STUDY QUESTION
Does a differential abundance of high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) protein in uterine fluid (UF) have a functional significance?

SUMMARY ANSWER
In rats, an excess of HMGB1 in UF during the receptive phase is detrimental to pregnancy.

WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY
The identification of constituents of the human uterine secretome has been a subject of renewed interest, due to the advent of high throughput proteomic technologies. Proteomic-based investigations of human UF have revealed the presence of several proteins such as mucins, host defense proteins S100, heat shock protein 27 and haptoglobin, etc. The present study reports on the presence of HMGB1, a nuclear protein, in human UF. Activated macrophages/monocytes, natural killer cells, mature dendritic cells, pituicytes and erythroleukemic cells are also known to secrete HMGB1. Existing data suggest that extracellular HMGB1 plays a role in inflammation.

STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION
The human part of this study was cross-sectional in design. UF and endometrial tissues were collected from regularly cycling women in the early secretory (i.e. pre-receptive phase, Day 2 post-ovulation, n = 7) or secretory phase (i.e. receptive phase, Day 6 post-ovulation, n = 7) of their menstrual cycles. Samples were also collected from cycling rats in the proestrous (n = 8) or metestrous (n = 8) phase of their estrous cycles. Uteri were also collected from HMGB1-treated pregnant (n = 7) and untreated pseudo-pregnant (n = 7) rats and from pregnant rats at Day 3-5 post-coitum (p.c.) (n = 18, 3 each for six-time points).

PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS
In each group of human samples, four samples were used for isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) analysis and three samples were used for immunoblotting experiments to determine the abundance of HMGB1 in pre-receptive and receptive phase UF samples. HMGB1 levels in rat UF and endometrial tissue samples were estimated by ELISA and immunohistochemical studies, respectively. The expression of inflammation-associated molecules, such as nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB), receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGEs), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), was analyzed by immunohistochemistry in HMGB1-treated and pseudo-pregnant rats.

MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE
HMGB1 was identified as one of the differentially abundant proteins in the list generated by 8-plex iTRAQ analysis of receptive and pre-receptive phase UF samples. In both humans and rats, secreted and cellular levels of HMGB1 showed a similar pattern, i.e. significantly (P < 0.05) lower abundance in the receptive phase compared with that in the pre-receptive phase. A significant (P < 0.05) decline was also observed in the endometrial expression of HMGB1 on the day of implantation in pregnant rats. Exogenous administration of recombinant HMGB1, on Day 3 p.c., led to pregnancy failure, whereas administration of recombinant leukemia inhibitory factor or saline had no effect on pregnant rats. Further investigations revealed morphological changes in the endometrium, an increase in the expression of luminal epithelial NFκB and significantly (P < 0.05) higher expression levels of endometrial RAGE, TNF-α and IL-6 in HMGB1-treated rats, compared with untreated pseudo-pregnant rats.

LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION
The mechanisms, contributing to a decline in the cellular and extracellular levels of HMGB1 during the receptive phase, remain to be ascertained.

WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS
An excess of HMGB1 in the UF may be associated with infertility in women.


A study was conducted during 2009 to 2010 and 2010 to 2011 to find out the effect of irrigation and fertigation scheduling on growth and yield of guava (Psidium guajava L.). The experiments were laid out in factorial randomized block design with sixteen treatment combinations which included four irrigation levels (basin, 50, 75 and 100% irrigation of irrigation water/cumulative pan evaporation) along with four fertigation levels, including, basal dose, 50, 75 and 100% water soluble fertilizers and replicated thrice. The nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) fertilizers were applied through fertigation as well as soil application to test various attributes of 3-years-old guava cv. Shweta under meadow (ultra high density) orcharding. The investigation indicated that 100% irrigation of irrigation water/cumulative pan evaporation (I3) through drip resulted in maximum plant height (1.97 m), canopy volume (0.98 m3), girth of primary branches (2.41 cm), leaf area (62.94 cm2) and fruit weight (163.71 g). However, I2 (75% irrigation of irrigation water/cumulative pan evaporation) resulted in maximum plant spread east west-north south (1.91 to 1.79 m), fruit yield/plant (5.87 kg) with benefit:cost ratio of 2.62. Use of 60, 30 and 30 g NPK/plant/year produced maximum leaf area (63.39 cm2), fruit weight (162.43 g) and fruit yield/plant (6.01 kg). Interaction effect of irrigation and fertigation levels showed that 100% irrigation of irrigation water/cumulative pan evaporation + 100% water soluble fertilizers gave maximum plant height (2.07 m), canopy volume (1.24 m3), girth of primary branches (2.48 cm), leaf area (66.08 cm2), fruit diameter 6.69 cm (polar) and 5.97 cm (equatorial), fruit weight (182.17 g), yield/plant (6.59 kg). However, maximum benefit:cost ratio of (2.91) was obtained as 75% irrigation of irrigation water/cumulative pan evaporation + 75% water soluble fertilizers.

 Key words: Guava, irrigation, fertigation, meadow orchard, yield.


We have previously demonstrated a role for the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) in the attenuation of the cholesterol biosynthesis pathway. This regulation did not require that the AHR binds to its cognate response element. Based on these observations and other reports depicting a role for AHR in lipid metabolism, we chose to investigate the involvement of the receptor in the regulation of the fatty acid synthesis pathway in mice and humans. For this purpose, C57BL/6J, liver-specific transgenic DRE-binding mutant AhR (A78D-AhrTtr CreAlb Ahrfx/fx) and CreAlb Ahrfx/fx mice were treated with an AHR ligand, and hepatic mRNA expression levels of key fatty acid genes (e.g., Acaca, Fasn, Scd1) were measured. The basal levels of those genes were also compared between C57BL6/J and hepatic AHR-deficient mice, as well as between Ahb and Ahd congenic mice. To extend these results to humans, fatty acid gene expression in human cells were compared with AHR-silenced cells. In addition, primary human hepatocytes were treated with an AHR ligand to assess alterations in gene expression and fatty acid synthesis. These studies indicated that the AHR constitutively attenuates the expression of key fatty acid synthesis genes in the absence of binding to its cognate response element. In addition, activation of AHR led to further repression of the expression of these genes and a decrease in overall fatty acid synthesis and secretion in human hepatocytes. Based on our results, we can conclude that increased AHR activity represses fatty acid synthesis, suggesting it may be a future therapeutic target.


Flooding is one of the most significant issues facing the UK and Europe. New approaches are being sought to mitigate its impacts, and distributed, catchment-based techniques are becoming increasingly popular. These employ a range of measures, often working with the catchment's natural processes, in order to improve flood resilience. There remains a lack of conclusive evidence, however, for the impacts of these approaches on the storm runoff, leading to considerable uncertainty in their effectiveness in terms of mitigating flood risk. A new modelling framework for design, assessment, and uncertainty estimation of such distributed, nature-based schemes is developed. An implementation of a semidistributed runoff model demonstrates robustness to spatio-temporal discretisation. Alongside a new hydraulic routing scheme, the model is used to evaluate the impacts on flood risk of in-channel measures applied within an 29 km2 agricultural catchment. Maximum additional channel storage of 70,000 m3 and a corresponding reduction of 11% in peak flows is seen. This, however, would not have been insufficient to prevent flooding in the event considered. Further modifications allow simulation of the impacts of wider measures employing natural processes. This is applied within an uncertainty estimation framework across the headwaters of three mixed-use catchments, ranging in size from 57 km2 to 200km2 , across a series of extreme storm events. A novel surface routing algorithm allows simulation of large arrays distributed features that intercept and store fast runoff. The effect of the measures can be seen across even the most extreme events, with a reduction of up to 15% in the largest peak, albeit that this large impact was associated with a low confidence level. The methodology can reflect the uncertainty in application of natural flood risk management with a poor or incomplete evidence base. The modelling results demonstrate the importance of antecedent conditions and of the timings and magnitudes of a series of storm events. The results shows the benefits of maximizing features' storage utilisation by allowing a degree of "leakiness" to enable drain-down between storms. An unanticipated result was that some configurations of measures could synchronise previously asynchronous subcatchment flood waves and have a detrimental effect on the flood risk. The framework shows its utility in both modelling and evaluation of catchment-based flood risk management and in wider applications where computational efficiency and uncertainty estimation are important.


The interactions among concurrent tasks pose a challenge in the design of real-time multi-core systems, where blocking delays that tasks may experience while accessing shared memory have to be taken into consideration. Various memory arbitration schemes have been devised that address these issues, by providing trade-offs between predictability, average-case performance, and analyzability. Time-Division Multiplexing (TDM) is a well-known arbitration scheme due to its simplicity and analyzability. However, it suffers from low resource utilization due to its non-work-conserving nature. We proposed in our recent work dynamic schemes based on TDM, showing work-conserving behavior in practice, while retaining the guarantees of TDM. These approaches have only been evaluated in a restricted setting. Their applicability in a preemptive setting appears problematic, since they may induce long memory blocking times depending on execution history. These blocking delays may induce significant jitter and consequently increase the tasks' response times. This work explores means to manage and, finally, bound these blocking delays. Three different schemes are explored and compared with regard to their analyzability, impact on response-time analysis, implementation complexity, and runtime behavior. Experiments show that the various approaches behave virtually identically at runtime. This allows to retain the approach combining low implementation complexity with analyzability. 2012 ACM Subject Classification Computer systems organization → Real-time system architecture


In this paper, a detailed investigation of the spatio-temporal dynamics of a pulsed microwave plasma is presented. The plasma is ignited inside a dielectric tube in a repetitively pulsed regime at pressures ranging from 1 up to 100 mbar with pulse repetition frequencies from 200 Hz up to 500 kHz. Various diagnostic techniques are employed to obtain the main plasma parameters both spatially and with high temporal resolution. Thomson scattering is used to obtain the electron density and mean electron energy at fixed positions in the dielectric tube. The temporal evolution of the two resonant and two metastable argon 4s states are measured by laser diode absorption spectroscopy. Nanosecond time-resolved imaging of the discharge allows us to follow the spatio-temporal evolution of the discharge with high temporal and spatial resolution. Finally, the temporal evolution of argon 4p and higher states is measured by optical emission spectroscopy. The combination of these various diagnostics techniques gives deeper insight on the plasma dynamics during pulsed microwave plasma operation from low to high pressure regimes. The effects of the pulse repetition frequency on the plasma ignition dynamics are discussed and the plasma-off time is found to be the relevant parameter for the observed ignition modes. Depending on the delay between two plasma pulses, the dynamics of the ionization front are found to be changing dramatically. This is also reflected in the dynamics of the electron density and temperature and argon line emission from the plasma. On the other hand, the (quasi) steady state properties of the plasma are found to depend only weakly on the pulse repetition frequency and the afterglow kinetics present an uniform spatio-temporal behavior. However, compared to continuous operation, the time-averaged metastable and resonant state 4s densities are found to be significantly larger around a few kHz pulsing frequency.


I list newly found additional leaves of six manuscripts already described in 1957 (12, 73, 79, 81, 139 and 332). New leaves of 12 were to be expected: probably there are still more to find. The other five are all 'principal manuscripts' ( Catalogue , pp. xv–xix), but the new leaves of 139 do not contain any English. 73, 79 and 81 are binding fragments: new fragments like this are likely to turn up from time to time. On the other hand the new leaf of 332, also a binding fragment, is a surprise. How does it come to be associated with a leaf of 73 inside a binding made not earlier than 1636? Were these leaves taken over from an earlier binding, the work of the binder of SP. 4 and SP. 260 at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, who used the strips of 73 now at Corpus ( Catalogue , p. 122) ? And does 332 have some connection with Archbishop Parker? Neither supposition presents difficulty. 332 remained at Worcester until the seventeenth century, but it is more than likely that John Joscelyn, Parker's Latin secretary, examined it at Worcester (cf. Catalogue , p. lii). Did he excise the leaves containing this sermon for the common of a confessor and convey them to Parker and were they then abandoned as being mere duplicates of what Parker already had in 41 and 43?


In his article, "Helping ex-offenders enter the labor market," Frederick Englander surveys some of the recent research on how employment programs affect the behavior of offenders and former offenders. I He concludes that the available evidence on the effectiveness of the various programs indicates that nothing works when it comes to rehabilitation . Englander suggests that it may be time to shift resources from programs for offenders and ex-offenders to education and training of young people with limited access to those services . We believe that Englander's conclusions are premature. Our own reading of the literature and work with a number of employment programs support different conclusions : (1) we don't know what does work and (2) available research does not suggest abandoning employment programs for prisoners or parolees but rather initiating different types of programs that will build on what has been learned over the past 12 years .


In 2013, three populations of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and two populations of Italian ryegrass (L. multiflorum) from five vineyards in New Zealand were confirmed to be resistant to glyphosate. The level of resistance in four populations was almost 10-fold while one population of perennial ryegrass (Population O) had a level of resistance greater than 30-fold. Quick tests for confirming the presence of glyphosate in ryegrass plants have been developed. Molecular and physiological investigations showed that there was restricted herbicide translocation in all studied populations and Population O also had a modification at Pro-106 of the EPSPS enzyme. It was also found that the restricted herbicide translocation can be suppressed under cool conditions. Further studies also showed that the gene causing restricted herbicide translocation could be readily transferred through pollen, and the gene was partially dominant. All glyphosate resistant populations were also resistant to glufosinate, and three of the populations were also resistant to amitrole.


Abstract Plants encounter many environmental factors such as low and high temperatures during phytoremediation processes. In this study, our aim was to produce the transgenic tobacco plants by using a newly characterized bacterial nitroreductase, Ntr, which was active at a broad range temperature in order to detoxify 2,4-dinitrotoluene (2,4-DNT) at lower temperature. The presence of Ntr and its heterologous expression was verified in T1 transgenic plants and their growing ability were determined under toxic amount of 2,4-DNT (35 µM). Fresh weight and dry weight of transgenic plants were significantly higher than wild type (WT) under toxic 2,4-DNT at 22 °C, indicating higher growth capacity of the transgenics. Transgenic plants also showed a higher tolerance than WT when exposed to 2,4-DNT at 15 °C. Moreover, transformation rate of 2,4-DNT was gradually decreased through decreasing temperatures in WT media, however, it was increased through decreasing temperatures in transgenic plant TR3-25 media and it had the highest transformation rate (54%) of 2,4-DNT at 4 °C. Correlatively, 2,4-DNT treatment at 4 °C led to a significant decrease in H2O2 level in transgenic plants. Thus, transgenic plants overexpressing nitroreductase might have an important advantage for phytoremediation of toxic nitroaromatic compounds in field applications at low temperatures.


Detection of small pulmonary
nodules is the goal of lung cancer screening. Computer-aided detection (CAD)
systems are recommended to use in lung cancer computed tomography (CT)
screening to increase the accuracy of nodule detection. Size and density of
lung nodules are primary factors in determining the risk of malignancy.
Therefore, purpose of this study is to apply computer-simulated virtual
nodules based on the point spread function (PSF) measured in same scanner
(maintaining spatial resolution condition) to assess the CAD system performance
dependence on nodule size and density. Virtual nodules with density differences
between lung background and nodule density (ΔCT) values (200, 300 and 400 HU)
and different sizes (4 to 8 mm) were generated and fused on clinical images.
CAD detection was performed and free-response receiver operating characteristic
(FROC) curves were obtained. Results show that both density and size of virtual
nodules can affect detection efficiency. Detailed results are possible to use
for quantitative analysis of a CAD system performance. This study suggests
that PSF-based virtual nodules could be effectively used to assess the lung
cancer CT screening CAD system performance dependence on nodule size and
density.


The longitudinal current density distribution in conductors of the out- and inside cylindrical microstrip lines with homogeneous dielectric is derived. The distribution is found by converting a set of two coupled integral equations into a set of non-homogeneous linear equations. Their solution can be approximated by a simple closed-form function. The current density distribution is used in calculation of the characteristic impedance which agrees well with the results published earlier. The method is suitable for investigation of other two- and multiconductor cylindrical strip lines, as well. >


Developing nanoparticles to improve the specificity of anticancer agents towards tumor tissues and to better control drug delivery is a rising strategy in oncology. An increasing number of forms (e.g., conjugated nanoparticles, liposomes, immunoliposomes…) are now made available on the shelves and numerous other scaffolds (e.g., dendrimeres, nanospheres, squalenes…) are currently at various stages of development. However, the attrition rate when developing nanoparticles is particularly high and several promising forms showing excellent behavior and efficacy in preclinical studies failed to succeed in subsequent first-in-man studies or later in phase-II trials. The issue of pharmacokinetic variability is a major, yet largely underestimated issue with nanoparticles. A wide variety of causes (e.g; tumor type and disease staging, comorbidities, patient's immune system) can explain this variability, which can in return impact negatively on pharmacodynamic endpoints such as lack of efficacy or severe toxicities. This review aims at covering the main causes for erratic pharmacokinetics observed with most nanoparticles. Should the main causes of such variability be identified, specific studies in non-clinical or clinical development stages could be undertaken using dedicated models (i.e., mechanistic or semi-mechanistic mathematical models such as PBPK approaches) to better describe nanoparticles pharmacokinetics and decipher PK/PD relationships. In addition, identifying relevant biomarkers or parameters likely to impact on nanoparticles pharmacokinetics would allow either modifying their characteristics to reduce the influence of the expected variability during development phases, or developing biomarker-based adaptive dosing strategies to maintain an optimal efficacy/toxicity balance. Overall, we comprehensive distribution studies and state-of-the-art modeling support to help better picture and anticipate nanoparticles pharmacokinetics.


The aim of the article is to reveal the concept of a final court decision in criminal procedure law. A final court decision in the Lithuanian criminal procedure law may be: a judgement of the courts of first instance; a decision of the Court of Appeal; a decision of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Lithuania. The first part of the article deals with an analysis of the presumption res judicata pro veritate habetur. This presumption that a decision is correct is an expression of the authority of a court decision. A court decision may be: the act of the implementation of legal norms, the specific legal fact, the form of judicial power, and, certainly, the act of justice administration. A final court decision is equated to an act of legislation. Furthermore, the first part of the article includes a description and an analysis of the system and forms of control over a court judgement, the legal nature of these forms as well as the features which characterize ordinary appeal procedures: an appeal can be made by the process participants in all cases; an appeal against a judgement is possible before it comes into effect; an appeal does not have a suspensive effect; an appeal is possible on the grounds provided in law. The features of the extraordinary appeal procedures are: an appeal is possible against an effective court judgement; the grounds for an appeal are provided in law; there often are special selections of complaint.


The performance of many machine learning algorithms depends on their hyperparameter settings. The goal of this study is to determine whether it is important to tune a hyperparameter or whether it can be safely set to a default value. We present a methodology to determine the importance of tuning a hyperparameter based on a non-inferiority test and tuning risk: the performance loss that is incurred when a hyperparameter is not tuned, but set to a default value. Because our methods require the notion of a default parameter, we present a simple procedure that can be used to determine reasonable default parameters. We apply our methods in a benchmark study using 59 datasets from OpenML. Our results show that leaving particular hyperparameters at their default value is non-inferior to tuning these hyperparameters. In some cases, leaving the hyperparameter at its default value even outperforms tuning it using a search procedure with a limited number of iterations.


The government of Indonesia has not used lockdown or quarantine as an option to tackle the spread of Coronavirus, as the impact of lockdown on small communities in the informal sector that lives from daily income will be severe. Alternatively, the government is enforcing Large-Scale Social Restrictions (Pembatasan Sosial Berskala Besar or "PSBB") to respond to the state of emergency in public health. Starting in June 2020, the government has implemented transitional PSBB in some red zone areas, including the capital Jakarta and East Java province, despite the surge in case numbers. This paper aims to investigate the effectiveness of the PSBB policy applied in Indonesia during the COVID-19 outbreak and the readiness to embrace the new normal, between April and June 2020, based on rapid literature analysis in a search on Medline(-Pubmed), government speeches and reports, social and mass media platforms. Implementation of PSBB is a preventive measure to combat Coronavirus' spread in some Indonesian areas. Indonesia should not be in a "new normal" situation. The transitional PSBB phase serves as an early chapter of a new normal that would apply only to strategic sectors with manageable risks combined with better regulation and compliance by the public.


It is generally assumed that the so-called populist explosion that has swept across liberal democracies since 2016 has led to a crisis of neoliberal reason in its original formulation. Owing to the close relationship between cities and neoliberalism, the crisis of neoliberal rationality has significantly impacted what is defined here 'Western urbanology'. This definition brings together influential apologists of the urban age and its entrepreneurialist potential, starting with Richard Florida and Edward Glaeser. In recent times, these authors have started revisiting their conceptions and related policy proposals, in response to the growing sense of dissatisfaction with mainstream theorisations of economic development that has been associated with the populist explosion of 2016. However, this article shows how their revisions are minimal, and fundamentally illusory, as these authors have glossed over the very foundations of capitalist societies, drawing a veil over the issue of economic-value creation within contemporary platform urbanism. After having critically assessed the trajectory of Western urbanology, the article concludes by arguing that a substantial revision of the role of contemporary urbanism in economic development processes would require interrogating the creation and capture of economic value in today's capitalist societies.


This paper presents a non-linear numerical investigation of surface cracks in round bars under tension stresses by using ANSYS finite element analysis (FEA). Due to the symmetrical analysis, only quarter finite element (FE) model was constructed and special attention was given at the crack tip of the cracks. The surface cracks were characterized by the dimensionless crack aspect ratio, a/b = 0.6, 0.8, 1.0 and 1.2, while the dimensionless relative crack depth, a/D = 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3. The square-root singularity of stresses and strains were modeled by shifting the mid-point nodes to the quarter-point locations in the region around the crack front. The proposed model was validated with the existing model before any further analysis. The elastic-plastic analysis under tension loading was assumed to follow the Ramberg-Osgood relation with n = 5 and 10. J values were determined for all positions along the crack front and then, the limit load was predicted using the J values obtained from FEA through the reference stress method.


SUMMARY In this paper a series of remarks and observations is presented on the Cadastral Domain Model as published at 'Digital Earth' in Brno 2003, see Lemmen, et al (2003). A substantial part of those remarks and observations is based on the presentations and discussions of the Expert Group Meeting on secure land tenure (new legal frameworks and tools), held in the Nairobi, Kenya, 11-12 November 2004. This meeting has been organised by FIG Commission 7, 'Cadastre and Land Management' in close co-operation with UN HABITAT and the Institution of Surveyors in Kenya. Earlier versions of the Core Cadastral Domain Model, have been developed on the basis of experiences in Europe, the Nairobi meeting provides input from developing countries. The requirements resulting from this input is analysed with respect to the impact on the core cadastral domain model. It is first discussed what should be considered the scope of the core cadastral model. There is a tendency to include more and more object types and relationships in the model as these are somehow related to the objects in the current model. However, is it better to demarcate the model and develop other core models for the related objects (which can then be accessed via well-defined interfaces of the Geo-Information Infrastructure). The requirements that do fall within the scope of the model are translated into proposals for the new version of the core cadastral model. Finally, the paper is concluded with some final remarks and suggestions to create a new version of the model.


BACKGROUND
Commercial spaceflight events transporting paying passengers into space will begin to take place at various spaceports around the country within the next few years. Many spaceports are located in remote areas that are far from major hospitals and trauma centers. Spaceport medical directors should develop emergency medical plans (EMPs) to prepare for potential medical contingencies that may occur during commercial spaceflight events. The aim of this article is to guide spaceport medical directors in emergency medical planning for commercial spaceflight events.

METHODS
This guide is based on our experience and a recently developed EMP for Spaceport America which incorporated a literature review of mass gathering medicine, existing planning guides for mass gathering events, and EMPs for analogous aerospace events.

RESULTS
We propose a multipronged approach to emergency medical planning, consisting of event planning, medical reconnaissance, medical personnel, protocols, physical facility and hardware, and documentation.

DISCUSSION
Medical directors should use this guide to develop an emergency medical plan tailored to the resources and constraints specific to their events.


Thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitters based on carbazole groups have been reported to realize different efficiencies in devices. Herein, we report two carbazole-based TADF emitters, namely 2-(9H-carbazol-9-yl)thianthrene 5,5,10,10-tetraoxide (CZ-TTR), which has one free-rotation carbazole, and 2,3-di(9H-carbazol-9-yl)thianthrene 5,5,10,10-tetraoxide (DCZ-TTR), which has two mutually restricted carbazole groups, and investigated the influence of steric hindrance on their properties. Both compounds employed the same donor and acceptor segments and connecting mode. However, due to steric hindrance between the two carbazole segments, DCZ-TTR exhibited a smaller singlet–triplet splitting of 0.03 eV compared with that of CZ-TTR (0.10 eV). The device containing DCZ-TTR showed significantly higher efficiencies (20.1% for external quantum efficiency (EQE), 58.5 lm W−1 for power efficiency (PE), and 59.6 cd A−1 for current efficiency (CE)) than those of the CZ-TTR-based device (EQE = 14.4%; PE = 32.9 lm W−1; CE = 32.5 cd A−1). These results clearly proved the necessity of introducing suitable steric hindrance when designing highly efficient TADF emitters based on carbazole groups.


To use heterogeneous hardware, programmers must have sufficient technical skills to utilize OpenMP, CUDA, and OpenCL. On the basis of this, I have proposed environment-adaptive software that enables automatic conversion, configuration, and high performance operation of once written code, in accordance with the hardware. However, although it has been considered to convert the code according to the offload devices, there has been no study where to place the offloaded applications to satisfy users' requirements of price and response time. In this paper, as a new element of environment-adapted software, I examine a method to calculate appropriate locations using linear programming method. I confirm that applications can be arranged appropriately through simulation experiments when some conditions such as application type and users' requirements are changed.


While substantial effort has been devoted to investigating the radicalization process and developing theories to explain why this occurs, surprisingly few studies offer explanations of the micro-situational factors that characterize how extremists accomplish violence. Relying on in-depth life history interviews with 89 former white supremacists, we analyzed the situational, emotional, and moral considerations surrounding white supremacist violence. Overall, we identified a variety of strategies white supremacists utilize for overcoming emotional and cognitive obstacles required to perform violent action. Furthermore, we also identified the callous effect of habitual violence. We conclude this article with suggestions for future research and recommendations for practitioners addressing terrorism prevention initiatives.


Experiments were performed to measure the thickness of the liquid film formed by growing flattened bubbles in microgaps with laser extinction method for gap sizes of 0.5, 0.3 and 0.15mm. Water, ethanol and toluene were used as working fluids. High-speed camera was also taken to measure the bubble growth process simultaneously. It was confirmed that the gap size and bubble forefront velocity determined the initial microlayer thickness. The variation trend of the microlayer thickness relative to the velocity of interface was divided into two regions: region I where the velocity is small and the thickness increases linearly with increasing velocity; region II where the thickness almost constant or decreased slightly. Furthermore, the non-dimensional correlation for investigating the effects of test materials and gap sizes on micro-layer thickness was presented. With result analysis, the boundaries of the two regions were at Weber number of 80 approximately. And at the region where Weber number was smaller than 80 the thickness of mirolayer was thinner for the liquid whose surface tension coefficient is relatively large. But for the region where Weber number was bigger than 80, the smaller kinematic viscosity of liquid is, the thinner thickness of microlayer became.Copyright © 2009 by ASME


The ideology and actions of certain militant groups in the Middle East are often condemned as a perversion of Islamic precepts. In order to achieve a theologically ideal society these groups espouse Takfirism , a minority ideology which endorses violence and in particular advocates the killing of other Muslims declared to be unbelievers. These groups justify their words and deeds with direct quotations from the Qur'an and the Sunna , which are the sources of Islamic law (Shari'a), as well as by citing historical precedents such as the Khawarij movement and Ibn Taymiyya's fatawa . This article aims to analyse how these groups (and in some cases state actors) defend their actions in legal terms and how mainstream Islamic scholars respond to what they consider to be doctrinal deviations.


Postmerger integration processes have been studied from the perspectives of organizational identity and organizational culture, but these two perspectives have rarely been integrated. We argue that organizational identification and organizational culture differences give rise to two different sets of individual responses that are both important, but for different types of outcomes. An empirical analysis of a large-scale merger between two service sector companies shows that identification with the postmerger organization positively relates to both behavioral intentions and key attitudinal variables. In contrast, our results show that perceived organizational culture differences are negatively related to attitudinal variables. The effect of perceptions of cultural differences on behavioral intentions is mediated by organizational identification.


The sentinel effect posits that the perception of increased oversight is associated with improved behavior. We consider the association between enhanced government oversight and financial reporting aggressiveness in the healthcare industry. Specifically, we examine the association between criminal cases (pending cases and successful cases) against healthcare providers and the quality of subjective accounts that require significant judgment and have been shown to be linked to healthcare earnings management—revenue accruals and the allowance for doubtful accounts. We find that heightened government oversight is associated with lower financial reporting aggressiveness.


Particle pollution is a global health challenge that is linked to around three million premature deaths per year. There is therefore great interest in the development of sensors capable of precisely quantifying both the number and type of particles. Here, we demonstrate an approach that leverages machine learning in order to identify particulates directly from their scattering patterns. We show the capability for producing a 2D sample map of spherical particles present on a coverslip, and also demonstrate real-time identification of a range of particles including those from diesel combustion.


We use multipointing Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys and wide field Subaru Suprime-Cam imaging to study the globular cluster system of the L ∗ elliptical galaxy NGC 4278. We have also obtained a handful of new globular cluster spectra with the Keck Deep Imaging Multi-Object Spectrograph. We determine the globular cluster surface density profile and use it to calculate the total number of globular clusters, finding the system to be slightly more populous than average for galaxies of its luminosity. We find clear evidence for bimodality in the globular cluster colour distribution and for a colour–magnitude relation in the blue subpopulation (a 'blue tilt'). We also find negative radial colour gradients in both colour subpopulations of equal strength which are similar in strength to those reported in other galaxies. The sizes of NGC 4278's globular clusters decrease with redder colours and increase with galactocentric radius. The ratio of the sizes of blue to red globular clusters is independent of galactocentric radius demonstrating that internal effects are responsible for the size difference with colour.


Arboretums are centers of introduction and study of woody plants' ecological and biological characteristics, promising species identification for their subsequent introduction in landscape construction. The dendrological park has conducted studies of both wild and introduced species of woody plants, 117 species in total. The analysis of urban conditions stability and decorativeness of 117 woody plants' species, including wild species, as well as systematic, biomorphological and chorologic analyses were performed. The article provides data on the degree of introduction and winter resistance of 96 trees and shrubs species. According to the results of the study, the list of the wood plants most successfully adapted to urbanized conditions for their further use in the cities of Central Russia considering their features in landscape design was composed.


Introduction: Developing countries, such as India face the double burden of already existent communicable diseases and increasing burden of non-communicable diseases including RTAs. In the South East Asian region of the WHO (WHO-SEARO), India alone accounted for 73% of RTA burden. 56 accidents occur every hour on Indian roads and at least 14 people are killed in these accidents. Prevention of RTAs thus, becomes very crucial in order to improve the longevity and the quality of life of the individuals concerned.
Materials and methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted among medical students in Guntur, India. The study participants included in the study were undergraduate
medical students from 4th to 7 th semesters.A pre-tested, semistructured questionnaire was administered to the students after obtaining written informed consent.
Results: Most of the study participants,116(51.79% ) used two wheelers, followed by those who used four wheelers, 57(25.45%). The study participants' awareness regarding road safety measures is observed to be considerably low. Around 80% of students had correct knowledge of driving without helmet as risk factor
Conclusion: Awareness generation and orientation towards road safety issues among the medical students should be done through periodic trainings. The efforts for increasing road safety measures through signboards, posters and mass media should be strengthened to reduce the morbidity and mortality in relation to road traffic accidents.


The author also comments on the interview with D'Ancona and Bussemaker. He enumerates the similarities between them: their enthusiasm and their struggles to 'frame' the problem of emancipation in a correct way. Both make a distinction between the substance and the process of emancipation policy, making it all the more surprising, he argues, that so little has been done in the past years to establish new institutions and to generate continuity. Lack of consensus between political parties about the way forward has generated an incremental way of policy making, resulting in a patchwork of regulations, which are often very confusing to the public. Schippers, furthermore, draws attention to the differences between the interviewees in view of the work/care problem ‐ sharing between partners or stimulating the commercialisation of care work.


This paper presents a constructive neural network model for daily streamflow forecasting. The Surface water hydrology is basic to the design and operation of the reservoir. A good example is the operation of a reservoir with an uncontrolled inflow but having a means of regulating the outflow. If information on the nature of the inflow is determinable in advance, then the reservoir can be operated by some decision rule to minimize downstream flood damage. For this reasons, several companies in the Brazilian Electrical Sector use the linear time-series models such as PARMA (Periodic Auto regressive Moving Average) models developed by Box-Jenkins. This paper provides for river flow prediction a numerical comparison between neural networks, called non-linear sigmoidal regression Blocks networks (NSRBN), and PARMA models. The NSRBN model approach is shown to provide better representation of the daily average water inflow forecasting, than the models based on Box-Jenkins method, currently in use on the Brazilian Electrical Sector.


The necessity of energy efficient Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) technologies has been growing with the development of green buildings to reduce the impact of built environment on the US energy consumption. In this context, underfloor air distribution (UFAD) appears as an innovative air distribution method that has the potential benefits of reduced energy use, improved indoor air quality (IAQ) and thermal comfort. Currently, there are two UFAD design tools (CBE and RP-1522 tools) in the ASHRAE UFAD design guide to help HVAC designers predict thermal stratification and calculate air flow rate. The aim of this thesis is to comprehensively compare these two UFAD design tools and update the CBE UFAD Cooling Load Design Tool with new stratification models and extended capabilities. The comparison will provide HVAC designers with a reference when deciding which design tool to use. The comparison consists of two parts. The first one compares features, including design cooling load, thermal stratification profile, air distribution models, diffuser types, supply plenum heat balance, plenum configurations and air distribution effectiveness. The second part is a numeric comparison to assess the accuracy of thermal stratification predictions of the two tools using a new database that is composed of 79 full-scale experiments and 31 CFD simulations. A new stratification model was then developed for each type of diffuser based on the combined database. The old and updated stratification models were also compared. Major functionality that has been added to the CBE tool includes a new linear bar grille in the perimeter zone, air distribution effectiveness, and the in-floor cooling unit. Design examples are provided to illustrate how users can interact and make design decisions based on the feedback from the design tool. The results of the comparison show that both tools have practical advantages and limitations. The CBE tool has the key advantage of being able to predict the UFAD cooling load, calculate heat gain in the supply plenum, model different plenum configurations and zone types. It has the limitation of primarily being used in office buildings and not able to calculate air distribution effectiveness. The RP-1522 tool covers more buildings types (classrooms, offices, workshops, restaurants, retail shops, conference rooms and auditoriums), and is able to calculate the air distribution effectiveness. However it requires users to input the zone cooling load, supply plenum factor and the supply airflow rate of each diffuser, which is difficult to get during the design stage for UFAD system. The two design tools are both acceptably accurate prediction models for design purposes, thus validating both air distribution models, which were developed independently. The updated stratification prediction models developed from the combined database do not yield significant differences in stratification prediction compared to the old models, except in the case of VAV directional diffusers in the interior zone. The new model for interior VAV directional diffuser has been implemented in the updated CBE UFAD Cooling Load Design Tool.


Over the past decade, house prices have kept soaring in Chinese cities, making housing affordability one of the biggest social and political issues in urban China. Existing research on housing affordability in China has largely looked at megacities while mediumand small-sized cities and towns have been ignored. In order to fill this research gap, this study analyses the issue of housing affordability in a cross-tier selection of cities, ranging from 1st tier to 5th tier cities, based on both quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data makes use of the data collected for the Land and Housing Survey in a Global Sample of Cities in 32 Chinese cities in 2015 and 2016, and the qualitative data consists of 17 semi-structured expert interviews in five cities in 2019. The house-price-to-income ratio (HPIR) and rent-to-income ratio (RIR) have been adopted to measure affordability. The main finding of this research is that housing is largely unaffordable in Chinese cities, yet the severity varies among cities. Considering a HPIR of 3.0 and RIR of 25 percent to be affordable, we find 'formal private housing' for example, with a HPIR of 7.2 and RIR of 34 percent, to be (severely) unaffordable, yet while all sample cities' HPIRs were above 3.0, the severity of unaffordability varies, with 1st and 2nd tier cities located in eastern China with an average HPIR higher than 10 whereas 3rd, 4th and 5th tier cities had HPIRs of around 5. Therefore, special attention should be paid to address the city variations when examining the issue of housing affordability in China. Furthermore, I assert that when facing a housing affordability crisis, it is essential to consider all housing sectors, including public housing and informal housing, the latter playing a positive role in providing relevant affordable housing to rural-urban migrant and the urban poor in Chinese cities.


The disadvantages of discovery mechanism of current network manufacturing resource were analyzed. A joint discovery mechanism based on UDDI (Universal Description, Discovery and Integration) and WSIL (Web Services Inspection Language) was put forward. Two-level matching was put forward. Basic process features are matched in UDDI and corresponding feature values are matched in local WSIL .Network manufacturing resource discovery architecture was built. Basic principles and characteristics of the integrated architecture were analyzed. Key technologies for realizing the integrated architecture were studied. The joint discovery mechanism prototype platform for manufacturing resource was developed by borrowing ideas from this model. The framework improves retrieval efficiency, greatly reduces the load on UDDI.


In this masters thesis, we will present the analysis of the solution to the Einstein field equation, known as electrovac universe. In this model, an electric charge is located somewhere in an empty universe. An important result from this scenario, is that there is a functional relation between the electrostatic potential and the metric components, asumming a comformastat metric. On the other hand, the Einstein's equations implies that the metric function satisfy the Laplace equation. We extended this model considering the Einstein's equation with cosmological constant, which increased the complexity of the equations. The metric function satisfies now a nonlinear second-order, partial differential equation. We offered solutions to this equation in 1 and 2 dimensions.


This thesis consists of two different parts, related to two different fields in mathematical physics: wave propagation and kinetic theory of gases. Various mathematical and computational problems for equations from these areas are treated. The first part is devoted to high order finite difference methods for the Helmholtz equation and the wave equation. Compact schemes with high order accuracy are obtained from an investigation of the function derivatives in the truncation error. With the help of the equation itself, it is possible to transfer high order derivatives to lower order or to transfer time derivatives to space derivatives. For the Helmholtz equation, a compact scheme based on this principle is compared to standard schemes and to deferred correction schemes, and the characteristics of the errors for the different methods are demonstrated and discussed. For the wave equation, a finite difference scheme with fourth order accuracy in both space and time is constructed and applied to a problem in discontinuous media. The second part addresses some problems related to kinetic equations. A direct simulation Monte-Carlo method is constructed for the Landau-Fokker-Planck equation, and numerical tests are performed to verify the accuracy of the algorithm. A formal derivation of the method from the Boltzmann equation with grazing collisions is performed. The linear and linearized Boltzmann collision operators for the hard sphere molecular model are studied using exact reduction of integral equations to ordinary differential equations. It is demonstrated how the eigenvalues of the operators are found from these equations, and numerical values are computed. A proof of existence of non-zero discrete eigenvalues is given. The ordinary diffential equations are also used for investigation of the Chapman-Enskog distribution function with respect to its asymptotic behavior.


Scientific insights in the coming decade will clearly depend on the effective processing of large data sets generated by dynamic heterogeneous applications typical of workflows in large data centers or of emerging fields like neuroscience. In this article, we show how these big data workflows have a unique set of characteristics that pose challenges for leveraging HPC methodologies, particularly in scheduling. Our findings indicate that execution times for these workflows are highly unpredictable and are not correlated with the size of the data set involved or the precise functions used in the analysis. We characterize this inherent variability and sketch the need for new scheduling approaches by quantifying significant gaps in achievable performance. Through simulations, we show how on-the-fly scheduling approaches can deliver benefits in both system-level and user-level performance measures. On average, we find improvements of up to 35% in system utilization and up to 45% in average stretch of the applications, illustrating the potential of increasing performance through new scheduling approaches.


The present research intends to examine the herd behaviour of investors in the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX). Herd behaviour in stock market is sometimes based on fundamental information, which causes quick price adjustments to new information and leads to efficient markets. Still, sometimes it is not dependent on fundamental information and results in price instability. Herding can be a short term phenomenon, but sometimes a longer time span can provide favourable outcomes for the occurrence of herd behaviour. Considering these diverse views, intraday, daily, weekly, and monthly stock prices of 528 companies listed in the PSX have been used to calculate stock returns. Market-wide herd measure, i.e. CSAD, has been used to compute the herd behaviour. Data has been investigated for autocorrelation, heteroscedasticity, and stationarity issues. Findings revealed that herding did not exist in PSX, but some sectors showed this behaviour. Herd behaviour was more likely to exist at a daily level. The tendency of occurrence of the herding phenomenon gradually decreases at intraday and weekly levels. However, herding cannot be taken as a long term phenomenon as just a single sector was evidenced about its existence at the monthly level. Herding is an inherent phenomenon that is very difficult to eliminate from the stock market completely. However, knowledge and information sharing can guide investors to improve this behaviour
Keywords: Herd Behaviour, Behavioural Finance, Return Dispersions, Pakistan Stock Exchange, CSAD


Syvaoja, Heidi. 2010. Effects of exercise intensity on recovery of autonomic nervous system immediately after exercise and during sleep, and on subjective and objective sleep quality. Master s thesis in Exercise Physiology. Department of Biology of Physical Activity. University of Jyvaskyla, 90. The exercise can be considered as a one form of stress, because it induces marked changes in the autonomic regulation of heart rate (HR). During acute exercise, parasympathetic activity decreases and sympathetic activity increases. Parasympathetic activity declines a lot or even disappears, when the exercise intensity is high. After acute exercise cessation, fast changes occur in the cardiac function within few minutes: parasympathetic tone increases, whereas sympathetic activity decreases. However, how fast the vagal reactivation is, and how long autonomic regulation of HRV is disturbed after different exercises is not well known. In addition, exercise has beneficial effects on health. It may improve the sleep duration and quality, especially the amount of slow way sleep. The purpose of the present study was to find out how an acute exercise affects the recovery of the ANS. More specifically, how different exercise intensities affect recovery of heart rate variability (HRV) immediately after exercise and during sleep. In addition, the second purpose of the present study was to investigate how exercise intensity affects the subjective and the objective sleep quality during the nocturnal sleep. Sixteen healthy moderately active men aged 36 years participated in the study. The subjects performed moderate intensity (60 % of VO2max) and high intensity (75% of VO2max) exercises in a laboratory. The autonomic regulation of HRV and subjective and objective sleep quality were measured during the night before and after exercise sessions. Also biomarkers of stress from salivary samples ware measured after both nights at home. In addition, acute effects of exercise on HRV and biomarkers of stress from salivary samples were measured in the laboratory right after exercise sessions. HRV was measured with Alive heart monitor and analysed with the Firstbeat HEALTH computer software. Body movements of the subjects were detected with the Actiwatch activity monitoring system and analysed with Actiwatch activity & sleep analysis 5 – software. During the first minute of recovery, high frequency power (HFP) was significantly higher after moderate intensity exercise compared to the values during exercise (p<0,01). During the second minute of recovery HFP was first time significantly higher after high intensity exercise compared to the values during exercise, (p<0,01). Moreover, HFP was lower after high intensity exercise than after moderate intensity exercise during the immediate recovery period (1.minute: 1,6 ± 0,9 vs. 3,6 ± 1,4 ln[ms2] (p<0,01), 2. minute: 2,1 ± 0,8 vs. 4,5 ± 1,2 ln[ms2], 5.-10. minute: 2,8 ± 1,3 vs. 6,1 ± 1,4 ln[ms2]). During the first four hours of sleep, HR was significantly higher (57 ± 8 vs. 52 ± 6, bpm, (p<0,001)) and root mean square of successive RRIs (RMSSD) significantly lower (51,0 ± 25,6 vs. 64,8 ± 34,0 ms, p<0,05) after high intensity exercise compared to the control. Actual sleep time (7:29 ± 0:40 vs. 6:56 ± 0:41 h:min (p<0,01)) and subjective sleep quality (71,3 ± 18,7 vs. 53,0 ± 23,5, p<0,05) was higher after high intensity exercise compared to the control. It seems that vagal reactivation is quite fast after exercise and it depends on exercise intensity. In addition, the results suggest that the high intensity exercise disturb the cardiac autonomic regulation only during early sleep. According to results, the high intensity exercise may improve the sleep quality. These results suggest that the sleep after high intensity exercise is enough for overall recovery and enough to restore homeostasis.


Most sexual assaults are never reported to law enforcement, and even among reported cases, most will never be successfully prosecuted. This reality has been a long-standing source of frustration for survivors, victim advocates, as well as members of the criminal justice system. To address this problem, communities throughout the United States have implemented multidisciplinary response interventions to improve post-assault care for victims and increase reporting and prosecution rates. One such model is the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program, whereby specially trained nurses (rather than hospital emergency department [ED] physicians) provide comprehensive psychological, medical, and forensic services for sexual assault victims. The purpose of this study was to examine whether adult sexual assault cases were more likely to be investigated and prosecuted after the implementation of a SANE program within a large Midwestern county. A quasiexperimental design was used to compare criminal justice system case progression preSANE to post-SANE. Results from longitudinal multilevel ordinal regression modeling revealed that case progression through the criminal justice system significantly increased preto post-SANE: more cases reached the "final" stages of prosecution (i.e., conviction at trial and/or guilty plea bargains) post-SANE. These findings are robust after accounting for changes in operation at the focal county prosecutors' office and seasonal variation in rape reporting. Implications for policy and practice are discussed. Article at US DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE on April 3, 2012 vaw.sagepub.com Downloaded from 224 Violence Against Women 18(2)


This article is a reflection on the author's 2005 Chronicle of Higher Education article "Information Literacy Makes All the Wrong Assumptions." In it, the author argues that while library instruction is properly grounded in disciplinary norms, information literacy serves a vital institutional obligation as a means of assessing student learning. The content of library instruction thus serves the University's "vertical" disciplinary agendas, while information literacy serves its "horizontal" institution-wide agenda.


Objective
. In the research presented here, quantum measurement is conceptualized as pragmatic information transfer when an intentional observer perceives motive-relevant quantum-based outcomes. Owing to the nature of pragmatic information as described in Lucadou's Model of Pragmatic Information, this information transfer causes an observer-dependent intentional co-formation of reality and can only be scientifically documented under reduced objectivity conditions. The effects thus reflect a "sobjective" reality that occupies the space between subjectivity and objectivity. The present study was designed to find evidence for the existence of this sobjective reality. Method. A pre-registered micro-psychokinesis task involving a quantum random number generator assessed the impact of intentional observation on quantum-based stochastic outcomes under experimental variations of the applied measures' objectivity. Results. As predicted, an intentionally congruent bias in quantum-based outcomes was observed using subjective memory data from the observations when additional objective computer-stored data were not inspected and finally erased (i.e., objectivity was reduced). Quantum randomness was confirmed in a maximum objective data collection context for both stored and memory data. Conclusion. The results indicate that pragmatic information was transferred during trial observation when scientific objectivity was reduced. The evidence for intentionally based reality formation or quantum-based random reality emergence was thus shown to be a function of the measurements' objectivity levels. The data suggest the existence of a sobjective reality and that a physicalist/materialist or an intentional creation worldview depends on the presence of an intentional agent and the definition of the measurement process.


As a recently proposed technique, sparse representation based classification (SRC) with l1-normminimization has been widely used for frontal face recognition (FFR). SRC first codes a testing sample as a sparse linear combination of all the training samples, and then classifies the testing sample by evaluating which class leads to the minimum representation error. But, it is really not the l1-norm sparsity that improves the FR accuracy.This paper analyzes the working mechanism of SRC, and indicates that it is the l1-regularized least squares formulation, with nonnegative constraints, that makes SRC powerful for face classification. Consequently, we propose a very simple yet much more efficient face classification scheme, for pose variant database namely ORL database with least square (LS). The extensive experiments clearly show that this scheme has very competitive classification results.


I applied the SBAS-DInSAR method to the Mattinata Fault (MF) (Southern Italy) and to the Doruneh Fault System (DFS) (Central Iran). In the first case, I observed limited internal deformation and determined the right lateral kinematic pattern with a compressional pattern in the northern sector of the fault. Using the Okada model I inverted the observed velocities defining a right lateral strike slip solution for the MF. Even if it fits the data within the uncertainties, the modeled slip rate of 13-15 mm yr-1 seems too high with respect to the geological record. Concerning the Western termination of DFS, SAR data confirms the main left lateral transcurrent kinematics of this fault segment, but reveal a compressional component. My analytical model fits successfully the observed data and quantifies the slip in ~4 mm yr-1 and ~2.5 mm yr-1 of pure horizontal and vertical displacement respectively. The horizontal velocity is compatible with geological record.
I applied classic SAR interferometry to the October–December 2008 Balochistan (Central Pakistan) seismic swarm; I discerned the different contributions of the three Mw > 5.7 earthquakes determining fault positions, lengths, widths, depths and slip distributions, constraining the other source parameters using different Global CMT solutions. A well constrained solution has been obtained for the 09/12/2008 aftershock, whereas I tested two possible fault solutions for the 28-29/10/08 mainshocks. It is not possible to favor one of the solutions without independent constraints derived from geological data.
Finally I approached the study of the earthquake-cycle in transcurrent tectonic domains using analog modeling, with alimentary gelatins like crust analog material. I successfully joined the study of finite deformation with the earthquake cycle study and sudden dislocation. A lot of seismic cycles were reproduced in which a characteristic earthquake is recognizable in terms of displacement, coseismic velocity and recurrence time.


The percolation threshold for flow or conduction through voids surrounding randomly placed spheres is calculated. With large-scale Monte Carlo simulations, we give a rigorous continuum treatment to the geometry of the impenetrable spheres and the spaces between them. To properly exploit finite-size scaling, we examine multiple systems of differing sizes, with suitable averaging over disorder, and extrapolate to the thermodynamic limit. An order parameter based on the statistical sampling of stochastically driven dynamical excursions and amenable to finite-size scaling analysis is defined, calculated for various system sizes, and used to determine the critical volume fraction ϕc=0.0317±0.0004 and the correlation length exponent ν=0.92±0.05.


The term haptic refers to the tactile sensation perceived by the user when he is manipulating objects in a Virtual Environment. These sensations are extremely important in Virtual Reality simulators for training medical and dental procedures with the goal of increasing the level of motor skills. Many tasks trained, such as teeth and bones drilling, are held in rigid bodies and require parts of the virtual models to be removed. One way to manipulate these objects is by using voxel-based models, which divide the object into smaller parts that can be removed by the haptic device. This paper deals with a new method for haptic rendering with voxel-based rigid bodies that may be composed of various materials with different densities. The method describes the process for obtaining and storing the virtual objects. In addition it details the techniques used for collision detection, calculating the force feedback and removing parts of objects during the drilling process. The paper ends with an experiment that shows that the method provides stability, supports removal of voxels and different material


Forging process is one of the most basic metal forming processes. In this study a new forging process is applied to fabricate a precision forging product uniting parking and driven gears in order to obtain lightweight and cost effectiveness of an automobile. Since the united product using the precision forging process needs high quality and new manufacturing process, 3D computer simulation by FEM has been used to reduce some trial and errors in experiment and obtain the deformation, strain, stress and load of the workpiece and die. The study has tried to find out an optimal process including preform design putting emphasis on tooth filling by DEFORM-3D, a 3-dimensional rigid-plastic finite element code.


In spite of having excellent short-term dielectric properties, polymeric insulated cables are subjected to serious degradation problems due to defects, water treeing, partial discharges, etc... Canada more than 20% of the installed power cables are older than their designed life-time. Therefore, utilities are challenged to make the right decisions in repairing, refurbishing or completely replacing older cables. The best option for utilities is to apply a so called "smart replacement strategy of power cables", i.e. only replacing cables that could adversely affect the reliability of a network in the near future. This will be the best approach to cut operation costs as well as increase the reliability of a power system. The implementation of such a strategy can only be accomplished if and when the utilities have access to reliable and non-destructive diagnostic tools that can be applied on-site. At the National Research Council of Canada (NRC), an on-site testing technique for estimating the degree of degradation of power cables based on the polarization/depolarization current principle has been developed using a nearly noiseless high voltage solid state switch with a few ns rise time. The high frequency (HF) components of the depolarization current (IDEP) can be measured and the area under the HF component of the IDEP curve, QDep, can be linked to the intensity of water treeing in cable insulations. This was observed from a series of tests on flat samples and miniature cables aged in a wet environment, and from measuring specimens removed from failed cables. Using QDep as Diagnostic Indicator, the tested cables were divided into three categories: Good Condition, Fair Condition and Poor Condition. In 2011 this technique was applied to a large number of cables in the local utility network. The results of these tests will be described in this paper. It will be shown that the age was not the determining factor of the cable condition. Also, it will be clarified that only -1 kV dc is sufficient to assess the condition of cables, therefore, testing with -3 kV will not change the condition determined with 1 k kV.


The aim of this research is to determine the functions that future primary schools will adopt based on the opinions of primary school teachers. Accordingly, the functions of instruction, socialization, and qualification that schools fulfill were assessed in accordance with the literature and teachers' opinions. Designed in a descriptive survey model, this study employed a parallel mixed design utilizing both qualitative and quantitative data collection instruments. Two questionnaire forms—one for demographic information and one for teachers' opinions—were used for the quantitative data and semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted for the qualitative data set. As for research findings, teachers think that schools pay more attention to the function of socialization than instruction and qualification and that this function should not be only under their responsibility, rather be completed through cooperation with families. Furthermore, findings also point out that children should be equipped with meaningful daily life information, they should be encouraged to make career plans that will make them happy based on a "self-get to know" process, and they should be prepared for the next educational level.


When a 1:1 complex of cis-3,3′-bis(diphenylhydroxymethyl)stilbene (1) with acetone was irradiated in the solid state at room temperature using a high-pressure mercury lamp with a Pyrex filter for 6 h, a 1:1 complex of the trans-isomer (2) with acetone was obtained without losing the guest acetone molecules. Similar results were obtained without a guest or in the presence of other guests. Internal rotation around the double bond bearing the very large triphenylhydroxymethyl substituent is hardly imaginable in the confinement of the crystal. Therefore, the geometrically easier 'hula-twist' (HT) mechanism with its movements primarily in the molecular plane provides a viable mechanistic alternative for the cis–trans isomerization. The solid-state mechanism of the reaction was studied by x-ray and atomic force microscopy (AFM) analyses. Face-selective efflorescence formed a protective cover on (100) and can be related to the crystal structure. Further molecular migration was not detected with the sensitivity of AFM and the crystal of 1ċacetone did not lose its clarity and microscopic shape. The cis–trans conversion profits from cages that are present in the crystal lattice. X-ray structural analysis confirmed a strong loss of crystallinity upon the photochemical conversion of 1ċacetone which precludes a definitive conformational proof of HT by x-ray diffraction. The formation of the amorphous phase excludes a topotactic reaction. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


A majority of the current experimental techniques for measuring damping employ either flexural or torsional vibrations. Both produce a non-homogeneous strain field. If the material damping is strain independent (linear), then the measured quantity is a true representation of the intrinsic material damping. However, if the material damping is strain dependent (non-linear), then the measured quantity will be a measure of the volume-averaged (global) intrinsic material damping. This paper presents a new technique for measuring the intrinsic material damping by employing a homogeneous strain field by subjecting specimens to a time-harmonic uniform uniaxial tension using an MTS apparatus. Using the elementary theory of Fourier transforms, the phase difference between the stress and the strain was resolved in the frequency domain (rather than in the time domain) to an accuracy of 9.587 x 10 - 5 rad (5.49 x 10 - 3 deg); the frequency range of this study was 0.5 to 10 Hz. A flexural apparatus was also developed to measure damping in a well-known logarithmic decrement technique. Both apparatuses incorporated digital data acquisition and were fully automated. The application of both techniques was illustrated by measuring the damping of a [′θ] s metal-matrix composite as a function of ply-angle, θ. Unidirectional Pitch 55 graphite fibers in a matrix of 6061 aluminum were tested for the following values of θ: 0°, 15°, 30°, 45°, 60°, 75°, and 90°. In addition, the damping of two [0 8 ] graphite/magnesium composites was measured in flexure. Following a recent calculation by Ni and Adams, expressions for axial damping were derived based on the damping properties of a lamina. In addition, the expressions derived by Ni and Adams were extended to include stress and strain terms that had been previously neglected. For both the flexural and axial damping of the metal-matrix composites tested, satisfactory agreement between the theory and experiment was observed.


Many information quality initiatives and projects need to demonstrate the potential benefits of their IQrelated activities already in their planning stage. In doing so, practitioners rely on cost estimates based on current non-quality data effects (that are then compared to data quality improvement costs). In producing such estimates on costs caused by low quality data, it is difficult to identify all potential negative monetary effects that are the result of low quality data (as well as all possible costs associated with assuring high quality data and their progression). Consequently, this article reviews and categorizes the potential costs associated with low quality data and examines their progression. This analysis can help practitioners to identify cost saving potentials and argue a more convincing business case of their data quality imitative. For researchers, the proposed classification framework and the cost progression analyses can be helpful to develop quantifiable measures of data quality costs and to prepare – subsequently – benchmarking studies, comparing different cost levels in different organizations. Thus, the paper contributes elements of a future cost-benefit analysis method for data quality investments.


We elicit numerical expectations for late-onset dementia in the Health and Retirement Study. Our elicitation distinguishes between precise and imprecise probabilities, while accounting for rounding of reports. Respondents quantify imprecision using probability intervals. Nearly half of respondents hold imprecise dementia probabilities, while almost a third of precise-probability respondents round their reports. We provide the first empirical evidence on dementia-risk perceptions among dementia-free older Americans and novel evidence about imprecise probabilities in a nationally-representative sample. We show, in a specific framework, that failing to account for imprecise or rounded probabilities can yield incorrect predictions of long-term care insurance purchase decisions.


The vehicle routing problem (VRP) is a critical and vital problem in logistics for the design of an effective and efficient transportation network, within which the capacitated vehicle routing problem (CVRP) has been widely studied for several decades due to the practical relevance of logistics operation. However, CVRP with the objectives of minimizing the overall travelling distance or the travelling time cannot meet the latest requirements of green logistics, which concern more about the influence on the environment. This paper studies CVRP from an environmental perspective and introduces a new model called environmental vehicle routing problem (EVRP) with the aim of reducing the adverse effect on the environment caused by the routing of vehicles. In this research, the environmental influence is measured through the amount of the emission carbon dioxide, which is a widely acknowledged criteria and accounts for the major influence on environment. A hybrid artificial bee colony algorithm (ABC) is designed to solve the EVRP model, and the performance of the hybrid algorithm is evaluated through comparing with well-known CVRP instances. The computational results from numerical experiments suggest that the hybrid ABC algorithm outperforms the original ABC algorithm by 5% on average. The transformation from CVRP to EVRP can be recognized through the differentiation of their corresponding optimal solutions, which provides practical insights for operation management in green logistics.


Reconfigurability in an antenna system is a desired characteristic that has attracted of attention in the past years. In this work, a novel class of nonconformal Fermat-like spiral multi-port microantennas for next-generation wireless communications and radar applications is presented. The device modeling is carried out by using a computationally enhanced locally conformal finite-difference time-domain full-wave procedure. In this way, the circuital characteristics and radiation properties of the antennas are investigated accurately. The structure reconfigurability, in terms of frequency of operation and radiation efficiency, is technically performed by a suitable solid-state tuning circuitry adopted to properly change the feeding/loading conditions at the antenna input ports.


The concepts and the damping characteristics of an active damper using electrorheological (ER) fluids containing numerous dielectric particles have been proposed, and applications to vibration isolation control have been investigated numerically, based on the analytical model of the ER damper involving the approximate function of pressure drops across an ER valve obtained experimentally. The ER damper was found to be analogous to the hybrid damper having a viscous damper with constant damping and an electrically variable friction damper. Therefore, the ER damper under constant input voltage behaves like a coulomb friction damper, and the active damper can be constructed, by electrically varying the friction like forces proportional to the piston speed, to be a linear viscous damper with electrically variable damping coefficient. Three methodologies of vibration isolation control using the ER active damper were applied to a single-degree-of-freedom excited vibration system consisting of a mass, a spring, and the ER damper. Among these control methodologies, the nonlinear feedback control of the square root of the absolute velocity of the mass was found to be most effective to reduce the vibration transmissibility of the system, and to enable control of transmissibility approaching that which can be achieved with a full active vibration isolation system using an actuator.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the relationship between lymphatic vessel density and clinical and pathological variables in patients with well-differentiated papillary thyroid carcinoma.

SUBJECTS
Clinical information was retrieved on 109 previously untreated patients with well-differentiated papillary thyroid carcinoma treated with total thyroidectomy and postoperative iodine I 131 ablation. Median follow-up was 38 months.

DESIGN
Archived tissue specimens were sectioned and stained with hematoxylin-eosin and anti-LYVE-1 antibody, a highly specific marker for lymphatic endothelium. The size of the tumor and its multifocality were noted and lymphatic vessel density was measured by means of Chalkley point counting.

RESULTS
Numerous intratumoral lymphatics were seen in papillary thyroid carcinoma. There was a highly significant association between the presence of intratumoral lymphatics and the presence of neck node metastases (P<.001). There was also a significant association with male sex (P =.03) and the presence of multifocal disease (P =.05). The presence of intratumoral lymphatics remained significantly associated with the presence of nodal metastases at presentation (P =.003) on multivariate analysis. Intratumoral lymphatics were not a significant predictor of tumor recurrence (P =.42, log-rank test).

CONCLUSIONS
The development of intratumoral lymphatics in well-differentiated papillary thyroid carcinoma appears to be associated with the spread of tumor to regional lymph nodes. The antimetastatic potential of targeting these lymphatics may be of potential therapeutic benefit in the future.


In this paper, we propose a modeling approach that captures the dependence of the power dissipation of a (combinational or sequential) logic circuit on its input/output signal switching statistics. The resulting power macromodel, consists of a quadratic or cubic equation in four variables, that can be used to estimate the power consumed in the circuit for any given input/output signal statistics. Given a low-level (typically gate-level) description of the circuit, we describe a characterization process that uses a recursive least squares (RLS) algorithm by which such a equation-based model can be automatically built. The four variables of our model are the average input signal probability, average input switching activity, average input spatial correlation coefficient and average output zero-delay switching activity. This approach has been implemented and models have been built and tested for many combinational and sequential benchmark circuits.


Eight Angus heifer calves (234 kg) were assigned to either a high (HP; 126 g N/d) or low (LP; 66.5 g N/d) protein intake. Calves received 4.8 kg DM/d consisting of 30% cottonseed hulls and 70% corn-soybean meal in equal portions at 4-h intervals. Single doses of 14C- and 15N-urea and 15N-ammonium sulfate were injected into the blood urea-N (BUN) and ruminal NH3-N (RAN) pools, respectively, to measure rate of flux through, and transfer of N between, these and bacterial N. Nitrogen balance was greater (P less than .05) for HP than for LP (56.9 vs 25.1 g N/d), but abomasal N flow as a percentage of N intake was greater (P less than .05) for LP than for HP (124 vs 71.1%). Pool size and net synthesis rate for both RAN and BUN pools were greater (P less than .05) for HP than for LP. Calves fed HP degraded more (P less than .05) BUN in the gastrointestinal tract than calves fed LP (37.4 vs 14.0 g N/d). Quantities of RAN absorbed from the rumen also were greater (P less than .05) for HP than for LP (14.2 vs 2.8 g N/d). The proportion of total gastrointestinal BUN degradation occurring in the rumen averaged 53 and 26% for LP and HP. Data are interpreted to suggest that net incorporation of BUN into bacterial protein (urea recycling) is inversely related to level of protein intake.


The exchange rate regime in Iran is practically fixed. The Central Bank of Iran (CBI) has committed itself to trying to bring about a particular exchange rate regime to meet two important targets: 1. Sustaining competitiveness of the economy, 2. Acquiring the share of foreign reserves in monetary base in a predetermined level. Since 2001 the share of foreign reserves in monetary base has increased, which suggests that the sensitivity of CBI toward its second target should have also increased. This study tries to test whether this hypothesis is statistically significant. A Markov Switching model is used to test this hypothesis. The results show that from 2001 the sensitivity of CBI toward its second target has increased significantly, while its sensitivity toward the first target has decreased.


ABSTRACT The behavior of Mothers interacting with their preschoolers in a memory-relevant situationAgas examined. Ten 3-year-olds and their mothers were videotaped playing a game requiring memory for the location of'hidden. pictures. Frequency of nine categories of parental behavior was scored: naming, verbal orienting, physical orienting, physical description, functional description, questioning, instruction, verbal praise, and physical praise. The relationship between parental behaviors and the child's performance and study behaviors on a subsequent memory task was also investigated, and parents completed a questionnaire on irays they used" to help their child remember. Analysis of the videotaped interactions indicated that instructions, questions', and physical orienting were the" most frequent parental behaviors; however, significant correlations among physical and verbal orienting and physical and functional description suggested that behaviors designed to focus the child's attention were characteristic of some mothert. This finding was supported by questionnaire data, in which mothers reported that they encouraged looking, naming, pointing, and manipulation as mechanismt for increasing recall. No relationship was found between maternal behaviors in the game and recall or study behaviors on the memory task. (Author/MP)


Conventional data networks are based on a layered architecture, in which a layer implements some aspect of the network while hiding the detailed implementation from the other layers. The introduction of wireless networks has created a need to violate this layered discipline to create cross-layer designs or adaptations. Such cross-layer adaptations optimize the performance of wireless networks by using information from any layer in the network. The key problem is that ad-hoc implementations of cross-layer adaptations introduce complex interactions between layers and thus reduce the level of modularity and abstraction in the network's implementation. This gives rise to a significant increase in complexity.
We demonstrate that a new software architecture is able to provide a systematic framework that helps us to implement a wide variety of cross-layer adaptations while preserving to a significant degree the modularity found in the existing network's implementation. To develop such an architecture, we first create a taxonomy of possible cross-layer adaptations. The taxonomy allows a precise description of a wide variety of cross-layer adaptations. Thus our taxonomy can serve as a framework for developing a cross-layer architecture.
We develop the software architecture by creating two architectures. We first develop a conceptual architecture, which shows the key mechanisms that are required to implement cross-layer adaptations. This architecture helps us to understand how we can implement cross-layer adaptations by using our architectural framework. We then develop a concrete architecture, which shows how we can implement such a conceptual architecture on real wireless systems. We design the concrete architecture for Hydra, which is a flexible wireless network testbed.
We evaluate the proposed architecture by performing three case studies, each of which implements a cross-layer adaptation. The case studies allow us to implement and evaluate the key mechanisms provided by our architectural framework. We also implement each cross-layer adaptation by using a conventional approach, in which one layer performs the cross-layer adaptation directly communicating with other layers and other nodes. Comparing both the implementation techniques allows us to evaluate how our architectural framework supports a wide variety of cross-layer adaptations while reducing the complexity of implementation of cross-layer adaptations.


(1) Background: Globally, persons with disabilities (PWDs) face numerous challenges including access to healthcare. This scoping review sought to assess the level of inclusiveness in Ghanaian health policies and reports for PWDs; (2) Methods: An extensive search and scoping review of health policies/reports in Ghanaian government websites and Google was conducted. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines for scoping reviews were followed in selecting and reporting the policies/reports. The program evaluation and policy design framework was employed for content analysis; (3) Results: Fifteen policies and reports with political recognition, objectives, and specific resources needed to execute stipulated plans were included. Although these policies and reports had collaborative partnerships with various institutions and organisations in development and implementation plans, the level of inclusiveness of disability issues was very low. Only eight out of the fifteen policies/reports (53%) reviewed considered PWDs, indicating a low level of inclusion. The definition of disability was also limited.; (4) Conclusions: To achieve the sustainable development goal of 'leaving no one behind' in line with the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Right of Persons with Disabilities and the Disability Act 715 of Ghana, it is recommended that subsequent health policies should have an in-depth engagement with PWDs from the conceptual design stage right through to implementation and evaluation.


In this paper we introduce and investigate a class of those rings in which every finitely generated prime proper ideal is regular. We establish the transfer of this notion to the trivial ring extension, direct product and homomorphic image, and then generate new and original families of rings satisfying this property.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Our objective was to review and summarize extant literature on US-based graduate medical education programs to guide the development of a health disparities curriculum.

METHODS
The authors searched Medline using PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase for published literature about US-based graduate medical education programs focusing on training residents to care for underserved and vulnerable populations and to address health disparities. Articles were reviewed and selected per study eligibility criteria and summarized to answer study research questions.

RESULTS
Of 302 initially identified articles, 16 (5.4%) articles met study eligibility criteria. A majority, 15 (94%), of reported programs were from primary care; one (6.25%) was from surgery. Eight (50%) programs reported longitudinal training; seven (44%) reported block experiences, while one (6.25%) described a one-time Internet-based module. Four (25%) programs required residents to develop and complete a research project, and six (37.5%) included community-based clinical training. All 16 programs utilized some form of evaluation to assess program impacts.

CONCLUSIONS
There are few published reports of graduate medical education programs in the United States that focus on preparing residents to address health disparities. Reported programs are mostly from primary care disciplines. Programs vary in curricular elements, using a wide variety of training aims, learner competencies, learning activities, and evaluation methods. This review highlights the need for published reports of educational programs aimed at training residents in health disparities and underserved medicine to include the evidence for effectiveness of various training models.


The bigest point from CPO biodiesel is the high pour point, which is if used at low temperature will cause blockage the filter and fuel lines that make some problem in machine. To solve this problem was using pour point lowering additive, the widely used additive now was chemical commercial additive, which is have highest prices. Methyl ester that made form rubber seed oil have high free fatty acid needed two step reaction, esterification reaction to lowering the free fatty acid to £ 2% and transesterification reaction. The reaction variable was temperature, rubber seed oil/methanol ratio mol and concentrations of KOH catalyst. Response Surface Methodology was used at transesterificstion reaction, first to know interaction variables effect in reaction, and seconded to get the optimum point. Optimum yield was obtained at 1/6 oil/methanol ratio mol, 1% concentration KOH catalyst and temperature 60°C with time reaction was 90 minutes. Reaction at the optimum condition obtains 99.61% conversion methyl ester (bioadditive) rubber seed oil.


Competition on global markets forces many enterprises to make use of new applications, reduce process times and at the same time cut the costs of their IT-infrastructure. To achieve this, it is necessary to maintain a high degree of flexibility with respect to the IT-infrastructure. Facing this challenge the idea of Cloud computing has been gaining interest lately. Cloud services can be accessed on demand without knowledge of the underlying infrastructure and have already succeeded in helping companies deploy products faster. Using Cloud services the New York Times managed to convert scanned images containing 11 million articles into PDF within 24 hours at a cost of merely 240 US-$. However Cloud providers will only offer their services, if they can realize sufficient benefit. To achieve this, the efficiency of Cloud infrastructure management must be increased. To this end we propose the use of concepts from revenue management and further enhancements.


Targeted therapy drugs are developed against specific molecular alterations on cancer cells. Because they are "targeted" to the tumor, these therapies are more effective and better tolerated than conventional therapies such as chemotherapy. In the last decade, great advances have been made in understanding of melanoma biology and identification of molecular mechanisms involved in malignant transformation of cells. The identification of oncogenic mutated kinases involved in this process provides an opportunity for development of new target therapies. The dependence of melanoma on BRAF-mutant kinase has provided an opportunity for development of mutation-specific inhibitors with high activity and excellent tolerance that are now being used in clinical practice. This marked a new era in the treatment of metastatic melanoma and much research is now ongoing to identify other "druggable" kinases and transduction signaling networking. It is expected that in the near future the spectrum of target drugs for melanoma treatment will increase. Herein, we review the most relevant potential novel drugs for melanoma treatment based on preclinical data and the results of early clinical trials.


PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES
To evaluate the implementation of a domestic violence screening protocol in an oncology clinic.

DESIGN
A retrospective review of a random sample of clinic medical records and qualitative surveys of nursing staff.

SETTING
A gynecologic oncology clinic in a large teaching hospital.

SAMPLE
204 charts were abstracted and six oncology nurses completed surveys.

METHODS
A random sample of patients from clinic appointment schedules was selected 6 and 12 months after the implementation of a domestic violence screening protocol. A brief written survey of nursing staff also was conducted.

MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES
Documentation of domestic violence screening, barriers to screening and documentation, and potential solutions to the barriers.

FINDINGS
Sixty-three percent of the charts reviewed had a domestic violence screening record present, but only 12% of the charts with a screening record had documentation. Patients with domestic violence screening documentation were more likely to have had five or more clinic visits during the study period. The most frequent barriers to protocol implementation cited by nursing staff were forgetting to screen or document domestic violence screening. Nursing staff recommended adding domestic violence screening questions to forms and providing reminders to screen.

CONCLUSIONS
Several barriers to successful implementation of a domestic violence screening protocol in a gynecologic oncology clinic, including documentation issues, were encountered.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING
Nurses interested in implementing a domestic violence screening protocol in their oncology clinic should consider reviewing the barriers to domestic violence screening and documentation and the potential solutions identified in this study.


BACKGROUND
Many low- and middle-income countries have introduced social pensions to alleviate extreme poverty and improve the well-being of older individuals. However, evidence remains inconclusive about the potential effects of such programs on mental health, social and health behaviors.

METHOD
Data for individuals ≥60 years came from the nationally representative Encuesta Nacional de Salud, Bienestar y Envejeciamiento (SABE) survey in Colombia 2015 (N=9,456). We used propensity score matching (PSM) to estimate the association between the country's social pension program (Colombia Mayor) with depression, self-rated health, food insecurity, alcohol consumption, social participation and labor force participation.

RESULTS
Results show that receiving the program does not significantly affect the likelihood of suffering from depression or self-rated health among either men or women. However, receiving the program is associated with significant reductions in the likelihood of experiencing food insecurity and significant increases in the likelihood of participating socially. Among women, receiving the program is associated with significant reduction in the likelihood of participating in the labor force.

DISCUSSION
The absence of a measurable effect on depression and self-rated health may be explained, at least partly, by the program's comparatively small cash benefit and the sharing of resources with other family members. Policymakers should assess possibilities to maximize the health and social benefits of social pensions.