Medline and Google Scholar did not identify such reports from children in Nigeria or sub-Saharan Africa. The cases are presented to create awareness on the possibility of occurrence of a drug-induced biliary precipitate formation in children.


Submodular maximization has applications in networked control, data summarization, and path planning, among other areas. While several efficient algorithms with provable optimality bounds have been developed for maximizing a single submodular function, the more computationally challenging problem of maximizing the minimum of a set of submodular functions (robust submodular maximization) has received less research attention. In this paper, we investigate robust submodular maximization when the objective functions are correlated, i.e., the marginal benefits of adding elements to each function are within a given ratio of each other. We propose a modified greedy algorithm that exploits the correlation ratio to achieve a provable optimality bound. As a case study, we consider minimization of graph effective resistance, and derive bounds on the correlation ratio using the graph spectrum. Our results are evaluated through numerical study.


This project aims to develop a flexible computer-based learning package which can be used to enhance lecture presentations and enable students to learn independently. The package will be designed to teach students about the social and political dimensions of environmental issues. It will contain resource materials that can be used by the lecturer in a large theatre, including video clips, sound recordings and overhead projection slides. This material will then be available to students who will be able to revise lecture material in their own time, explore aspects of it in more depth, and interactively access references, information and primary material to help them with assignments. The package will be designed to be used by students individually and in small groups. This journal article is available in Overview University of Wollongong Teaching & Learning Journal: http://ro.uow.edu.au/overview/ vol1/iss2/8


Background Children born preterm present higher rates of ADHD symptoms and autistic traits than the general population. Entorhinal cortical abnormalities have been related to cognitive deficits in the preterm population, and to psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders in the general population. Aim To assess whether ADHD symptoms and relational problems are associated with changes in entorhinal cortical thickness in very low birth weight (VLBW) adolescents. Design/methods Fifty VLBW (birth weight ≤1500 g) and 57 term control adolescents were assessed at 14–15 years of age with: ADHD Rating Scale IV (mother report), Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ mother report), Child Behaviour Check List (CBCL mother report) and Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ). Entorhinal cortical thickness (mm) was obtained using an automated MRI segmentation technique (Freesurfer). Associations were analysed by linear regression, adjusted for age, gender and socioeconomic status, and corrected for multiple comparisons (Benjamini-Hochberg procedure). Results VLBW adolescents had higher ADHD and ASSQ scores than controls. On MRI, they had thinner entorhinal cortex compared to controls. Thinner entorhinal cortex was associated with higher ASSQ scores (Left: B=-0.946 (-1.517 to -0.374), p = 0.002; Right: B=-0.759 (-1.308 to -0.210), p = 0.008), and higher SDQ Peer Problems Scale scores (Right: B=-0.254 (-0.459 to -0.050), p = 0.016). Conclusion Relational problems were associated with entorhinal cortical thinning in adolescents born preterm with VLBW, while associations were not found for ADHD symptoms. The different association in the two symptom groups with the entorhinal cortex might help to identify deviant neural structures and their relation to specific mental disorders.


OBJECTIVE
A large number of older patients with serious mental illnesses, including schizophrenia, now reside in nursing homes or similar residences, yet little is known about assessments, services, or outcomes for these patients. The Minimum Data Set (MDS) is a mandatory assessment instrument for nursing care facilities, and although it has been well studied in the general nursing home population, little is known about its validity in assessing schizophrenia, which was the purpose of this study.

METHODS
A group of 77 patients with schizophrenia had been recruited as part of a longitudinal study and were evaluated after their referral to nursing homes. Researchers compared ratings from the MDS with ratings of cognition and symptoms using instruments previously validated for the assessment of serious mental illness.

RESULTS
The cognitive subscale of the MDS (MDS-COG) was not strongly correlated with the Mini-Mental State Examination and was generally uncorrelated with performance on neuropsychological tasks. Symptoms were underreported on the MDS and were not significantly associated with researchers' ratings. Moreover, the ratings from the MDS, unlike the researchers' ratings, were not predictive of functional status, revealing poor criterion validity.

CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that the MDS is not a suitable rating instrument to evaluate the symptoms and functional characteristics of older patients with schizophrenia. Future work will be required to develop instruments that would allow nursing home staff to recognize and report symptoms, cognitive impairments, and functional characteristics of these patients, which are important first steps for improving treatment services.


This short article shows through a few cases in both urban and rural Ghana reasons why non-poor families fall into poverty. The causes can be found at different geographical levels, and the process of becoming poor often consists of a sequence of negative events. Most of these events could easily be mitigated by rather simple and inexpensive social protection policies. Poverty alleviation policies are nearly always focused on how to help poor people out of their low level of consumption, and out of their problems of access to social services, jobs and resources. In the present article it is argued that another equally important focus is to formulate and implement policies that can prevent people, who are clearly not poor, from entering a down-ward spiral of negative events and circumstances, both personal and work or income related, in order to bring their consumption below the poverty line for a short or long time. Keywords: Poverty; social protection; safety nets; Ghana


The interaction of free fatty acids with cell membranes and lipid bilayers was studied by monitoring the emission polarization changes of the fluorescent probes 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH) and 8-anilino-1-naphthalene sulfonate (ANS). It was found that cis unsaturated fatty acids incorporated into plasma membranes reduced DPH and increased ANS polarization, while trans-unsaturated and saturated fatty acids had no effect on DPH, but did increase ANS polarization. Although in fluid lipid vesicles, both types of fatty acids decreased DPH polarization, in mixed phase vesicles (dilauroyl phosphatidylcho1ine:dipalmitoy1 phosphatidylcholine) polarization changes of ANS and DPH were similar to that observed in plasma membranes. Alteration in the dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine phase transition as a function of fatty acid type was used to study the fluid-solid partition behavior in lipid bilayers. Using solution theory, the shift in the transition midpoint temperature was used to infer that the el-unsaturated fatty acids partition into fluid domains while the tmns-unsaturated and saturated fatty acids preferentially partition into solid-like domains. The fluorescent lifetime of DPH in membranes and vesicles was measured by the phase-modulation technique. The results were analyzed in terms of site heterogeneity and indicate that while DPH decay in single phase vesicles is monoexponential, a considerable degree of heterogeneity is observed in mixed phase vesicles and plasma membranes. In particular, evidence is obtained for a DPH binding site which corresponds to the interface between lipid domains. These results, together with the free fatty acid effects, are interpreted in terms of lipid domains in membranes.


Digital societies come with a design paradox: On the one hand, technologies, such as Internet of Things, pervasive and ubiquitous systems, allow a distributed local intelligence in interconnected devices of our everyday life such as smart phones, smart thermostats, self-driving cars, etc. On the other hand, Big Data collection and storage is managed in a highly centralized fashion, resulting in privacy-intrusion, surveillance actions, discriminatory and segregation social phenomena. What is the difference between a distributed and a decentralized system design? How "decentralized" is the processing of our data nowadays? Does centralized design undermine autonomy? Can the level of decentralization in the implemented technologies influence ethical and social dimensions, such as social justice? Can decentralization convey sustainability? Are there parallelisms between the decentralization of digital technology and the decentralization of urban development?


Background Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis are common among Chinese men who have sex with men (MSM), but testing rates are low. We developed a pay-it-forward program, where each man receives a free gonorrhea/chlamydia test and can then choose to donate toward testing for future participants. This study aims to investigate the facilitators of increased gonorrhea/chlamydia testing among MSM in the pay-it-forward program. Methods We collected survey data on socio-demographics and perceived benefits of the pay-it-forward program among men offered the pay-it-forward intervention as part of a quasi-experimental study in Guangzhou, China. We analyzed testing uptake using multivariable logistic regression. We also conducted twelve semi-structured interviews with men who received testing eliciting their perceptions of the program. Interview data were coded to identify themes. Results 204 MSM were offered pay-it-forward and 109 (54%) received gonorrhea/chlamydia testing. Across survey and interview data, the main facilitators of testing were (1) lower cost and (2) care for MSM community. First, 48/204 (24%) participants selected discounted testing as a benefit of pay-it-forward, and receiving testing was not associated with income. In interviews, the majority of participants felt that standard hospital-based testing was prohibitively expensive, especially for students (150 RMB, ∼USD $21.50); pay-it-forward made testing affordable for them. Second, 141/204 (70%) men selected 'more MSM can get tested' or 'I can help someone else' as benefits of pay-it-forward, and selecting at least one of these options was associated with getting tested (aOR = 2.59, 95% CI = 1.31–5.15). In interviews, some men expressed desire to contribute to the MSM community; others felt that encouraging others to test could also eventually benefit themselves. Conclusion This pay-it-forward program may increase MSM gonorrhea/chlamydia testing rates by reducing barriers due to cost and mobilizing community altruism. This model may be useful for other settings and sexual health services. Disclosure No significant relationships.


That individual preferences may he aggregated into a meaningful collective decision using the Condorcet criterion of majority choice is one of the central tenets of democracy. But that individual preferences may not yield majority winners is one of the classic findings of the social choice literature. Given this problem, social choice theorists have attempted to estimate the probability of Condorcet winners, given certain empirical or theoretical conditions. We shall estimate the probabilities of Condorcet winners and intransitive aggregate orders for various numbers of individuals with strong or weak preference orders across various numbers of alternatives. We find, using computer simulation, a stark contrast between these estimates assuming strong individual preferences and the estimates allowing for individuals' indifference between pairs of alternatives. In contrast to earlier work, which depends on the strong-preference assumption, we suggest that the problem is most acute for small committee decision making and least acute for mass elections with few alternatives.


Human memory consists of sensory memory (SM), short-term memory (STM), and long-term memory (LTM). SM enables a large capacity, but decays rapidly. STM has limited capacity, but lasts longer. The traditional view of these memory systems resembles a leaky hourglass, the large top and bottom portions representing the large capacities of SM and LTM, whereas the narrow portion in the middle represents the limited capacity of STM. The "leak" in the top part of the hourglass depicts the rapid decay of the contents of SM. However, recently, it was shown that major bottlenecks for motion processing exist prior to STM, and the "leaky hourglass" model was replaced by a "leaky flask" model with a narrower top part to capture bottlenecks prior to STM. The leaky flask model was based on data from one study, and the first goal of the current paper was to test if the leaky flask model would generalize by using a different set of data. The second goal of the paper was to explore various block diagram models for memory systems and determine the one best supported by the data. We expressed these block diagram models in terms of statistical mixture models and, by using the Bayesian information criterion (BIC), found that a model with four components, viz., SM, attention, STM, and guessing, provided the best fit to our data. In summary, we generalized previous findings about early qualitative and quantitative bottlenecks, as expressed in the leaky flask model and showed that a four-process model can provide a good explanation for how visual information is processed and stored in memory.


Implicit feedback is prevalent in real-world scenarios and is widely used in the construction of recommender systems. However, the application of implicit feedback data is much more complicated than its explicit counterpart because it provides only positive feedback, and we cannot know whether the non-interacted feedback is positive or negative. Furthermore, positive feedback for rare items is observed less frequently than popular items. The relevance of such rare items is often underestimated. Existing solutions to such challenges are subject to bias toward the ideal loss function of interest or accept a simple pointwise approach, which is inappropriate for a ranking task. In this study, we first define an ideal pairwise loss function defined using the ground-truth relevance parameters that should be used to optimize the ranking metrics. Subsequently, we propose a theoretically grounded unbiased estimator for this ideal pairwise loss and a corresponding algorithm, Unbiased Bayesian Personalized Ranking. A pairwise algorithm addressing the two major difficulties in using implicit feedback has yet to be investigated, and the proposed algorithm is the first pairwise method for solving these challenges in a theoretically principal manner. Through theoretical analysis, we provide the critical statistical properties of the proposed unbiased estimator and a practical variance reduction technique. Empirical evaluations using real-world datasets demonstrate the practical strength of our approach.


A new type of wearable robot that provides a third and fourth arm for performing manipulative tasks with the wearer's own arms is presented. These Supernumerary Robotic Limbs (SRL) work so closely with the human that he/she can potentially perceive them to be his/her own. The SRL consist of two independently acting robotic limbs that can function as either arms or legs to help the user position objects, lift weights, and maintain balance. These wearable robots are aimed to augment not only the strength and the precision of the human users, but also their range of skills and interactions with the environment. The guiding principles of the robotic design are safety, transparency and user comfort. Series viscoelastic actuators provide suitable joint torques while ensuring compliance and robust torque sensing. A Bowden cable transmission actuates the elbow joint, minimizing the robotic arms' weight. A tuned elastic human-robot coupling ensures wearability and comfort. To quantify the mechanical advantage the SRL offers to the operator during use, joint torques generated in the human while performing static manipulation tasks have been reconstructed experimentally.© 2012 ASME


In this work, we present a novel method for tracking an elliptical shape approximation of an extended object based on a varying number of spatially distributed measurements. For this purpose, an explicit nonlinear measurement equation is formulated that relates the kinematic and shape parameters to a measurement by means of a multiplicative noise term. Based on the measurement equation, we derive an extended Kalman filter (EKF) for a closed-form recursive measurement update. The performance of the proposed method is demonstrated with simulations.


Our first edition for 2019 sees JMO present a series of papers that explore the process of creativity through to innovation. While it is a well-accepted management mantra that successful companies are those who are the most creative and innovative, what does this really mean and actually look like? More importantly, for many organisations – why do so many creative ideas never successfully translate into innovation? As we will see in the nine papers presented in this issue, creativity derives from the application of knowledge, curiosity, imagination, and evaluation – and the output is innovation. While our selection of papers provides examples of innovation in both products and services, a unifying feature is creative ideas must be evaluated and developed into usable ideas. In other words, creativity really is a process that, when successful, leads to innovation. It sounds simple in management textbooks but, as the papers in this issue reveal, there are many contingencies that need to be taken into account Our first paper is by Yung-Chang Hsiao and offers an exploration of 'Service Innovation and Value Creation: The Critical Role of Network Relationships'. While the insight that service innovation is positively related to network relationships, and that these in turn have a positive effect on customer satisfaction, there is the interesting suggestion that network relationships actually play a mediating role between the two. It is a paper that would make interesting reading for practitioners trying to understand why that 'great' customer service improvement idea fails to translate into increased customer satisfaction! It is not only the human element that needs to be considered in the 'creativity to innovation' process. In our second paper, Maria Bolivar-Ramos looks at the collaborative linkages and innovation performance of new ventures and how they are affected by geographical and institutional distance. Bolivar-Ramos not only explains the problem, she also offers a novel framework that actually explains how contextual factors associated with distance affect the relation between new ventures' collaborations and their ability to develop innovations. Again, I believe that this is a paper that has practical implications and the potential to contribute beyond the academic community. This practical aspect is very much to the fore in our third offering. Dealing with the challenge of translating good ideas into practice, Stuart Ferguson and Deborah Blackman provide us with a case study of an innovative public sector organization to reveal the 'importance of a mandate' and the 'development of trust.' These human elements in the 'creativity to innovation' process are summed up by Fergusson and Blackman as key "managerial approaches that developed a supportive setting for innovation enabled the development of practices whereby innovation was effectively recognized, nurtured and sustained". Our fourth paper provides another aspect to the human element with authors Pavitra Mishra, Jyotsna Bhatnagar, Rajen Gupta and Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth exploring how work-family enrichment influences innovative work behaviour. With psychological capital and supervisor support as mediators, they found psychological capital fully mediated between bi-directional


A biophysical understanding of the MSW-to-energy facility located at the São João landfill in São Paulo is performed using emergy synthesis. The implementation of a plan for environmental compensation in fulfillment of State's requirements was also assessed. Emergy based indices are calculated to assess the environmental pressure and sustainability status of the biogas project. The study was conducted by combining the study of emergy indicators and the net emergy yield ratio to determine long-term sustainability and measure global environmental stress. The Emergy investment to the use of biogas is relatively low and profitable. The implementation of the project for environmental compensation does not change the Emergy investment significantly, but the energy recovery is high. The conclusions justify the effort invested in developing MSW-to-energy plants and are applicable for policy makers in a highly sensitive sector to achieve sustainability goals - recovery of energy.


A 31-year-old woman with a large placental tumor underwent a caesarean section. After delivery, the lesion, detected by ultrasound examination, was found to originate from the umbilical cord. A live female infant with cyanosis, hypotonia and diffuse edema was delivered. A review of the literature, which revealed 31 cases of umbilical cord hemangioma, showed that this tumor has a polymorphous presentation. Some fetuses and infants died from various causes, indicating that a close follow-up is necessary in these pregnancies


As competition creates infinite choices, companies look for ways to connect emotionally with customers, become irreplaceable, and create enduring relationships. The continuous search for ways to establish emotional connections and create strong corporate brands could be achieved by the ability to integrate various online and offline communication tools. Given the wide range of communication tools available to connect with stakeholders, organisations must consider ways to combine these in the best possible ways since traditional media will not become obsolete. This article is based on the findings of a quantitative study that identified three broad foundational elements and unique features of a framework to achieve the integration of social media brand communication. The elements and features were empirically tested and verified. Results supported the correlation and a strong positive linear association between the elements confirmed the internal reliability between the sets of features, and indicated strong statistical justification of the combination of the features in the respective elements. By adopting an interdisciplinary focus on the corporate brand, social media, and Integrated Communication (IC), the article proposes a framework whereby the integration of social media brand communication could be attained; thus, promoting a strong corporate brand. The framework incorporates distinct strategic and tactical points at which the coordination of social media brand communication may occur.


Summary The aim of this study was to optimize protocols for electroporation (EP) and polyfection (PLF) using polyethyleneimine (PEI) for pig sperm transfection and to determine which method was the most efficient. For EP standardization, different voltages, amounts and times of electric pulses were tested using propidium iodide (PI) as reporter. For PLF standardization, different concentrations of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labelled PEI (PEI/FITC) were incubated with sperm for different periods of time. Flow cytometry was performed to evaluate the best protocol in terms of cell viability, including cytoplasmic membrane, acrosome, chromatin integrities and mitochondrial potential using the FITC probe, PI, acridine orange (AO) and JC1. Transfections with the plasmid pmhyGENIE-5 were carried out under optimum conditions for each procedure (EP: 500 volts, 500 μs and two pulses; PLF: PEI 0.5 mg/ml and incubation time 10 min). Transfection efficacy was assessed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). A lower transfection rate was observed for sperm in the control group (17.8%) compared with EP (36.7%), with PLF (76.8%) being the most efficient. These results suggest that the EP and PEI could be an efficient and low cost transfection method for swine sperm. Notably, treated cells showed higher plasmatic the membrane damage (PMD) and/or acrosome damage (AD) indexes, therefore the combination of this procedure with biotechniques that facilitate fecundation (i.e. in vitro fertilization or intracytoplasmic sperm injection) or even inclusion of antioxidant or anti-apoptotic drugs to improve spermatozoa viability would be important.


Background Mental disorders have been a great burden on health care systems, affecting the quality of life of millions of people worldwide. Developing countries, including China, suffer from the double burden of both the increasing mental health issues in population and the deficiency in mental health care resources. The use of mobile health technologies, especially for mobile phone apps, can be a possible solution. Objective This review aimed to describe the features and assess the quality of mental health apps in major mobile phone app markets in China and further discuss the priorities for mental health app development. Methods Keywords including psychology, psychological health, psychological hygiene, psychological health service(s), mental, mental health, mental hygiene, mental health service(s), depression, and anxiety were searched in Chinese in 3 Android app markets (Baidu Mobile Assistant, Tencent MyApp, and 360 Mobile Assistant) and iOS App Store independently. Mental health apps were then selected according to established criteria for in-depth analysis and quality assessment by the Mobile App Rating Scale. Results In total, 63 of 997 mental health apps were analyzed in depth, of which 78% (49/63) were developed by commercial entities for general population, 17% (11/63) were for patients or clients of specialized psychiatric hospitals or counseling agencies, 3% (2/63) were by government or local Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for general information, and 2% (1/63) for students of a university. Major built-in features of the apps included counseling services, mental health education, and self-assessment of mental health status by validated self-rating scales. The overall quality score of the MH apps was acceptable. Conclusions Mental health apps are emerging in the area of mobile health in China. Popular mental health apps usually provide a synthetic platform organizing resources of information, knowledge, counseling services, self-tests, and management for the general population with mental health-related inquiries. The quality of the apps was rated as acceptable on average, suggesting some space for improvement. Official guidelines and regulations are urgently required for the field in the future.


The differential diagnosis for an intra-articular lesion in the knee of a pediatric patient is broad. Diagnostic considerations include pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS)-the most common intra-articular tumor-and a variety of both benign and malignant tumors, including lipomas, hemangiopericytomas, nodular fasciitis, parosteal osteosarcomas, and fibromyxoid sarcomas. If there is concern over possible malignant lesions, a tumor surgeon should be consulted. Precise pathologic diagnosis is ideal for identifying these enigmatic lesions and for determining the appropriate treatment plan. This article presents the case of a 13-year-old boy who presented with 1-month duration of knee pain and no history of trauma to the extremity. Physical examination revealed pain along the medial and lateral joint lines, pain with range of motion, and limited range of motion of the affected knee. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a 3×1×3-cm lesion in the posterolateral corner that was believed to be localized PVNS. Arthroscopically, there was no evidence of PVNS, but a posterolateral soft tissue mass was found and removed, which was pathologically diagnosed as a rare, benign, intra-articular nodular fasciitis. When working with intra-articular masses, it is important to assess the likelihood of malignancy and to both consult a tumor surgeon and use the appropriate surgical tumor principles when malignancy is a concern. Additionally, the pathology team should be consulted prior to surgery and be on standby during arthroscopic evaluation of the knee to help with precise diagnosis of the intra-articular mass. Discussing the case with the pathologist with imaging studies present is helpful and often aids in the diagnosis of the lesion.


The purpose of this work was to investigate fluid flow after restoration using four restorative procedures. Micro-gap, internal dye leakage, and micropermeability of bonded interfaces were also investigated. Each tooth was mounted, connected to a fluid flow-measuring device, and an occlusal cavity was prepared. Fluid flow after cavity preparation was recorded as the baseline measurement, and the cavity was restored using one of four restorative procedures: bonding with total-etch (Single Bond 2) or self-etch (Clearfil SE Bond) adhesives without lining; or lining with resin-modified glass-ionomer cement (GIC) (Fuji Lining LC) or conventional GIC (Fuji IX) and then bonding with the total-etch adhesive. Fluid flow was recorded after restoration and at specific time-points up to 6 months thereafter and recorded as a percentage. Micro-gap formation was analyzed using resin replicas and scanning electron microscopy. Internal leakage of 2% methylene blue dye was observed under a light microscope. In micro-permeability testing, fluorescent-dye penetration was investigated using confocal laser microscopy. None of the restorative procedures provided a perfectly sealed restoration. Glass-ionomer lining did not reduce fluid flow after restoration, and micro-gaps were frequently detected. The self-etch adhesive failed to provide a better seal than the total-etch adhesive, and even initial gap formation was rarely observed for the former. Penetration of methylene blue and fluorescent dyes was detected in most restorations.


The development of the marine renewable energy, as referenced in the objectives achievement of many energy roadmaps [1], is conditioned by the possibilities to integrate the marine generation power plants in the electric systems. Offshore wind, floating solar PV, tidal, waves and even saline gradient are the technologies considered. The success of these plans needs to fulfil, among others, the compliance of the electric grid codes, ensuring the stability of electric grids.
The integration of marine renewable energies is still not a problem at the electric grids, since the penetration level is not so high. However, the objectives established in the roadmaps invite to analyse the expected effects of new power plants from the point of view of performance at the electric systems. Actually, some research works have identified an increase in the number of frequency and voltage events in electric systems due to higher penetration of marine energies [2].
The connection of the marine renewable generation is usually taken place in nodes of the electric grids not very favourable in terms of power capacity and voltage drops. Moreover, many of the locations where the marine renewable energies result economically viable are linked to weak areas of the electric grid, meaning that frequency and voltage are more sensible. That is the case of remote isolated areas, as usually coastal areas, or islands. Additionally, some of the technologies considered, such as wave energy, present very oscillatory power profiles which produce an unbalance with the consumption profiles, leading to stability problems.
More and more countries are putting an eye on new sources of energy, integrating them in their energy policies in order to search alternatives to face energy crisis. This is the case of many countries in Centre and South America, that have included in their roadmaps the renewable marine energies [3]. One of the main issues in these countries is the lack of robust electric grids or the condition of weak grids in coastal areas.
This paper presents the result of the analysis of different electric grids in Ibero-American countries. Three different regions have been considered: Mesoamerica, South America and Iberian Peninsula and Macaronesia, and particular areas or countries have been selected from each region as representative of the critical conditions in terms of grid integration. Costa Rica, Peru, Brazil and Argentina, and the Canary Islands in Spain, are the selected case studies. The results presented will summarize: power limits, time response, energy storage and backup generation requirements, power ramps, power oscillation allowed, etc.
This work has been accomplished in the frame of the activities carried out by the groups involved in the thematic network REMAR (Opportunities of Integration of Ocean Energies in Ibero-American Electric Grids), promoted and funded by the Ibero-American Programme of Science and Technology for the Development (CYTED).


The recent published study by Ohkubo et al. (1) investigated the interesting relationship between masked hypertension and the risk of cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in the future. This 10-year follow-up study demonstrated that the relative hazards of masked hypertensive patients and sustained hypertensive patients were significantly higher than the hazards for white-coat hypertensive patients and patients with normal blood pressure (BP). However, there are some limitations that deserve special attention. The BP level may have been decreased coincidently during the single-office BP measurement owing to BP variability. In addition, one-third of the subjects classified as masked hypertensive received antihypertensive treatment and may have taken their medication a few hours before the visit, leading to decreased BP levels at the time of measurement. When these drugs have a short half-life and/or patients have a poor adherence to the prescribed medication, BP may be higher outside the office, causing a classification of masked hypertension. Thus, this indicates that the subjects who are classified as masked hypertensive are in fact true hypertensives, as is confirmed by their ambulatory BP value, which is considered to be more reliable than conventional office BP measurements (2). Although no statistical difference was given between relative hazards for sustained and masked hypertension, a potential reason that subjects classified as masked hypertensive had a lower risk of cardiovascular morbidity than did those classified as sustained hypertensive may be explained by the fact that the chance of being classified as masked hypertensive is higher for mild to moderate hypertensive patients than it is for severe hypertensive patients because their BP values are closer to the upper limits. Therefore, we conclude that masked hypertension is an erroneous description of sustained hypertension.


cannot assert on the basis of this passage that Camoes felt his epic surpassed the poems of Homer and Vergil. Camoes merely thought that the exploits of the Portu guese outdid those described in the earlier epics. And Vasco da Gama and Camoes had ample reason to believe that what is told in the poem reflects the truth. Sober and reliable Portuguese historians support the account. We should keep separate what the poet says as poet and what he says from the lips of his character. Counter to the no tion of Camoes's overweening pride arc passages of hu mility, where he admits his lack of talent (10.145.1-2, 10.154.1-2). Fifth is the accusation that Camoes is guilty of selfpity, supported by the lament of misfortunes he voices to the nymphs of the Tagus and Mondego. I take this pas sage as a plea that they make his poetic powers equal to the noble deeds he celebrates (7.78-87). Sixth, the criticism that Camoes was nationalistic and imperialistic condemns him by the standards of 1996 for being a child of the sixteenth century. Part of the miracle of Os Lusiadas is that by 1572 Portugal, the tinier part of the Iberian peninsula, should have achieved so much and found so admirable a spokesman.


The goal of modern prosthetics is to replicate the function of the replaced limb or organ in the most capable and discreet fashion possible. However, even the most advanced, commercial, transtibial prostheses available today only passively adjust the position of the ankle during the swing phase of gait and return a portion of the userpsilas own gravitational input. To greatly improve the quality of life of a transtibial amputee, new technologies and approaches must be used to create a cutting-edge robotic ankle prosthesis which can perform on par with, if not outperform, the equivalent able-bodied human ankle. Initial attempts by us and others have had great success in providing the natural gait power and motion through all ranges of walking speeds. A new design is presented which governs both the coronal and sagittal angles and moments of the ankle joint to potentially provide unprecedented levels of athleticism and agility among transtibial amputees.


Aims: This survey was performed to determine how anaemia in pre-dialysis patients is currently managed. Methods: A random sample of 200 nephrologists attending the 1999 ERA/EDTA Congress participated in an interactive survey session. Participants were questioned on their current prescribing attitudes and preferences, and asked to select a preferred answer from a number of alternatives by means of an electronic key-pad. Results: Three quarters of the audience treated their pre-dialysis patients with erythropoietin. However, approximately 50% treated ≤10% of patients and only 8% of respondents treated ≧75%. In addition, more than half of the respondents said that very few of their patients currently self-administer erythropoietin. Increased healthcare expenditure was the main reason given for limiting treatment. Conclusions: The survey highlighted important gaps in long-term treatment strategies for pre-dialysis patients. It indicated that new approaches to the treatment of renal anaemia are needed to minimise disease progression and to prevent cardiac dysfunction and associated mortality. Erythropoietin has already been shown to significantly improve the survival of dialysis patients with renal anaemia, and new strategies might, therefore, include the prevention of anaemia in pre-dialysis patients by earlier initiation of erythropoietin therapy.


ABSTRACT Political leaders appeal to home audiences as well as 'others' beyond the state's borders. Using leadership trait analysis, in the example of Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, this paper questions if and why a leader can exhibit different leadership traits and styles at home and away. The paper is concerned with how Erdoğan's leadership traits and style connect to Turkish foreign policy between March 2003 and May 2013. First, two profiles of Erdoğan are assessed from the interviews he gave to domestic and foreign press. The paper then reports Erdoğan's profiles by distinguishing between different Western, Eastern, European, American, and Middle Eastern audiences. Based on these profiles, this paper argues that Erdoğan has two different profiles at home and away. Furthermore, it finds that Erdoğan's profile from his foreign policy interviews with American news outlets stand out from his other profiles. Among other traits, Erdoğan's task focus changes noticeably among audiences.


This paper will focus on the administration or management of remote sensing data with the web based network communication. Though it is one of the important aspects to carry on esearch activities or encourage knowledge sharing, there is no adequate software to handle the remote sensing data in terms of cost and benefit. In this study, a free software package is developed for web based management system of remote sensing data from Terra ASTER and its performance is evaluated by comparing with the same type of existing systems. The advantage of our system is that it is designed to work under UNIX system in conjunction with the free software attached with that operating system. Another strength is the point that this system can be easily applied for other data source management such as Landsat and JERS-1 by modifying the corresponding module. An easy to use interface and processing system is expected to promote the use of ASTER data. The full package with UNIX compatible binary format is freely available via the FTP (ftp: //webmodis.iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp/ASTER/) .


ABSTRACT A number of studies explore the differences in men's and women's labor market participation rates and wages. Some of these differences have been linked to gender disparities in education access and attainment. The present paper contributes to this literature by analyzing the relationship between the proclivity of a firm having a top woman manager and access to education among women relative to men in the country. The study combines the literature on women's careers in management, which has mostly focused on developed countries, with the development literature that has emphasized the importance of access to education. Using firm-level data for seventy-three developing countries in 2007–10, the study finds strong evidence that countries with a higher proportion of top women managers also have higher enrollment rates for women relative to men in primary, secondary, and tertiary education.


Purpose: Several scoring systems and biochemical markers have been proposed for the early prediction of acute pancreatitis. The Harmless Acute Pancreatitis Score (HAPS) is a novel scoring system to recognize acute pancreatitis patients with a non-severe clinical course. This study was conducted to evaluate the usefulness of HAPS to predict good prognosis of acute pancreatitis in the emergency department (ED). Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the electronic medical records of patients who presented to the ED with acute pancreatitis from January 2010 to December 2011. The parameters constituting HAPS, including physical signs of peritonitis (rebound abdominal tenderness), hematocrit and serum creatinine levels were abstracted. Severe clinical course was defined as having one of the following: mortality while in hospital, necrosis as assessed by contrast CT, need for artificial ventilation or dialysis. The diagnostic performance of HAPS for predicting harmless course was evaluated by sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values. Results: During the study period, 144 patients with a final diagnosis of acute pancreatitis were included. Among these 144 patients, 79 were predicted to have a non-severe course by HAPS, of whom 4 patients progressed to severe pancreatitis. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were 61.5%, 81.8%, 94.9% and 27.7%, respectively. Conclusion: This study suggests that HAPS is simple and can be assessed within a few hours in the ED. HAPS also showed a high positive predictive value that predicts a nonsevere course of acute pancreatitis. Therefore, HAPS may be used as a scoring system to identify non-severe acute pancreatitis in the ED.


[reaction: see text] An efficient and one-step synthesis of 3-aminoindolizines or benz[e]indolizines from the reactions of propargyl amines or amides with heteroaryl bromides was developed. This methodology is realized by a tandem reaction using Pd/Cu catalysts, which could catalyze coupling and cycloisomerization reactions in the same vessel.


Hollow glass waveguides (HGWs) have been extensively investigated for the transmission of broadband, high-power radiation, particularly in the mid-infrared. One area of particular interest is the deposition of dielectric thin films within the hollow core of the HGW in order to reduce the losses at desired wavelengths. By implementing a thin film multilayer structure with high index mismatch between adjacent films, it is possible to dramatically improve the losses of the waveguides due to the thin film interference effect. Existing multilayer film research has utilized heavy metal halides, which although provide considerable index contrast, are toxic and unsuitable for clinical applications in which they are often used. Polymer dielectric thin films provide desirable optical properties for HGWs but are hindered by solvent compatibility in the deposition procedure. This work demonstrates implementation of a polymer multilayer dielectric thin film stack within a HGW, using ChemoursTM Teflon AF (n = 1.29) as the low-index material and polystyrene (n = 1.59) as the high-index material. These two polymers were deposited using liquid phase techniques within a HGW; the absorption spectra of waveguide as each layer was deposited on was analyzed in the mid-IR with an FTIR, and straight and bending losses were measured on a CO2 laser. Appreciable losses were realized with the addition of the second polymer film and the interference bands red-shifted with the second layer, suggesting the successful creation of the multilayer structure.


Biological research in recent years has generated significant interest for in vivo small animal imaging technologies. 3D small animal X-ray computed tomography (CT) provides anatomical images with high spatial resolution and good bone-to-soft tissue contrast. Radiation doses to the subject can be significant when soft tissue contrast and high-resolution images are desired. We have used the MCNP Monte Carlo simulation, and calibrated thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD's), in combination with high resolution X-ray spectra obtained with a cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) detector, to calculate the depth dependent dose in 3D high resolution X-ray CT. Three spectra (30 kVp with 0.25 mm of aluminum filtration, 40 kVp with 0.50 mm Al, and 50 kVp with 1.00 mm Al) were chosen as representative of soft, medium, and hard beams. MCNP was used to simulate the dose from these X-ray spectra incident upon a cylindrical mouse-sized phantom (2.54/spl times/6.1cm). The same phantom was also constructed from solid lucite material with thermo-luminescent dosimeters (TLD's) placed at the positions where we sampled the dose with MCNP. The maximum and minimum dose observed in this study is 19.7 /spl plusmn/ 1.7 cGy from the soft beam measured nearest the surface, and 5.2 /spl plusmn/ 0.1 cGy from the hard beam measured furthest from the source, for a typical data acquisition with 196 angles.


The phenomena of light-evoked electrical activity of the retinal pigment epithelium, retina, and visual cortex can be used for specific diagnostic testing. The EOG, with standing potential and light peak, reflects the functional state of the pigment epithelium; the ERG reflects the function of the photoreceptors (a-wave) and inner nuclear layer (b-wave), and the visual evoked response (VER) provides information on signal conduction along the entire visual pathway. The indications for electroretinography are discussed in detail, resulting in a broad spectrum including degenerative, metabolic, inflammatory and toxic changes of the retina. In addition, a condensed table of diagnoses that can hardly be established without ERG is proposed. The value of ERG recordings is extended by the possibility to document rate of progression and relative involvement of the rod- and/or the cone system of the retina. VER procedures are mainly directed towards demyelinating diseases of the CNS. We attempt to interpret results of electrophysiologic testing synoptically with subjective complaints and clinical observations.


1 * - MEZES , Z. 2 - SZABO , Z. 2 - SZENTELEKI , K. 1 Abstract . Production possibilities and risks of a given pla nt are basically determined by climatic factors. Expected future climate is modelled by several clim ate scenarios. In this study results of the RegCM3 model downscaled to the Carpathian Basin were used. This paper focuses on the climatic conditions of cherry production in Central Hungary in three time periods: 1961-1990 as a base, 2021-2050 as the near future and 2071-2100 for the long-term analysis. Re sults show that in the near future fruit cracking r isk could be higher, but in overall the expected change s are mostly favourable for cherry production. By t he end of the century irrigation may be required for t he secure and quality cherry production. It is also advised to re-evaluate the varieties according to t he indicated changes, as a new orchard planted nowadays will have many productive years in the second period.


In this paper I present a brief preliminary report of a group of experiments, the object of which was, if possible, to obtain more information concerning the causes and the nature of the violent toxemia occurring in acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis. Ultimately, it was hoped, a more rational and effective treatment of the disease might be evolved than is now generally employed. No attempt will be made here to discuss the literature on acute pancreatitis, or to describe the clinical manifestations of the disease. For this information the reader is referred to the recent very inclusive paper by Moynihan. 1 Suffice it to say that almost every conceivable method by which the pancreas could be seriously injured has been utilized to reproduce in animals the clinical picture of acute pancreatitis; all that is necessary is that a sufficient amount of pancreatic tissue be suddenly so devitalized that an extensive necrosis and


Allaz (1992) and Allaz and Vila (1993) show that in an oligopolistic industry the introduction of a futures market that operates prior to the spot market induces more competitive outcomes. Hughes and Kao (1997) show that this result presumes that firms' future positions are perfectly observed, and that when firms' positions are not observed the Cournot outcome arises. We study an alternative formulation of observability, where the behavior of participants in the futures market is explicitly analyzed, and show that this approach leads to different results. Imperfect observability induces more competitive outcomes than Allaz and Vila's model.