Innovation is a key factor to bring about change. The government should formulate policies that are innovative to bring change to the nation. A government that enhances transformation, is a dynamic and progressive government. The Government Transformation Programme (GTP) in Malaysia, that is implemented in three phases started in 2010, is studied to examine how the programme is being accepted by the people. GTP is a programme that has never been implemented before. This programme emphasises more on performance and results of civil servants rather than budget spending. It also emphasises more accurately on planning. The aim is to produce high levels of accuracy and accountability of public employees and to provide rapid results in a short time as desired by the people. The 2011 GTP report showed that more than three million people have been positively impacted by this programme although it has only been implemented for two years. However, empirical studies found that people did not really feel the impact of the GTP programme. Although this programme was advocated through electronic and on-line media, many people still do not understand what is exactly the GTP and what are to be achieved through this programme.


Measuring student learning is a complicated but necessary task for understanding the effectiveness of instruction and issues of equity in college STEM courses. Our investigation focused on the implications on claims about student learning that result from choosing between one of two commonly used methods for analyzing shifts in concept inventories. The methods are: Hake's gain (g), which is the most common method used in physics education research and other discipline based education research fields, and Cohen's d, which is broadly used in education research and many other fields. Data for the analyses came from the Learning Assistant Supported Student Outcomes (LASSO) database and included test scores from 4,551 students on physics, chemistry, biology, and math concept inventories from 89 courses at 17 institutions from across the United States. We compared the two methods across all of the concept inventories. The results showed that the two methods led to different inferences about student learning and equity due to g being biased in favor of high pretest populations. Recommendations for the analysis and reporting of findings on student learning data are included.


Environment for Meaningful Development of Reading Literacy in Pre-School At a time when the scope and influence of information technologies are rapidly increasing, the development of reading literacy becomes a challenge for teachers. Pre-school teachers have a special role in the development of reading literacy, because children display interest in the written text and the information it holds already in pre-school. It is thus important that the child's first encounter with text be pleasant and exciting, personally significant and applicable for reaching one's goals and satisfying one's needs in everyday life. Hence, the development of reading literacy in pre-school ought to be meaningful, which cannot be ensured in a traditional, teacher-focused learning environment. That is why the paper summarises the best practical experience in a meaningful development of reading literacy. The conclusion is reached that a meaningful development of reading literacy occurs in an environment specially designed by teachers with constructivism as its theoretical basis.


Author(s): Tinka, Andrew Brendan | Advisor(s): Bayen, Alexandre M | Abstract: Mobile sensor networks present opportunities for improved in situ sensing in complex hydrodynamic environments such as estuarial deltas. This dissertation considers the design and implementation of the mobile sensor network system that was built as part of the Floating Sensor Network project for use in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in California over the 2007-2012 time period. Individual Lagrangian sensor units collect hydrodynamic state information, which is then transmitted to a centralized server and assimilated to produce a state estimate for the entire hydrodynamic system. Physical obstacles, including the shoreline and natural vegetation, present a major challenge to operating mobile sensors in estuarial environments. Actuated mobile sensors are shown to be a viable solution; appropriate control techniques allow these sensors to avoid obstacles, meet navigational goals, and still collect the Lagrangian data necessary for the sensing objective. Issues addressed include physical design, communication techniques for mobile sensor networks, control schemes for fleets of underactuated vehicles in unstructured flow environments, assimilation techniques for mobile Lagrangian data, and field experiments to validate and demonstrate the actuated mobile Lagrangian sensor concept.


Summary : Sintering in ceramic materials is a critical process, especially when these are shaped as multilayer. From the green stage to the densification, the effects of organic additives removal, solid state diffusive phenomena, and either differential expansion or contraction of the layers can have critical effect on the final shape leading also failure, delamination etc. In this work, a tape-cast bi-layer structure for CGO and YSZ-(Sc) was studied during the thermal processing from debinding to the sintering. The bilayered samples undergo to several phenomena of shape instabilities and deformation due to binder burn out, differential shrinkage behavior and to a potential interfacial reaction between the two materials. To analyze the phenomena, shrinkage of SOFC components single layers and bilayered samples were measured in-situ by optical dilatometer. The densification mismatch stress, due to the strain rate difference between materials, was calculated using Cai's model. Camber (curvature) development for in situ co-firing of a bi-layer ceramic green tape has been investigated. Analysis of shape evolution from green to sintered body can be carried out by the thermo-mechanical analysis techniques.


In order to adapt to the explosion of technology and information, our culture has organized knowledge into distinct categories, and has privileged the "known" as the ideal truth. While this reductionist approach allows us to efficiently examine a specific topic, it has also led to a fragmented and oversimplified understanding of an otherwise enigmatic world. Umberto Eco, semiotician and novelist, criticized this rigid categorization and preferred a more complex, labyrinthine system, organizing his personal ad-hoc collection of books into unconventional categories. Venice, the labyrinthine city, is a physical manifestation of the concept of non-linearity and becomes a metaphor and strategy for
exploring the idea of mystery and the dérive. The thesis explores the themes of slow reading, serendipity, and mystery, through the design of a Research Library that brings together Eco's collection.


Since a court decided that bonuses paid to the former top management at Mannesmann AG were unjustifiable there has been widespread public discussion over fair pay in Germany. This has been against the background of big increases in the salaries paid to top executives at a time when the economy is sluggish and there is high unemployment. A special survey by the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) conducted by DIW Berlin in conjunction with Infratest Sozialforschung showed that many people feel top executives are too highly paid, and that the differences between their earnings and those of unskilled workers is not justifiable. Many, especially in eastern Germany, also feel that their own pay is unfairly low. Greater transparency would increase the acceptance of differentials that are otherwise seen as unjust.


Causal inference is often taken to mean finding links between individual variables. However in many real-world cases, such as in biological systems, relationships are more complex, with groups of factors needed to produce an effect, or some factors only modifying other relationships rather than producing outcomes alone. For instance, weight may alter the efficacy of a drug without causing side effects itself. Such moderating factors may change the timing, intensity, or probability of a causal relationship. Distinguishing moderators from genuine causes can lead to more effective medical interventions, and better strategies for bringing about a desired effect, since a moderator alone is ineffective. However, there have not yet been algorithms to automatically infer moderators in a large-scale automated way, and they cannot be easily read off from causal graphs. We introduce a set of temporal logic rules to automatically identify the asymmetric roles of causes and moderators in a computationally efficient manner. Experiments on simulated data demonstrate that even in challenging cases we can find moderators and avoid confounding, and on real neurological ICU data we show how the approach can find more descriptive and meaningful relationships than the state of the art.


The availability of new high-resolution radar spaceborne sensors offers new interesting potentialities for the acquisition of data useful for the generation of Digital Surface Models (DSMs). Two different approaches may be used to generate DSMs from Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data: the interferometric and the radargrammetric one. At present, the importance of the radargrammetric approach is rapidly growing due to the new high-resolution imagery [up to 1 m Ground Sample Distance (GSD)] which can be acquired by COSMO-SkyMed, TerraSAR-X and RADARSAT-2 in SpotLight mode. The defined and implemented model is related to COSMO- SkyMed SpotLight imagery in zero-Doppler geometry; it performs a 3-D orientation based on two range and two zero-Doppler equations, allowing for the least squares estimation of some calibration parameters, related to satellite position and velocity and to the range measure. The model has been implemented in SISAR (Software per Immagini Satellitari ad Alta Risoluzione), a scientific software developed at the Geodesy and Geomatic Institute of the University of Rome "La Sapienza". Starting from this model, based on a geometric reconstruction, also a tool for the Rational Polynomial Coefficients (RPCs) generations has been implemented. To test the effectiveness of the new model, a stereo pair over the test sites of Merano (Northern Italy) has been orientated using the rigorous model and the RPCs one, and first results of radargrammetric DSM generation are presented; they display the possibility to reach an overall average accuracy of 3.5 m.


The phenomenon of solubilization of nonionic surfactant Tween-40 has been studied through the influence of additive chloramine-T in aqueous medium by measuring the cloud points (CP) of the pure surfactant and with chloramine-T. The CP of pure surfactant was found to be increased with increasing concentration of Tween-40. The CP of mixed system shows increasing trends with increased chloramine-T. This is mainly due to increased micelle concentrations. The influence of chloramine-T on the cloud point of Tween-40 is a clear indication that the phenomenon of clouding is associated with the different micelles coalescing. Considering cloud point as threshold temperature of the solubility, the thermodynamic parameters of clouding process (ΔG0cl, ΔH0cl and ΔS0cl) have been evaluated using "Phase Separation Model". The phase separation results from micelle-micelle interaction. It was found that the overall clouding process was exothermic and ΔH0cl > TΔS0cl indicating that the process of clouding was guided by both enthalpy and entropy. This work supports the conjecture that the clouding is critical phenomenon rather than the growth of micelles. Findings of the present work supports to made the probable evidence of electrolyte-surfactant interactions in aqueous medium.


We study the thermal conductance across solid-solid interfaces as the composition of an intermediate matching layer is varied. In absence of phonon-phonon interactions, an added layer can make the interfacial conductance increase or decrease depending on the interplay between (1) an increase in phonon transmission due to better bridging between the contacts, and (2) a decrease in the number of available conduction channels that must conserve their momenta transverse to the interface. When phonon-phonon interactions are included, the added layer is seen to aid conductance when the decrease in resistances at the contact-layer boundaries compensate for the additional layer resistance. For the particular systems explored in this work, the maximum conductance happens when the layer mass is close to the geometric mean of the contact masses. The surprising result, usually associated with coherent antireflection coatings, follows from a monotonic increase in the boundary resistance with the interface mass ratio. This geometric mean condition readily extends to a compositionally graded interfacial layer with an exponentially varying mass that generates the thermal equivalent of a broadband impedance matching network.


ABSTRACT Ensuring organizational regulatory and legal compliance is a challenging, high-stakes management task. Overlooking or underestimating noncompliance in organizations can result in substantial fines, damage to a company's reputation, and, ultimately, loss of business. To help alleviate this risk, we explore whether organizations can assess noncompliance by monitoring users' answers and related mouse cursor movements in an intelligent online questionnaire. Namely, we propose that noncompliant (compared with compliant) individuals will experience more cognitive dissonance on questions about (1) what constitutes noncompliance behavior and (2) what consequences for noncompliance are appropriate. We predict that increased cognitive dissonance in noncompliant individuals will influence their questionnaire responses—as well as their mouse cursor movements—when answering these questions. We collect data to test our hypotheses in a study from individuals who voluntarily chose to cheat on an online task for monetary gain. The results suggest that the responses to these two groups of questions, along with the associated mouse cursor movement, can work together as a low-cost, scalable tool to help assess noncompliance risk. This paper contributes to theory by explaining how people who are noncompliant tend to provide more lenient answers to questions about what constitutes compliance and the consequences of noncompliance. In addition, we show how mouse-cursor deviation provides theoretical insight into the level of cognitive dissonance that users experience, and that users who are noncompliant show greater deviation on compliance and consequence questions.


A porcine adult ICU model would be useful for several avenues of investigation relevant to the care of critically ill patients. The purpose of the experiments reported here was to test the feasibility of such a model, using healthy swine. Swine (n = 4; body weight, 76 +/- 5 kg) were instrumented with endotracheal, bladder, and central arterial and venous catheters, and were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) while undergoing mechanical ventilation under the continuous care of nurses. Cardiopulmonary parameters were monitored continuously, and serum biochemical parameters were measured intermittently. Survival was seven days in subject 1 and five and a half days in subject 2. Subjects 3 and 4 survived an abbreviated protocol (44 and 41 h, respectively). Care of the subjects was complicated by iatrogenic hemorrhage (n = 3), pneumonia (n = 2), and acute respiratory distress syndrome (n = 1). One subject was free of complications. Critically ill swine > or = 70 kg can survive mechanical ventilation in the ICU for up to seven days. When iatrogenic injury occurs, swine respond well to clinical care protocols. Further testing is needed to develop a reproducible model and determine whether healthy swine can survive the ICU environment for longer than 41 h.


We propose a general method for automated word puzzle generation. Contrary to previous approaches in this novel field, the presented method does not rely on highly structured datasets obtained with serious human annotation effort: it only needs an unstructured and unannotated corpus (i.e., document collection) as input. The method builds upon two additional pillars: (i) a topic model, which induces a topic dictionary from the input corpus (examples include e.g., latent semantic analysis, group-structured dictionaries or latent Dirichlet allocation), and (ii) a semantic similarity measure of word pairs. Our method can (i) generate automatically a large number of proper word puzzles of different types, including the odd one out, choose the related word and separate the topics puzzle. (ii) It can easily create domain-specific puzzles by replacing the corpus component. (iii) It is also capable of automatically generating puzzles with parameterizable levels of difficulty suitable for, e.g., beginners or intermediate learners.


Rapid flares from blazars in very high-energy (VHE) γ-rays challenge the common understanding of jets of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). The same population of ultra-relativistic electrons is often thought to be responsible for both X-ray and VHE emission. We thus systematically searched for X-ray flares at sub-hour timescales of TeV blazars in the entire Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer archival database. We found rapid flares from PKS 2005−489 and S5 0716+714, and a candidate rapid flare from 1ES 1101−232. In particular, the characteristic rise timescale of PKS 2005−489 is less than half a minute, which, to our knowledge, is the shortest among known AGN flares at any wavelengths. The timescales of these rapid flares indicate that the size of the central supermassive black hole is not a hard lower limit on the physical size of the emission region of the flare. PKS 2005−489 shows possible hard lags in its flare, which could be attributed to particle acceleration (injection); its flaring component has the hardest spectrum when it first appears. For all flares, the flaring components show similar hard spectra with , and we estimate the magnetic field strength B ∼ 0.1–1.0 G by assuming synchrotron cooling. These flares could be caused by inhomogeneity of the jets. Models that can only produce rapid γ-ray flares but little synchrotron activity are less favorable.


This thesis is an investigation into laughter in psychotherapeutic interactions. Conversation analysis was the method used to analyse laughter practices by client and therapist that aid in the business of psychotherapy. Analysing naturally occurring talk is important as it reveals how actions are accomplished, as some past studies on laughter in psychotherapy rely on anecdotal evidence and categorical analysis. Additionally, past psychological literature on laughter can view the phenomenon of laughter as random, and as a by-product of humour. An assumption of conversation analysis is the view of talk being systematic and organised. There is no detail too small that it does not contribute to an interaction (Jefferson, 1985). With this viewpoint in mind conversation analysts have revealed laughter to be an orderly phenomenon that is capable of other actions in talk besides appreciating humour. However, there is a lack of conversation analytical work in laughter during therapy; a gap this thesis sought to address. In particular there were two research questions. If laughter does not have the sole role of appreciating humour, what can it do in psychotherapy? Additionally, past studies in psychotherapy have linked laughter to affiliation in therapy sessions, but do not illustrate the specific sequence of how rapport is achieved in the interaction itself. Psychotherapy can be known as the "talking cure" (Perakyla, Antaki, Vehvilainen, & Leudar, 2008), thus, the second question is how does laughter display affiliation in therapeutic talk? Using the fundamental literature of conversation analysis there were two findings regarding laughter in psychotherapy found in this thesis. Firstly, clients would laugh responsively to an action of therapeutic import, the laughter functioned as a marker of dis-preference and an invitation for the therapist to laugh. The therapist would dis-attend the client"s laughter in order to prompt talk which progressed the therapy from the client. Secondly, therapist could affiliate with the client by display a shared stance towards a matter spoken of by the client. During or after these displays the therapist invited laughter from the client so that the two could laugh together in a further display of shared emotional alignment. These results expanded conversation analytical work on laughter regarding laughter invitations (Jefferson, 1979) and work on psychotherapeutic interactions regarding the prompting of talk (Muntigl, & Hadic Zabala, 2008). The findings also provide empirical evidence for how therapists affiliate with their clients using laughter at the micro-analytical level. The findings of this thesis contribute to psychological, conversation analytical, and psychotherapeutic knowledge on laughter.


Background and Aims Clinical trials of therapy against chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection including boceprevir (BOC) or telaprevir (TVR) plus pegylated interferon and ribavirin (PR) have reported considerably higher response rates than those achieved with PR alone. This study sought to evaluate the efficacy and safety of triple therapy including BOC or TVR in combination with PR in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients under real-life conditions. Methods In a multicentre study conducted in 24 sites throughout five European countries, all HIV/HCV-coinfected patients who initiated a combination of BOC or TVR plus PR and who had at least 60 weeks of follow-up, were analyzed. Sustained virologic response 12 weeks after the scheduled end of therapy date (SVR12) and the rate of discontinuations due to adverse events (AE) were evaluated. Results Of the 159 subjects included, 127 (79.9%) were male, 45 (34.4%) were treatment-naïve for PR and 60 (45.4%) showed cirrhosis. SVR12 was observed in 31/46 (67.4%) patients treated with BOC and 69/113 (61.1%) patients treated with TVR. Overall discontinuations due to AE rates were 8.7% for BOC and 8% for TVR. Grade 3 or 4 hematological abnormalities were frequently observed; anemia 7%, thrombocytopenia 17.2% and neutropenia 16.4%. Conclusion The efficacy and safety of triple therapy including BOC or TVR plus PR under real-life conditions of use in the HIV/HCV-coinfected population was similar to what is observed in clinical trials. Hematological side effects are frequent but manageable.


Growing interest in personalised medicine and targeted therapies is leading to an increase in the importance of subgroup analyses. If it is planned to view treatment comparisons in both a predefined subgroup and the full population as co‐primary analyses, it is important that the statistical analysis controls the familywise type I error rate. Spiessens and Debois (Cont. Clin. Trials, 2010, 31, 647–656) recently proposed an approach specific for this setting, which incorporates an assumption about the correlation based on the known sizes of the different groups, and showed that this is more powerful than generic multiple comparisons procedures such as the Bonferroni correction. If recruitment is slow relative to the length of time taken to observe the outcome, it may be efficient to conduct an interim analysis. In this paper, we propose a new method for an adaptive clinical trial with co‐primary analyses in a predefined subgroup and the full population based on the conditional error function principle. The methodology is generic in that we assume test statistics can be taken to be normally distributed rather than making any specific distributional assumptions about individual patient data. In a simulation study, we demonstrate that the new method is more powerful than previously suggested analysis strategies. Furthermore, we show how the method can be extended to situations when the selection is not based on the final but on an early outcome. We use a case study in a targeted therapy in oncology to illustrate the use of the proposed methodology with non‐normal outcomes. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


A method is described for a temperature-controlled ultrafiltration procedure to measure free cortisol in serum. A special thermometer with a sensor was developed, measuring the temperature directly in the ultrafiltration device. The sensor is screwed on the axis of the centrifuge rotor, and the centrifuge is placed in a temperature-controlled box so that the temperature of the sample is kept at 37 degrees C +/- 0.1 degrees C. The overall CV of the free cortisol assay ranges from 2.2% to 11.4%, of which the ultrafiltration contributes only 2.2-3.6%. Increasing amounts of cortisol-binding protein, as found in women using estrogen-containing oral contraceptives, have minor but significant effects on the free cortisol concentrations in serum. Serum free cortisol concentrations in a reference population (n = 114; central 95 percentiles) were 12-43 nmol/L (4-9.5% of total cortisol); in the group of the oral-contraceptive users (n = 27), the reference interval was 11-53 nmol/L (1.5-4.5%).


Video small object detection is a difficult task due to the lack of object information. Recent methods focus on adding more temporal information to obtain more potent high-level features, which often fail to specify the most vital information for small objects, resulting in insufficient or inappropriate features. Since information from frames at different positions contributes differently to small objects, it is not ideal to assume that using one universal method will extract proper features. We find that context information from the long-term frame and temporal information from the short-term frame are two useful cues for video small object detection. To fully utilize these two cues, we propose a long short-term feature enhancement network (LSTFE-Net) for video small object detection. First, we develop a plug-and-play spatiotemporal feature alignment module to create temporal correspondences between the short-term and current frames. Then, we propose a frame selection module to select the long-term frame that can provide the most additional context information. Finally, we propose a long short-term feature aggregation module to fuse long short-term features. Compared to other state-of-the-art methods, our LSTFE-Net achieves 4.4% absolute boosts in AP on the FL-Drones dataset. More details can be found at https://github.com/xiaojs18/LSTFE-Net.


Sequencing of the human genome began in 1994. Revealing of a human DNA draft took 10 years of collaborative work of many research groups from different countries. Modern technologies allow for sequencing a whole genome in a few days. We discuss here the advances in modern bioinformatics related to the emergence of highperformance sequencing platforms, which not only contributed to the expansion of capabilities of biology and related sciences, but also gave rise to the phenomenon of Big Data in biology. The necessity for development of new technologies and methods for organization of storage, management, analysis and visualization of big data is substantiated. Modern bioinformatics is facing not only the problem of processing enormous volumes of heterogeneous data, but also a variety of methods of interpretation and presentation of the results, the simultaneous existence of various software tools and data formats. The ways of solving the arising challenges are discussed, in particular by using experiences from other areas of modern life, such as web and business intelligence. The former is the area of scientific research and development that explores the impact and makes use of artificial intelligence and information technology (IT) for new products, services and frameworks that are empowered by the World Wide Web; the latter is the domain of IT, which addresses the issues of decision-making. New database management systems, other than relational ones, will help to solve the problem of storing huge data and providing an acceptable timescale for performing search queries. New programming technologies, such as generic programming and visual programming, are designed to solve the problem of the diversity of genomic data formats and to provide the ability to quickly create one's own scripts for data processing.


This paper investigates the relationship between TQM elements, failures and firm performance. The paper presents an alternative methodology to assess not only the direct impact of TQM on firm performance, but the indirect impact of TQM on performance via internal and external failures. The results of the study revealed that there is a significant relationship between the TQM practices and internal and external failure and firm performance. Customer focus and p articipation are important predictors for internal failure. Customer focus and quality system are found to be important predictors for external failure. In addition some of the internal and external failure elements are particularly strong predictors of firm performance. They are reworking from internal failure and warranties from external failure that have significant impact on firm performance. Employee involvement, customer focus and quality system are found to be significant predictors for the direct relationship between TQM practices and firm performance.


In 3Si–1.4Al electrical steel with addition of Co, Mo or Ni, the texture of hot bands is almost random except γ fiber which is dominant. After cold reduction, the texture shows the typical (111)//ND and (110)//RD fibers. When cold rolled sheets are annealed, it is clear that γ fiber of {111}‹110› and {111}‹112› decreases significantly, while, on the contrary, Goss texture increases but cube texture is not changed. Two-step annealing process was observed to be effective to increase grain size and decrease γ fiber texture resulting in lowering iron loss and its anisotropy. The combination of increasing grain size and decreasing γ texture by two-step annealing was able to improve magnetic properties.


We investigate divisions within the citation network in economics using citation data between 1990 and 2010. We consider all partitions of top institutions into two equal-sized clusters, and pick the one that minimizes cross-cluster citations. The strongest division is much stronger than could be expected to be found under idiosyncratic citation patterns, and is consistent with the reputed freshwater/saltwater division in macroeconomics. The division is stable over time, but varies across the fields of economics.


Background Acupuncture is a traditional method that has been widely used in various fields of medicine with therapeutic effect. However, evidence of effectiveness to support the application of electroacupuncture (EA) during the process of ischaemia is scarce. Objectives To investigate dynamic changes in hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α expression as well as its association with neurological status in rats subjected to acute ischaemic stroke and EA intervention. Methods Forty adult male rats were randomly divided into three groups that received sham surgery (Control group, n=10) or underwent middle cerebral artery occlusion and EA (MCAO+EA group, n=15) or minimal acupuncture as a control treatment (MCAO+MA group, n=15). The rats in the MCAO+EA and MCAO+MA groups received EA or acupuncture without any electrical current, respectively, during 90 min of ischaemia. Rats in the Control group received the same surgical procedure but without MCAO. EA involved electrical stimulation of needles inserted into the quadriceps at 50 Hz frequency and 3 mA current intensity. Neurological status was evaluated on postoperative day 1, and cerebral infarction volume (IV) and HIF-1α expression 24 hours later. Results Neurological scores were improved and cerebral IV was decreased in the MCAO+EA group compared to the MCAO+MA group (both p<0.05). Moreover, HIF-1α expression was higher in the MCAO+EA group versus the MCAO+MA group (p<0.05). Conclusions EA enhanced recovery of neurological function, decreased cerebral IV and increased HIF-1α expression in ischaemic rats. Further research is needed to determine whether EA is effective for stroke treatment through the stimulation of muscle contraction.


Godly and Righteous, Peevish and Perverse: Clergy and Religious in Literature and Letters: An Anthology. Compiled by Raymond Chapman. Grand Rapids, Mich, and Cambridge, UK: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2002. xvi + 267 pp. $25.00 (cloth). The idea for this anthology seems obvious, but the surprise is that nothing quite like it has been attempted before now. The Faber Book of Church and Clergy is the closest rival, but A. N. Wilsons 1992 anthology is a random mixture of favorite pieces. We are therefore much indebted to the ingenuity of Raymond Chapman, for he has assembled a wide range of extracts from literature that illustrate religious feeling and experience. The passages range from Chaucer through the twentieth century, mainly from poetry and fiction (especially of the Victorian period), but diarists and social commentators also find a place in this well-organized, coherent, and highly readable collection. The selections, which are mostly descriptive of English clergy of the established church, with only a few from outside the British Isles or from nonconformist traditions, are disposed into twelve chapters, each one titled with a familiar phrase from the Book of Common Prayer. These chapters describe through their excerpts, usually passages taken from longer works, the various conditions of clerical life and reputation. Thus, the book opens with "Godly, Righteous, and Sober," and the compilers statement of what we may expect in the chapter-examples of good and virtuous conduct, with Wordsworth's sonnet of an idealized Anglo-Saxon priest: "How beautiful your presence, how benign, / Servants of God!" (p. 1). This is followed by Chaucer's famous portrait of the poor parson, "rich in holy thought and work." In contrast to these portraits, chapter 2, appropriately called "Erred and Strayed," gives accounts of those clergy who have sometimes been unfaithful to the highest principles of their calling. Milton's great "blind mouths" passage from Lycidas opens the chapter, which closes with John Greenleaf Whittier's indictment of pro-slavery clergy of all denominations (in "Clerical Oppression," 1835). The poetry is woeful, but the sentiment sincere and deeply felt; it is one of the very few selections in this anthology that has thematic merit but meager literary value. Subsequent chapters deal with the episcopacy ("Divers Orders"); the education of the clergy ("To Instruct the People"); sermons ("Then Shall Follow the Sermon"); clerical livings, both rich and poor ("Such Things as He Possesseth"); the religious life, celibacy, and the Oxford Movement ("Forsaking All Worldly and Carnal Affections"); married and family life ("An Honourable Estate"); excellent eccentrics ("Factious, Peevish, and Perverse"); humor and parody ("Joyful in the Lord"); missions and missionaries ("In Sundry Places"); and a final chapter that contains accounts of a number of odd or unusual characters ("All Sorts and Conditions"), a miscellany of passages that might have seemed difficult to place elsewhere in the volume. …


The initial mode of damage in multidirectional composites is the accumulation of matrix cracks in the off-axis plies. Remote laser Raman spectroscopy, using aramid (Kevlar 49®) fibers as Raman strain sensors, has been employed to monitor the local strains in cracked crossply composites. The strain magnification in the 0° ply caused by 90° matrix cracking are measured at different levels of loading. A relationship between the values of strain magnification and the distance between the position of the fibers sensors vis-a-vis the crack front has been established. The effect of damage progression within the 0° plies on the remaining∕surviving glass fibers is modeled satisfactorily and verified against predictions on the basis of a generalized plane strain model by assuming that the 90° ply "expands" in relative size against the 0° ply thickness.


The ESA Rosetta spacecraft (S/C) is tracking comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in close vicinity. This prolonged en- counter enables studying the evolution of the volatile coma composition.
Aims. Our work aims at comparing the diversity of the coma of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko at large heliocentric distance to study the evolution of the comet during its passage around the Sun and at trying to classify it relative to other comets.
Methods. We used the Double Focussing Mass Spectrometer (DFMS) of the ROSINA experiment on ESA's Rosetta mission to determine relative abundances of major and minor volatile species. This study is restricted to species that have previously been detected elsewhere.
Results. We detect almost all species currently known to be present in cometary coma with ROSINA DFMS. As DFMS measured the composition locally, we cannot derive a global abundance, but we compare measurements from the summer and the winter hemisphere with known abundances from other comets. Differences between relative abundances between summer and winter hemispheres are large, which points to a possible evolution of the cometary surface. This comet appears to be very rich in CO2 and ethane. Heavy oxygenated compounds such as ethylene glycol are underabundant at 3 AU, probably due to their high sublimation temperatures, but nevertheless, their presence proves that Kuiper belt comets also contain complex organic molecules.


A credit gadget is a theoretically cost-free portfolio of pure discount securities accommodating a desired exposure to a particular region of the local credit spread surface. The local credit spread surface is a graphical representation of forward credit spread term structures and forward credit spread skews. Fixed-income investors can use the credit gadget introduced here to hedge forward credit spreads and skews, or to speculate on a particular region of the local credit spread surface while obviating exposure to other regions.


The Zulinqi acupuncture point (GB.41), on the dorsal surface of the foot, is reported traditionally to be effective for treating disorders that occur along the course of the Gall bladder channel. The authors describe its beneficial use in five, widely differing indications and give supporting case histories. The indications discussed are: metatarsal fracture, bruised finger, headache, pain in the hypochondrium, and abdominal Herpes zoster. Its use in these cases is shown to illustrate four important principles of treatment: select lower points for upper diseases, use points on the right for symptoms on the left and vice versa, restrict needling to few but effective points, and apply one point to many purposes.


This paper contributes to the discussion about nonprofit organizations' (NPO) model of financial management in the accounts receivable area. In fact, when it is judged from a technical point of view, the opinion that nonprofit financial management do not differ from a for-profit business could be justified, and is known in nonprofit financial management discussion (Jegers 2011; Hansmann, 1987). But that point of view is only partially right. Sloan et al. and Wedig et al. implemented with modifications a financial management portfolio theory to NPO financial management (Sloan et al., 1988; Wedig 1994, Wedig et al. 1996, Jegers, Verschueren, 2006). In the paper, the model of financial liquidity management in NPOs is presented from the perspective that claims the basic financial aim of an NPO is the most financially effective realization of the mission, resulting in the donors' support for the organization (Leone, Van Horn, 2005; Eldenburg et al., 2011). It is close in many points to the maximization of for-profit firms' values, but in fact it has many differences, and non-profit entrepreneurship could attract entrepreneurs more than for-profit organizations (Michalski, 2012; Chapelle, 2010). The net working capital requirements and the elements shaping it, such as the level of cash tied up in accounts receivable, inventories, the early settlement of accounts payable, and operational cash balances, is one of the fields where a difference could be seen. Not many NPOs have to deal with all aspects of liquidity decisions or current assets management. Like for-profit organizations, some of them use only cash from current assets, redistributing it from donors to beneficiaries. Other NPOs collect free-of-charge goods for resale, using this income to realize their mission. Many NPOs are almost identical in operating processes with for-profit businesses, but are nonprofit because of their main mission.An NPO's management team's decision about the accounts receivables policy is a balance between gaining new customers by way of a more liberal organization's trade credit policy and limiting the risk of allowing for delayed payment from unreliable purchasers. That kind of decision shapes the level and quality of accounts receivables (Michalski, 2012). Paraphrasing Keith Smith and James A. Gentry's observations, it is possible to observe that Robichek et al. (Gentry, 1988; Robichek et al., 1965; Smith, 1973) talk about the risk involved to accounts receivable decisions which must be accepted by financial institutions' pledging of accounts receivable of the firm. Keith Smith (Smith, 1973; Gentry, 1988) predicted and Michalski (Michalski, 2008) showed how a portfolio theory may be used to decrease the accounts receivable risk. Current assets, and among them accounts receivables, could be viewed in the portfolio context as presented by Friedland (1966; Gentry, 1988). Pringle and Cohn (1974; Gentry, 1988) tried to adapt the CAPM theory to working capital elements. Bierman and Hausman (1970; Gentry, 1988) discuss the granting policy of an organization and shows that trade credit policy requires balancing the future sales gains against possible losses. Lewellen, Johnson and Edmister (Lewellen, Johnson, 1972; Lewellen, Edmister, 1973) explain how and why traditional devices used for monitoring accounts receivable should be changed by new and better ones. Freitas (Freitas, 1973) shows the relationship between liquidity and risk during accounts receivable management. The question discussed in that paper concerns the making of decisions by NPOs in the accounts receivables area.


INTRODUCTION The St. Peter sandstone is the most widespread arenaceous terrane of the Ordovician in the Mississippi Valley region (Fig. 1). The formation has been studied and described in Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, but has not been given a comprehensive sedimentary analysis in the upper Mississippi Valley. This study was undertaken in an attempt to determine the characteristics of the formation nearer the source of its sands and to compare the St. Peter of Minnesota and Wisconsin with that of the regions farther south (Fig. 1). It has been stated frequently that the St. Peter sandstone was derived from the Potsdam sandstone that cropped out around the south margin of the pre-Cambrian shield in the upper Mississippi Valley region during Ordovician time. These formations, already composed of well-sorted and well-rounded components, supplied the sands that characterize the St. Peter sandstone. These sands were delivered to the Ordovician sea by . . .


This paper offers a critical reflection on the appropriateness of 'settler colonialism' as an analytic category for understanding the political dynamics of early America. It argues that the paradigm's focus on the elimination of the native obscures the resilience of Indian power, and the mechanisms by which that power was exercised and defended. The paper positions settler colonialism in recent treatments of the history of colonial political thought, and then presents diplomacy as a site of both sovereign formation and negotiation that enhanced the power of colonies as much as it preserved the power of Indian confederations. The final section of the paper suggests that the 'interior' sovereignty of Native Americans continued to shape the powers of the new republican order of states.


This engaging 2005 introduction offers a critical approach to discourse, written by an expert uniquely placed to cover the subject for a variety of disciplines. Organised along thematic lines, the book begins with an outline of the basic principles, moving on to examine the methods and theory of CDA (critical discourse analysis). It covers topics such as text and context, language and inequality, choice and determination, history and process, ideology and identity. Blommaert focuses on how language can offer a crucial understanding of wider aspects of power relations, arguing that critical discourse analysis should specifically be an analysis of the 'effects' of power, what power does to people, groups and societies, and how this impact comes about. Clearly argued, this concise introduction will be welcomed by students and researchers in a variety of disciplines involved in the study of discourse, including linguistics, linguistic anthropology and the sociology of language.


Glomerular inositol content and the turnover of polyphosphoinositides was reduced by 58% in 1-2 wk streptozotocin diabetic rats. Addition of inositol to the incubation medium increased polyphosphoinositide turnover in glomeruli from diabetic rats to control values. Despite the reduction in inositol content and polyphosphoinositide turnover, protein kinase C was activated in glomeruli from diabetic rats, as assessed by an increase in the percentage of enzyme activity associated with the particulate cell fraction. Total protein kinase C activity was not different between glomeruli from control and diabetic rats. Treatment of diabetic rats with insulin to achieve near euglycemia prevented the increase in particulate protein kinase C. Moreover, incubation of glomeruli from control rats with glucose (100-1,000 mg/dl) resulted in a progressive increase in labeled diacylglycerol production and in the percentage of protein kinase C activity which was associated with the particulate fraction. These results support a role for hyperglycemia per se in the enhanced state of activation of protein kinase C seen in glomeruli from diabetic rats. Glucose did not appear to increase diacylglycerol by stimulating inositol phospholipid hydrolysis in glomeruli. Other pathways for diacylglycerol production, including de novo synthesis and phospholipase C mediated hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine or phosphatidyl-inositol-glycan are not excluded.


In the present study efforts have been made to ascertain the seasonal abundance and population dynamics of zooplankton community and its relationship with physico-chemical factors of the water bodies of Santragachi Jheel in the District Howrah, W.B., INDIA. The zooplankton abundance showed distinct seasonal or temporal variation in the Jheels. A total of 18 species belonging to 12 families and 15 genera were recorded. The population density of total zooplankton showed summer maxima in the Jheel. Maximum abundance of rotifer fauna was recorded during summer season in sewage sites whereas Cladocera population showed maximum density at non-sewage sites. Copepods showed postmonsoon maxima in sewage sites in the Jheels. Some species i.e., Polyarthara vulgaris were quite abundant in the polluted water of the Santragachi Jheel. Out of 15 genera of Zooplankton, Brachionus, Keratella, Polyarthra, Diaphanosoma, Ceriodaphnia, Bosmina, Heliodiaptomus and Mesocyclops were found to be dominant in Santragachi Jheel. Highest percentage of similarity was recorded between S1 and S3 sites of the Jheel. Results of ANOVA (2 - way) indicated that zooplankton population differs significantly in relation to stations and seasons of the Jheel. Population of Rotifera, the most dominant group was found to be positively influenced by Biological Oxygen demand (BOD), Free Carbon-di-oxide FCO 2 ), CaCO 3 hardness (CaHa), Total suspended solid (TSS), Chloride(Cl) and Phosphate (PO 4 ) in the Jheels. Total Cladocera showed positive correlation with PO 4 in the Jheel. The Copepods expressed positive correlation with BOD and ammonia. Increment of population density of several zooplankton organisms (i.e., Keratella tropica , Polyarthra vulgaris ) and low value of community indices especially species diversity and species richness indicated the rise of pollutional stress on the Santragachi Jheel. Keywords: Zooplankton; Rotifera; BOD; COD; Shannon - Wiener index; Evenness index DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jowe.v5i0.4595 J Wet Eco 2011 (5): 20-39


(1) We describe the seasonality in the variability and predictability of Indonesian monsoonal climate, dominated by the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon, and interpret it in light of theories of the development of the global ENSO teleconnection which explain the evolution of the response of the tropical ocean- atmosphere to ENSO's perturbation. High predictability during the dry and transition seasons, which coincide with ENSO growth, is expected from the coherent large-scale response to ENSO's initial perturbation. As the tropical ocean-atmosphere equilibrates to ENSO, and ENSO itself begins to decay, its direct influence diminishes, and regional features associated with the delayed response to ENSO become more prominent. Consistent with this interpretation, in a preliminary observational analysis of station data over Jawa we find that predictability is high during the growth phase of ENSO. We also find that at these regional scales there may be more predictability than previously thought as ENSO decays. Finally, we show that a simple one-tier prediction system, i.e., a system where the evolution of oceanic and atmospheric anomalies is internally consistent, better captures the intrinsic coupled nature of the ENSO teleconnection, compared to a two-tier system where the ocean forces the atmosphere, but does not respond to its feedback.


Sedimentation properties of leukocytes was measured with a new, simple and reproducible method. The increment of leukocyte concentration was determined in the upper 100 mm section of the sedimentation blood column after one hour gravity sedimentation of the whole blood. The result (leukocyte antisedimentation rate, LAR) was expressed in percentage of the original, presedimentation leukocyte concentration. Blood samples taken from 35 healthy adults were investigated and 12.5% and 17.4% increments were found in total leukocyte count and in granulocyte concentration respectively in the upper half of the sedimentation blood column. The mean coefficient of variation of LAR measurements was 3.2% LAR was found significantly higher in a mixed group of patients than in healthy controls. The sedimentation properties of leukocytes were in significant correlation with leukocyte adherence (p < 0.01), with whole blood viscosity, hematocrit, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (each p < 0.05) when blood samples of healthy individuals and postoperative intensive care patients were analysed in combination. In vitro pre-treatment of patients' blood samples with prednisolone and lidocaine resulted in a significant diminishment of LAR in a concentration dependent manner.


Intermittent fault is an important factor causing built-in test(BIT) false alarm. Diagnosing intermittent fault is an important approach to restrain BIT false alarms. This paper proposes a intermittent faults diagnostic methods based on empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and multiple support vector machine (MSVM). Firstly, the EMD method is used to decompose the original signal into a number of intrinsic mode function (IMF), the auto-regressive (AR) model of each IMF component is established. The AR model parameters and the variance of remnant are regarded as the feature vectors, are input to MSVM classifier, so the working conditions and faults are classified. The experimental results show that the BIT false alarm caused by intermittent fault can be effectively reduced by this proposed method.


Network quantization is an effective solution to compress deep neural networks for practical usage. Existing network quantization methods cannot sufficiently exploit the depth information to generate low-bit compressed network. In this paper, we propose two novel network quantization approaches, single-level network quantization (SLQ) for high-bit quantization and multi-level network quantization (MLQ) for extremely low-bit quantization (ternary). We are the first to consider the network quantization from both width and depth level. In the width level, parameters are divided into two parts: one for quantization and the other for re-training to eliminate the quantization loss. SLQ leverages the distribution of the parameters to improve the width level. In the depth level, we introduce incremental layer compensation to quantize layers iteratively which decreases the quantization loss in each iteration. The proposed approaches are validated with extensive experiments based on the state-of-the-art neural networks including AlexNet, VGG-16, GoogleNet and ResNet-18. Both SLQ and MLQ achieve impressive results.


A novel system capable of detecting on-bed activity during sleep using first-reflection ultrasonic echolocation is described herein. As is employed in many existing solutions, such activity detection may be utilized in the assessment of sleep quality. Compared to current approaches using either wearable devices or sensors collocated on the surface of the bed, the proposed architecture greatly enhances convenience for the end-user by providing minimal disruptions to his or her standard sleep routine. A series of experiments were conducted in order to investigate the capacity of the system to detect activity during sleep. System performance was benchmarked against both a wrist-worn accelerometer as well as a smartphone application placed adjacent to the subject on the bed. Analysis demonstrates a statistically significant correlation between features computed from the system's output and the filtered activity data produced by the application, with maximum p values on the order of 10-3. Comparison with activity estimates formulated from the wrist-worn accelerometer output suggests stronger agreement, as indicated by increased correlation coefficient values.


: Chronic bronchitis is problem number 1 in modern pulmology. There are four basic stages in its formation and development. The patients go to a doctor, as a rule, already in the third stage of the disease. Diagnosis of chronic bronchitis in the two earlier stages opens realistic perspectives for prophylaxis of the disease.


Based on courses developed by the author over several years, this book provides access to a broad area of research that is not available in separate articles or books of readings. Topics covered include the meaning and measurement of risk, general single-period portfolio problems, mean-variance analysis and the Capital Asset Pricing Model, the Arbitrage Pricing Theory, complete markets, multiperiod portfolio problems and the Intertemporal Capital Asset Pricing Model, the Black-Scholes option pricing model and contingent claims analysis, 'risk-neutral' pricing with Martingales, Modigliani-Miller and the capital structure of the firm, interest rates and the term structure, and others.


Data Warehouse/Business Intelligence nowadays has become a necessity for every organization. Data analysis supports in making decisions and policies. The problem is the data warehouse management process, both related to ETL, data modelling, and data architecture, which results in the non-optimal and inefficient dashboard that wastes energy, as a data monitoring tool in displaying important information needed by the organization. This research was conducted by providing an assessment to the working group team in the data warehouse section using the Spruit & Sacu Data Warehouse Capability Maturity Model (DWCMM) to measure the maturity of the data warehouse at the National Narcotics Board. The results showed that the DWCMM maturity level is at the repeatable level, from the measurement results it can be seen that the worst DW category is in the Service Processes component so that many improvements need to be made to increase the DWCMM maturity level. As a recommendation, it is necessary to design a virtual integrated DW architecture that has real-time updates, data quality system, automatic synchronization of data modelling, standardization of metadata, realtime ETL monitoring management, closed-loop & BI real-time BI application, and improves the development process and process services in the management of DW/BI at BNN to become more efficient.


Greece's public health sector is facing major shortages of staff, medical supplies, and equipment after seven years of austerity measures, and latest figures show an increase in numbers of life threatening infections and deaths.

"Our public health system is in meltdown owing to continual cutbacks in healthcare," said Michalis Giannakos, head of the Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Employees. "Hospitals are underfunded and understaffed, putting patients' lives at risk. People who might otherwise survive are dying."

Latest available figures from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control for 2011-12 showed that about 9% of patients admitted to hospitals in Greece developed hospital acquired infections, accounting for an estimated 3000 deaths a year.1 …


Recently, free radical—induced tissue damage is implicated in the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)—involved gastric mucosal lesion. Administration of taurine, an endogenous antioxidant, is reported to be beneficial in various clinical conditions. Therefore, we decided to study the protective effect of taurine in ibuprofen-induced gastropathy and the effects of administration of taurine on the endogenous antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and reduced glutathione (GSH) of stomach. In rats, administration of taurine orally for three consecutive days (250 mg/kg body weight) protected the gastric mucosa from ibuprofen-induced, acute gastric mucosal lesion. In ibuprofen-treated rats, the lipid peroxidation measured as thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), a marker for free radical—induced tissue damage, is also significantly decreased by taurine. Ibuprofen treatment resulted in a significant increase in the activities of total SOD, manganese SOD (Mn-SOD), and GPX and reduced GSH. Taurine administration in ibuprofen-treated rats also showed a significant increase in the activities of the antioxidant enzymes namely total SOD, Mn-SOD, GPX, CAT, and the level of reduced GSH. The activity of copper-zinc SOD enzyme (Cu-Zn SOD) is not affected by ibuprofen or taurine. There is no temporal relation between the antioxidant status of the stomach and the tissue damage following oral administration of ibuprofen or taurine.


A study of the level and significance of air contamination in the four operating theatres and four surgical wards of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria was carried out. A total of 48 air samples were taken from each of the operating theatres while a total of 36 air samples were taken from each surgical ward, using a "Casella slit Sampler". The means of the bacterial carrying particles per cubic foot of air varied, from theatre to theatre, from 12.29 to 14.29 (in the mornings) and 9.79 to 11.4 (in the evening). Statistically, these differences were insignificant (t-value < 1.96). Recognised pathogens were not recovered from both the air and the fomites in the operating theatres. However, free-living fungi were isolated. The air of the surgical wards showed levels of contamination from 20.39 to 35.28 (in the mornings) and 20.33 to 39.55 (in the evenings) bacterial carrying particles per cu.ft. of air. The differences between the counts in the mornings and evenings were also not statistically significant. Some pathogens were isolated from the air in the wards. The findings indicated that the level of air contamination of the surgical wards influenced the rates of post-operative wound sepsis.


Over the last decades many OECD countries introduced parental leave regulations in order to counteract low and decreasing birth rates. In general, these regulations aim at making parenthood more attractive and more compatible with a working career, especially for women. The recent German Elterngeld reform is one example: By replacing 67 per cent of prepartum parental labor earnings for up to 14 months after birth of the child - if both father and mother take up the transfer - it intends to i) smooth or prevent households' earnings decline postpartum, ii) make childbearing attractive for working women while iii) keeping them close to the labor market, and iv) incentivize fathers to participate in childcare. We evaluate the reform by using a natural experiment created by the quick legislative process of the Elterngeld reform: Comparing outcomes of parents with children born shortly after and before the coming into effect of the law on 1 January 2007 yields unbiased estimates of the reform effects, because at the time when these children were conceived none of the parents knew that the regulation would be in force by the time their child is born. Our results are based on unique data from the official evaluation of the reform, which we conducted for the German government, and they show that the reform has been generally successful in attaining its objectives. In particular, we find a significant decrease in mothers' employment probability during the 12 months after giving birth, and a significant increase in mothers' employment probability after the Elterngeld transfer expires.


Lipid profile is often performed on heparinized-plasma because nothing in particular is explained in the technical data sheet about anticoagulant and because few data (mainly with EDTA anticoagulant) are available in literature. In order to evaluate heparinized-plasma vs serum differences, 50 normo- or hyperlipidemic samples were collected and assayed in 3 clinical laboratories in Lyon on Hitachi analysers with Roche Diagnostic reagents. Lipid values are lower in plasma than in serum; the average negative bias for cholesterol levels is 2 to 4,5% and for triglycerides about 3%, depending on the laboratory; the effect on HDL-cholesterol values is not significant. These results were confirmed by manual procedure on 28 samples with Roche Diagnostic reagent and two similar other reagents (Biomerieux and Randox). A negative bias of 4% on total cholesterol and triglycerides levels is not very important for clinical diagnosis but it is more serious for LDL-cholesterol estimated with Friedewald equation; LDL-cholesterol value needs accuracy because it is a therapeutic goal with statin therapy and an high negative bias (until 0,70 g/L in our results) is unacceptable; moreover, there is a real risk of providing false total cholesterol results. Therefore it is essential to collect blood for lipid profile without any anticoagulant.


: 5 antigens are identified in ascitic fluid from patients with ovarian tumours--AgA, AgB, AgV, AgG and AgD. Specific antisera are produced in rabbits by immunization with different protein and glycoprotein fractions of this fluid and by simultaneous injections of gamma-globulin fraction from antihuman plasma protein and pool of 25 ascitic fluids to rabbits. By the double immunodiffusion technique with standard test-systems for these antigens. It is found that all of them are absent in donor blood serum, but are present in certain normal and fetal tissues. AgA and AgD are also found in some extracts of lung, stomach, colon, and connective tissue tumours. The immunohistochemical and high-sensitive serological methods are necessary for determination of the usefulness of these antigens as tumour markers.


The p53 gene initially was thought to be an oncogene, but recent evidence suggests that wild-type p53 can function as a tumor suppressor gene in lung, colon, and breast cancer as well as less common malignancies. This study reports the first identification of intronic point mutations as a mechanism for inactivation of the p53 tumor suppressor gene. Abnormally sized p53 mRNAs found in a small cell and a non-small cell lung cancer cell line were characterized by sequence analysis of cDNA/PCR products, the RNase protection assay and immunoprecipitation. These mRNAs were found to represent aberrant splicing leading to the production of abnormal or no p53 protein. Sequence analysis of genomic DNA revealed that a point mutation at the splice acceptor site in the third intron or the splice donor site in the seventh intron accounts for the abnormal mRNA splicing. In one patient the same intronic point mutation was found in the tumor cell line derived from a bone marrow metastasis and in multiple liver metastases but not in normal DNA, indicating that it occurred as a somatic event before the development of these metastases. These findings further support the role of inactivation of the p53 gene in the pathogenesis of lung cancer and indicate the role of intronic point mutation in this process.


Several proposed near-future spaceborne radar missions, such as the Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) and TerraSAR, will include an L-band instrument. At such low frequencies, the Faraday rotation in the ionosphere, which rotates the polarization plane of the radar signal, becomes an important consideration in instrument design. In this paper, both simple analytic approximations and numerical models are used to derive likely values of Faraday rotation and determine their impact on polarimetric imagery and derived products. One-way rotations exceeding 5/spl deg/ are likely to significantly reduce the accuracy of geophysical parameter recovery, such as forest biomass. On average, Faraday rotation can be neglected at solar minimum, but correction methods are needed at other times of the solar cycle and under disturbed conditions. Methods for implementing such corrections based on estimates of the Faraday rotation and prerotation of the transmitted signal are described.


The electrochemical reduction was applied to porous Bi-Cu system superconductor in 0.05N:Ca⋅(NO3)2⋅4H2O, 0.03N:Sr(NO3)2, 0.05N:Pb(NO3)2, 0.05N:Cu(NO3)2⋅3H2O in methanol using platinum as the counter electrode. Changes in crystal phase and morphology by electrochemical treatment were investigated by XRD, Tc, oxygen content by iodometric titration and SEM method. Tc(onset) of the sample of the 30A phase treated electrochemically in Ca2+ solution was highest, and enhansed by 9K, but that of the 37A phase being decreased. The oxygen content was decreased by 0.14 maximumly, and the c lattice constants were stretched a little except in Cu2+ Solution. In the SEM observation, the reaction proceeded to the inner part of sample except in Cu2+ solution. Then this reaction is considered to be a reduction in which deposited particles react with oxygen atoms in the samples and followed by stretching of the c lattice constants. It was found that a the sample of the 30A phase could be reduced in liquid phase as well as in gaseous phase.


A casual comparative study was made to determine the effect of pregnant women's working conditions on pregnancy outcome (fetal death, gestational age and birth weight). 600 women, delivered or treated for spontaneous abortion in eleven hospitals of Tehran, were interviewed, 200 were working women (the study group) and 400 housewives (the control group). For collecting information a questionnaire-checklist, consisting of 3 parts, was employed. The first part covered certain demographic information, the second gave details regarding working conditions of the study group during pregnancy and the third part checked the pregnancy outcome in all members of the sample. The working condition was categorized into desired and undesired columns using a condition rating system. The findings reflecting the pregnancy outcome and other variables of concern were presented in 45 tables. For analyzing the results chi-square and odd-ratio tests were employed. The results indicated that working mothers had a greater chance of experiencing premature delivery, low birth weight (less than 2500 grms) and fetal death than the housewife mothers. Also premature delivery and giving birth to low birth weight babies in those who had undesirable working conditions appeared to be higher than in those with better situations. But these differences statistically were not significant further, it appeared that long working hours (more than 8 hours a day) and jobs that required motion or produced physical fatigue contribute /0 premature births, low birth weights and fetal deaths. Jet no significant correlations were noticed among the variables of concern. The only significant difference noticed; was 1M body 's birth weight in working and housewife mothers. Based on these findings it was recommended tha t additional welfare services be provided to pregnant working mothers.


Protein expression analysis has traditionally relied upon visual evaluation of immunohistochemical reaction by a pathologist, who analyzes the grade of staining intensity and estimates the percentage of cells stained in the area of interest. This method is effective in experienced hands but has potential limitations in its reproducibility due to subjectivity between and within operators. These limitations are particularly pronounced in gray areas where a distinction of weak from moderate protein expression can be clinically significant. Some research also suggests that sub localization of the protein expression into different components such as nuclei versus cytoplasm may be of great importance. This distinction can be particularly difficult to quantify using manual methods. In this paper, we formulate the problem of quantitative protein expression analysis as an active learning classification problem, where a very small set of pre-sampled user data is used for understanding expert evaluation. The expert coveted confidence is mapped to derive an uncertainty region to select the supplemental learning data. This is done by posing a structured query to the unknown data set. The newly identified samples are then augmented to the training set for incremental learning. The strength of our algorithm is measured in its ability to learn with minimum user interaction. Chroma analysis results of a Tissue Micro-array (TMA) images are presented to demonstrate the user interaction and learning ability. The chroma analysis results are then processed to obtain quantitative results.


Information Systems outsourcing is a growing phenomenon in present-day firms that has generally been characterised with an insufficient level of detail and analysis. This is mainly due to the fact that outsourcing has been studied as a set of homogeneous services, failing to distinguish that there is a variety of contracts and ways to implement the outsourcing relationship. That is why this paper seeks to focus on all the aspects which define outsourcing contracts and relationships through the results of a survey carried out among the largest Spanish firms. An in-depth study has been performed, not only of the most often outsourced activities, but also of other attributes which capture the essence of the different outsourcing contract: the IT Outsourcing Configuration. A longitudinal study of many of these attributes is proposed that will help to foresee the future of IT outsourcing.


A complex network of factors arise when academic organisational units are established or existing units are changed. These factors include academic values, convictions about the academic standards of disciplines or professional programmes, ideals and sentiments for the future and particular approaches of disciplines and/or professions. Then it becomes significant how power is used in staff appointments and in the allocation of resources, as the custodian of academic reputation plus individual and institutional development processes. In many universities traditions and customs determine how such issues are considered, debated and decided or are transformed into institutional policies and rules.


In this study, we examine the relation between the spatio-temporal patterns generated by two-dimensional symmetrical elementary cellular automata and a singular function. In a previous paper, we proved that a specific cellular automaton admits a "limit set" (a limit on the series of spatio-temporal patterns contracted with time), and we calculated the fractal dimension of the boundary of this limit set. In this paper, we provide an overview of the previous results and a more precise analysis. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the essential fractal-like patterns created by two-dimensional cellular automata are also related to a singular function.


The Abstract should be a single paragraph not exceeding 200 words. Please abide strictly by this limitation of length. The Abstract should be comprehensible to readers before they have read the paper, and abbreviations and reference citations should be avoided.


Currently, it appears that the best method for non-Gaussianity detection in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) consists in calculating the kurtosis of the wavelet coefficients. We know that wavelet-kurtosis outperforms other methods such as the bispectrum, the genus, ridgelet-kurtosis, and curvelet-kurtosis on an empirical basis, but relatively few studies have compared other transform-based statistics, such as extreme values, or more recent tools such as higher criticism (HC), or proposed "best possible" choices for such statistics. In this paper, we consider two models for transform-domain coefficients: (a) a power-law model, which seems suited to the wavelet coefficients of simulated cosmic strings, and (b) a sparse mixture model, which seems suitable for the curvelet coefficients of filamentary structure. For model (a), if power-law behavior holds with finiteth moment, excess kurtosis is an asymptotically optimal detector, but if theth moment is not finite, a test based on extreme values is asymptotically optimal. For model (b), if the transform coefficients are very sparse, a recent test, higher criticism, is an optimal detector, but if they are dense, kurtosis is an optimal detector. Empirical wavelet coefficients of simulated cosmic strings have power-law character, infiniteth moment, while curvelet coefficients of the simulated cosmic strings are not very sparse. In all cases, excess kurtosis seems to be an effective test in moderate-resolution imagery.


The polypropylene/poly(vinyl alcohol)/polypropylene (PP/PVA/PP) multilayer active films with controlled release property were developed, of which the intermediate PVA layer was incorporated with 4% (w/w) tea polyphenols (TP) and the microporous PP films with different pore size were used as the internal controlled release layer. The SEM results showed that each layer of these films was agglutinated tightly. With increasing pore size from 171.05 to 684.03 µm, there were little effect on the films' color and opacity, the tensile strength (TS) and elongation at break (EAB) decreased slightly, the gas barrier (O2 and water vapor) property of the film reduced faintly, the time of achieving the release equilibrium in 50% ethanol decreased from 75 hours to 30 hours. The diffusion coefficient for the films increased with the increase of pore size, from 2.06 × 10-11 cm2 /s to 8.06 × 10-11 cm2 /s, suggesting that the release rate of TP increased as the pore size increased. The results were indicated that its release rate could be controlled by adjusting the size of pore. The films also exhibited different antioxidant activities due to their different release profiles of TP. It showed promise for developing the controlled release active packaging film based on this concept. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Controlled release packaging is propitious to extension of food shelf life. The microporous polypropylene films with different pore size used as the internal layer of polypropylene/poly(vinyl alcohol)/polypropylene (PP/PVA/PP) multilayer active films was proved that the release rate of tea polyphenols in the intermediate PVA layer released from the films into the food simulant can be controlled by adjusting the size of pore in this study. It showed a good prospect for using microporous or perforation-mediated film as the internal layer of multilayer film to develop the controlled release active packaging film for food packaging.


OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) for treatment of knee osteoarthritis (OA) using a systemic review and meta-analysis.

METHODS
An extensive search of relevant articles from electronic databases Pubmed, Embase, and Cochrane Library from inception to March 2019 was conducted. The treatment outcomes (visual analog scale [VAS] and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index [WOMAC]) of the included articles were pooled to calculate effect sizes. The assessment of heterogeneity among articles was evaluated using I2. Statistical analyses were conducted using RevMan software.

RESULTS
The results showed that the ESWT group had significant improvement in pain relief compared with the control group through 12 months based on WOMAC and VAS scores. Compared with the baseline level, the patients had significant improvement in pain relief at most follow-up points (one week to 12 months) based on WOMAC and VAS scores. The patients showed significant improvement in physical function at six- and 12-month follow-up when compared with the control group and for all follow-up (one to 12 months) when compared with the baseline level. Additionally, only minor complications were observed after ESWT treatment.

CONCLUSIONS
The use of ESWT for treatment of knee OA had a beneficial effect on pain relief and physical function improvement for up to 12 months, and only minor complications occurred after ESWT treatment. However, there remains a lack of clarity regarding the frequency and dosage levels of ESWT required to achieve the maximum improvement.


The present study was done for characterization and antibiotic sensitivity pattern of the Salmonella spp. found as contaminants in chicken carcass. The overall incidence of Salmonella contamination of poultry carcass was found to be 4.90% with the higher percentage of Salmonella being isolated from chicken meat (8.00%) followed by liver and spleen (6.25%). The isolates were identified as Salmonella Typhimurium , Salmonella Paratyphi B and Salmonella (Rough). Eight Salmonella isolates obtained from poultry were confirmed as Salmonella spp. according to their biochemical profile and their sensitivity to different antimicrobial agents. Amikacin, kanamycin and ciprofloxacin were found to be the most effective antibiotics against Salmonella spp.


Bayesian persuasion, as introduced by Kamenica and Gentzkow in 2011, is the study of information sharing policies among strategic agents. A prime example is signaling in online ad auctions: what information should a platform signal to an advertiser regarding a user when selling the opportunity to advertise to her? Practical considerations such as preventing discrimination, protecting privacy or acknowledging limited attention of the information receiver impose constraints on information sharing. We propose a simple way to mathematically model such constraints as restrictions on Receiver's admissible posterior beliefs. We consider two families of constraints - ex ante and ex post; the latter limits each instance of Sender-Receiver communication, while the former more general family can also pose restrictions in expectation. For the ex ante family, a result of Doval and Skreta (2018) establishes the existence of an optimal signaling scheme with a small number of signals - at most the number of constraints plus the number of states of nature - and we show this result is tight. For the ex post family, we tighten the previous bound of Vølund (2018), showing that the required number of signals is at most the number of states of nature, as in the original Kamenica-Gentzkow setting. As our main algorithmic result, we provide an additive bi-criteria FPTAS for an optimal constrained signaling scheme assuming a constant number of states of nature; we improve the approximation to single-criteria under a Slater-like regularity condition. The FPTAS holds under standard assumptions, and more relaxed assumptions yield a PTAS. We then establish a bound on the ratio between Sender's optimal utility under convex ex ante constraints and the corresponding ex post constraints. We demonstrate how this result can be applied to find an approximately welfare-maximizing constrained signaling scheme in ad auctions.


Neural network classifiers have recently been popular in image classification and remote sensing applications. In this paper a case study is reported, where the evolution started with a pure neural network based solution and reached a simplified classifier with a few neural network properties. This seems to be a typical evolution concerning neural networks. A multispectral cloud classifier was implemented to automate the interpretation of AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) images. It can be adapted to changing situations with new examples. This is a requirement in satellite image applications, hence changes in illumination, round the year, during day and night, and aging of electronics are possible. The classification is done in two phases, clouds are separated from the background and then only clouds are classified. The evaluation of the classifier is based on the comparison between the SYNOP observations and the satellite observations. Comparisons with other published results show that the classifier is working.


Open standards, open source software, and Web applications are causing a major shift in the way enterprises manage software. Whereas companies have traditionally been tied to a particular vendor and upgraded their software only when new versions became available, they are increasingly able to change software stacks with less fear of disruption due to incompatibilities or contractual hindrances. More businesses also have the choice of using Web applications that require only a browser instead of using software maintained on local PCs. Open source software and Web applications can be a cost-effective alternative for businesses. As enterprises become more familiar with the benefits that the open community approach and Internet computing offer, open source software and Web applications replace conventional software. The best strategy for our company depends on our particular circumstances


In cross-lingual text classification, one seeks to exploit labeled data from one language to train a text classification model that can then be applied to a completely different language. Recent multilingual representation models have made it much easier to achieve this. Still, there may still be subtle differences between languages that are neglected when doing so. To address this, we present a semi- supervised adversarial training process that minimizes the maximal loss for label-preserving input perturbations. The resulting model then serves as a teacher to induce labels for unlabeled target lan- guage samples that can be used during further adversarial training, allowing us to gradually adapt our model to the target language. Compared with a number of strong baselines, we observe signifi- cant gains in effectiveness on document and intent classification for a diverse set of languages.


In the United States, often referred to as a nation of immigrants, language diversity has been ironically concealed from public arenas by the displacing ideology of English monolingualism. Minoritized languages have been acknowledged and respected, but they have not been actively promoted and included in mainstream schools. In this context, many immigrant communities have strived to maintain their languages and cultures through community-based heritage language programs. Previous literature has highlighted the challenges these programs face due to inevitable lack of support and resources, as well as the conflicts between immigrant youth and older generations. Through the lens of ethnography of language policy and planning (Hornberger & Johnson, 2007), this study explores the space of a community-based Korean heritage language school in Philadelphia, which I deem as the site of struggle but also the site of promise for immigrant youth. Guided by the notions of communicative repertoires and speech communities (Blommaert & Backus, 2011; Gumperz, 1964), this study explores what linguistic practices teachers and students display, promote, or negotiate in the school, and how these practices construct their own definitions of "speaking and being Korean." First, I trace students' talk about the named codes around them, and discuss how students' metacommentary reflects their monoglossic imagination of bilingual speakers, and how such imagination might motivate them in learning 'the Korean language' yet at the same time discourage them in the process. Then, the study delves into the language ecology of Korean language classrooms in the school, where literacy-focused activities and curricula promote the production of written repertoires of Korean, while creating a gap between the imposed repertoires and students' existing repertoires. Then, I compare the language policies of two Korean language classrooms and explore the potential of translanguaging pedagogy as a tool for co-learning for both the teacher and students. Community-based heritage language programs may continue to be positioned as marginalized educational spaces in the U.S. context. Nonetheless, this study foregrounds the varied yet converging imaginations of its local actors in constantly pursuing and embracing their ethnic and linguistic heritage and highlights the importance of bringing these voices forward. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Education First Advisor Nancy H. Hornberger


Abstract Introduction The efficacy of sentinel node biopsy in early stage oral cancer is well established. Its evolving role can be reinforced by further studies. Objective Analyzing the predictability of the levels of echelon nodes for various oral cavity tumor subsites on sentinel node biopsy. Methods A prospective study of 20 patients with stage I/II oral squamous cell carcinoma who underwent sentinel node biopsy-guided neck dissection between January 2017 and 2018 at our institute. The procedure included radiotracer injection, imaging (lymphoscintigraphy, single photon emission computed tomography-computed tomography), and gamma probe application. Sentinel node detection on imaging and gamma probe were compared. Results Out of 20 patients, 13 (65%) had carcinoma of the tongue, 6 (30%) had buccal mucosa carcinoma, and 1 (5%) had retromolar trigone carcinoma. The mean age of the patients was 52.3 years. A total of 13 (65%) patients were male, and 7 (35%) were female. The sentinel node identification rates with imaging and gamma probe were of 70% and 100% respectively. In tongue and retromolar trigone primaries, the most common first-echelon nodes in both modalities were levels IIA and IB respectively. For buccal mucosa primaries, first-echelon nodes were detected only with the gamma probe, which was level IB. On imaging, second-echelon nodes were detected only for tongue primaries, and had equivalent incidence of levels II, III, and IV. On the gamma probe, level IIA, followed by III, and IV for the tongue, and level IIA were the most common second-echelon nodes for the buccal mucosa. Third-echelon nodes were detected only with the gamma probe for tongue carcinoma at level IV. Conclusion The combined use of imaging and gamma probe provides the best results, with high identification rate and predictability of echelon levels.


The pig appears again and again, in many contexts, throughout Gravity's Rainbow. A number of studies have explored the way the pig image functions in the novel, but many of them are flawed by attempts to impose a single reading of the image. Not that one reading is correct and the others not: as with many aspects of Pynchon's writing, the truth is more complex. We were warned as early as The Crying of Lot 49 to beware the pitfalls of either/or thinking. The prevailing view of the pig as a symbol of transgression, detailed most thoroughly in Allon White's Bakhtinian reading, considers perhaps the primary function of the pig in GR. This function, however, is only one component of a multifaceted image.


With the 1996 introduction of a new visa making it easier for employers to sponsor skilled foreign workers, temporary skilled migration has become a significant component of international migration flows to Australia. This paper examines employers' reasons for sponsoring skilled workers from abroad, their modes of recruitment, the occupational skills they require, and their industry profile. We also discuss issues relating to the perception of a shortage of skilled workers, the extent that sponsoring foreign workers substitutes for investing in local training, and the role of networks in recruiting overseas workers.

Many employers' now have a global view of labour recruitment. While this is understandable for multinational companies with global operations, many small businesses and public sector institutions are adopting the same strategy to obtain skilled labour which they say is in short supply in Australia. With the internationalization of the Australian economy, there is also an increasing demand for people with specialized skills and knowledge that is not available in Australia's relatively small labour market. An understanding of the demand factors motivating temporary skilled migration is crucial to effectively managing Australia's migration and labour trends.


OF DISSERTATION SEMICONDUCTOR PHOTOCATALYSIS: MECHANISMS, PHOTOCATALYTIC PERFORMANCES AND LIFETIME OF REDOX CARRIERS Photocatalytic reactions mediated by semiconductors such as ZnS, TiO2, ZnO, etc. can harvest solar energy into chemical bonds, a process with important prebiotic and environmental chemistry applications. The recycling of CO2 into organic molecules (e.g., formate, methane, and methanol) facilitated by irradiated semiconductors such as colloidal ZnS nanoparticles has been demonstrated. ZnS can also drive prebiotic reactions from the reductive tricarboxylic acid (rTCA) cycle such as the reduction of fumarate to succinate. However, the mechanism of photoreduction by ZnS of the previous reaction has not been understood. Thus, this thesis reports the mechanisms for heterogeneous photocatalytic reductions on ZnS for two model reactions in water with sulfide hole scavenger. First the reduction of CO2 is carried out under variable wavelength of irradiation and proposed to proceed thorough five steps resulting in the exclusive formation of formate. Second the reduction of the double bond of fumaric acid to succinic acid is reported in detail and compared to the previous conversion of CO2 to formic acid. Both reactions are carried out under variable wavelength of irradiation and proposed to proceed thorough one electron transfer at a time. In addition, a new method to measure the bandgap of colloidal ZnS suspended in water is established. Furthermore, the time scales of electron transfer and oxidizing hole loss during irradiation of ZnS for both reactions are reported and interpreted in terms of the Butler-Volmer equation. The sunlight promoted production of succinate introduced above, provides a connection of this prebiotic chemistry work to explore if central metabolites of the rTCA cycle can catalyze the synthesis of clay minerals. Clay minerals are strong adsorbents that can retain water and polar organic molecules, which facilitate the polymerization of biomolecules and conversion of fatty acid micelles into vesicles under prebiotic conditions relevant to the early Earth. While typical clay formation requires high temperatures and pressures, this process is hypothesized herein to be accelerated by central metabolites. A series of synthesis are designed to last only 20 hours to study the crystallization of sauconite, an Aland Zn-rich model clay, at low temperature and ambient pressure in the presence of succinate as a catalyst. Succinate promotes the formation of the trioctahedral 2:1 layer silicate at ≥ 75 °C, 6.5 ≤ pH ≤ 14, [succinate] ≥ 0.01 M. Cryogenic and conventional transmission electron microscopies, X-ray diffraction, diffuse reflectance Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, and measurements of total surface area and cation exchange capacity are used to study the time evolution during the synthesis of sauconite. While the studies with ZnS presented above advanced the fundamental understanding of photocatalysis with single semiconductors, the environmental applications of this material appear limited. A common limitation to photocatalysis with single semiconductors is the rapid recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, which reduces significantly the efficiency of the process that in the case of ZnS also suffers from photocorrosion in the presence of air. In order to overcome the fast charge recombination and the limited visible-light absorption of semiconductor photocatalysts, an effective strategy is developed in this work by combining two semiconductors into a nanocomposite. This nanocomposite is solvothermally synthesized creating octahedral cuprous oxide covered with titanium dioxide nanoparticles (Cu2O/TiO2). The nanocomposite exhibits unique surface modifications that provide a heterojunction with a direct Z-scheme for optimal CO2 reduction. The band structure of the nanocomposite is characterized by diffused reflectance UV-visible spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy. The photoreduction of CO2(g) to CO(g) on the nanocomposite is investigated in the presence water vapor as the hole scavenger that generates the quantifiable hydroxyl radical (HO•). The quantum efficiency of CO production under irradiation at λ ≥ 305 nm with the nanocomposite is 2times larger than for pure Cu2O. The detection of HO• and XPS analysis contrasting the stability of Cu2O/TiO2 vs Cu2O during irradiation prove that TiO2 prevents the photocorrosion of Cu2O. Overall, the studies of photocatalytic reductions on single component semiconductors reveal new knowledge needed for developing future photocatalytic application for fuel production, wastewater treatment, reducing air pollution, and driving important prebiotic chemistry reactions. Furthermore, the design of a photocatalyst operating under a Zscheme mechanism provides a new proof of concept for the design of systems that mimic photosynthesis. Finally, this work also demonstrates how molecules obtained by mineral mediated photochemistry can catalyze clay formation; highlighting the important role that photochemistry may have played for the origin of life on the early Earth and other rocky planets.


The Stroke Treatment Academic Industry Roundtable (STAIR) convened a session and workshop regarding enrollment in acute stroke trials during the STAIR XII meeting on March 22, 2023. This forum brought together stroke physicians and researchers, members of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, industry representatives, and members of the US Food and Drug Administration to discuss the current status and opportunities for improving enrollment in acute stroke trials. The workshop identified the most relevant issues impacting enrollment in acute stroke trials and addressed potential action items for each. Focus areas included emergency consent in the United States and other countries; careful consideration of eligibility criteria to maximize enrollment and representativeness; investigator, study coordinator, and pharmacist availability outside of business hours; trial enthusiasm/equipoise; site start-up including contractual issues; site champions; incorporation of study procedures into standard workflow as much as possible; centralized enrollment at remote sites by study teams using telemedicine; global trials; and coenrollment in trials when feasible. In conclusion, enrollment of participants is the lifeblood of acute stroke trials and is the rate-limiting step for testing an exciting array of new approaches to improve patient outcomes. In particular, efforts should be undertaken to broaden the medical community's understanding and implementation of emergency consent procedures and to adopt designs and processes that are easily incorporated into standard workflow and that improve trials' efficiencies and execution. Research and actions to improve enrollment in ongoing and future trials will improve stroke outcomes more broadly than any single therapy under consideration.


Achromatic adjustment has been used widely to study color context effects. In the achromatic adjustment procedure, an observer adjusts a test stimulus until it appears black, gray, or white. By its nature, achromatic adjustment directly measures the effect of context only for stimuli that appear gray. We present achromatic loci measured in two contexts and asymmetric color matches measured across the same two contexts. The results indicate that achromatic adjustments, together with a gain-control model, may be used to make accurate predictions of the chromaticity of asymmetric matches. Thus measurements of the effect of context for test stimuli that appear gray may be used to predict the effect of context for stimuli that appear colored. The experiments also indicate that accurate prediction depends on ensuring that observers use similar fixational strategies for the two judgments.


Latent space geometry has shown itself to provide a rich and rigorous framework for interacting with the latent variables of deep generative models. The existing theory, how-ever, relies on the decoder being a Gaussian distribution as its simple reparametrization allows us to interpret the generating process as a random projection of a deterministic manifold. Consequently, this approach breaks down when applied to decoders that are not as easily reparametrized. We here propose to use the Fisher-Rao metric associated with the space of decoder distributions as a reference metric, which we pull back to the latent space. We show that we can achieve meaningful latent geometries for a wide range of decoder distributions for which the previous theory was not applicable, opening the door to 'black box' latent geometries.