Tobacco companies have enormous political and financial "clout" in Indonesia, being the government's largest source of revenue after oil, gas, and timber,1 and the nation's second largest employer after the government.2 As in all developing countries, Indonesia's 200-million-plus population is skewed in favour of younger age groups. The local industry is fiercely competitive, with each company struggling to attract a greater proportion of Indonesia's growing market. As a recent annual report from PT Gudang Garam—Indonesia's largest tobacco company—eagerly noted, "Over 45% of Indonesians are under the age of 20".3 Like their Western multinational counterparts, Indonesian tobacco companies are, without compunction, using advertising to encourage younger people to smoke. Unlike their Western counterparts, however, Indonesian tobacco companies are still operating in a largely unfettered, unrestricted regulatory environment. In Indonesia, not even token laws prohibit the sale of cigarettes to children, and cigarettes are commonly sold by the stick.4

Ethnic-Chinese Indonesian companies control approximately 85% of the market for cigarettes (see Industry Watch pages 89–91). This results in an enormous amount of indigenous advertising. Cigarette advertising visibly saturates Indonesia. Visiting the country in early 1997, I was appalled by the enormous amount of billboard and point-of-sale advertising,5 indigenous and multinational, so prolific it almost became a "natural" part of the Indonesian landscape—figure 1, for example, shows cigarette bunting on a mosque. This is extraordinary considering the importance of Islam in Indonesia and the implications of its commodification. Tobacco has a long history in Indonesia and is rich with cultural symbolism and associations that existed before the advent of advertising.6 The degree and type of advertising in Indonesia is significant because indigenous Indonesian cigarette advertisements appeal to, and reflect, a fascinating collage of specifically Indonesian cultural values and desires. Indigenous advertising exploits and manipulates the traditional …


We are all familiar with the concept of time travel. Such fantastical stories abound. However, we rarely fully grasp the transformative effect these journeys can have in reality. If we travel back in time we have the opportunity to witness significant historical events, which are important when associating these past legacies that connect with conditions today. When we make these associations, we understand the significance of building connections between the past and present-day events. Lengthening our sight through the past gives us a different view of such relationships. Comprehending the present situation from this vantage point is valuable because with this extended vision, we can more appropriately respond to our current situation


This paper investigates the relationship between fabric structure and composite properties for 2-D and 3-D carbon fiber reinforced composites that contain the same fiber volume fraction. The investigation involved determining the tensile strength and modulus, flexural, and interlaminar shear strengths of each specimen type. The 2-D composite shows better in-plane tensile properties than the 3-D composite due to the lower yarn crimp and consequently higher length of yarn orientated in the stress direction. Through-the-thickness reinforcement in the 3-D fabric was found to increase the apparent short beam shear and flexure strengths due to suppression of delamination.


Traditionally, records management has been defined as the systematic organisation of all recorded information — whether it be on paper, tape, disc, film, or any other medium — from its creation, through its use, to its storage and final disposition, either in permanent archival storage or in its legal destruction. What this means is that the recorded information of an organisation must be managed throughout its life cycle, from the moment it is created, throughout all the years that it might be kept, to the day it is destroyed. The life cycle concept of records management, divides the life of a record into three stages: active or current, when it is in regular use; semi‐active or semi‐current, when it is still of use to the creator or recipient, but only occasionally, and so may be stored remotely; and inactive, when it is no longer of use to the creator or recipient, and may be destroyed or sent to archival storage. Customarily, records managers have dealt with records during their current and their semi‐current stages, when in a commercial environment; while archivists have dealt with records during their inactive and their semi‐current stages, when governmental environment. Inevitably, the two fields overlapped and recognised their common concerns.


Study Design. In vitro Study. Objective. To evaluate the effect that factors released from human posterior spinal bone dust have on primary human osteoblast growth and maturation. Summary of Background Data. Bone dust, created during spinal fusion surgeries, has the potential to be used as an autologous bone graft by providing a source of viable autologous osteoblasts and mesenchymal stem cells with osteogenic potential. Till date, no information is available on whether bone dust also provides a source of anabolic factors with the potential to enhance osteoblast proliferation and maturation, which would enhance its therapeutic potential. Methods. Bone dust was collected from consenting patients undergoing elective posterior spinal fusion surgeries, and primary human osteoblasts were cultured from patients undergoing elective hip or knee arthroplasty. Growth factors and cytokines released by bone dust were quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Primary human osteoblast proliferation and gene expression in response to bone dust were assessed using 3H-thymidine incorporation and real-time polymerase chain reaction, respectively. Results. Human bone dust released anabolic cytokines (IL-1&bgr; and IL-6) and growth factors (TGF-&bgr;, VEGF, FGF-Basic, and PDGF-BB) in increasing concentrations over a 7-day period. In vitro, the anabolic factors released by bone dust increased osteoblast proliferation by 7-fold, compared with osteoblasts cultured alone. In addition, the factors released from bone dust up-regulated a number of osteoblastic genes integral to osteoblast differentiation, maturation, and angiogenesis. Conclusion. This study is the first to demonstrate that human posterior spinal bone dust released anabolic factors that potently enhance osteoblast proliferation and the expression of genes that favor bone healing and bone union. As bone dust is anabolic and its harvest is fast, simple, and safe to perform, spinal surgeons should be encouraged to 'recycle' bone dust and harness the regenerative potential of this free autologous bone graft. Level of Evidence: N/A


The overall aim of this study is to investigate changes within a school system when the introduction of a new occupational group, Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs), challenges established structures. Questions concerning how different occupational groups view where and in what ways SENCOs should work are studied in this paper. Three different questionnaires are used in order to analyze the present situation for SENCOs within the Swedish educational system. A number of interesting findings were distinguished. For example, several occupational groups respond that SENCOs should work with individually taught special education. Meanwhile, a pattern emerges in which SENCOs seem to partly have established a new work role. However, little is known about how these changes affect children in need of special support.


In 40 series of histological sections performed in human embryos and prefetuses from 4 up to 20 weeks of development, as well as in 20 corpses of fetuses and stillborns, it has been stated that the anlage of the thoracic duct appear in 6-7-week-old fetuses as lymphatic clefts surrounded with mesenchymal cells that are situated near large veins in the areas of the most active morphogenesis. Connecting with each other, the clefts form the jugular and retroperitoneal lymph sacs and a well branching network of canals. From the latter, on the 7th-8th week of development a plexus of lymph vessels appear, and later on (on the 8th-9th week)--bilaterally situating trunks of the thoracic duct. Further development of the thoracic duct is connected with the lymph nodes formation, their germs appear on the 9th-10th week along the course of the left trunk, as well as along the ductal branches and anastomoses. The formation of the lymph nodes results in reduction of some trunks and plexuses of the thoracic duct. Owing to this, its form in 14-15-week-old prefetuses resembles the one in newborns. Disturbances in the formation processes of the lymph nodes along the course of the reducing ductal areas, as well as their formation along the course of its main trunk can result in various structural variants of the thoracic duct in children and grown-up persons. Histogenesis of the thoracic duct wall and formation of the lymph nodes are not completed by birth.


Objective. Vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphisms may be associated with the risk of OA, however, evidence for this is controversial. This meta-analysis aims to confirm whether VDR gene polymorphisms are associated with OA. Methods. Meta-analyses on the association between OA and VDR ApaI, BsmI, TaqI and FokI polymorphisms were conducted using allele and homozygote contrast and contrasts in the recessive and dominant models. Stratification analyses by different demographic regions (Europe vs Asian) were also performed and pooled odds ratios (ORs) were obtained using the random effects model if the results were heterogeneous. Results. A total of 13 relevant studies involving OA patients (n = 2104) and controls (n = 2939) were included in the analysis. There were significant associations between VDR ApaI polymorphisms and OA in the Asian population (A vs a: OR = 1.16, 95% CI 1.02, 1.32, P = 0.025; AA vs Aa/aa: OR = 1.36, 95% CI 1.04, 1.77, P = 0.025; AA vs aa: OR = 1.35, 95% CI 1.00, 1.80, P = 0.047), but not in the whole population. There was also a statistically significant association between FokI polymorphism and OA (FF vs Ff/ff: OR = 0.65, 95% CI 0.44, 0.95, P = 0.024); however, this result was derived from only two studies. No significant associations were found between VDR TaqI and BsmI polymorphisms and OA. Conclusion. There are modest but statistically significant associations between VDR ApaI polymorphisms and the susceptibility of OA in the Asian population.


Domain knowledge is crucial to an automatic programming system and the interaction between domain knowledge and programming at the current time. The NIX project at Schlumberger-Doll Research has been investigating this issue in the context of two application domains related to oil well logging. Based on these experiments we have developed a framework for domain-specific automatic programming. Within the framework, programming is modeled in terms of two activities, formalization and implementation, each of which transforms descriptions of the program as it proceeds through intermediate states of development. The activities and transformations may be used to characterize the interaction of programming knowledge and domain knowledge in an automatic programming system.


Background: Morbidity and mortality rates of Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are continuously increasing throughout the world. It is a major cause of death, imposes a great socioeconomic burden and constitutes a significant part of ICU patients. Aim: To determine factors associated with in-hospital-mortality of all causes following critical care admissions of patients with COPD. Material and methods: COPD patients that admitted to ICU were included retrospectively. Patients were divided into two groups: Survived and non-survived patients. Features during admission to the ICU of patients were studied dividing into three: First, demographic and clinical features including GCS ve APACHE II scores. Second, laboratory analyses including Uric acid, Leukocyte, Red cell Distribution Width (RDW), Mean Platelet Volume (MPV), Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase (GGT), lymphocyte, neutrophil, urea, creatinine, arterial blood gases. Third, comorbid diseases accompanying COPD. Parameters that were significant between two groups were analyzed using logistic regression with enter method. Results: A total of 178 patients were included: 120 (67.42%) of them belonged to mortal COPD patients and 58 (32.58%) were in the alive group. For demographic and clinical features, logistic regression analysis showed that initial intubation in ED (OR: 0.33 (95% CI: 0.13–0.83), p = 0.018), duration of Mechanical Ventilation (MV) (OR: 0.873, 95% CI: 0.802–0.949, p = 0.002) and Ejection Fraction (EF) % (OR: 1.072, 95% CI: 1.013–1.135, p = 0.016) were independent variables to define mortality. Second logistic regression analysis demonstrated that creatinine was the only independent laboratory parameter to define mortal patients (OR: 0.596 (95% CI: 0.397–0.897, p = 0.013). Among comorbidities, Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) (OR: 2.783 (95% CI: 1.225–6.323, p = 0.014), initial Atrial Fibrillation (AF) (OR: 0.45, 95% CI: 0.203–0.998, p = 0.049), Post-op care (OR: 0.07, 95% CI: 0.012–0.417, p = 0.004) were found to be independent parameters to define mortality. Conclusion: Our results show that patients pre-ICU intubation situation, CHF and AF were major parameters for mortality. The only independent diagnostic laboratory feature was patients' creatinine levels. Longer duration of MV was independently associated with mortality.


The last twenty years have witnessed an explosion in the number of books and articles that focus on executive-legislative relations in Latin America. Since the publication of the seminal Linz article on the "perils of presidentialism" (1990), we have learnt a lot about the interaction between the executive and the legislative branch of government. This review article attempts to make sense of the evolution of the study of executive-legislative relations, by focusing on the inconsistencies between the mainstream theoretical approaches and the reality of executive-legislative relations in the region. Three major changes in the study of executive-legislative relations (unpacking of the "black box" of presidentialism, study of presidential coalitions, and analysis of impeachment processes) are discussed.


Earnings information is the most responded by investors because it provides a description of the company's performance, but information alone is sometimes not enough profit to serve as the basis for decision making of investors because it is possible the information is biased, to measure the level of profit, can use a variable Earnings Response Coefficient (ERC.) The strong market reaction to earnings information reflected in the high earnings response coefficients (Earnings Response Coefficient) or ERC, if earnings are reported to have a response force (power of response). then that reported earnings quality. The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of direct and indirect size, and earnings response disclousure voluntary coeffisient (ERC) This research examined 20 manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange-year period 2005-2009. Statistical methods used to test the hypothesis is Structural Equation Model (SEM) with AMOS version 18. The empirical results of this research: The results of this study proves there is no significant effect of Size with Earnings Response Coefficient (ERC). Similarly, for the effect of the Size to voluntary disclousure have significant positive results. Against the influence of voluntary disclousure to Earning Response Coefficient (ERC) have positive test results significantly. Voluntary disclosure in this study an intervening variable for the indirect effect between the size of Earnings Response Coefficient (ERC). The persistence of earnings as a control variable to the Earnings Response Coefficient (ERC) have no significant relationship.


Abstract: Membrane‐bound proteolysis may be implicated in the pathogenesis of demyelinating disorders including multiple sclerosis (MS). We previously found that the extent of myelin basic protein (MBP) degradation by the calcium‐activated neutral protease did not differ for isolated human control myelin or MS myelin. Hence we suggested that, if involved in demyelination, the myelin neutral protease must be activated in vivo by an increased availability of free calcium. The postulate was therefore tested that immunoglobulin (Ig) binding to myelin results in activation of the myelin neutral protease, possibly through release of free calcium from calcium‐binding sites of myelin. Isolated myelin from the brains of controls and patients with MS were incubated with purified Igs eluted from the brains of patients with MS or controls and degradation of MBP was assessed by quantitative electroimmunoblotting. Such degradation was significantly greater in myelin incubated in the presence of MS Igs than in myelin incubated without added Igs or in the presence of control Igs. Furthermore, the degree of MBP degradation in myelin incubated with control Igs was similar to that observed in myelin incubated without added Igs. Accordingly, it is suggested that Ig in MS brain potentiates myelin breakdown. Moreover activation of membrane‐bound proteolysis by Ig binding to myelin appears to represent a hitherto undescribed pathway for demyelination in MS.


The cap structure and the poly(A) tail are important regulatory determinants in establishing the translational efficiency of a messenger RNA. Although the mechanism by which either determinant functions remains poorly characterized, the interaction between the poly(A) tail-poly(A)-binding protein complex and events occurring at the 5' terminus during translation initiation has been an intriguing possibility. In this report, the mutual dependence of the cap and the poly(A) tail was studied. Poly(A)+ and poly(A)- luciferase (Luc) mRNAs generated in vitro containing or lacking a cap were translated in vivo in tobacco protoplasts, Chinese hamster ovary cells, and yeast following delivery by electroporation. The poly(A) tail-mediated regulation of translational efficiency was wholly dependent on the cap for function. Moreover, cap function was enhanced over an order of magnitude by the presence of a poly(A) tail. The relative differences in stability between the mRNAs could not account for the synergism. The synergism between the cap and poly(A) tail was not observed in yeast cells in which active translation had been disrupted. In addition, the synergism was not observed in in vitro translation lysates. These data demonstrate that the cap and the poly(A) tail are interdependent for optimal function in vivo and suggest that communication between the two regulatory determinants may be important in establishing efficient translation.


The rise of neurotechnologies, especially in combination with artificial intelligence (AI)-based methods for brain data analytics, has given rise to concerns around the protection of mental privacy, mental integrity and cognitive liberty - often framed as "neurorights" in ethical, legal, and policy discussions. Several states are now looking at including neurorights into their constitutional legal frameworks, and international institutions and organizations, such as UNESCO and the Council of Europe, are taking an active interest in developing international policy and governance guidelines on this issue. However, in many discussions of neurorights the philosophical assumptions, ethical frames of reference and legal interpretation are either not made explicit or conflict with each other. The aim of this multidisciplinary work is to provide conceptual, ethical, and legal foundations that allow for facilitating a common minimalist conceptual understanding of mental privacy, mental integrity, and cognitive liberty to facilitate scholarly, legal, and policy discussions.


Streptococcus agalactiae is a well-known pathogen for neonates and immunocompromized adults. Beyond the neonatal period, S. agalactiae is rarely found in the respiratory tract. During 2002–2008 we noticed S. agalactiae in respiratory secretions of 30/185 (16%) of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. The median age of these patients was 3–6 years older than the median age CF patients not harboring S. agalactiae. To analyze, if the S. agalactiae isolates from CF patients were clonal, further characterization of the strains was achieved by capsular serotyping, surface protein determination and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). We found a variety of sequence types (ST) among the isolates, which did not substantially differ from the MLST patterns of colonizing strains from Germany. However serotype III, which is often seen in colonizing strains and invasive infections was rare among CF patients. The emergence of S. agalactiae in the respiratory tract of CF patients may represent the adaptation to a novel host environment, supported by the altered surfactant composition in older CF patients.


This letter investigates the error performance for the space shift keying (SSK) system under spectrum sharing environments. The secondary network under consideration is equipped with multiple antennas at the transmitter and receiver. The primary network is composed of L primary users (PUs) equipped with multiple antennas. For the underlay spectrum sharing transmission with SSK modulation, the transmit power condition of our proposed spectrum-sharing system is governed by the interference temperature limit on the primary network and the maximum transmission power at the secondary network. In particular, expressions for exact and asymptotic error probability are derived. Simulation results and intuitive discussions are provided to show the correctness of our derived analytical results.


Software and hardware development organizations that consider the adoption of new methods, techniques, or tools often face several challenges, namely to: guarantee process quality, reproducibility, and standard compliance. They need to compare existing solutions on the market, and they need to select technologies that are most appropriate for each process phase, taking into account the specific context requirements. Unfortunately, this kind of information is usually not easily accessible; it is incomplete, scattered, and hard to compare. Our goal is to present a case study on a classification schema we applied on the avionic domain to help decision makers to easily find, compare and combine existing methods, techniques, and tools based on previous experience. The results show that the schema helps to transfer knowledge between projects, guaranteeing quality, reproducibility, and standard compliance. Keywords—process improvement; technology classification; technology selection; tool selection; method selection; process configuration.


Defensin is a small, cysteine-rich, cationic peptides family with antimicrobial and cytotoxic properties. Among all known defensins, neutrophil peptide-1 (NP-1), which is expressed mainly in rabbit neutrophils, has a broad resistance spectrum to pathogens such as Treponema pallidum , many Grampositive bacteria, Gram-negative bacteria, fungi, viruses. Besides, it has the same striking inhibition or toxic effect on some nausea and tumor cells. Due to the broad antibacterial spectrum and special mechanism of microbial inhibition, rabbit defensin has been transformed into some plants and expressed via genetic engineering. And it plays an important role in genetic engineering of anti-disease plants and plants species' improvement. This article reviewed and discussed the advantages and research progress of the rabbit defensin genetic engineering of plant in recent years, and also focuses on the existing problems and new strategies in this area. Key words: Rabbit defensin (NP-1), structure, bioactivity, genetic engineering of plant.


The fundamental basis of the curriculum, critical andragogical input, availability of time period, modern and innovative transactional approaches and qualitative evaluation process in the prescribed curriculum, infrastructural facilities as well as the teacher composition are considered to be the quality indicators of teacher education programme. The study was delimited to colleges (both private and government) having attached B.Ed. wing under Kolhan University. By utilizing both qualitative and quantitative techniques the relevant data were collected in terms of intended curriculum, infrastructural facilities and teacher composition. Subsequently it was revealed that the secondary teacher education programme of Kolhan University was more or less a knowledge transmission model inefficient to foster prospective teachers as a facilitator of pupil's learning in varied socio-cultural contexts. The present research contrives necessary measures to evolve a quality teacher education programme which may be capable of meeting the emerging challenges of secondary education in Jharkhand.


Purpose. Post-surgical macular edema is an important clinical problem resulting from breakdown of the blood-retinal barrier (BRB) after surgery. This study was designed to develop a mouse model of post-surgical BRB breakdown. Methods. Two 25-gauge needles, one for infusion and one for aspiration, were inserted through the limbus and into the lens of one eye of adult male C57BL/6 mice. The anterior portion of the lens was aspirated and the fellow eye was untreated. At several time points after surgery, the integrity of the BRB was assessed quantitatively, using [3H]mannitol as a tracer, or qualitatively, using immunohistochemical staining for albumin. Results. Eyes with partial lens extraction had a significant increase in retinal vascular leakage one day after surgery, which persisted two and three days after surgery, but by five days, was not significantly different from controls. Immunohistochemical staining for albumin demonstrated that the breech in the barrier was sufficient to allow passage of a 60 kDa protein into the retina, and was localized predominantly to retinal vessels. Conclusions. Partial lens extraction in mice results in BRB breakdown (primarily the inner BRB) that is highly reproducible in the severity of leakage and its time course. This provides a valuable tool for investigation of the molecular pathogenesis and new treatment approaches for post-surgical breakdown of the BRB.


Since its enactment in 1999–2000, the 50% capital gains tax (CGT) discount has become an entrenched feature of the Australian tax system. The CGT discount is effectively a tax rate preference that, we argue, remains in place despite its tax policy shortcomings. These include that the CGT discount is inequitable from the perspective of horizontal and vertical equity, and it is inefficient in that it may encourage an overinvestment in assets that produce most of their return in the form of capital gains. This article is a critique of the CGT discount which draws on a chronologically organised analysis of the views and commentary on the CGT discount from individuals and organisations outside of government. Views and commentary on the CGT discount are sourced from the news media, submissions to government discussion papers, and other publicly available information. This article critically evaluates the policy basis and evidence for the 50% CGT discount and is, in part, concerned with whether there is an overall justification for the preference. It is argued that the justifications made by policymakers in favour of the CGT discount, at the time of its enactment, lacked sound tax policy foundations. It follows that the case for the CGT discount continuing in its current form is diminished.


Evans' syndrome is an unusual illness of autoimmune etiology, characterized by thrombocytopenia and hemolytic anemia. This is more frequent in females throughout first half of the life and during pregnancy. The present paper describes two pregnant women with Evans syndrome associated to preeclampsia. This report emphasizes how the hematology and coagulation abnormalities of preeclampsia could be added to those abnormalities observed in Evans' syndrome. This association constitutes a severe disease of difficult treatment.


This paper presents the development of humanoid robotics platform - 4 (or HRP-4 for short). The high-density implementation used for HRP-4C, the cybernetic human developed by AIST, is also applied to HRP-4. HRP-4 has a total of 34 degrees of freedom, including 7 degrees of freedom for each arm to facilitate object handling and has a slim, lightweight body with a height of 151 [cm] and weight 39 [kg]. The software platform OpenRTM-aist and a Linux kernel with the RT-Preempt patch are used in the HRP-4 software system. Design concepts and mechanisms are presented with its basic specification in this paper.


In this work, we investigated the interface between the sodium anode and the sulfide-based solid electrolytes Na3SbS4 (NAS), Na3PS4 (NPS), and Cl-doped NPS (NPSC) in all-solid-state-batteries (ASSBs). Even though these electrolytes have demonstrated high ionic conductivities in the range of 1 mS cm−1 at ambient temperatures, sulfide sold-state electrolytes (SSEs) are known to be unstable with Na metal, though the exact reaction mechanism and kinetics of the reaction remain unclear. We demonstrate that the primary cause of capacity fade and cell failure is a chemical reaction spurred on by electrochemical cycling that takes place at the interface between the Na anode and the SSEs. To investigate the properties of the Na-solid electrolyte interphase (SSEI) and its effect on cell performance, the SSEI was predicted computationally to be composed of Na2S and Na3Sb for NAS and identified experimentally via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). These two compounds give the SSEI mixed ionicand electronic-conducting properties, which promotes continued SSEI growth, which increases the cell impedance at the expense of cell performance and cycle life. The SSEI for NPS was similarly found to be comprised of Na2S and Na3P, but XPS analysis of Cl-doped NPS (NPSC) showed the presence of an additional compound at the SSEI, NaCl, which was found to mitigate the decomposition of NPS. The methodologies presented in this work can be used to predict and optimize the electrochemical behavior of an all-solid-state cell. Such joint computational and experimental efforts can inform strategies for engineering a stable electrolyte and SSEI to avoid such reactions. Through this work, we call for more emphasis on SSE compatibility with both anodes and cathodes, essential for improving the electrochemical properties, longevity, and practicality of Na-based ASSBs.


Although many investigators have attempted to associate dental caries rates with levels of oral micro-organisms, it has not yet proved possible to predict caries development reliably on an Individual basis using a single predictive test. Surprisingly, few studies have investigated the effects of combining the results of a number of different microbiological tests. This thesis reports the investigation of a range of different methods for the estimation of salivary levels of micro-organisms identified by other investigators as being related to subsequent dental caries development. The organisms studied were Lactobacillus spp., Streptococcus mutans, and Candida spp.. Additionally, Veillonella spp. were investigated because, although they had not previously been identified as predictors of caries, it is believed that these micro-organisms metabolise the lactate produced by other oral bacteria, and may thus modify the caries process. It was therefore thought possible that knowledge relating to salivary levels of Veillonella spp. might be of additional benefit in caries prediction. Both pure cultures of the micro-organisms described, and mixed salivary samples, were used in the selection of media for use in subsequent caries prediction. The media chosen were Rogosa SL agar, Dentocult dip-slides and Snyder tests for Lactobacillus spp.; Mitis Salivarius Bacitracin agar and a mannitol-containing colorimetric broth for Strep, mutans; Sabouraud dextrose agar for Candida spp.; and Rogosa vancomycin agar for Veillonella spp. The magnitude of variation in counts of oral micro-organisms on Rogosa SL agar, mitis salivarius bacitracin agar, Sabouraud dextrose agar and Rogosa vancomycin agar was then studied: within repeated estimations of counts from mixed salivary samples; using salivary samples obtained from the same children at different times of the day; in samples obtained on different days; and in sampling at monthly intervals over 2.5 years. Additionally, the effects of sample storage at different temperatures and for increasing periods of time were investigated, and the effects of subjects eating or drinking two snack foods prior to sample donation were also studied. It was concluded that the standard deviation of counts within single salivary specimens was of the order of 0.1 logarithmic units, with increasing variation on daily and monthly sampling, with the standard deviation of such counts usually being within 0.5 logarithmic units. Additionally, storage of samples for up to 24 hours at room temperature was found to effect sample counts little, and the ingestion of potato crisps or cola, either five minutes or one hour before sample donation, were not found to affect microbiological counts significantly. The Lanarkshire clinical dentifrice trial, involving 3000 children who were examined clinically and radiographically at annual intervals over a three year period, provided the opportunity to investigate the relevance of the selected microbiological caries predictive tests in a large subgroup, initially of over 500 adolescents. The dentifrice trial itself showed that a significant dose-relationship existed between dental caries increments and sodium monofluorophosphate in toothpastes, at concentrations over 1000 ppm. When the levels of the micro-organisms studied were compared with caries prevalence and caries incremental data, associations were found between the caries indices and counts of Lactobacillus spp., Strep, mutans and Candida spp.. Levels of Veillonella spp. were not found to correlate consistently with either caries prevalence or incidence. However, the magnitude of these significant correlations was insufficient to allow single microbiological counts to be used as diagnostic or prognostic tests at an individual level. Indeed, correlations between caries prevalence data and subsequent caries increments were greater than those between any of the microbiological estimations and the caries increments, although using stepwise regression analysis the prediction of future caries increment was improved using combinations of clinical and microbiological data. However, by combining microbiological tests alone, or even using combinations of clinical and microbiological tests, diagnosis or prediction of caries groups (low, medium, or high) proved possible in less than 50% of individuals. Microbiological predictive tests were also compared with some salivary and dietary predictors, and were generally found to be superior to these other predictive methods. The possibility that microbiological tests might provide more accurate predictions in a group of younger children was also investigated. Although some of the correlations found appeared higher than those found for the adolescents, the differences were nonsignificant. It was concluded that caries prediction at an individual level is not yet possible using either single or combined microbiological tests, and that clinical examination of adolescents was a quicker, less expensive and more accurate predictor of caries increment. However, these tests provide additional information about caries incidence, which might possibly be of benefit in monitoring selected groups of individuals, such as those with previous high caries experience for whom advanced dental techniques are considered, or those with medical problems in whom it is essential that caries is prevented.


A detailed paleoecologic analysis has been carried out in the Ordovician limestones of the San Juan Formation in the Argentine Precordillera. The sarnples were collected in the middle part of the formation (Early to middle Arenig) at the Niquivil section, in levels of the Archneorthis, Huncoella and Niquivilia brachiopod biozones. Fossil associations were analised along the stratigraphic section in order to recognize communities, their vertical variation and internal structure (richness, diversity, tiering and guild composition). On the basis of biovolumetric and multivariate analysis, including dominant species analysis, several communitiy groups are distinguished: Fisherites-dominated communities (Fisherites-Ranorthis, Fisherites-Archaeoscyphia and Fisllerites- Macluritacean- Nexospongia communities), Macluritacean domina ted cornmunities (Macluritacean- Pentamerid, Macluritacean-Illaenus-Nexospongia, Macluritacean- Illnenus-Nicbotsoneila and Macluritacean-Allnalllitella-Archaeoscyphia communities), lllaenus-dominated communities (Illaenus-Psarodictyum community), and biologically accommodate communities Ranorthis, Tritoechia-lllaenus-Anruintitelln and lllaellus-Fisherites-Rophalocoelia communities). The results were compared with similar paleoecologic studies developed in younger communities (Llanvirn) of the same unit. Although the ecological structure and tiering of both intervals are very similar, Llanvirn communities are dominated by epifaunal, suspension-feeders. This fact suggests that nutrients and plankton were more abundant in the upper levels of the formation. Lower diversity and varied values in dominance shown by the studied communities reflect minor degree in the exploitation of resources and niche partitioning. Composition and diversity of communities were controlled by gradual changes in depth, while disruption in cornmunity development was influenced by abrupt changes in hydrodynamic regime (storms). Biotic interactions became important in community dynamics in stable environments, when diversity rises. This pattern of highly variable community composition and the absence of recurrent communities may imply the absence of refuge areas, possibly related to the isolation of the Argentine Precordillera.


: The experiments on male mice and rats have revealed reversed behavioral effects of muscimol and Ro 15-1788 after 15 days of haloperidol (0.25 mg/kg, twice daily) treatment. Muscimol (0.75 mg/kg), which depressed motor activity in saline-pretreated mice, stimulated it after discontinuation of long-term haloperidol administration. Ro 15-1788 stimulating effect in saline-pretreated rats gave way to sedative effect following haloperidol withdrawal. Simultaneously, the number of 3H-muscimol and 3H-flunitrazepam binding sites was decreased in forebrain, but increased in hindbrain. It was suggested that GABAA and benzodiazepine receptors in forebrain and hindbrain play opposite (inhibiting and stimulating, respectively) functional roles in the regulation of behaviour.


The length of day, or photoperiod, regulates the annual cycle of reproductive activity in the golden hamster. The inhibitory effects of a short-day photoperiod on testicular function were prevented by nighttime, but not daytime, intraventricular injections of carbachol, a cholinergic agonist. Short pulses of light during the night also block short-day induced testicular regression. The findings suggest that acetylcholine may play an important role in the mechanism through which information about the light-dark environment is transferred to the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis.


The motion of multiple bubbles under gravity in two dimensions is numerically studied through the lattice Boltzmann method for the Eotvos number ranging from 1 to 12. Two kinds of initial arrangement are taken into account: vertical and horizontal arrangement. In both cases the effects of Eotvos number on the bubble coalescence and rising velocity are investigated. For the vertical arrangement, it has been found that the coalescence pattern is similar. The first coalescence always takes place between the two uppermost bubbles. And the last coalescence always takes place between the coalesced bubble and the bottommost bubble. For four bubbles in a horizontal arrangement, the outermost bubbles travel into the wake of the middle bubbles in all cases, which allows the bubbles to coalesce. The coalescence pattern is more complex for the case of eight bubbles, which strongly depends on the Eotvos number.


As part of the Localized Aviation Model Output Statistics (MOS) Program, the Meteorological Development Laboratory is analyzing surface data reports on an hourly basis. The Bergthorsson-CressmanDoos-Glahn analysis program that is being used for gridding the MOS forecasts has been tailored to analyze surface observations. These analyses are available in the National Digital Guidance Database (NDGD) over the conterminous United States. This database is on the same grid as, and is interoperable with, the National Digital Forecast Database. It is desired to know the errors involved in these analyses. Whereas the actual errors are unknowable for several reasons, they can be estimated. On any given analysis, one would expect the error at a specific location to be a function of some knowable parameters, such as distances between the reporting locations and the grid points, the terrain roughness, the density of reporting locations, and the variability of the data values—all in the immediate vicinity. We have made analyses of surface temperature and dewpoint over the conterminous United States every fifth hour for one year. On each analysis, 20 land stations and one water station were randomly withheld from the available data. For each withheld datum, the analysis value at that site was estimated by bilinear interpolation. The differences between these interpolated values and the actual observations were related to knowable parameters through least squares regression—one relationship for land and another for water—for each variable. These regression equations were then applied, respectively, to each land and water grid point for a specific hour. This produced an estimate of the error of the analysis for each grid point for that specific time. These grids of errors are, along with the analyses, available in the NDGD. This paper describes the process and shows the results.


The Global Earthquake Model (GEM) has commissioned the preparation of analytical vulnerability guidelines for general use. Within this framework, a distinct modeling and analysis method hierarchy has been proposed, whereby both detailed and reduced-order models can be analyzed using nonlinear static or dynamic methods. Each subsequent reduction in complexity increases the speed of application, yet generates additional error that needs to be considered in the form of epistemic uncertainty. The available choices represent different levels of compromise between the accuracy achieved and the associated effort needed, meant to suit users having different levels of expertise and resource availability. Our particular focus will be on the middle path that is expected to become the most popular choice, combining (a) a simplified stick model of the structure with (b) a static pushover analysis with accurate record-to-record dispersion information. The entire procedure is cast within an appropriate probabilistic framework that can effortlessly incorporate all the epistemic and aleatory uncertainty sources to become a viable path for evaluating structural fragility for a building class.


The teleost gas gland is truly remarkable in its abilities to secrete gases into the swim bladder of physoclistous fish. The physiological and metabolic adaptations of this tissue have been elegantly summarized in a recent review article by Pelster and Scheid (1992). There are two key contributors to the function of the gland. First, a specialized metabolism of the swim bladder, involving copious and simultaneous production of lactate and CO2 from anaerobic glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway (also known as the hexose monophosphate shunt), respectively, contributes to gas exchange through pH and salting-out effects on the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. Second, a countercurrent multiplier system (i.e. a rete mirabile) enables gas tensions to be elevated further by back diffusion. Several features of metabolism and acid-base physiology remain unclear. First, despite the remarkable ability of this tissue to produce acid, it is not clear if or how intracellular pH (pHi) is regulated. Since ultimately the blood must be acidified, one would predict that the pHi of the tissue would be well regulated via high rates of membrane exchange of protons and/or high tissue buffering capacity. Second, although the functioning of the pentose phosphate pathway has been strongly inferred from measurements of enzyme activities (Bostrom et al. 1972; Pelster and Scheid, 1991), and from measurements of enhanced rates of CO2 excretion relative to the rates of oxygen uptake (Pelster et al. 1989), direct evidence for the existence of the shunt is lacking. Lastly, although the pentose phosphate pathway is expected to produce CO2, and thus contribute to the acidification of blood entering the gland, the pathway may have a different primary, or perhaps a dual, role, namely to maintain high tissue levels of NADPH for protection against oxygen radical damage to cells (Pelster and Scheid, 1992). The composition of the gas stored in the swim bladder can approach pure oxygen in some species, so it is not surprising that the teleost gas gland contains substantial levels of the enzymes catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase, which scavenge deleterious radicals of oxygen and related harmful compounds (Morris and Albright, 1984). Noteworthy is glutathione peroxidase, which requires a constant supply of NADPH (presumably from the shunt) to maintain glutathione in a reduced state. Reduced glutathione is then used in a variety of oxygen radical detoxification mechanisms. If the pentose phosphate pathway has a role in oxygen detoxification, one would predict that flux rates through the pathway would increase with increased oxygen levels.


Manure incorporation represents a compromise between best management practices for soil erosion control and manure management. Manure should be incorporated into the soil for odor control, increased availability of nutrients, and control of potential manure runoff; however, disturbing the soil and crop residue may increase soil erosion and water runoff. This NebGuide summarizes the results of a field study to determine the influences on crop residue cover of common equipment used to simultaneously apply and incorporate manure.


Seed characteristics and seed germination behaviour of Hoya parasitica Wall. (Asclepiadaceae) were observed to study the potentials of the seed for propagation and genetic conservation of the species. Seeds were collected from follicles produced by Hoya collection of Bogor Botanical Gardens. They are small, thin, plumed and showing a comose type. The weight of 100 seeds was 0.7 — 0.9 gram and the water content was 26 — 30% at the time of fruit opening. The water content decreased rapidly to 12.7% and 21.4% after one day of storage in a desiccator containing silica gel and in the open air, respectively. This is in accordance with the natural behaviour of the seed that is dispersed mainly by wind. In general, the seeds were easy to germinate (up to 99% total germination), both in the dark and under natural light, and there was no substantial dormancy encountered during seed germination. The seeds were able to germinate up to 60% while the water content was 3.8%, suggesting the possibilities of long-term storage of the seed for plant genetic resources conservation.


''I f we wish to learn more about cancer, we must now concentrate on the cellular genome." Nobel laureate Renato Dulbecco penned those words more than 20 years ago in one of the earliest public calls for what would become the Human Genome Project. "We are at a turning point," Dulbecco, a pioneering cancer researcher, declared in 1986 in the journal Science. Discoveries in preceding years had made clear that much of the deranged behavior of cancer cells stemmed from damage to their genes and alterations in their functioning. "We have two options," he wrote. "Either try to discover the genes important in malignancy by a piecemeal approach, or ... sequence the whole genome." Dulbecco and others in the scientific community grasped that sequencing the human genome, though a monumental achievement itself, would mark just the first step of the quest to fully understand the biology of cancer. With the complete sequence of nucleotide bases in normal human DNA in hand, scientists would then need to classify the wide array of human genes according to their function—which in turn could reveal their roles in cancer. Over the span of two decades Dulbecco's vision has moved from pipe dream to reality. Less than three years after the Human Genome Project's completion, the National Institutes of Health has officially launched the pilot stage of an effort to create a comprehensive catalogue of the genomic changes involved in cancer: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). The main reason to pursue this next ambitious venture in large-scale biology with great urgency is cancer's terrible toll on humankind. Every day more than 1,500 Americans die from cancer—about one person every minute. As the U.S. population ages, this rate is expected to rise significantly in the years ahead unless investigators find ways to accelerate the identification of new vulnerabilities within cancerous cells and develop novel strategies for attacking those targets. Still, however noble the intent, it takes more than a desire to ease human suffering to justify a research enterprise of this magnitude. When applied to the 50 most common types of cancer, this effort could ultimately prove to be the equivalent of more than 10,000 Human Genome Projects in terms of the sheer volume of DNA to be sequenced. The dream must therefore be matched with an ambitious but realistic assessment of the emerging scientific opportunities for waging a smarter war against cancer. By Francis S. Collins and Anna D. Barker MAPPING THE CANCER GENOME


As precision medicine evolves, the contribution of molecular imaging to the management of prostate cancer (PCa) patients, especially for Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging, is gaining importance. Highly successful approaches to measure the expression of the prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) have been introduced recently. PSMA, the glutamate carboxypeptidase II (GCP-II), is a membrane bound metallo-peptidase that is overexpressed in 90-100% of PCa cells. Due to its selective over-expression, PSMA is a reliable tissue marker for prostate cancer and is considered an ideal target for tumor specific imaging and therapy. A variety of PET and SPECT probes targeting this peptide receptor have been introduced. These are undergoing extensive clinical evaluations. Initial results attest to a high accuracy for disease detection compared conventional radiology (CT or MRI) and other nuclear medicine procedure (choline PET or fluciclovine PET). However, prospective evaluation of the impact on patient management for PSMA-ligand PET and its impact on patient outcome is currently missing. Finally, PSMA inhibitors can be radio-labeled with diagnostic (68Ga-PSMA-11), or therapeutic nuclides (177Lu/225Ac PSMA-617) to be used as theranostic agent. Initial results showed that PSMA-targeted radioligand therapy (RLT) can potentially delay disease progression in metastatic castrate-resistant PCa. This review aims to explore the current application of PSMA based imaging in prostate cancer, reporting about main advantages and limitations of this new theranostic procedure. The future perspectives and potential the applications of this agent will be also discussed.


Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a common complication in those interstitial lung diseases patients, which will result in poor prognosis and short survival. Traditional therapeutic methods such as glucocorticoid and cytotoxic drugs are insufficient for treating PF and may cause severe side effects. Recent studies showed that traditional Chinese herbal abstraction such as Tanshinone IIA (TIIA) was displayed significant anti-PF effects in animal models. However, the exact mechanisms underlying the protective effects of TIIA were not fully understood. Here we further investigated the protective effects of TIIA and its mechanisms underlying. PF models of rat were induced by bleomycin (BLM); TIIA was administered subsequently. The PF changes were identified by histopathological analyses. The results showed that BLM resulted in severe PF and alveolar inflammation; together with significant elevation of transforming growth factor-β 1 (TGF-β1). Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2) together with angiotensin-(1-7) [ANG-(1-7)] were both greatly reduced after BLM administration. TIIA treatment notably attenuated BLM induced PF and inflammation, decreased expression of TGF-β1 and reversed ACE-2 and ANG-(1-7) production in rat lungs. Thus we may draw the conclusion that TIIA may exert protective effects on BLM induced PF in rats, and the ACE-2/ANG-(1-7) axis may ascribe to those protective effects.


1. Calcium regulation in normal and calcium-depleted snails has been investigated. 2. L. stagnalis has an uptake mechanism with a high affinity for calcium ions and shows a positive calcium balance in media containing more than 0.062 mM Ca/l. 3. Influx and net uptake of calcium are related to external calcium concentration in a non-linear manner. The uptake mechanism is half-saturated and near-saturated in external media containing 0.3 and 1.0-1.5 mM Ca/l respectively. 4. Calcium uptake from external concentrations of less than 0.5 mM Ca/l is against a small electrochemical gradient whereas from external concentrations greater than 0.5 mM Ca/l there is no adverse gradient. 5. Calcium depletion does not significantly alter the normal influx or net uptake rate of calcium from 1.0 mM Ca/l. 6. The calcium concentration in the blood remains constant during net uptake from, and net loss to, the medium. 7. A comparison is made between the mechanisms of sodium regulation and calcium regulation in L. stagnalis .


In this paper, the atomic flux divergence (AFD) based flow for AC and pulsed DC signal line electromigration (EM) reliability estimation is proposed. The flow is implemented as a 3-stage filter based on the average (AVG) and root-mean-square (RMS) current densities. A relationship between AVG and/or RMS current densities, maximum AFD, and EM lifetime is established and validated. To avoid the necessity of solving finite element equations, SPICE-based simulation scheme is proposed for fast AFD calculation. Fitting functions to evaluate signal line EM with AC and pulsed DC patterns are proposed. To prove fidelity, healing factors for AC EM obtained from our method are verified against measured results. Results of the traditional and proposed methods are compared.


The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of closed kinetic chain exercises in preferentially recruiting the oblique fibers of the vastus medialis obliquus (VMO). Fifteen athletically active females, 6 with patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) and 9 without PFPS, performed two isometric and two dynamic closed kinetic chain exercises. The isometric exercises were a static lunge with 30° of knee flexion (SL@30°) and with 70° of knee flexion (SL@70°). The dynamic exercises were a step-up/step-down exercise (SUSD) and a modified wall slide (MWS). Selective recruitment of the VMO occurred during the MWS (p < .05) and the SUSD in the subjects without PFPS (p < .05). For the SL@70° (p < .01), the MWS (p < .01), and the SUSD (p < .05), subjects with PFPS had greater activity of the vastus lateralis (VL), resulting in a lower VMO: VL ratio for those exercises (p < .05). It was concluded that the closed kinetic chain exercises examined in this study do not preferentially recruit the VMO in individuals wi...


This comparative study of Ecuador and Bolivia analyses the political dynamics of economic reforms in the last two decades. The question guiding this work is: under which conditions are presidents able to introduce the reforms they propose. and the focus is put on the political processes behind the tax reforms that were implemented and those that failed. The theoretical framework employs an institutionalist approach and focuses on how variations in institutional structures have shaped policy-making processes. Since most authors limit their analysis to institutional aspects, the thesis aims to make a contribution to this approach by analysing the influence of particular institutional aspects on the introduction of reforms. Other variables, such as the influence of private sector groups or popular protest, are included in the analysis to explore to what extent they challenge or complement the argument. The tax reforms of the last two decades are used as a case study to account for dynamics of economic policy-making in the two countries more generally. The study resulted in three main findings. Firstly, the institutional analysis proposed provides a coherent explanation as to why Bolivia was able to implement wide-ranging tax reforms during the 1980s and 1990s while presidents in Ecuador usually failed to introduce similar changes. Bolivia's particular form of presidentialism - featuring a parliamentary element of electing the president in Congress in the second round of elections - has produced coalition governments after 1985, which allowed presidents to introduce wide- ranging tax reforms. In Ecuador, on the other hand, tax reforms often failed due to the lack of institutional incentives for overcoming the political deadlock of a fragmented Congress. A second finding contributes to the economic crisis approach as hyperinflation proved to have an impact on the policy-making process (Bolivia after 1985), which has not necessarily been the case when countries experienced other types of economic crises (e.g. Ecuador in 1999). Thirdly, the change in the pattern of policy-making within Bolivia is examined. It is argued that the extra-institutional processes Bolivia experienced during the recent years have been caused by the same institutional mechanism that had brought political stability during the 1980s and 1990s as coalition politics was dependent on patronage payments and the political parties lost more and more support. This thesis, in short, fills a gap by connecting institutional analysis to actual economic reforms; it establishes a link between political structures and their effect on policy-making as regards the case of tax reform.


Primula apennina Widmer is endemic to the North Apennines (Italy). ISSR were used to detect the genetic diversity within and among six populations representative of the species distribution range. High levels of genetic diversity were revealed both at population (PPB = 75.92%, HS = 0.204, Hpop = 0.319) and at species level (PPB = 96.95%, HT = 0.242, Hsp = 0.381). Nei gene diversity statistics (15.7%), Shannon diversity index (16.3%) and AMOVA (14%) detected a moderate level of interpopulation diversity. Principal coordinate and bayesian analyses clustered the populations in three major groups along a geographic gradient. The correlation between genetic and geographic distances was positive (Mantel test, r = 0.232). All together, these analyses revealed a weak but significant spatial genetic structure in P. apennina, with gene flow acting as a homogenizing force that prevents a stronger differentiation of populations. Conservation measures are suggested based on the observed pattern of genetic variability.
P. apennina belongs to Primula subsect. Euauricula which includes 15 species distributed on the whole Alps and Apennines. A phylogenetic analysis was carried out using AFLP markers in order both to clarify the relationships among the species of subsection Euauricula that remained unresolved in previous works and to make some hypoteses on their evolutive dynamics. NJ, PCO and BAPS analyses strongly confirmed the monophyly of P. subsect. Euauricula and all the species form strongly supported clades. NJ tree topology suggested a simultaneous fragmentations of ancestral species in a large number of isolated populations that survived in refugia along the unglaciated margins of the Alps in response to the Pleistocene climatic oscillations.


Abstract We examine the evolution of mesic forest ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest of North America using a statistical phylogeography approach in four animal and two plant lineages. Three a priori hypotheses, which explain the disjunction in the mesic forest ecosystem with either recent dispersal or ancient vicariance, are tested with phylogenetic and coalescent methods. We find strong support in three amphibian lineages (Ascaphus spp., and Dicampton spp., and Plethodon vandykei and P. idahoensis) for deep divergence between coastal and inland populations, as predicted by the ancient vicariance hypothesis. Unlike the amphibians, the disjunction in other Pacific Northwest lineages is likely due to recent dispersal along a northern route. Topological and population divergence tests support the northern dispersal hypothesis in the water vole (Microtus richardsoni) and northern dispersal has some support in both the dusky willow (Salix melanopsis) and whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis). These analyses demonstrate that genetic data sampled from across an ecosystem can provide insight into the evolution of ecological communities and suggest that the advantages of a statistical phylogeographic approach are most pronounced in comparisons across multiple taxa in a particular ecosystem. Genetic patterns in organisms as diverse as willows and salamanders can be used to test general regional hypotheses, providing a consistent metric for comparison among members of an ecosystem with disparate life-history traits.


Maldives is a middle income country with a very low HIV prevalence. While the government has done a good job of raising awareness about AIDS in general, the level of appropriate HIV/AIDS related knowledge is low. The 2009 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), which is a nationally representative survey of 7131 women, reported that while 97% of women had heard of AIDS, only 42% had a comprehensive knowledge about the disease. The level of HIV-related knowledge is a key factor in the spread of AIDS; we used the 2009 Maldives DHS to understand its determinants in women aged 15–49. Responses to questions assessing correct knowledge about modes of transmission (during pregnancy, delivery, breastfeeding, sexual intercourse, single partner, condom use, mosquito bites, and sharing food) were used to create a score, which was dichotomized by a median split to create a binary 'knowledge' (poor/good) variable. Poor/good knowledge was modelled as a function of socio-demographic (age, region, educational status, wealth, employment, and number of children), media (media exposure, internet use) and health/health system factors (use of family planning (FP), FP worker visit, health facility visit). On unadjusted analysis, older age, living in Male, being employed, number of children, media exposure, use of FP, and health facility visit were associated with having good knowledge of transmission modes. In the multivariate logistic regression, age (OR = 1.04), higher educational level (OR = 1.51), greater media exposure (OR = 1.09), having a smaller number of children (OR = 0.94), being employed (OR = 1.12), FP use (OR = 1.56) and health facility visit (OR = 1.39) were statistically significant predictors of good knowledge of transmission modes. Our analysis indicates that while there are no regional or wealth related differences in level of knowledge about HIV transmission, the media and health facility visits can be used as vehicles to improve the knowledge level about HIV transmission in adult Maldivian women.


We present a dynamic model of club formation in a society of identical people. Coalitions consisting of members of the same club can form for one period and coalition members can jointly deviate. The dynamic process is described by a Markov chain defined by myopic optimization on the part of coalitions. We define a Nash club equilibrium (NCE) as a strategy profile that is immune to such coalitional deviations. For single--peaked preferences, we show that, if one exists, the process will converge to a NCE profile with probability one. NCE is unique up to a renaming of players and locations. Further, NCE corresponds to strong Nash equilibrium in the club formation game. Finally, we deal with the case where NCE fails to exist due to a nonbalancedness problem. When the population size is not an integer multiple of an optimal club size, there may be 'left over' players who prevent the process from `settling down'. To treat this case, we define the concept of k-remainder NCE, which requires that all but k players are playing a Nash club equilibrium, where k is defined by the minimal number of left over players. We show that the process converges to an ergodic NCE, that is, a set of states consisting only of k-remainder NCE.


We build a formal model of how trust in government institutions can arise -and also disappear overnight. At the heart of our argument is a two-way causation: government effectiveness helps engender trust, but governments that are widely trusted find it easier to be effective at providing the things -like high-quality public services- people want. External effects are also at work: the trust we place on a governmental institution matters, but other citizens' trust matters just as much. Two-way causation plus external effects yields multiple equilibria. Therefore our model can explain how a small exogenous shock can yield a big change in outcomes, as people change their behavior in ways that make government institutions less effective, triggering in turn an additional (and potentially sharp) decrease in trust. Self-fulfilling prophecies can also occur: once citizens come to believe that institutions are ineffectual, they change our behaviour in ways that ensure that institutions do become ineffectual and no longer trustworthy. We use the model to explore the recent experience of Chile, a middle-income country whose institutions, once viewed as strong and credible, are increasingly distrusted by angry citizens, who in 2019 took to the streets in massive and often violent demonstrations.


Objective: To study the relation between the timing of the postpartum examination and the postpartum Papanicolaou smear. Methods: One hundred eighty‐four women in labor at Arlington Community Hospital were randomized to receive their postpartum Papanicolaou smear at 4, 6, or 8 weeks after delivery. Samples from the exocervix and endocervix were obtained and submitted to the pathology department, which was unaware of the study. Results: Twenty‐three women were lost to follow‐up. Among 161 women who had a postpartum examination, 48 (30%) had it at 4 weeks, 61 (38%) at 6 weeks, and 52 (32%) at 8 weeks. The groups were similar with respect to age, ethnicity, gravidity, parity, marital status, number of sexual partners, age at first intercourse, history of cervical infections, previous history of abnormal Papanicolaou smears, and cervical surgery. Among the 139 women who had a normal prenatal smear, 26 (59%) had an abnormal smear at 4 weeks (24 [92%] had inflammation, one [4%] had inflammation with nuclear atypia, and one [4%] had cervical intraepithelial neoplasia [CIN] III), 17 (32%) were abnormal at 6 weeks (15 [88%] had inflammation, one [6%] had inflammation with nuclear atypia, and one [6%] had CIN III), and 12 (28%) were abnormal at 8 weeks (11 [92%] had inflammation and one [8%] had inflammation with nuclear atypia). There were no differences in the distribution of abnormal Papanicolaou smears at the repeat smear done 3 months after the postpartum examination. Conclusion: The incidence of abnormal Papanicolaou smears increased as the postpartum interval decreased from 8 to 4 weeks. (Obstet Gynecol 1994;83:761‐5)


The goal of this study is to identify the perspectives that development NGOs attribute to organisational social media, and furthermore elaborate on an appropriate categorisation of these perspectives for social media use by development NGOs. How social media is used in the area of development, where the use goes far beyond the private sector purpose of publicity and converting a sale, is a key issue for NGOs. Fourteen development NGOs from the Netherlands that are actively using social media were selected for this study. Interviews were conducted to collect data from the decision makers and practitioners in these organisations. The grounded theory method combined with a multiple case study was applied for data analysis. The resulting preliminary framework presents us with four emerging perspectives, namely Technological, Individual, Collective and Contextual perspectives attributed to organisational social media use. We theorise that there are relationships between these four perspectives. This paper suggests that the understanding of (organisational) social media use among development NGOs can be better understood by identifying these perspectives and their inter-relationships. The implications of these findings for the literature on affordances and organisational social media use in the context of development and NGOs are discussed.


Background This study was performed to assess the feasibility of using intraoperative computed tomography (CT) to provide real-time updates to image guidance systems (IGSs) during surgery. Methods The xCAT ENT portable intraoperative CT scanner (Xoran Technologies, Ann Arbor, MI) was used to acquire scans before, midway, and at the end of six cadaver dissections during the Southern States Rhinology Course, Augusta, GA, in October 2006. These scans were used to recalibrate three different IGSs used during the dissection. Time measurements were recorded and dosimetry was obtained from the cornea, sphenoid sinus (near the optic chiasm), and from the operative field during acquisition of the images. IGS accuracy was determined at the skull base and lamina papyracea. Surgeons were interviewed on benefits of real-time updates to the IGS after completion of dissections. Results The xCAT ENT scanner was compatible with all three IGS platforms. The average time to update the IGS was 13 minutes. Radiation doses to the cornea were 620 mrad per scan, and optic chiasm was 800 mrad/scan. The accuracy at the anterior skull base improved from 1.58 to 0.62 mm (p = 0.026). The accuracy at the posterior skull base improved from 1.46 to 0.71 mm (p = 0.014). The accuracy at the lamina was not significantly changed. Conclusion Intraoperative portable CT scanning with real-time IGS updates is feasible and likely would add little additional time. Accuracy is improved at the skull base. Prospective studies on actual patients are warranted.


Through the post-World War II period, the U.S. dollar has been the leading currency used in international trade and debt contracts. With the creation of the euro, the dollar may finally face a challenge to its dominance in international markets. This article examines the likely effects of the euro on the international use of the dollar. Moreover, the article considers the implications for the United States and the euro area of a rise in the use of the euro and consequent fall in the use of the dollar internationally.


THE DIVINE DESIGN OF CHRISTIAN SUFFERING: MORTIFICATION, MATURATION, AND GLORIFICATION William James Brooks, Jr., Ph.D. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2016 Chair: Dr. Jeremy P. Pierre Chapter 1 introduces the dissertation's thesis and highlights its methodology. This dissertation argues that the divine design for suffering in Christ-followers is to decrease self-rule through mortification, increase God's rule through engendering spiritual maturity, with both of these functions serving the ultimate purpose of God glorifying himself in the individual lives of his covenant people. This chapter also sets the argument within the contemporary context of biblical counseling. Chapter 2 explores the first major element of the thesis, that God designs suffering to decrease self-rule in his covenant people through mortification. This theme is traced through the lamenting psalmists, the Suffering King's attack on self-rule via the cross, and Jesus' imperative to self-denial. Chapter 3 argues the second major element of the thesis, that God designs suffering to increase his rule in his covenant people by engendering the blessings consistent with spiritual maturity. This thought is developed by examining the spiritual maturity suffering produced in the lamenting psalmists and Jesus. Six New Testament passages are examined which indicate suffering is instrumental in engendering spiritual maturity in the Christ-follower. Chapter 4 demonstrates the third major thesis element that suffering that the ultimate purpose of suffering in Christ-followers is to glorify God. This conclusion is reached by examining the lamenting psalmists glorification of God, Jesus glorifying the Father in his sufferings, Christ-followers' glorification of Christ through suffering, and how God glorifies himself when suffering ceases. Chapter 5 defends the dissertation thesis against the challenges forwarded by open theism. The main arguments focus on open theism's contention that no divine design for suffering exists and suffering is purposeless. The last section critiques the implications open theistic beliefs has on trusting God, Christ and the gospel, prayer, and eternal hope. Chapter 6 proposes that the cognitions, affections, and volitions of the heart are each mortified of their unchristlikenesses, conformed to Christlikeness, both for the glory of God through suffering. The last section is directed to biblical counselors to give indicators of self-rule in sufferers and to suggest how they may minister to all the suffering heart's functions. Chapter 7 concludes the dissertation by giving a summary of its arguments, suggestions for further research, and some concluding thoughts.


"Today, I believe, one ought to keep total silence on the question of religion when writing for an English audience, though indirectly one may strike any blow one wishes at religious beliefs." - JOHN STUART MILL TO AUGUSTE COMTE (1845) John Stuart Mill and the Religion of Humanity introduces material that requires significant reevaluation of John Stuart Mill's contribution to the development of the liberal tradition. Through his influence, the radical anti-Christianity of the French tradition was incorporated into the Anglo-American political tradition. Linda C. Raeder examines the religious thought and aspirations of the philosopher and shows that, contrary to the conventional view of Mill as the prototypical "secular" liberal, religious preoccupations dominated his thought and structured his endeavors throughout his life. Raeder explores the influence of James Mill, Jeremy Bentham, Claude-Henri Saint-Simon, and Auguste Comte on John Stuart Mill's religious thought and aims. She treats Mill's Three Essays on Religion, discusses his participation in the "Mansel Controversy," and offers a new interpretation of On Liberty and Utilitarianism. Raeder contends that the depth of Mill's animus toward traditional transcendent religion must be recognized, along with the seriousness of his intent to found a nontheological religion to serve as its replacement: the "Religion of Humanity" that he adopted, with revisions, from Comte. Mill intended his philosophical writings to assist in the realization of this aim, and they cannot adequately be comprehended without an awareness of their subterranean religious theme.


We focus on the problem of specialization in a description logics (DL) representation, specifically the ALN language. Standard approaches to learning in these representations are based on bottom-up algorithms that employ the lcs operator, which, in turn, produces overly specific (overfitting,) and still redundant concept definitions. In the dual (top-down) perspective, this issue can be tackled by means of an ILP downward operator. Indeed, using a mapping from DL descriptions onto a clausal representation, we define a specialization operator computing maximal specializations of a concept description on the grounds of the available positive and negative examples.


Thermophilic anaerobic microorganisms with the ability to reduce sulfur compounds (e.g., sulfate and/or thiosulfate) were isolated from water samples collected from about 2000 meters depth at in situ temperatures of 70°C in a geothermal well from the Paris Basin (France). Chemical and isotopic analyses show that microbial sulfate reduction occurred in the samples. Two strains were characterized by both DNA/DNA hybridization and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, which indicated that they are most closely related to Thermotoga elfii, a thiosulfate-reducing bacterium, and Archaeoglobus fulgidus, a sulfate- and thiosulfate-reducing archaeon. Besides thiosulfate reduction using H2 as energy source, both isolates are shown to be able to retrieve energy from H2/Fe(III), a metabolic capability of importance in a deep biosphere context. It is suggested that T. elfii and A. fulgidus could be used, either as pure culture or as a consortium, in future laboratory studies aiming at better understanding microbial iron (III) and sulfate/thiosulfate reduction, hydrogen production/consumption, as well as the effect of microorganisms on the evolution of CO2 in deep aquifers. The present work examines numerous culture conditions and demonstrates that in spite of similarities in phylogenetic/genetic characteristics and in growth conditions, there are significant phenotypic differences between the isolated archaeal strain and the type strain of A. fulgidus. These differences, evidenced by a proteomic study, should be taken into account and could be useful parameters to be studied in the deep aquifers by geomicrobiological laboratories.


With the rapid development of computer network, the network architecture is increasingly complicated; the scale of network extends continuously. Therefore, the functions and positions of the network management are also more and more important. The Web-Based network management, making users manage the network and system expediently and simply, combining Web technology and modern distributed network management technology, which can also be updated and customized easily to meet the different needs, is an important direction of the development of the network management technology in the future. This paper proposes an a SNMP-based Web network management system using B/S structure, which has features of flexible structure, easily extensible, user-friendly features and so on.


Medical professionals and educators recognize that Simulation Based Medical Education (SBME) can contribute considerably to improving medical care by boosting medical professionals' performance and enhancing patient safety. A central characteristic of SBME is its unique approach to making (and learning from) mistakes, which is regarded as a powerful educational experience and as an opportunity for professional improvement. The basic assumption underlying SBME is that increased practice in learning from mistakes and in error management in a simulated environment will reduce occurrences of errors in real life and will provide professionals with the correct attitude and skills to cope competently with those mistakes that could not be prevented. The main message of the present paper is that this assumption, which serves as the driving force of SBME, should also serve as a starting point for critical thinking and questioning regarding the multiple aspects and components of SBME. These questions, in turn, should lead to empirical research that will provide feedback concerning changes that may be necessary in order to attain the goal of improving medical professionals' performance. Based on such research, SBME will be held accountable for its outcomes, i.e. whether its educational techniques indeed result in decreased occurrence of errors or not, and whether the ability to cope with the errors that do occur is significantly improved. The first of three issues that were addressed concerns individuals' experience of performing mistakes. It is suggested that in order to benefit fully from the experience of performing mistakes in a simulated context, medical educators should create a balance between the emotional load associated with the experience and the professional lessons that can be learned. Furthermore, research should focus on the long-term effects of the experience in changing professionals' attitudes and behaviour. The second question concerned the contribution of the different components of the educational experience to creating the desired changes in professionals' performance. Analysis of the teaching and learning involved in each stage of the educational event should serve as the basis for research that aims at identifying the unique contribution and efficiency of each element, and defining the essential core activities of a simulated experience. Finally, the need to define a newly emerging profession—SBME educator—was addressed. The professional qualifications are, clearly, multidisciplinary and should be based on the growing experience of medical educators in training students and professionals. Defining the profession is essential in order to create academic environments in which professionals will be trained to develop and implement new programmes, accompanied by research and assessment.


US managers tend to look at the quality challenge posed by Japanese industry in the early 1980s as a challenge slowly yet successfully met. Academics see the emergent quality movement as just another fad. This book is about reconciling these images. Can managers learn from fads? Robert Cole explores the reasons behind American industry's slow response to the challenge of high quality Japanese goods, then proceeds to explain the factors which eventually enabled management to address the quality gap effectively. He argues that a variety of institutional factors slowed management's response in the US, and describes the reshaping of institutional forces that lead to sustained quality improvements in the 1990s. Ultimately, this book is about factors inhibiting and supporting organizational learning and provides lessons for all those interested in the issue of organizational transformation.


This paper aims to comprehend the change & impact on students' behavior during the COVID-19 Lockdown in India. The research is conducted by surveying to assess the different behavioral changes due to the COVID-19 spread. Novel coronavirus pandemic started from Wuhan, China, on 31/12/19. It spread across the globe affecting 1,00 000 people within the span of two to three months. People across the globe were affected not just in terms of physical health but also mental & psychological health, resulting in major changes in their behavior. The digital questionnaire assessed the status of pupils' mental and psychical nature while the COVID-19 lockdown was on. The questions were framed to answer how students felt about the pandemic and how it has affected their day-today life. The results of the survey revealed the measure of the anxiety level of the students. The survey results are analyzed on SPSS, and Pearson Coefficient is the method used for statistical analysis. The survey results revealed that 74.2% of the respondents favored cleaning their hands more often due to the COCID-19 pandemic. In the same way, an overwhelming number of student respondents have become aware that wearing masks is crucial to prevent the spread, and 95.9% of student respondents have favored wearing masks if they decide to step outside of their house. Student respondents are more worried about the possibility that their family members will catch the COVID-19 virus than the concern of themselves catching the virus. The student respondents showed clear signs of worry and unpredictability due to the COVID-19 spread. More than have 37.6% have responded that they are in a constant state of worry during the lockdown. The paper states varied responses from the students on the anxiety levels and that they have been experiencing high anxiety levels during the lockdown. The measurement and correlation between emotional & preventive behavior can provide viable options to reduce the outbreak and further control it.


From the time that college students Bobby Seale and Huey Newton armed themselves and announced that they were going to patrol the police and fight police brutality, a cultural match was lit that sparked a revolution. In a matter of months, the organization that they helped to found, the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, managed to make enemies of the United States government, frighten 'White America', and fan the flames of racial tension and 'black power.' The Black Panther legacy has been largely misunderstood; the idealistic notion of self-reliance and self-determination that was at the core of the Panthers beliefs was too often lost in the public persona of an organization that was perceived as violent, racist, and anarchical, and the Black Panthers themselves did seemingly little to dispel that perception. Interpretations and reflections in subsequent years of recollection have often yielded uneven results, with varying accounts rife with bias and inaccuracy, leaving their legacy and impact incomplete.


Purpose: To develop a better understanding of how yoga practice affects one's interpersonal relationships. Design: Qualitative. Method: Content analysis was used to qualitatively analyze written comments (n = 171) made regarding yoga improving interpersonal relationships in a large cross-sectional survey of yoga practitioners (N = 1,067). Findings: Four themes were identified: Yoga practice leads to personal transformation, increases social interaction, provides coping mechanisms to weather relationship losses and difficulties, and leads to spiritual transcendence. Practitioners believed that their interpersonal relationships improved because their attitude and perspective had changed, making them more patient, kind, mindful, and self-aware. They expressed an aspect of community that was both practical (they met new friends) and spiritual (they felt they belonged). They thought they could better weather difficulties such as divorce and death. A number discussed feeling a sense of purpose and that their practice contributed to a greater good. Conclusions: There appears to be an aspect of community associated with yoga practice that may be beneficial to one's social and spiritual health. Yoga could be beneficial for populations at risk for social isolation, such as those who are elderly, bereaved, and depressed, as well as individuals undergoing interpersonal crises.


Despite the decline in their proliferative potential, senescent cells display a high metabolic activity. Senescent cells have been shown to acquire a more glycolytic state even in presence of high oxygen levels, in a way similar to cancer cells. The diversion of pyruvate, the final product of glycolysis, away from oxidative phosphorylation results in an altered bioenergetic state and may occur as a response to the enhanced oxidative stress caused by the accumulation of dysfunctional mitochondria. This metabolic shift leads to increased AMP/ATP and ADP/ATP ratios, to the subsequent AMPK activation, and ultimately to p53-mediated growth arrest. Mounting evidences suggest that metabolic reprogramming is critical to direct considerable amounts of energy toward specific activities related to the senescent state, including the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) and the modulation of immune responses within senescent cell tissue microenvironment. Interestingly, despite the relative abundance of oxygen in the vascular compartment, healthy endothelial cells (ECs) produce most of their ATP content from the anaerobic conversion of glucose to lactate. Their high glycolytic rate further increases during senescence. Alterations in EC metabolism have been identified in age-related diseases (ARDs) associated with a dysfunctional vasculature, including atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. In particular, higher production of reactive oxygen species deriving from a variety of enzymatic sources, including uncoupled endothelial nitric oxide synthase and the electron transport chain, causes DNA damage and activates the NAD+-consuming enzymes polyADP-ribose polymerase 1 (PARP1). These non-physiological mechanisms drive the impairment of the glycolytic flux and the diversion of glycolytic intermediates into many pathological pathways. Of note, accumulation of senescent ECs has been reported in the context of ARDs. Through their pro-oxidant, pro-inflammatory, vasoconstrictor, and prothrombotic activities, they negatively impact on vascular physiology, promoting both the onset and development of ARDs. Here, we review the current knowledge on the cellular senescence-related metabolic changes and their contribution to the mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of ARDs, with a particular focus on ECs. Moreover, current and potential interventions aimed at modulating EC metabolism, in order to prevent or delay ARD onset, will be discussed.


This paper explores the empirical association between patents and various indicators of firm resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic with worldwide firm-level data from manufacturing industries. The study shows that patent-intensive firms have a reduced probability of exit, in particular if they are larger and if engaging with complementary investments in R&D and other intangibles. Additional estimates show that firm productivity has been an important transmission channel. Taken together, the results presented in the paper offer evidence-based findings pointing to patents as an important potential factor contributing to firm resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Policy insights are discussed.


We review our work on laser-enhanced plating and etching with emphasis on the chemical, electrochemical, and thermal mechanisms giving rise to the experimental observations. The metallurgical properties of the deposits and their applications, particularly in the field of microelectronics, are also discussed. The work on laser-enhanced electroplating and electrodeless plating includes high-speed deposition of copper, gold, and nickel by using the argon-ion laser as the source of localized energy. Deposition rates up to 3 orders of magnitude higher have been observed for laser-irradiated regions compared with nonirradiated ones. Mechanisms responsible for the plating enhancement are (1) enhanced chemical and electrochemical kinetics with increased temperature, (2) shifts in the local rest potential with temperature, and (3) local agitation of the solution as a result of large temperature gradients. Applications of these techniques to circuit design and repair as well as to high-speed plating of precious metals onto electrical contact areas of microelectronic circuits are considered. Experiments on high-speed laser-enhanced etching of several dielectrics are also reviewed. Volume removal rates as high as 106μm3/sec for an alumina/TiC ceramic and 105μm3/sec for 〈111〉 silicon using KOH as the etchant have been obtained.


We investigate the problem of learning the control of small groups of units in combat situations in Real Time Strategy (RTS) games. AI systems may acquire such skills by observing and learning from expert players, or other AI systems performing those tasks. However, access to training data may be limited, and representations based on metric information -- position, velocity, orientation etc. -- may be brittle, difficult for learning mechanisms to work with, and generalise poorly to new situations. In this work we apply \textit{qualitative spatial relations} to compress such continuous, metric state-spaces into symbolic states, and show that this makes the learning problem easier, and allows for more general models of behaviour. Models learnt from this representation are used to control situated agents, and imitate the observed behaviour of both synthetic (pre-programmed) agents, as well as the behaviour of human-controlled agents on a number of canonical micro-management tasks. We show how a Monte-Carlo method can be used to decompress qualitative data back in to quantitative data for practical use in our control system. We present our work applied to the popular RTS game Starcraft.


Graph transformers have been competitive on graph classification tasks, but they fail to outperform Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) on node classification, which is a common task performed on large-scale graphs for industrial applications. Meanwhile, existing GNN architectures are limited in their ability to perform equally well on both homophilious and heterophilious graphs as their inductive biases are generally tailored to only one setting. To address these issues, we propose GOAT, a scalable global graph transformer. In GOAT, each node conceptually attends to all the nodes in the graph and homophily/heterophily relationships can be learnt adaptively from the data. We provide theoretical justification for our approximate global self-attention scheme, and show it to be scalable to large-scale graphs. We demonstrate the competitiveness of GOAT on both heterophil-ious and homophilious graphs with millions of nodes. We open source our implementation at https://github.com/devnkong/GOAT.


At 95 patients with essential arterial hypertension features of structural and functional remodeling of left ventricular and humeral artery depending on a level parathyroid hormone in blood are studied. It is shown that while increasing of plasma parathyroid hormone level frequency and expressiveness of left ventricular and humeral artery remodeling increases whereas diastolic function and endothelium-dependent vasodilatation considerably decrease. Subclinical primary hyperparathyroidism in patients with essential arterial hypertension is detected in 22,1% of cases.


Educators are challenged every day to continuously improve the quality of their teaching methods in order to meet the expectations of their students, the customer. In the hospitality management department of a major urban university, the teaching of quality service in a dining room management laboratory setting lacks a formal and quantifiable feedback system to measure guest satisfaction. Such a feedback system is hypothesized to have an impact on the student's learning of quality service delivery. A literature review discusses information concerning quality service management, customer satisfaction measurement, and a detailing of a procedural and convivial service dimensions model as it relates to dining room management and employee involvement. The research is quasi-experimental in that a convenience sample of all hospitality students enrolled in the three sections of a dining room management and operations course were divided into one control group and two experimental groups. Forty-seven students completed preand post-test questionnaires during the Spring 1993 semester regarding their perceptions of the importance to management of various selected service standards. In the experimental groups, a formalized guest comment card was issued to dining room guests and a guest satisfaction index was calculated after each dining room session. The resulting GSI was fed back to the students. Learning of quality service delivery did occur among the students. However, the data is inconclusive as to the impact of the formal feedbackmechanism. Further research into this subject is recommended. A discussion is included concerning the application of this data to two quality service models: Procedural and Convivial Quality Service Dimensions (Martin, 1991) and SERVQUAL (Zeithaml, et.al, 1990).


We introduce the Delta-framework, LF-Delta, a dependent type theory based on the Edinburgh Logical Framework LF, extended with the strong proof-functional connectives, i.e. strong intersection, minimal relevant implication and strong union. Strong proof-functional connectives take into account the shape of logical proofs, thus reflecting polymorphic features of proofs in formulae. This is in contrast to classical or intuitionistic connectives where the meaning of a compound formula depends only on the truth value or the provability of its subformulae. Our framework encompasses a wide range of type disciplines. Moreover, since relevant implication permits to express subtyping, LF-Delta subsumes also Pfenning's refinement types. We discuss the design decisions which have led us to the formulation of LF-Delta, study its metatheory, and provide various examples of applications. Our strong proof-functional type theory can be plugged in existing common proof assistants.


Current video cameras used to measure in situ root activities lack essential registration and identification components for repeated accurate measurements. This report describes a rapid, inexpensive and completely portable approach for controlling and identifying camera position when making repeated video recordings from minirhizotrons in large field experiments. These registration handle and microcomputer additions to an agricultural microvideo color camera provide new opportunities for measuring root and nodule development. Preliminary measurements indicated that corn roots appeared and disappeared to depths of 75 cm for different N treatments 86 to 99 d after planting. Additionally, root development, maturation, and death can be observed in situ throughout the root profile. These modifications offer a uniform method for comparing root turnover rates and other specific dynamics of the rhizosphere at 1.2-cm intervals in contrasting soil and climatic conditions. MSU Agric. Exp. Stn. J. Article no. 12696, financially supported by federal grants 83-CRSR-2-2311 and BSR 8517985.