The purpose of this research is to explore the relationship between service quality, satisfaction and loyalty of the client to the audit firms in Malaysia. This paper uses a
marketing model, SERVQUAL in order to measure service quality of audit firms in Malaysia. SERVQUAL model was used to measure the perceptions and expectations of small-medium enterprise companies on the services received from audit firms. The five dimensions of SERVQUAL model such as reliability, responsiveness, assurance, tangible and empathy were used to measure the service quality of audit firms. The research was conducted by using primary data. The interview sections were conducted only in area Sungai Petani where they represent two SMEs companies and one for audit firm. Meanwhile, questionnaires were sent to 600 SMEs companies in Malaysia as listed in Companies Commission of Malaysia (CCM) for year 2013. The finding of this study, on
average, the small-medium enterprise companies were dissatisfied on all five dimensions of service quality, i.e. reliability, responsiveness, assurance, tangible and empathy. The most dissatisfied dimension was empathy due to clients' hoped audit firms able to improve and give more individualized attention, caring, provide reliable and prompt services. In addition, customers' satisfaction was found to mediate the relationship of reliability and customer loyalty and partial mediate in dimension of responsiveness. Consequently, the study defines the attributes of the quality services from the clients'
perceptive. As a result, audit firms' needs are more clearly known and with better understanding of their clients. Finally, the audit firms will be in a better position to anticipate client's requirement and desire rather than to react to clients' dissatisfaction. In
light of this, the results in five dimensions of service quality can be used by audit firms or other managements to perform better in relation to their service quality due to its ability to influence customer satisfaction.


Abstract After more than five decades of intensive research on a wide variety of reptiles and amphibians at the Savannah River Site, the known occurrence of some members of the herpetofauna remains unresolved. One such "problem species," Pseudacris brimleyi (Brimley's Chorus Frog), was recently found for the first time in over 50 years. The rediscovery of this cryptic species shows how the concept of hidden biodiversity not only applies to the general public, but to the scientific community as well.


Specimens of the chemoautotrophic symbiont-bearing hydrothermal vent clam Calyptogena pacifica were collected from hydrothermal vents at the Endeavour segment of the Juan de Fuca Ridge. Total lipid was extracted from gill, foot and mantle tissues, and lipid class and fatty acid composition determined by thin layer chromatography with flame ionization detection (TLC–FID), gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC–MS). An abundance of n–7 monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), especially in the gill, reflected the large contribution of chemoautotrophic symbiotic bacteria to the nutrition of this clam. The absence of n–8 MUFA suggests that C. pacifica does not contain methanotrophic symbiotic bacteria. Low levels of highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA) such as 20:5 n–3 and 22:6 n–3 were detected in C. pacifica and their presence is attributed to a source other than chemoautotrophic symbiotic bacteria. Significant levels of non-methylene interrupted dienoic fatty acids and eicosatrienoic acid (20:3) were also detected in C. pacifica and it is suggested that these fatty acids are synthesized from n–7 MUFA as alternatives to HUFA. In contrast to shallow water bivalves, elevated levels of triglyceride were detected in the gills compared to the mantle.


Dromology originates from the Greek word dromos. Hence, dromology is the science of the ride, the journey, the drive, the way. This means that speed and riches are totally linked concepts. And that the history of the world is not only about the political economy of riches, that is, wealth, money, capital, but also about the political economy of speed. Virilio's texts deal with the impact of speed, disaster and accident on the contemporary world. Vehicles of speed create new dromospheric chronology, new tracks and nodal points (ports, roads, airports, telecommunications etc.) through which things, goods, money, weapons, people or information will start flowing within a different structure. The result is a victory of the new logistics of perception, new dromoscopy. Indirect inner light of screens is our second sun. The text analyses Virilio's proposition that technical apparatus came into play employing active wave optics and the speed of indirect light, which contributed to the emergence dromoscopic order of vision, which completely transformed the existing logistics of perception of reality.


In an infant of 15 months with the diencephalic syndrome, urinary excretion of norepinephrine was moderately raised and epinephrine greatly so. It is suggested that catecholamine secretion may be due to sympathetic stimulation at the level of the diencephalon, by a space-occupying lesion pressing on the thalamohypothalamic pathway. Some of the symptoms of the diencephalic syndrome such as euphoria, irritability, skin pallor, and hypertension may be the result of catecholamine secretion.


An adaptive observer scheme for the estimation of unknown disturbances in a nonlinear nonminimum phase time-invariant, single-input single-output control system is proposed. It is assumed that the disturbances are generated by a system with unknown parameters, which are identified by the adaptive observer. The design is based on coprime factorization of the plant model over the ring of stable rational functions. Comparison between adaptive observers for strictly positive real plant and the proposed scheme is shown, as well. The stability of the overall system is proved. The effectiveness of the proposed scheme is verified through simulation examples.


Problems of the use of ionic migration for the separation of stable isotopes under laboratory conditions and in large-scale plant are considered. The phenomenological theory of the process, the apparatus, the mode of operation, experimental conditions, and results obtained for twenty elements are discussed in detail. Results obtained by countercurrent and zone electrical migration for the structure of molten salts and the mechanism of the migration of ions in an electric field are examined. A list of 341 references is included.


Purpose
Culture is an important motivation force to people within the context of tourism. It provides new opportunities for destinations to promote cultural elements and attract more travellers. This study aims to investigate how the cultural heritage of Cyprus is promoted online and to identify whether the needs of travellers who focus on experiential aspects and prioritise culture can be fulfilled.

Design/methodology/approach
The research aim is fulfilled through a critical discourse analysis of selected WebPages concerning representation of the culture of Cyprus within the tourism context.

Findings
Eighteen websites were included, and the results suggest that Cyprus has Web exposure specifically promoting its cultural heritage. However, the websites have been established with different tourism scopes, with culture comprising just one part of the content. Thus, the development of specialised websites is dedicated exclusively to culture and tourism, and it seems appropriate to attract travellers interested in more educational activities with cultural and historical value. This approach would bring many benefits because this cohort of travellers is in an upper-scale tourist market.

Originality/value
This study is original in nature because it brings together the case of Cyprus, an island destination highly depended on tourism in relation to cultural tourism Web discourse. The promotion of cultural parameters will provide more opportunities for the island and escape from the 3S's (sea, sun and sand) image to be positioned as a culturally sustainable destination.


Dipterocarps were studied in three permanent plots of four hectares each in Berau, East Kalimantan (Indonesia). The structure, species composition and the spatial distribution of dipterocarps were analyzed and compared between plots. Dipterocarps represented 25% of the total tree population (DBH > 10 cm) and about 50% of the total basal area. #Shorea# and #Dipterocarpus# species are the main emergent and upper canopy trees whereas #Vatica# and #Hopea# are mostly present in the lower strata and the understorey. Among the 61 species identified in the plots, #Shorea# and #Dipterocarpus#, with respectively 31 and 12 species, were dominant, amounting to 70% of the recorded dipterocarp species. The other genera were #Vatica# (8 species), #Hopea# (4 species), #Parashorea# (2 species), #Anisopiera# (2 species), #Cotylelobium# and #Dryobalanops# (1 species). The species composition in relation with topography and soil properties was also analyzed and the role of physical factors discussed. In this Berau area, the structure and density of dipterocarps are similar to those found in other parts of Borneo, in Sabah or Sarawak. However, this forest shows remarkably high dipterocarp richness although the Western part, particularly Sarawak, has always been regarded as richer in dipterocarps than the Eastern part of Borneo Island (Sabah). This could result from the scarcity of botanical forest inventories in large areas of East Kalimantan. The comparison of the dipterocarp composition of the three plots revealed local floristic variations. The commonest species (#Dipterocarpus confertus#, D. #humeraius#, #Shorea hepeifolia#, #S. parvifolia#, #S. parvistipulata#, #S. pauciflora#, #S. pinanga#, #S. smithiana#, #Vatica oblongifolia#, #V. vinosa#) were recorded on all types of soil and topography. #D. acutangulus# distribution seems to be linked to the combination of both soil drainage and texture. However, for most of the dipterocarps, correlation between species distribution and soil characteristics could not be clearly defined. (Resume d'auteur)


Localization of anatomical landmarks to perform two-dimensional measurements in echocardiography is part of routine clinical workflow in cardiac disease diagnosis. Automatic localization of those landmarks is highly desirable to improve workflow and reduce interobserver variability. Training a machine learning framework to perform such localization is hindered given the sparse nature of gold standard labels; only few percent of cardiac cine series frames are normally manually labeled for clinical use. In this paper, we propose a new end-to-end reciprocal detection and tracking model that is specifically designed to handle the sparse nature of echocardiography labels. The model is trained using few annotated frames across the entire cardiac cine sequence to generate consistent detection and tracking of landmarks, and an adversarial training for the model is proposed to take advantage of these annotated frames. The superiority of the proposed reciprocal model is demonstrated using a series of experiments.


ABSTRACT We examine how the policies of governments and the projects of international agencies and many NGOs strip agroecology of its emancipatory potential. Adhering to the conventional logic of development, they reinforce or create dependencies, individualize communities, convert use values into exchange values, incorporate peoples into hierarchical structures of domination, promote the belief that peoples must be saved from poverty through the intervention of a benefactor, and teach to act based on capitalist economic rationality. Emancipatory agroecologies, on the other hand, are radically transformative processes which we summarize in seven principles.


Backgrounds: Although many disease-associated common variants have been discovered through genome-wide association studies, much of the genetic effects of complex diseases have not been explained. Population-based association studies are vulnerable to population stratification. A possible solution is to use family-based tests. However, if tests only estimate the genetic effect from the within-family variation to avoid population stratification, they may ignore the useful genetic information from between-family variation and lose power. Methods: We have developed an adaptive weighted sum test for family-based association studies. The new test uses data driven weights to combine two test statistics, and the weights measure the strength of population stratification. When population stratification is strong, the proposed test will automatically put more weight on one statistic derived from within-family variation to maintain robustness against spurious positives. On the other hand, when the effect of population stratification is relatively weak, the proposed test will automatically put more weight on the other statistic derived from both within-family and between-family variation to make use of both sources of genetic variation; and at the same time, the degrees of freedom of the test will be reduced and power of the test will be increased. Results: In our study, the proposed method achieves a higher power in most scenarios of linkage disequilibrium structure as well as Hap Map data from different genes under different population structures while still keeping its robustness against population stratification.


Study design: Prospective study after minimally invasive anterior approach of the thoracolumbar spine in scoliosis correction. Objective: To describe the technique and first results after minimally invasive anterior approach of the thoracolumbar junction with insertion of double rod and double screw instrumentation. Summary of Background Data: Minimally invasive techniques are used at many areas of surgery nowadays. Minimally invasive surgery should have the same correction potential as with conventional approaches. Possible advantages of minimally invasive surgery are small incisions, less tissue damage, less morbidity and an improved cosmetic appearance. Methods: In this study we describe the technique and the preliminary results of minimally invasive open approach of the thoracolumbar spine with insertion of double rod and double screw instrumentation. A consecutive series of seven patients were included. All patients were female with a mean age of 16.7 years (range 10–28). The cause of thoracolumbar scoliosis was mixed. Results: The thoracolumbar curve was 59° preoperatively and 22° at six months follow up (63% correction). The unfused thoracic curve was 40° preoperatively and 29° at six months follow-up. In the sagittal plane of the fused levels Cobb angle was 61° of lordosis preoperatively and 35° of lordosis at six months follow up. Lumbar lordosis of the unfused spine was 16° preoperative and 5° at six months follow up. Thoracic kyphosis was 33° preoperatively and 24° at six months follow-up. The average time of surgery was 6.6 hours (range 5.5–7hours). The average estimated blood loss was 764ml (range 350–1200ml). Average hospital stay was 11 days (range 5–14days), and average stay at the intensive care unit was 1.7 days (range 0–3 days). One minor neurological complication with complete recovery was observed. Conclusions: Minimally invasive surgery has the advantage of less tissue damage, less morbidity and a better cosmetic appearance. With newer implants a good correction of the scoliosis can be achieved.


In this study, we experimentally investigated the influence of the amount of dissolved air in working fluid and the rotation speed ratio of turbine to pump elements on cavitation phenomenon in automotive torque converter. In order to directly observe the cavitation phenomenon, transparent model was used. The applied charge pressure was varied to change the significance of cavitation. The pump and turbine torques were simultaneously measured to clarify the relation between torque performance and cavitation phenomenon. As a result, the cavitation region was found to depend on the speed ratio; cavitation occurred on the suction side of turbine blades at low speed ratios while in the pump region at high speed ratios. The effect of the amount of dissolved air was significant, which enhanced the growth of cavitation bubbles through the deposition of dissolved air. In such cases, with the further decrease of charge pressure, a large number of gaseous cavitation bubbles appeared in the whole flow passage. The torque performance was deteriorated at this stage.


An isotropic magnetized incident plasma will not, in general, appear isotropic to a detector located on an extended absorbing surface. For certain orientations of the external magnetic field and for a given look direction of the detector the helical particle trajectories intersect the surface before detection, so that the detector is effectively in the shadow of the surface. The shadow zones, i.e., the ranges of magnetic field directions for which particles are not observable by a given detector, grow larger as the ratio of the satellite radius to the particle cyclotron radius increases or as the look direction approaches the surface. In this paper we calculate analytically the shadow zones of small-aperture detectors on an infinite flat surface (i.e., in the limit of small particle gyroradii). The shadow zones include approximately one half of all possible external field orientations for a vertical detector. This effect may result in serious under-estimations of the frequency of observation of a particular plasma region, e.g., of the plasma sheet from a single lunar-based detector. Even for multiple- or large-aperture detectors, shadowing may cause wide variations between observed and actual pitch angle distributions. Since the flux to the surface is approximately isotropic only for magneticmore » fields within 35degree of the surface normal, current balance calculations ignoring the magnetic field direction may overestimate the electron flux to the surface and thus under-estimate the equilibrium surface potential. In addition, the magnetic field may return photoelectrons to the surface, though not to the locality of origin. The surface potential could then be highly position dependent on a large body. (AIP)« less


Abstract: Owing to the relatively high probability of recurrent disease in patients receiving hematopoietic stem‐cell transplantation (HSCT) for malignancies, further development of new preparative regimens is warranted. Based on the data presented, one can predict that it will continue to be difficult to identify HSCT regimens that are more effective. Incremental improvements are expected to be small, difficult to measure, and will require inclusion of very large numbers of patients. Controlled trials to evaluate the effectiveness of specific treatment regimens for specific groups of patients will require to be conducted only by centers with large numbers of patients, or co‐operative groups. Development of HSCT regimens with low mortality and a minimum of morbidity, without compromising efficacy, are needed. This may be accomplished through the use of agents to protect normal, non‐hematopoietic tissues from regimen‐related toxicity (RRT), further exploration, and expansion of applications of targeted radiolabeled antibody approaches and mixed chimerism approaches. The future holds much work, but great promise, in the development of new HSCT regimens.


Imparting mesopores to organic cages of an intrinsic microporous nature to build up hierarchically porous cage soft materials is a grand challenge and will reshape the property and application scope of traditional organic cage molecules. Herein, we discovered how to engineer mesopores into microporous organic cages via their host-guest interactions with long chain ionic surfactants. Equally important, the ionic head of surfactants equips the supramolecularly assembled porous structures with charge-selective uptake and release function in solution. Interestingly, such hierarchically porous organic cage can serve as a nanoreactor once trapping enzymes within the cavity, which show 5-fold enhanced activity of enzymatic catalysis when compared with the free enzymes.


The energy market has changed radically over the last decade, mainly due to an increased penetration of renewable energies. Now the end users have directly access to the energy market and can actively take part to the electricity market. Electricity customers can indeed modify their behavior through Demand Response (DR), namely by means of pricing strategies that support a change in the end-users habits. This can be accomplished through a "loads aggregator", a third party that collects the requests and signals for Active Demand-based services coming from the markets and the different power system participants. This paper describes a new framework able to optimally select the real-time pricing curves for the electricity customers. The algorithm uses a constrained optimization problem to generates the output curves, by using as objective function the aggregator's economic benefit maximization. A case study is performed to show the advantages/disadvantages of the proposed approach.


The forkhead transcription factors Foxc1 and Foxc2 are essential to establish intact vascular networks in mammals. How these genes interact with endothelial signalling pathways to exert their functions remains incompletely understood. We have generated novel zebrafish mutants in foxc1a and foxc1b, the zebrafish orthologues of mammalian Foxc1, to determine their function during angiogenesis. foxc1a mutants display abnormal formation of cranial veins including the primordial hindbrain channels (PHBC), reduced Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) receptor expression in these and loss of central arteries. foxc1b mutants are normal, whereas foxc1a; foxc1b double mutants exhibit ectopic angiogenesis from trunk segmental arteries. Dll4/Notch signalling is reduced in foxc1a; foxc1b double mutant arteries and ectopic angiogenesis can be suppressed by induction of Notch or inhibition of Vegfc signalling. We conclude that foxc1a and foxc1b play compensatory and context-dependent roles to co-ordinate angiogenesis by promoting venous sprouting via induction of VEGF receptor expression whilst antagonising arterial sprouting by inducing Dll4/Notch signalling. foxc1a/b mediated induction of both pro- and anti-angiogenic axes of VEGF-Dll4/Notch negative feedback imparts competition to balance arterial and venous angiogenesis within developing vascular beds. Summary Statement foxc1a and foxc1b promote angiogenesis from veins and suppress angiogenesis from arteries by promoting competing pro-angiogenic Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor signalling, and anti-angiogenic Dll4/Notch signalling in zebrafish embryos.


Wound dressings are one of the most used treatments for chronic wounds. Moreover, 3D printing has been emerging as a promising strategy for printing 3D printed wound constructs, being able of manufacturing multi layers, with a solid 3D structure. Although all these promising effects of 3D printed wound constructs, there is still few studies and limited understanding of the interaction of these dressings with skin tissue and their effect on the process of skin wound healing. In this context, the aim of this work was to perform a systematic review of the literature to examine the effects of 3D printed wound constructs on the process of skin wound healing in animal models. The articles were selected from three databases following Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) descriptors "3D printing," "skin," "wound," and "in vivo." After the selection, exclusion and inclusion criteria, nine articles were analyzed. This review confirms the significant benefits of using 3D printed wound constructs for skin repair and regeneration. All the used inks demonstrated the ability of mimicking the structure of skin tissue and promoting cell adhesion, proliferation, migration, and mobility. Furthermore, in vivo findings showed full wound closure in most of the studies, with well-organized dermal and epidermal layers.


Cretaceous low-accommodation deposits have been extensively studied in the subsurface of the Western Interior of North America because of their prolific hydrocarbon production and remaining potential. Understanding the stratigraphic complexities of these deposits in the subsurface relies strongly on detailed outcrop analogs. In this study, the Dakota Sandstone was examined along 100 km (62 mi) of semicontinuous outcrop between the towns of Hanksville and Ticaboo in the Henry Mountains of southeastern Utah. This region represented a low-accommodation setting located over the forebulge of the Cretaceous Western Interior Basin during accumulation of the unit. The Dakota Sandstone is 0 to 38 m (125 ft) thick, of Cenomanian age, and records multiple cycles of sediment accumulation. The Dakota Sandstone is subdivided into two condensed top-truncated stratigraphic sequences, the upper of which contains two parasequences. The basal parts of both sequences are composed of braided fluvial conglomerates and sandstone overlain by tidally influenced fluvial sandstone, inclined heterolithically stratified estuarine mudstone, carbonaceous shale, and coal. The overlying parasequences consist of coarsening-upward lower to upper shoreface mudstone, sandstone, tidal inlet deposits, and oyster shell concentrations. These facies define tripartite subdivisions of depositional environments typical of wave-dominated estuaries. The fluvial deposits may represent lowstand deposits, but overall sediments accumulated during transgressive systems tracts (TST). The parasequences recorded in the Henry Mountains are similar to the Dakota Sandstone of northwestern New Mexico and to high-frequency sequences identified in the Kaiparowits Plateau, approximately 80 km (~50 mi) to the southwest, which suggests eustatic driving mechanisms. The best potential for hydrocarbon reservoirs occurs in fluvial sandstones and conglomerates.


Today's Muslims are facing the most crucial time of history since the last few decades. They are victimized by the irresponsible streotyping attitude due to September 11, 2001 and the London Bombing on 7th July, 2005. It has become a common fashion that Muslims are being charged with terrorism for every single terrorist acts in any part of the world. Western criticisms towards Islam seem to have increased more than ever before. Muslims are being terrorized in the name of 'anti-terrorism' everywhere, as a result, Muslims suffer in almost all countries of the world. Islamic organizations, vastly in the poor and affected Muslim nations, like Afghanistan, Palestine and many others, have been shut down and restricted; their offices have been raided; the officers are held for trials and tribunals besides the ongoing 'security' measures taken against the Muslims. Muslims are being laughed at as 'culprits' and 'terrorists.' This paper discuss the issue of terrorism, its causes, Islamic fundamentalism and Jihad in relation to terrorism and its overall impacts on Islamic charity organizations. Finally, it suggests some steps required for muslim to face the today's challenge.


We present the synthesis, characterization, X-ray molecular structure, and catalytic activity of a [(HOEt)Ti(μ-OEt)OEt(Cl)2]2 (1) dimeric complex. Complex 1 was found to undergo, in solution, a succession of fluxional processes involving the rotation of the ligands, rapid exchange between the anionic ethoxide ligands, and exchange of the hydroxylic hydrogen. The complex, when activated by methylalumoxane (MAO), undergoes an abstraction of the ligands through a heterobimetallic intermediate with ethoxide bridges between the aluminum and titanium atoms. We propose that this intermediate is the active species in the polymerization of α-olefins. The complex displays unexpectedly a single site behavior in contradiction to other titanium alkoxide complexes. The resulting polymers were found to show elastomeric properties with intermediate tacticities.


Aumann (1976) derives his famous we cannot agree to disagree result under the assumption of rational Bayesian learning. Motivated by psychological evidence against this assumption, we develop formal models of optimistically, resp. pessimistically, biased Bayesian learning within the framework of Choquet expected utility theory. As a key feature of our approach the posterior subjective beliefs do, in general, not converge to "true" probabilities. Moreover, the posteriors of different people can converge to different beliefs even if these people receive the same information. As our main contribution we show that people may well agree to disagree if their Bayesian learning is psychologically biased in our sense. Remarkably, this finding holds regardless of whether people with identical priors apply the same psychologically biased Bayesian learning rule or not. A simple example about the possibility of ex-post trading in a financial asset illustrates our formal findings. Finally, our analysis settles a discussion in the no-trade literature (cf. Dow, Madrigal, and Werlang 1990, Halevy 1998) in that it clarifies that ex-post trade between agents with common priors and identical learning rules is only possible under asymmetric information.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the history, classification, regulation, the current market and consumer trends and health effects of alcopops.

Design/methodology/approach
The articles reviewed were selected based on the following key descriptors such as alcopop, history, classification, types, production and consumption trend, health benefits and adverse effect.

Findings
"Alcopop" is a collective term used to refer to flavored alcoholic beverages (FAB), also known as malt alcoholic beverage; ready-to-drink beverage (RTD); pre-packaged spirit or premium packaged spirit; high-strength (HS) pre-mixed beverage; pre-mixed caffeinated alcoholic beverage or alcoholic energy drink, etc. Alcopops were introduced into the market in 1990s. Starting with the introduction of FAB in the form of wine coolers, a large number of alcoholic beverages have been introduced. FAB are sweet, containing relatively low alcohol content and especially designed for the young drinkers also called the "entry-level" drinkers. They are popular among young and underage drinkers, teenage girls particularly, and the industries use packaging materials and marketing strategies that appear to target the youth. These products are now marketed globally, and their production, classification and marketing vary by country based on national regulatory restrictions. In countries such as USA and Australia, the industry represents that the products were malt beverages for regulatory purpose which were found to be false as other products were derived from distilled spirits. The product has no health benefits so far, the government need to reform their regulations and include new definitions of alcopops with available restrictions that would be practice at both national and state levels until and unless there have been another scientifically approved method of production through which the beverage could be beneficial for human consumption.

Originality/value
This is a unique and comprehensive review that will provide a brief overview of alcopops, i.e., a global perspective on the new category of alcoholic beverage.


Evidence suggests that older people aged ≥65 years and those aged 60–64 years with chronic medical conditions are at higher risk of developing severe complications due to influenza virus infection when compared with young, healthy adults. Although seasonal influenza is monitored through a nationwide passive surveillance in Japan, influenza related outcomes and medical resource consumption have not been fully documented. This retrospective database study aimed to describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of medically attended influenza cases aged ≥60 years and the associated medical resource consumption in Japan. We used clinically diagnosed influenza (CDI) based on the international classification of disease codes, and laboratory-confirmed influenza (LCI) based on influenza test results, to identify the patient population during a total of nine seasons (2010/2011 to 2018/2019). A total of 372,356 CDI and 31,122 LCI cases were identified from 77 medical institutions. The highest numbers of medically-attended influenza episodes were in patients aged 65–74 years and 75–84 years. On average, across seasons, 5.9% of all-cause hospitalizations were attributable to CDI and 0.4% were LCI. Influenza viruses type A and B co-circulated annually in varying degree of intensity and were associated with similar level of complications, including cardiovascular-related. Oxygen therapy increased with age; by contrast, mechanical ventilation, dialysis, blood transfusion, and intensive care unit admission were higher in the younger groups. In-hospital mortality for inpatients aged ≥ 85 years with CDI and LCI were 18.6% and 15.5%, respectively. Considering the burden associated with medically-attended influenza in this population, influenza prevention, laboratory confirmation and clinical management should be emphasized by general practicians and specialists like cardiologists to protect this aging population.


This paper presents throughput performance of 22 multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO)-orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) using a testbed in line with the Long Term Evolution (LTE) numerology. Then, this paper clarifies the relation among the throughput, modulation schemes and antenna polarization. The field experiments clearly demonstrate that a measured throughput exceeding 200 Mbps can be obtained in a coverage area more than 50% and a throughput of 456.0 Mbps is achieved for a limited number of users even when a maximum Doppler frequency is higher than 125 Hz. In addition, it is found that the single polarization antenna configuration is suitable for 16QAM while the dual polarization antenna configuration is suitable for 64QAM. It is concluded from analysis of the eigenvalue ratio and signal to noise power ratio that the aforementioned trade-off is caused by sensitivity to the eigenvalue ratio depending on the modulation scheme and distribution of the eigenvalue ratio depending on the MIMO antenna configuration.


In recent years, an increase has been reported in consumer awareness of balanced diet and health prevention. This caused the consumer interest in functional foods to increase. The major functional foods are products that contain prebiotics and probiotics. The most often eaten probiotic product is classic yogurt, however the fermented dairy and non-dairy drinks tend to be more and more important. The increase in number and types of milk-free drinks on the market is due to increasing lactose intolerance among consumers. Additionally, in the developed countries gradually rises the number of people who are switching to veganism. The search for suitable substitutes for dairy milk and dairy products has become an important direction of scientific research and implementation projects in industry. The objective of the paper is to review the reference literature presenting results of research studies and experiments on the production and qualities of non-dairy probiotic products, that could be classified into vegan foods. New probiotic food in the form of drinks, which are already on the market or are still in research phase, are made of raw materials such as: vegetables, fruits, grains (oats, buckwheat, spelt wheat, corn, quinoa, amaranth), hazelnuts, coconuts, almonds, cashew nuts, and also sesame and hemp seeds. It is a big challenge for technologists to manufacture food products for vegans, because the vegan diet is more restrictive than a vegetarian one, therefore possibilities of using many raw materials are limited.


The literature review looks at how hearing parents adapt to a deaf child in the family, and considers how this literature supports a disability-stress model of maternal adaptation. Partial support is found for the model, and a revised version is suggested.

The aim of the empirical papers is to examine the relationships between psychological distress, social identity, and identity interruption in culturally and non-culturally deaf adults. Research suggests that interruption to social identity leads to increased psychological distress, and that deaf people who adopt a hearing identity have increased levels of psychological distress. This research aims to consider identity interruption as an explanation for higher levels of psychological distress in deaf people with a hearing identity. The first paper describes the development of an Identity Interruption Scale for Deaf people. Four types of identity interruption are identified, and five questions developed for each of the four types. The 20-item scale was piloted with 44 deaf adults in the Midlands. Cronbach's alpha was conducted, and principal components analysis yielded five factors based on the four identity interruption types - broken loop, over-controlled identity, episodic identity, interference from other identities (work), and interference from other identities (family). On the basis of this analysis, a 16-item scale was finalised.

In the second study, 130 deaf and hard-of-hearing adults completed the Identity Interruption Scale for Deaf People, alongside measures of Deaf identity (Deaf Attitude and Identity Questionnaire) and of psychological distress (General Health Questionnaire-28). It was found that a stronger Deaf identity correlated positively with lower levels of psychological distress and decreased identity interruption. Higher identity interruption correlated positively with increased psychological distress. These findings are discussed, and clinical implications put forward.


ABSTRACT Porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERVs) pose a potential stumbling block for therapeutic xenotransplantation, with the greatest threat coming from viruses generated by recombination between members of the PERV subgroup A (PERV-A) and PERV-C families (PERV-A/C recombinants). PERV-A and PERV-B have been shown to infect human cells in culture, albeit with low titers. PERV-C has a more restricted host range and cannot infect human cells. A recombinant PERV-A/C virus (PERV-A14/220) contains the PERV-A sequence between the end of pol and the middle of the SU region in env. The remaining sequence is derived from PERV-C. PERV-A14/220 is approximately 500-fold more infectious than PERV-A. To determine the molecular basis for the increased infectivity of PERV-A14/220, we have made a series of vector constructs. The primary determinant for the enhanced replicative potential of the recombinant virus appeared to be the env gene. Using a series of chimeric env genes, we could identify two determinants of high infectivity; one was an isoleucine to valine substitution at position 140 between variable regions A and B, and the other lies within the proline rich region. Taken together, these results show that the novel juxtaposition of env gene sequences enhanced the infectivity of PERV-A14/220 for human cells, perhaps by stabilization of the envelope glycoprotein or increased receptor binding.


We introduce the notion of firmly nonexpansive sequences in a Banach space and present several results concerning their asymptotic behaviour extending previous results and giving an affirmative answer to an open question raised by S. Reich and I. Shafrir [Proc. Amer. Math. Soc. 101 (1987), 246-250]. Applications to averaged mappings are also given.


The article aims to articulate key micro-level factors that contribute to the resilience to conflict of South and North Korean communities living in the Seoul metropolitan area. The concept of resilience at the micro-level is defined as having three aspects: recognition of communal and individual interdependence, quality of interaction, and perceptions promoting cooperation and trust. The problem-solving workshop conducted with North Korean diaspora members and their South Korean counterparts served as an opportunity to assess communal resilience to conflict. The findings show that resilience may improve by enabling quality interaction among community members and the introduction of education that promotes understanding, tolerance, and respect.


We evaluated a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) microsensor array with temperature-controlled chemi-resistive elements for use as a noninvasive clinical diagnostic tool to detect the presence or absence of trace amounts of disease biomarkers in simulated breath samples. The microsensor environment was periodically altered between air (78% N2, 21% O2 by volume, 20% relative humidity) and simulated breath (77% N2, 16% O2, 4% CO2 by volume, 80% relative humidity) samples creating a dynamic background. Acetone, a disease marker for diabetes, was spiked into select simulated breath samples at relevant concentrations ( 0.5 ¿mol/mol to 8 ¿mol/mol) to pose a diagnostic problem for the sensor array. Using standard statistical dimensionality reduction and classification algorithms, we compared the ability of a variety of sensing materials to detect and recognize the disease marker. Our analyses indicate that the porous, doped nanoparticle materials (Sb:SnO2 microshell films and Nb :TiO2 nanoparticle films) are best for the recognition problem (acetone present versus absent), but that WO3 and SnO2 films are better at the quantification task (high versus low concentrations of acetone).


The purpose of this study is to obtain descriptive information about the problems and problem solving in learning listening comprehension. The researcher uses descriptive qualitative research and investigates the students' problems in listening comprehension at the fourth semester and the steps to overcome their problems. There are 23 students at the fourth semester of English Education Study Program Peradaban University in the academic year 2018/2019 as the sample. In collecting the data, the researcher uses questionnaire and interview as the instruments.The researcher finds the most problems faced by the fourth studentsare lack of concentration, native speaker speaking speed, unfamiliar words, and lack of effort to understand each word.The solution offeredto solve those problems are focus and concentrate while listening class, concentrate on what is heard, and write things that are important when listening to material spoken by native speaker; find the meanings of unfamiliar words, look at the dictionary to find out difficult words, check words that are not clearly heard in dictionary, memorize vocabulary, and read English text and listen to English audio; and familiarize the students with the rulers of pronunciation in order to help them hear the different forms of rapid natural speech and ask them to imitate native speakers' pronunciation. It concludes that learning information about the problems and problem solving at the fourth semester are because of the fact that their learning outcomes are still far from being standard. Therefore, problem solving in listening comprehension learning is expected to minimize the problems faced by students of the fourth semester of English Education Study Program Peradaban University in learning process so that they get satisfying learning outcomes.


BACKGROUND
Male reproductive potential continues to be adversely affected by many environmental, industrial and pharmaceutical toxins. Pre-emptive testing for reproductive toxicological (side-)effects remains limited, or even non-existent. Many products that come into direct contact with spermatozoa lack adequate testing for the absence of adverse effects, and numerous products that are intended for exposure to spermatozoa have only a general assumption of safety based on the absence of evidence of actual harm. Such assumptions can have unfortunate adverse impacts on at-risk individuals (e.g. couples who are trying to conceive), illustrating a clear need for appropriate up-front testing to establish actual 'sperm safety'.

METHODS
After compiling a list of general areas within the review's scope, relevant literature and other information was obtained from the authors' personal professional libraries and archives, and supplemented as necessary using PubMed and Google searches. Review by co-authors identified and eliminated errors of omission or bias.

RESULTS
This review provides an overview of the broad range of substances, materials and products that can affect male fertility, especially through sperm fertilizing ability, along with a discussion of practical methods and bioassays for their evaluation. It is concluded that products can only be claimed to be 'sperm-safe' after performing objective, properly designed experimental studies; extrapolation from supposed predicate products or other assumptions cannot be trusted.

CONCLUSIONS
We call for adopting the precautionary principle, especially when exposure to a product might affect not only a couple's fertility potential but also the health of resulting offspring and perhaps future generations.


This study relates to meta-phenomena in architectural design. Among others, this study aims to interpret and demonstrate the cognitive thoughts and methodological systems in 'autonomy and instrumentality' presented in works of art by positivist architects focusing on diagrams after the second modernity in addition to earlier formal experiments by John Hejduk, Peter Eisenman, Bernard Tschumi, and Daniel Libeskind. In order to achieve these aims, this study approached the mimetic concepts developed by Walter Benjamin and Theodor Adorno. Especially, meta-phenomena in the methods of architectural design were connected to productivity in Adorno's mimetic concepts. Also, in terms of formation and creation of works of art, the mimetic backgrounds of Adorno's theories on aesthetics were identified from features of concepts on the part of formal experiments. The results were systemized methodologically based on meta-phenomena appearing in pure arts and overall architectural design. These were presented as a framework to interpret 'autonomy and instrumentality' that exist in the working of negativity and mimesis. In this way, logics and intuition in architectural design as well as methodological systemization of convergent creativity were proved valid. In conclusion, Adorno's mimetic concepts systemized based on negativity and critical awareness may lead to new concepts. It has been proved that it is valid for security of meta-phenomena of architectural design as a production of autonomous spaces for differences and creation.


Demands within the pharmaceutical sector to cut costs and improve process efficiencies have grown considerably in recent years. Major challenges exist for companies trying to establish financially viable and robust manufacturing processes for increasingly complex therapeutics. These issues have driven the investigation of miniaturised process-design techniques by which to identify suitable operating conditions using small volumes of feed material typical of that available in the early stages of bioprocess development. Such techniques are especially valuable for the optimisation of chromatographic separations, which often represent a significant percentage of manufacturing costs and hence for which there is a pressing need to determine the best operating policies. Several methods employing microlitre volumes of sample and resin have been explored recently, which are aimed at the high-throughput and cost-effective exploration of the design space for chromatographic separations. This methodology paper reviews these microscale approaches and describes how they work, gives examples of their application, discusses their advantages and disadvantages and provides a comparative assessment of the different methods, along with a summary of the challenges that remain to be overcome in relation to these techniques. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry


A novel cloaking scheme to hide an object in a half space from electromagnetic (EM) detection without reflection is firstly presented. The proposed cloaking scheme contains a couple of matching strips, which consist of an isotropic material layer and an anisotropic UPML layer, located right under the bottom surface of a semi-cylindrical cloaking shell. Simple expressions for the material parameters of the cloaking scheme are derived. Numerical simulations are also performed, and a good cloaking effect is achieved. The cloaking scheme is effective to hide the local object with strong scattering characters placed on mobile carriers, such as the radar antenna system on an aircraft.


A model of the laser-diode pumped solid-state laser is developed to deduce the minimum average radii of the pump beam in the solid medium, since the smaller the cavity waist, the higher the laser output power is expected to be. With an appropriate coupling system consisting of the collimating lens, prism pair and focusing lens, a diode-pumped single-frequency Nd:YVO4/KTP intracavity frequency-doubling cw laser has been demonstrated through the precise temperature control of the Nd:YVO4 crystal, the KTP crystal and the diode laser. The 532nm single-frequency output power of 40.4mW (in fact 55mW if the reflection loss of the triangular prism is taken into account) is obtained for an incident power of 515mW. It is derived theoretically and is verified in experiment that the frequency drift of the free-running laser can be reduced by increasing the cavity length.


We study if all maximally entangled states are pure through several entanglement monotones. In the bipartite case, we find that the same conditions which lead to the uniqueness of the entropy of entanglement as a measure of entanglement, exclude the existence of maximally mixed entangled states. In the multipartite scenario, our conclusions allow us to generalize the idea of monogamy of entanglement: we establish the polygamy of entanglement, expressing that if a general state is maximally entangled with respect to some kind of multipartite entanglement, then it is necessarily factorized of any other system.


This research explores the structure of social cognitive judgments and the role of moral evaluations in everyday social cognition. In Chapter 1, I show that morality and sociability are distinct dimensions in lay theories of personality and stereotype content, contrary to dominant two-dimensional models of social cognition that consider these to be two closely related aspects of a superordinate prosocial dimension of judgment. In three studies, judgments of real targets' morality and sociability did not factor together, differed in terms of mean levels, and did not correlate any more highly than they did with judgments of competence. An additional study found that cluster analysis differentiated judgments of social groups on the basis of their perceived morality and sociability, and that these dimensions of judgment differently predicted intergroup emotions. I also elaborate a functionalist account of why these three dimensions should matter in person and group perception. In Chapter 2, I build on this functionalist account, and show that morality is the only one of these dimensions that is unambiguously positive – five studies show that sociability and competence are seen as positive attributes contingent upon a target's positive morality, and are seen as less positive, and sometimes as truly negative, in immoral others. Finally, in Chapter 3, I examine the importance of morality, sociability, and competence in the self. It is widely accepted that people primarily care about morality in others, but primarily care about competence in the self. I challenge this assertion, and show that morality is highly valued in the self. Three studies showed that people are often more upset by challenges to their morality than to their competence or sociability. Moreover, the third study shows that reactions to threats to one's morality, competence, and sociability engage different negative emotions. I propose that morality is at least as central to people's identities as competence, and that prior results suggesting that competence is primary are due to peoples' high confidence regarding their own morality. This program of research emphasizes the importance of morality in everyday social cognition and the distinctness of morality from other evaluative dimensions, particularly sociability. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Psychology First Advisor Geoffrey P. Goodwin


--First, it was pointed out in this paper that there exists a hierarchical organization of entity to be represented by the neural networks. This hierarchical organization leads to four levels of correspondences between the entity, patterns, elements, items and the units. Then we classified representations further into more detailed categories from two viewpoints. From the correspondence viewpoint, representations can be classified into five categories: (1) local representation, (2) one-to-one DR, (3) one-to-many DR, (4) many-to-one DR, and (5) many-to-many DR. The second viewpoint of classifying representations is according to the locations where the representations exist. From the location viewpoint, representations fall into two classes: internal representation and external representation. Finally, it was pointed out that the origins of the confusion on representations may come from: (1) non-distinction of the hierarchical organization of entity, (2) non-distinction of the four levels of correspondences between the entity, patterns, elements, items and the units, (3) use of the too general or too broad term distributed representation, (4) non-distinction of the two levels of graceful degradation, and (5) non-distinction of similarities between different representations.


The kinetics of the conformation change of troponin-C (TN-C) induced by magnesium-binding or removal were studied in the absence of calcium ion by measuring the fluorescence intensity change of BIPM bound to TN-C by stopped-flow spectrofluorometry. The kinetic process of the conformational change was biphasic. The rate constants of the two phases were determined as a function of free magnesium ion concentration ([Mg]) of the solution. The [Mg]-dependence of the rate constants was explained by a simple molecular kinetic mechanism: (formula: see text) The dissociation constant of magnesium bound to TN-C was also determined to be 1 x 10(-3) M in the kinetic study.


This study was conducted in order to compare the biological activities of water extracts and sugar immersion extracts of green pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) and shiitake (Lentinula edodes (Berk.) Pegler) by measuring total polyphenol and flavonoid contents, antioxidant activities and inhibitory effects on α-amylase and α-glucosidase. The contents of total polyphenols and flavonoids were higher in water extracts than in sugar immersion extracts. The antioxidative activities of water and sugar immersion extracts were measured using the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) radical scavenging activity assay and reducing power assay. All extracts scavenged radicals in a concentration-dependent manner, and water extracts showed stronger radical scavenging activity and reducing power than sugar immersion extract. However, they all exhibited lower activities than ascorbic acid. Compared to the anti-diabetic drug acarbose, which was used as a positive control, the two types of extracts exhibited low α-glucosidase inhibitory activities, although the activity of sugar immersion extracts were 2-fold higher than that of water extracts. α-Amylase inhibitory action was not observed for any of the extracts. Finally, by cytotoxicity test, we confirmed that sugar immersion extracts were safer than water extracts. These results indicate that water extracts and sugar immersion extracts of green pepper, purslane and shiitake have different advantages in terms of their antioxidant and antidiabetic effects, respectively.


The 3D Doppler transform maps a vector field to its line integrals over that component of the field which is parallel to the line. In this paper we consider only lines aligned to the coordinate axes. Since the Doppler transform describes the mathematical model for the vector tomography, efficient inversion formulae are necessary in order to solve the reconstruction problem. The approximate inverse represents a numerical inversion scheme based on scalar products of the data with so-called reconstruction kernels. We characterize these reconstruction kernels as solutions of a normal equation connected with the Doppler transform and a mollifier. To solve this equation elementary properties of the underlying operator are investigated and a smoothing property is proved. We succeed in computing a reconstruction kernel for one special mollifier and give a representation with the help of the singular value decomposition of the 2D Radon transform.


In this paper, the experimental results on evaporation heat transfer characteristics were reported for a micro-fin tube using . An experimental refrigerant loop had been established to measure the evaporation heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop of . Experiments were conducted for mass fluxes, heat fluxes, saturation temperatures and PAG oil concentrations. With increasing the heat flux and the saturation temperature, the evaporation heat transfer coefficient increased. At the higher mass flux, however, the exit vapor quality of the micro-fin tube was to be lower. The peak of the heat transfer coefficient was shifted toward low quality region. The evaporation pressure drop increased as the mass flux increased and the saturation temperature decreased. As PAG oil concentration increased, the evaporation heat transfer coefficient decreased and the dryout was delayed by oil addition.


Cell cycle progression requires the proteasome-mediated degradation of key regulatory proteins such as cyclins, cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors, and anaphase-inhibitory proteins. Given the central role of the proteasome in the destruction of these proteins, proteasome inhibition has been proposed as a possible cancer therapy. We report here that dihydroeponemycin, an analogue of the antitumor and antiangiogenic natural product eponemycin, selectively targets the 20S proteasome. Dihydroeponemycin covalently modifies a subset of catalytic proteasomal subunits, binding preferentially to the IFN-gamma-inducible subunits LMP2 and LMP7. Moreover, the three major peptidolytic activities of the proteasome are inhibited by dihydroeponemycin at different rates. In addition, dihydroeponemycin-mediated proteasome inhibition induces a spindle-like cellular morphological change and apoptosis. These results validate the proteasome as a target for antitumor pharmacological intervention and are relevant for the design of novel chemotherapeutic strategies.


Parnas tables are forms of tabular software requirement representations. Case studies on using Parnas tables in developing General Motor's Individual Dealership Marketing Co-op Web-enabled system show the significant reduction in requirement resources, testing and correction cost, and process complexity. This is largely due to the precision and simplicity of the tables.


We study the phase transition of the Potts model on diamond-like hierarchical lattices. It is shown that the set of the complex singularities is the Julia set of a rational mapping. An interesting problem is how are these singularities continued to the complex plane. In this paper, by the method of complex dynamics, we give a complete description about the connectivity of the set of the complex singularities.


A calcified canal is a root canal system complication due to hard tissue deposition which makes the canal narrower. Calcification is uncontrolled due to enzyme failure that could result in reduced blood supply to the tissue. Canal calcification is usually termed as an obliteration of the pulp canal. Pulp canal obliteration (PCO) or calcific metamorphosis as sequelae of dental trauma may also occur as sequelae of aging, dental caries, tooth loss or critical pulp therapy, orthodontic care. Extreme physiologic PCO in geriatric patients can arise from secondary or tertiary dentine apposition. Despite the application of high-magnification and conebeam computed tomographic (CBCT) imaging, access cavity preparation for such cases is prone to procedural errors that may result in substantial loss of dentin structure, thus reducing the longterm prognosis. With the aid of advanced technology, early detection of canal obliteration will save a lot of frustrations. Early intervention as a prophylactic measure may not be reasonable, due to the low incidence of such teeth developing periapical pathosis. Hence, it is important to explain prophylactic action, if intended. Upon failure of other treatment modalities surgical intervention may be a possibility. Given the difficulty in its management, it is recommended that teeth showing signs of obliteration be referred to an Endodontist who can handle such cases with minimal errors in conjunction with specialist training, magnification, proper equipment, and detailed knowledge of dental anatomy, thereby providing a better prognosis. This analysis assists in information about the calcified canals about their etiology, possible modes of growth, diagnosis, and management, thereby helping to provide better treatment quality.


The distribution patterns of life forms among extant families, subclasses and classes are described with the aim of detecting evolutionary trends. The explosive diversification of angiosperms constrains the possibilities for detecting such trends. Moreover, the extant groups of seed plants are only a small sample from the historical diversity. Nevertheless, we could distinguish between common, scattered, clustered, and rare distribution patterns among groups of families in subclasses. The rare category may represent specialized life forms, including epiphytes, carnivorous plants, (hemi)parasites, saprophytes, succulents, xerophytes, halophytes, aquatics and marsh plants. Geophytes and lianas have a more scattered distribution pattern among the families. Trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants are very common, dwarf shrubs show a more clustered distribution. These patterns may be indicative of the potential for trends and reversals. At a finer scale, it was concluded that biennials did emerge from annuals, whereas the reverse is difficult. All biennials are dicots.


OF D.M.A./Musical Arts Project PARTNERSHIPS AND CREATION: A BRIEF HISTORY OF CLARINETIST-COMPOSER PARTNERSHIPS AND HOW THEY CONTRIBUTED TO CLARINET LITERATURE, AND THE INFLUENCE OF ROBERT SPRING ON CONTEMPORARY COMPOSITIONAL OUTPUT FOR THE CLARINET Throughout the history of the clarinet, there have been performers who have inspired composers to write pieces specifically for them. These contributions to clarinet literature have been significant, frequently resulting in an overall shift in the expectations of performers' abilities, and expanding the range of possibilities for composers. This document first describes the relationships of the following composers and clarinetists, and their resulting impact on clarinet literature: Karl Stamitz and Joseph Beer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Anton Stadler, Louis Spohr and Simon Hermstedt, Carl Maria von Weber and Heinrich Baermann, Johannes Brahms and Richard Mühlfeld, and the numerous commissions of Benny Goodman by some of the most highly-regarded composers of his time. The main purpose of this document is to examine a contemporary clarinetist who has contributed considerably to the repertoire of the clarinet both through his virtuosic performances and his own commissions, Robert Spring. Dr. Spring's playing, particularly on the release of Dragon's Tongue (1994), astonished listeners and composers alike, most notably with his mastery of extended techniques such as circular breathing and double tonguing. Within this document is a biography of Dr. Spring, focusing on his early life, his musical training and education, and his work. Additionally, a list of works that he has commissioned with annotations where applicable is included, along with detailed comments on the partnership with Dr. Spring and the resulting creations from composers Stacy Garrop, Eric Mandat, Theresa Martin, Scott McAllister, Whitney Prince, Rodney Rogers, Peter Schickele, and William O. Smith. It is my belief that future scholars will be able to place him within the long line of composerclarinetist partnerships that have advanced not only the clarinet's solo and chamber literature, but also the scope of performance techniques required of clarinetists.


Is the group leader's disclosure of his personal feelings a helpful or harmful intervention? One hundred eight subjects rated sixty-five self-disclosure items (e.g., &dquo;Feelings of sexual attraction toward a member of the group.&dquo; &dquo;Feelings of uncertainty about leadership.&dquo;) to judge the impact of the disclosure behavior of therapy and encounter group leaders on group members. Subjects also indicated the appropriateness of leader self-disclosure in the beginning, middle, and terminal phases of a group. Subjects (undergraduate psychology majors) indicated a preference for a leader who is confident of his leadership abilities and his own emotional stability and who is willing to share his positive strivings and normal emotional experiences. Viewed as threatening or harmful were a group leader's disclosure of distrust, anger, boredom, criticism, fear that the group will fail, and sexual feelings-especially if such statements were made early in the life of the group. Openness and candor were seen as more appropriate for encounter group leaders than for psychotherapists and as more allowable in later stages of both types of groups. The authors express concern about the possible &dquo;pernicious effects of the unchecked enthusiasm for leader transparency&dquo; found in some personal growth groups and state that leader self-disclosure is not a simple intervention, but one that can be powerful or threatening, depending on timing, the type of group, and the specific nature of the disclosure itself. Reprint requests: Robert R. Dies, Ph.D., Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742.


AIM(S)
To understand how nurse managers facilitate learning in clinical workplaces.

BACKGROUND
Meeting staff learning needs in the complex workplaces of contemporary health care is paramount to the delivery of safe patient care. Hospitals employ a range of strategies to address these needs. However, nurse managers' contribution to staff learning at the unit level is under-explored in contemporary literature.

METHOD(S)
A Gadamerian philosophical hermeneutic framework guided data collection and analysis. Thirteen nurse managers from two Australian hospitals each participated in two interviews and a period of observation.

FINDINGS
Nurse managers' learning facilitation practices were enacted with staff individually, within teams, and through artefacts, and were shaped by their identities, perspectives on staff learning, knowledge of staff performance, and motivations. Power was revealed as a uniquely enacted driver of their learning facilitation practices.

CONCLUSION(S)
This paper illuminates an aspect of nurse managers' practice that has been poorly acknowledged in contemporary nursing literature. Nurse managers' learning facilitation practices were found to be complex, fluid, and embedded in their every-day work routines.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT
Given current concerns about safety and quality in healthcare, this research opens up possibilities for definition and enrichment of nurse managers' practice as facilitators of learning.


In Romania the basic competencies (reading and writing in the student's mother tongue and in Romanian language in the case of students studying in minority schools, mathematical literacy) of students at the end of the 2nd and 4th grade of primary education are assessed starting with the school year 2013/2014. The paper analyses the tests of the national assessment designed and applied for measuring reading and writing skills in the mother tongue (in Hungarian language). The paper concludes that the tests are not carefully designed in order the measure the most important skills and abilities at the end of the 2nd and 4th grade. The study analyses the achievement in reading and writing of 2nd and 4th grade students' attending schools teaching in Hungarian. The analysis fills a gap, because the detailed qualitative analyses of the results of elementary school students whose learning language is Hungarian, is missing from the reports presenting the results of the national assessment. Based on the analyses of the objectives, tests and results of the national assessment for reading and writing in Hungarian, the paper formulates the questions that arise regarding the necessity of this measurement.


Beta-adrenoceptors on lymphocytes are acutely increased after dynamic exercise in normotensive subjects, but not in hypertensives. It was thus of interest to evaluate the acute regulation of the lymphocyte beta-adrenoceptor-adenylate-cyclase-cAMP-system (BAAS) in patients with primary hypertension during dynamic stress after acute beta-blockade. Density and affinity of beta 2-adrenoceptors, and intracellular cAMP concentrations (baseline and isoprenaline stimulated values) were measured on the peripheral mononuclear cells in 8 male patients with primary hypertension before and immediately after dynamic exercise on a bicycle (50-200 W) at baseline and after acute beta-blockade (2 h following 100 mg atenolol). Dynamic exercise causes no significant changes in receptor density and affinity, nor in basal cAMP values. After acute beta-blockade the dynamic stress-induced rise in mean arterial blood pressure was significantly (p < 0.01) reduced from 33 to 24 mmHg, and beta-adrenoceptor density significantly (p < 0.05) increased from 1320 to 2102 molecules/cell, whereas affinity remained unchanged. Baseline and stimulated cAMP concentrations increased significantly (p < 0.05) from 5.3 to 7.0 and from 2.1 to 3.5 pmol/10(6) cells, respectively. These findings suggest that in primary hypertension the regulation of the beta 2-adrenoceptor-adenylate-cyclase-cAMP-system is impaired on exercise and can be normalised by acute beta-blockade. Since atenolol predominantly blocks beta 1-adrenoceptors, the observed normalisation of the lymphocyte BAAS may reflect only an unspecific effect of antihypertensive therapy per se.


The modern use of preparative chromatography in pharmaceutical development is illustrated by the case of a recent preclinical candidate from these laboratories. The synthesis of the candidate employed a coupling of two enantiopure intermediates, each of which could be resolved using preparative chiral chromatography. SFC screening was employed to identify the enantioselective stationary phases, and semipreparative SFC methods derived from this screening were used to produce gram amounts of enantiopure intermediate for initial studies. However, initial larger scale resolution required the translation of the SFC methods to HPLC conditions. Preparative chiral HPLC on a 30-cm i.d. column was then used to produce enantiopure intermediates which were coupled to give 170 g of the preclinical candidate. Subsequent preparation of the candidate at larger scale for later-stage clinical evaluation employed an improved synthesis in which one component was constructed by asymmetric synthesis. Resolution of the other component, now a more advanced intermediate, was carried out using newly obtained large-scale SFC equipment. Some discussion is presented on the varying strategies whereby preparative chiral chromatography can be used to support either short-term or long-term synthetic goals in preclinical pharmaceutical development.


Before commencing a descriptive catalogue of these Ammonites, it may be as well to give some idea of the various beds from which they come. This has been done before; but, various mistakes having crept in and new researches having given us fresh information, I deem it worth while to reintroduce the subject. The beds under consideration begin with the "Sands" or "Passage-beds," also called Midford Sands. They are from about 100 to 150 feet, perhaps more, in thickness, with interpolated layers of comminuted shells about a foot or so thick, occurring at intervals of from 4 to 10 feet. These layers contain a large conglomeration of broken shells, so that good specimens are scarce. I have obtained from them a Rhynchonella which is probably R.cynocephala (Richard.), besides Harpoceras Moorei (Lycett), and several species of Trigonia (clavellated and costate), Lima, Astarte, &c.; and I am led to suppose that these sands are probably equivalent to the lower part of the Cynocephala stage of Lycett, in the Cotteswold Hills. Above these sands comes the stone of the Inferior Oolite. This stone changes at certain levels, both in composition, colour, and hardness. The Ammonites do not occur all in one bed, but this Inferior Oolite stone can be very well divided into four zones, which are extremely well marked, but vary very greatly in thickness at different localities; and it is probably this variation in thickness, and sometimes almost complete absence of a zone, that has led to very much confusion. At


The United States and the European Union are both firmly committed to eliminating gender discrimination. However, as I show in this article, they have adopted fundamentally different strategies in pursuing this objective: whereas the United States offers plaintiffs much more generous procedural rules and far more powerful remedies, the European Union relies on more comprehensive substantive prohibitions against discrimination. What lies behind these different approaches? Contrary to existing scholarship, which emphasizes path dependence arguments, I argue that differences between gender discrimination laws in the United States and Europe can best be understood as the result of a fundamental ideological divide. U.S. law is designed to grant protection against discrimination across social boundaries. By contrast, much of Europe espouses a "social-democratic" conception of gender discrimination law that views the protection of working-class employees as its primary concern.Several European countries have recently adopted or are considering the adoption of mandatory gender quotas for corporate boards. However, as I demonstrate in this article, such quotas merely address the symptoms of a much more foundational issue. European gender discrimination law is designed to protect working-class women, not women with managerial aspirations. Quotas cannot redress this imbalance; they can merely hide its symptoms. Accordingly, European reformers who aspire to a more class-neutral gender discrimination law will have to consider much more profound structural changes.


The presence of cyanobacteria in aquaculture ponds can disrupt the water quality. This study was conducted to determine the abundance of cyanobacteria in selected aquaculture systems in Perak, Malaysia. This study also aimed to identify the relationships between cyanobacterial biomass with physicochemical properties of water. In this study, a total of 40 aquaculture fish ponds were sampled between December 2013 to March 2014 from 10 locations in Perak, Malaysia. The results revealed that cyanobacteria were present in all of the sampled aquaculture ponds. Among all, 75% of the sampled ponds contained chlorophyll- a exceeded 50 µg chl-a L -1 and the highest chlorophyll- a concentration was recorded at 436 µg chl- a L-1. This indicates that cyanobacteria are present in abundance in aquaculture water and could pose health risk to human through aquaculture fish consumption. Pearson's correlation analysis suggests that cyanobacterial biomass was significantly correlated to temperature, DO and pH. However, there was no correlation detected among nutrients with cyanobacterial concentration in water column. Regular monitoring of temperature, DO and pH are crucial for an early detection of cyanobacterial occurrence in aquaculture industry in order to avoid economic losses, as well as adverse health impact to consumer.


The aim of my thesis is to investigate the role of information and career concerns
in organizations. To that end, I submit three papers, each of which addresses a
unique aspect of a firm's organizational problem. In the first chapter I investigate
the incentives of a firm to reveal strategic information to the market in order to
make its leader more conservative as regards early decisions. The firm may do
so to achieve coordination between different levels of the firm's hierarchy or to
improve adaptation to the firm's environment. I give conditions on employees' career
concerns that make the firm voluntarily disclose information concerning its strategic
decisions. In chapter 2 I ask why rational voters would knowingly re-elect a politician
who has expropriated public funds. In this model, the presence of non-strategic
('impressionable') voters means that even welfare-minded politicians occasionally
raid the public purse in order to increase their chances of re-election. Being aware
of this dynamic, rational voters opt to reward politicians whose misbehavior is solely
due to career concerns. Chapter 3 changes tack somewhat to analyze the optimal
decision-making protocol for a committee when one member of the committee is
overconfident. I show that overconfidence leads an uninformed committee member
to respond to his private information, which causes a better-informed member to
stop using her private information. This leads to a loss of efficiency under majority
rule, and changes the optimal voting rule for the committee to unanimity.


Background The aim was to investigate the effect of graded motor imagery (GMI) added to rehabilitation on pain, functional performance, motor imagery ability, and kinesiophobia in individuals with total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods Individuals scheduled for unilateral TKA were randomized to one of two groups control (traditional rehabilitation, n = 9) and GMI (traditional rehabilitation + GMI, n = 9) groups. The primary outcome measures were the visual analogue scale and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC). Secondary outcome measures were knee range of motion, muscle strength, the timed up and go test, mental chronometer, Movement Imagery Questionnaire-3, lateralization performance, Central Sensitization Inventory, Pain Catastrophizing Scale, and Tampa Kinesiophobia Scale. Evaluations were made before and 6 weeks after surgery. Results Activity and resting pain were significantly reduced in the GMI group compared to the control group (P < 0.001 and P = 0.004, respectively). Movement Imagery Questionnaire-3 scores and accuracy of lateralization performance also showed significant improvement (P = 0.037 and P = 0.015, respectively). The Pain Catastrophizing Scale and Tampa Kinesiophobia Scale scores were also significantly decreased in the GMI group compared to the control group (P = 0.039 and P = 0.009, respectively). However, GMI did not differ significantly in WOMAC scores, range of motion, muscle strength, timed up and go test and Central Sensitization Inventory scores compared to the control group (P > 0.05). Conclusions GMI improved pain, motor imagery ability, pain catastrophizing, and kinesiophobia in the acute period after TKA.


Abstract We consider the evolution of a shock wave generated by an impulsively accelerated, two-dimensional, almost planar piston with a sinusoidally corrugated surface of amplitude $\epsilon$. We develop a complex-variable formulation for a nonlinear theory of generalized geometrical shock dynamics (GGSD) (Best, Shock Waves, vol. 1, issue 4, 1991, pp. 251–273; Best, Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A, vol. 442, 1993, pp. 585–598) as a hierarchical expansion of the Euler equations that can be closed at any order. The zeroth-order truncation of GGSD is related to the equations of Whitham's geometrical shock dynamics (GSD), while higher-order corrections incorporate non-uniformity of the flow immediately behind the piston-driven shock. Numerical solutions to GGSD systems up to second order are coupled to an edge-detection algorithm in order to investigate the hypothesized development of a shock-shape curvature singularity as the rippled shock evolves. This singular behaviour, together with the simultaneous development of a Mach-number discontinuity, is found at all orders of the GGSD hierarchy for both weak and strong shocks. The critical time at which a curvature singularity occurs converges as the order of the GGSD system increases at fixed $\epsilon$, and follows a scaling inversely proportional to $\epsilon$ at sufficiently small values. This result agrees with the weakly nonlinear GSD analysis of Mostert et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 846, 2018, pp. 536–562) for a general Mach-number perturbation on a planar shock, and suggests that this represents the universal behaviour of a slightly perturbed, planar shock.


Stories and storytelling are part of a post-positivist paradigm of inquiry influenced by phenomenology, ethnography and narrative analysis, along with the evolution of visual methods in social research. New information and communication technologies today provide the opportunity to explore storytelling through multimedia, including video/filmmaking, in what we describe as digital ethnography. While there has been a tradition in the planning field of using film for advocacy purposes since the 1920s, we argue for a new direction informed by collaborative planning theory and situational ethics. This paper reports on a three-year, three-stage research project in which we experimented with the use of film as a mode of inquiry, a form of meaning making, a way of knowing, and a means of provoking public dialogue around planning and policy issues (in this case, community development and the social integration of immigrants). We explored the expressive as well as analytical possibilities of film in conducting social research and provoking community engagement and dialogue, taking advantage of the aesthetic and involving dimensions of film as narrative. The research question was a socio-political one: how do immigrants become integrated into a specific social fabric, and how do they acquire a sense of belonging? The site of the research was a culturally diverse neighbourhood in the city of Vancouver, and the specific focus was a place-based local institution, the Collingwood Neighbourhood House. The paper concludes with critical reflections on the use of film in this research project, focusing on ethical issues, power relationships, insider/outsider dilemmas, and reciprocity.


A popular application that runs on a Voice-over-IP network is the Interactive Voice Response (IVR), which provides a way for interacting with an end user's phone via a telephony interface by presenting a set of audible menu options, and collecting the user's Dual Tone Multi-Frequency responses as the user presses the telephone numeric keypad, and recording the user's voice. This thesis takes a closer look into IVR systems on an IP-based network, specifically in networks that support the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) for controlling the telephony signalling, and more specifically on IVR systems that have their SIP signalling controlled by a SIP Application Server (SIPAS) implementing the SipServlet 1.0 or 1.1 specifications and where a SIP-based Media Server is used to stream IVR media to the end-user. We describe existing ways for supporting an IVR development in a SIP network, and then we propose an alternative way of accomplishing the same task: the IVRObject. With the help of prototypes, the IVRObject is compared with the existing state of the art against three criteria: a) how easy it is to develop, b) how portable the development solution is, c) and how scalable the solution is in order to sustain a high call volume. As a conclusion, it will be highlighted that the IVRObject provides an easy mechanism for development of IVR-based applications running on a SIP AS, that it is portable to different media server vendors, and that it supports a test strategy that can be leveraged to improve software development quality and faster development. This makes the IVRObject a good alternative especially for enterprise-based IVR applications where scalability is less of an issue than in carrier-space applications.


Fluidized bed is widely used in chemical processing industries and heat transfer operations because of high heat transfer and mass transfer rates due to intermixing. This work deals with estimation of the force imparted by the bed material on the tube assemblies in a fluidized bed by CFD technique. The gas-solid flow was simulated by means of a multi-fluid Eulerian model incorporating the kinetic theory for solid particles. The pulsating forces were compared to experimental data of Kennedy et al. A good approximation was observed in force exerted over different tubes. However minor differences were observed in interval duration of the peak forces.


This paper aims to present the results of a survey conducted to determine the effective use of online public access catalogue (OPAC) at the library of Unnamalai Institute of Technology in Kovilpatti. The paper examines the result from a questionnaire-based survey conducted at the library. 150 samples of the questionnaire was distributed randomly between the staff and students of Unnamalai Institute of Technology in Kovilpatti,out of which 130 completed and valid questionnaires (86.67 %) were received for analysis. The data received from the respondents through these questionnaires was analyse. The paper discusses various aspects of OPAC such as frequency of use, purpose, ease of use, satisfaction level, etc. An attempt is also made to explore the reasons for the least used search options of OPAC. The results of the study reveal that a significant number of users search information regarding the library material through OPAC despite encountering problems. Lack of basic skills among users was found to be the major reason for not utilising full features of OPAC. It is suggested that library should organise quality instruction programmes to improve knowledge and skills of the users.


Remembering Irving's funeral at Westminster Abbey in 1905, Ellen Terry confessed that 'when the sun—such a splendid tawny sun— burst across the solemn misty grey of the abbey, at the very moment when the coffin, under its superb pall of laurel leaves was carried up the choir, I felt that it was an effect which he would have loved.' As Terry recognized, one way of appreciating sacred ritual is to treat it as contrived spectacle. Part of the appeal of Richard Foulkes's book is that what one might have expected to be a narrative of opposition turns out, in large part, to be the story of acknowledged resemblance. The number of nineteenth-century clergymen who either worked in the theatre, or who were sympathetic, is surprising in itself. They include the Revd. J. C. M. Bellew (twice married and once imprisoned for bankruptcy) whose staged rendition of Hamlet involved living actors (their 'duty was simply to suit the action to the word while Bellow recited the play'); the Revd. R. H. Haweis who preached approving sermons on 'Shakespeare and the Stage'; and that loyal friend of Oscar Wilde and countless balletgirls, the Revd. Stewart Headlam. Correspondingly, leading actors, beginning with William Charles Macready and Charles Kean furthered their careers by associating themselves with religious and charitable activities. The trend culminated with the elevation of Irving, a universally respected figure entitled to admonish the British public when it appeared to opt for drink rather than for art, though Foulkes suggests that his stage embodiments of fearsome authority (Richelieu, Mephistopheles, Becket) may have had something to do with grim memories of his own Methodist childhood. Inevitably, actresses were more vulnerable to moral censure than actors, but even here personal purity and theatrical presence were not incompatible. Fanny Kemble, Helen Faucit and Ellen Terry (in private, rather more wayward) were held to be both spiritually inspiring and sublimely talented. Some, like Sybil Thomdike (and, of all people, Lillie Langtry), were actually clergymen's daughters: 'Their upbringing had not only exposed them repeatedly to the ritual of church services, with their father performing a leading role, but, unlike the daughters of other professionals, clergy-daughters were accustomed to going out in the world', concludes Foulkes. The theatre played an increasingly important part in public affairs. Foulkes takes in the 1832 Select Committee, the Shakespeare Tercentenary Celebrations (1864), and contemporary theological debates. He explores the foundation of the Cambridge Amateur Dramatic Club and the early days of Oxford University Dramatic Society, and he explains the significance of participants in the Victorian theatrical scene from Samuel Taylor Coleridge to Tom Taylor, from Samuel Phelps to Henry Morley. There are sections on the Oberammergau Passion Play, on revivals of English medieval theatre, and on moral dramas such as Charles Reade's Never too Late to Mend (1865). By the 1870s a powerful combination of Arnoldian beliefs, nonconformist theology, and the kind of up-dated melodrama championed by H. A. Jones (and later taken up by Hall Caine and Wilson Barrett) was well under way, though Jones's po-faced dismissal of what he termed 'sensation, realism, noise, tricks of surprise, huge scenic effects, tawdry dresses, foolish songs' was only to be followed up in part. Like other high-minded reformers Jones could not, at this early stage, foresee the liberating effect that Ibsen was to have upon English ideas of what constitutes moral seriousness, nor could he anticipate the manipulation of melodrama in the service of wit that Wilde was to initiate in the 1890s. Even if Foulkes has not entirely overcome problems of structure, allowing himself little space to describe in any detail productions in which religious themes were dramatized, with the result that Church and Stage sometimes looks like a series of side dishes designed to accompany main courses provided by the reconstructive work of Michael Booth and David Mayer, he unquestionably proves his main point. What Charles Dodgson called 'the spirit of Reverence' was frequently at home in the Victorian theatre.


This article aims to look at the realities of Indian life in Deli tobacco plantations throughout 1872-1900. By using a research method that combines the historical study of East Sumatra plantation communities with the study of Indian coolies photos in the area taken from the Digital Collections Leiden University Libraries website, the reality of Indian coolies' life has never been written by Indonesian historians. The daily reality of Indians captured in photographs is the everyday side of working in Deli tobacco plantations. Differentiation of work, appearance, and settlement based on race is a picture of their lives while living on plantations. While working on plantations, Indian coolies earned an inadequate wage and had to bear the tremendous burden of life. Through photo narration, it can be understood how the reality of daily life of Indians in East Sumatra, which is currently a marginalized group in Indonesian history textbooks.


Since the mid-1990s we have witnessed the rise of numerous constructive and positive activities aimed at developing or enhancing corporate responsibility and corporate citizenship as well as anti-globalization and anticorporate activism. And, of course, in 2008, we witnessed the meltdown of financial markets and numerous financial institutions as well as some major companies teetering on the brink of collapse. What is actually needed to create the world that many people want to live in may in fact be a new relationship between business and society, that is, new ways of looking at the corporation and its role in society, both in practice and in management education? We will argue that some initiatives, such as Corporation 2020, have already begun to explore these issues by taking a more holistic perspective on different purposes and roles of the corporation in the future. Management education, which has been severely criticized in the aftermath of the economic crisis, has an important role to play, but in a changed form. Implications for leadership and management education include the need to shift cognitive, moral, and emotional levels of development, renewed emphasis on balance both individually and socially, a less is more sensibility, a holistic systems perspective, and shifting the purpose of the firm to encompass not just shareholder needs, but also societal, stakeholder, and ecological needs and interests. In this article we explore some of the ways in which these attributes might be engendered in future leaders, at least in those management development and education programs interested in fostering a new wave of progressive leadership in management for the future.


The purpose of this study is to develop and implement a power quality monitoring system that will enable power quality engineers to conduct diagnostic testing in the field. The study is limited to the implementation of hardware and software required to process the analog signals received. A real-time monitoring system that can be used to perform automated power quality testing is described. The system is centered on a digital signal processor (DSP) interfaced to a personal computer (PC). The test signal is input to the system through the A/D board. The signal is analyzed in real-time in the DSP, and the results are transferred to the PC through the communication interface. The PC presents the results and interacts with the user. This system can be used to perform onsite power quality studies.


Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) is a late-onset dominant disease that primarily affects craniofacial muscles. Despite the fact that the genetic cause of OPMD is known to be expansion mutations in the gene encoding the nuclear polyadenosine RNA binding protein PABPN1, the molecular mechanisms of pathology are unknown and no pharmacologic treatments are available. Due to the limited availability of patient tissues, several animal models have been employed to study the pathology of OPMD. However, none of these models have demonstrated functional deficits in the muscles of the pharynx, which are predominantly affected by OPMD. Here, we used a knock-in mouse model of OPMD, Pabpn1 +/A17 , that closely genocopies patients. In Pabpn1 +/A17 mice, we detected impaired pharyngeal muscle function, and impaired pharyngeal satellite cell proliferation and fusion. Molecular studies revealed that basal autophagy, which is required for normal satellite cell function, is higher in pharynx-derived myoblasts than in myoblasts derived from limb muscles. Interestingly, basal autophagy is impaired in cells derived from Pabpn1 +/A17 mice. Pabpn1 knockdown in pharyngeal myoblasts failed to recapitulate the autophagy defect detected in Pabpn1 +/A17 myoblasts suggesting that loss of PABPN1 function does not contribute to the basal autophagy defect. Taken together, these studies provide the first evidence for pharyngeal muscle and satellite cell pathology in a mouse model of OPMD and suggest that aberrant gain of PABPN1 function contributes to the craniofacial pathology in OPMD.


Contemporary organizations continue to face the long-standing trend in which they are being transformed from hierarchical to decentralized organizations. This period is often referred to as the "age of empowerment". Organizations attempt to find ways to empower their employees and to encourage them to become more engaged in their work. Communication in various forms may therefore get a more prominent role in organizations. A comparative case study of organizational changes in three business organizations provides an analysis of the work of PR practitioners. To what extent and if so, how, do PR practitioners adjust and adapt their work to this "age of empowerment" phenomenon? The data reveal that although PR practitioners in all three organizations were involved in communication about respective change it was only PR practitioners in one of the organizations that worked actively and strategically to both engage employees in the present change process and to empower them.


The Alpress LP osmotic tablet enables progressive and prolonged release of prazosin into the digestive tract over a 16 hour period. This leads to the maintenance of stable plasma concentrations of the drug and the absence of high plasma peaks during the absorption of prazosin. The antihypertensive effect prazosin persists throughout the day and night, ensuring effective blood pressure regulation and treatment is well tolerated by patients.


The computer modeling method and results of dynamical modes in asynchronous traction drive on perspective diesel locomotives with voltage inverters and vector control are present


Most probabilistic extensions of description logics focus on the terminological apparatus. While some allow for expressing probabilistic knowledge about concept assertions, systems which can express probabilistic knowledge about role assertions have received very little attention as yet. We present a system PALC which allows us to express degrees of belief in concept and role assertions for individuals. We introduce syntax and semantics for PALC and we define the corresponding reasoning problem. An independence assumption regarding the assertions for different individuals yields additional constraints on the possible interpretations. This considerably reduces the solution space of the PALC reasoning problem.