We have synthesized nanostructures of iron and cobalt oxyhydroxides and manganese oxides in aqueous solution containing a chelating agent. Nanosheets of FeOOH and NaxMnO2 and nanoflakes of CoOOH were generated from the corresponding divalent metal salts and ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) by one-pot synthesis under ambient conditions. The chelating agent fulfilled multiple roles in the reaction process and morphogenesis leading to two-dimensional nanostructures. Coordination to the divalent metal ions inhibited rapid precipitation of metal hydroxides and mediated oxidation to tri- and tetravalent species by dissolved oxygen. Along with the deposition, the two-dimensional and single-crystal nanostructures were also associated with interactions of the chelating agent. Therefore, this approach can be regarded as a combination of ligand-controlled oxidation and ligand-cooperative morphogenesis. Parallel control of the reaction and the morphology was achieved by a simple approach. The model cases suggest that tailoring chelation can facilitate the design of other metal oxide nanomaterials.


Isolates of Bipolaris sorokiniana were analyzed by random-amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) techniques to determine the amount of intraspecific genetic variability and to study host-pathogen interactions. Ten isolates originated from different regions of Brazil were examined. Plants of the wheat cultivars BR8, BH1146 (original host) and IAC-5 Maringá, classified as resistant, moderately resistant or susceptible to B. sorokiniana, respectively, were inoculated with these 10 isolates. Twenty-seven isolates were recovered from these cultivars and were analyzed by RAPD assay and compared to the RAPD of the original 10 isolates. According to the RAPD profiles there was a high level of genetic variability among the isolates. We detected 69 polymorphic fragments, ranging from 1.6 to 0.54 kb, in the original 10 isolates; 57 fragments with sizes between 1.98 and 0.38 kb from the isolates recovered from BH1146; 47 polymorphic bands, ranging from 1.96-0.54 kb, were detected in the isolates from BR8 and 32 fragments between 1.98 and 0.42 kb in isolates were recovered from IAC-5 Maringá. The number of polymorphic fragments varied, even for the same isolate, when the isolates were recovered from different cultivar hosts.


We study a two-stage model in which the information processed by consumers at the first stage (advance-purchase stage) is endogenously determined. In the model, the firm decides whether to introduce an advance-purchase program, chooses what attribute information to disclose and determines an advance-purchase price and a retail price. Forward-looking consumers strategically choose, based on the disclosed information, to buy in advance or to make a purchase decision at the second stage (retail stage) when all information is revealed. We characterize the firm's optimal choice on the advance-purchase program and the strategy of information disclosure. In particular, we show that the firm always prefers to introduce the advance-purchase program except when underlying consumer preferences are extremely homogenous. In addition, we find that fully revealing horizontal product information at the advance-purchase stage is never optimal to the firm, but revealing either partial or no product information can be optimal depending on the underlying consumer preferences. Our finding that partial information disclosure is sometimes optimal to the firm is in contrast to the result in the literature of horizontal information provision that a firm maximizes profit by revealing either no or full information to consumers.


Ni7(C4H4O4)4(OH)6(H2O)3 . 7H2O, a new layered nickel(II) succinate, was prepared hydrothermally (180°C, 48 h, autogenous pressure) from a 1:1.5:4.1:120 mixture of nickel (II) chloride hexahydrate, succinic acid, potassium hydroxide and water. It crystallizes in the monoclinic system (space group P21/c, Z = 4) with the following parameters a = 7.8597(1) Å, b = 18.8154(3)Å, c = 23.4377(4) Å,ϐ = 92.0288(9)°, and V = 3463.9(2) Å 3. Its structure, which contains 55 non-hydrogen atoms, was solved ab initio from synchrotron powder diffraction data. It can be described from hybrid organic-inorganic layers, constructed from nickel oxide corrugated chains. These chains are built up from NiO6 hexameric units connected via a seventh octahedron. Half of the succinates decorate the chains, and the others connect them to form the layers. The three dimensional arrangement is ensured by hydrogen bonds directly between two adjacent layers and via free water molecules.


Building on earlier articles published in the Journal of Cold War Studies by James G. Hershberg and Zoltán Szoke, this article discusses Romania's involvement in the attempts to negotiate a peaceful conclusion to the Vietnam War before and after the Tet Offensive. The literature concerning the Romanian channel (codenamed Packers) is negligible thus far. Part of the reason is that even though official U.S. documentation on Packers has been available for two decades, relevant Romanian documents were only recently declassified by the archive of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The new evidence from the Romanian archives completes the picture of what was, in effect, the last U.S. chance to begin negotiations over Vietnam without compromising the initial U.S. position. The conversations between Romanian Deputy Foreign Minister George Macovescu and Vietnamese Communist leaders on the eve of the Tet Offensive offer a much more detailed inside look at Hanoi's negotiating position in December 1967–January 1968. The Romanian documents also show the crystallization of the Vietnamese position of March 1968 with regard to opening talks and the San Antonio formula.


In contrast to the conventional Viterbi algorithm (VA) which generates hard-outputs, an optimum soft-output algorithm (OSA) is derived under the constraint of fixed decision delay for detection of M-ary digital signals in the presence of intersymbol interference and additive white Gaussian noise. The OSA, a new type of the conventional symbol-by-symbol maximum a posteriori probability algorithm, requires only a forward recursion and the number of variables to be stored and recursively updated increases linearly, rather than exponentially, with the decision delay. Then, with little performance degradation, a suboptimum soft-output algorithm (SSA) is obtained by simplifying the OSA. The main computations in the SSA, as in the VA, are the add-compare-select operations. Simulation results of a convolutional-coded communication system are presented that demonstrate the superiority of the OSA and the SSA over the conventional VA when they are used as detectors. When the decision delay of the detectors equals the channel memory, a significant performance improvement is achieved with only a small increase in computational complexity. >


Abstract. Accurate estimates of particle surface tension are required for models concerning atmospheric aerosol nucleation and activation. However, it is difficult to collect the volumes of atmospheric aerosol required by typical instruments that measure surface tension, such as goniometers or Wilhelmy plates. In this work, a method that measures, ex situ, the surface tension of collected liquid nanoparticles using atomic force microscopy is presented. A film of particles is collected via impaction and is probed using nanoneedle tips with the atomic force microscope. This micro-Wilhelmy method allows for direct measurements of the surface tension of small amounts of sample. This method was verified using liquids, whose surface tensions were known. Particles of ozone oxidized α-pinene, a well-characterized system, were then produced, collected, and analyzed using this method to demonstrate its applicability for liquid aerosol samples. It was determined that oxidized α-pinene particles formed in dry conditions have a surface tension similar to that of pure α-pinene, and oxidized α-pinene particles formed in more humid conditions have a surface tension that is significantly higher.


Acute reductions in blood volume and in arterial pressure produced by hemorrhage in the rat resulted in significant changes in heart rate. In general, when bleeding lowered mean arterial blood pressure to 90 mmHg or less, heart rate fell in proportion to the depth of hypotension, but when arterial pressure remained above 100 mmHg, regardless of the volume of shed blood, heart rate increased. The bradycardia observed when the animals were bled to low pressures (40 mmHg) could be prevented by vagotomy or with a combination of atropine and propranolol. This suggests the effect is reflex action centrally mediated. Propranolol alone had only small effects on the heart rate response, indicating that the reflex is predominantly under vagal influence. Phenoxybenzamine or adrenal demedullation had no effect on heart rate or blood pressure changes during or after hemorrhage. Pargyline, at a dose which significantly inhibited MAO and increased brain stem norepinephrine and dopamine levels, reduced the magnitude of the shock bradycardia. These results are discussed in relation to our earlier report (Pendleton et al., 1980a) which indicates that the potent inhibitor of epinephrine synthesis, SK & F 64139, will prolong the bradycardia and hypotension associated with hemorrhage in this model.


Four examples of Upper Pleistocene, rocky shores and associated biotas arc preserved in ecological detail at Playa La Palmita in Bahia Santa Ines on the Gulf of California (Baja California Sur, Mexico), A 2 m-high sea cliff eroded from Miocene andesite reaches 6.25 m above present sea level and retains lfi species of encrusting organisms. Dominant space occupiers are the bivalves Pseudochama janus , Oetrea fischeri, O. palmula , Arca pacifica , Cardita affinis , and Chama mexicana together with coralline red algae. Carbonate sediments burying the sea cliff include rhodoliths, 15 additional species of free-dwelling bivalves and 15 species of gastropods, most of which are intertidal to shallow subtidal in habit. At the top of the sea cliff is a hydrothermal deposit of dolomite, which formed a broad abrasion platform extensively bored by a bivalve species attributed to Thracia curta . An andesite shoal 2,600 m in area occurs at a slightly higher elevation 7.75 m above present sea level and preserves zoned populations of Glans affinis and Periglypta multicostata (bivalves), as well as vermetid "worm-shell" colonies. A flat andesite island 12,500 m in area with an elevation of 11 m is completely surrounded but not covered by carbonates. Nestled among boulders in the Ice of the paleo-island are bivalve populations of Chione californiensis, P. multicostata and Codakia distinguenda . Based on previous studies employing U-series analyses at Playa Palmita and nearby Mulege, these features can be correlated to oxygen isotope substage 5e, that is, developed about 125,000 years ago as a facies of the Mulege Formation.


Linda is a coordination model which, amongst other things, provides means for abstracting away from the location of information in distributed environments. Although the concept of location abstraction is important, and eases the programming task, it is incomplete in the Linda case. Whenever I/O operations are necessary, users have to be aware of the locations of devices. The use of computational language speci c details for distributed I/O restricts the portability of Linda programs. Hitherto Linda has shown us how to write portable distributed algorithms for a variety of applications but for applications involving I/O the portability is compromised. In order to achieve maximum portability, a Linda application has to access I/O using proper Linda facilities. This paper describes a generalisation of Linda that includes coordination of distributed I/O. The advantages of such a generalisation and the problems involved in the implementation are also discussed.


This volume constitutes the proceedings of the 2000 Howard conference on "Infinite Dimensional Lie Groups in Geometry and Representation Theory", and presents some important developments in this area. It opens with a topological characterization of regular groups; treats among other topics the integrability problem of various infinite dimensional Lie algebras; presents substantial contributions to important subjects in modern geometry; and concludes with interesting applications to representation theory. The work should be a source of inspiration for advanced graduate students and established researchers in the field of geometry and its applications to mathematical physics.


ABSTRACT It was suggested that Na–Mg carbonates might play a substantial role in mantle metasomatic processes through lowering melting temperatures of mantle peridotites. Taking into account that natrite, Na2CO3, eitelite, Na2Mg(CO3)2, and magnesite, MgCO3, have been recently reported from xenoliths of shallow mantle (110–115 km) origin, we performed experiments on phase relations in the system Na2CO3–MgCO3 at 3 GPa and 800–1250°C. We found that the subsolidus assemblages comprise the stability fields of Na-carbonate + eitelite and eitelite + magnesite with the transition boundary at 50 mol% Na2CO3. The Na-carbonate–eitelite eutectic was established at 900°C and 69 mol% Na2CO3. Eitelite melts incongruently to magnesite and a liquid containing about 55 mol% Na2CO3 at 925 ± 25 °C. At 1050 °C, the liquid, coexisting with Na-carbonate, contains 86–88 mol% Na2CO3. Melting point of Na2CO3 was established at 1175 ± 25 °C. The Na2CO3 content in the liquid coexisting with magnesite decreases to 31 mol% as temperature increases to 1250°C. According to our data, the Na- and Mg-rich carbonate melt, which is more alkaline than eitelite, can be stable at the P–T conditions of the shallow lithospheric mantle with thermal gradient of 45 mW/m2 corresponding to temperature of 900 °C at 3 GPa.


An unusual series of complications of laparoscopic cholecystectomy is presented. The complications occurred after use of laparoscopic technique in the treatment of acute cholecystitis. The authors feel that this is a problem that points up the need for experience and caution in the use of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the setting of acute cholecystitis.


Robust manipulation capture and retargeting has been a longstanding goal in both the fields of animation and robotics. In this thesis I describe a new approach to capture both the geometry and motion of interactions with objects, dealing with the problems of occlusion by the use of magnetic systems, and performing the reconstruction of the geometry by an RGB-D sensor alongside visual markers. This 'interaction capture' allows the scene to be described in terms of the spatial relationships between the character and the object using novel topological representations such as the Electric Parameters, which parametrise the outer space of an object using properties of the surface of the object. I describe the properties of these representations for motion generalisation and discuss how they can be applied to the problems of human-like motion generation and programming by demonstration. These generalised interactions are shown to be valid by demonstration of retargeting grasping and manipulation to robots with dissimilar kinematics and morphology using only local, gradient-based planning.


The variation tolerant assist circuits of an SRAM against process and temperature are proposed. Passive resistances are introduced to the read assist circuit with replica memory transistors to lower the wordline voltage accurately reflecting the process and temperature variations. For the sake of not only enlarging the write margin but also reducing power consumption and speed overhead, the divided dynamic power-line scheme based on a charge sharing is adopted. Test chips of 512-Kb SRAM macros and isolated memory cell TEGs are fabricated using 45-nm bulk CMOS technology. Two types of 6-T SRAM cells, whose sizes were 0.245 mum2 and 0.327 mum2 were designed and evaluated. From the measurement results, we achieved over 100-mV improvement for static noise margin, and 35 mV for write margin for both SRAM cells at 1.0-V worst condition by using assist circuitry. It enables the wordline level to keep higher voltage at the slowest condition than the typical process condition, which results in 83% improvement of the cell current compared with the conventional assist circuit. Furthermore, the minimum operating voltage in the worst case condition was improved by 170 mV, confirming a high immunity against process and temperature variations with less than 10% area overhead.


The WW domain is an approximately 38 residue peptide‐binding motif that binds a variety of sequences, including the consensus sequence xPPxY. We have displayed hYAP65 WW on the surface of M13 phage and randomized one‐third of its three‐stranded antiparallel β‐sheet. Improved binding to the hydrophobic peptide, GTPPPPYTVG (WW1), was selected in the presence of three different concentrations of proteinase K to simultaneously drive selection for improved stability as well as high‐affinity binding. While some of the selected binders show cooperative unfolding transitions, others show noncooperative thermal unfolding curves. Two novel WW consensus sequences have been identified, which bind to the xPPxY motif with higher affinity than the wild‐type hYAP65 WW domain. These WW domain sequences are not precedented in any natural WW domain sequence. Thus, there appear to be a large number of motifs capable of recognizing the target peptide sequence, only a subset of which appear to be used in natural proteins.


We have UV-inscribed fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs), long-period gratings (LPGs), and tilted fiber gratings (TFGs) into mid-IR 2μm range using three common optical fiber grating fabrication techniques (two-beam holographic, phase mask, and point-by-point). The fabricated FBGs have been evaluated for thermal and strain response. It has been revealed that the FBG devices with responses in mid-IR range are much more sensitive to temperature than that in near-IR range. To explore the unique cladding mode coupling function, we have investigated the thermal and refractive index sensitivities of LPGs and identified that the coupled cladding modes in mid-IR range are also much more sensitive to temperature and surrounding medium refractive index change. The 45° tilted fiber gratings (45°-TFGs) as polarizing devices in mid-IR have been investigated for their polarization extinction characteristics. As efficient reflection filters and in-cavity polarizers, the mid-IR FBGs and 45°-TFGs have been employed in fiber laser cavity to realize multi-wavelength 2 μm Tm-doped CW and mode locked fiber lasers, respectively.


Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa (SA) contribute significantly to job creation, wealth, social stability, economic growth and reduction of poverty. While research has been conducted, with regard to customer's perception for entire world, not too many studies have focused on the automotive sector, with specific reference to the Durban Metropolitan areas. Therefore the understanding of the factors affecting Automotive SMEs are clearly defined and explained, in order to help entrepreneurs to improve product quality and attract customers to the business. Furthermore, the study focused on examining the customers' perceptions towards product quality. The research sample was selected using convenience sampling because populations are easily available to the researcher. The target population for this study were all owners of SMEs in the automotive sector in Durban. Based on the census study, the sample size of the study was 120 owners of the SMEs in the Durban Metropolitan Areas. A combined method of both quantitative and qualitative techniques were employed, while the analysis of data was done using the Statistics Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) version 23.0, with the result presented by figures developed in Microsoft Excel and cross tabulation tables. Various techniques were tested such as (Pearson Chi-square Test, qualitative analysis and, factor analysis). However, the report based on testing techniques were as follows: The result of the gender participants of males were greater than females who participated in the study. Therefore, the Pearson Chi-square Test was done and the result state that p = .000. Qualitative analysis was tested and the result report of "what exactly are the customers' perceptions towards product quality in the business". However, the result of the qualitative analysis shows that the larger number of the respondents, they felt that "good customer service" were their customers' perceptions in the study. Factor analysis was also tested using KMO and Bartlett's Test to present results. The result of Bartleytt's Test of Sphericity was = 212.800; Sig = .000 this indicated that the data were appropriate for the purpose of factors analysis. The result of Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy was = .609. This result shows that there were sufficient items for each factor. The findings of the study revealed that lack of managerial skills and development negatively compromises product quality of the automotive sector. The findings further revealed that creativity and necessary entrepreneurial skills influence implementation of sustainable growth of SMEs, and the entrepreneur's success depends on the identification of crucial entrepreneurial skills for starting a business as well as for helping the business to survive and grow in the early stages. Therefore, capacity building for SME owners to sustain business growth is recommended. The results of the study further revealed that the absence of financial support from financial institutions delays the improvement of stock in the business as this is an obstacle resulting in the unsustainability of the SMEs in the long term.


A young child presented to clinic with a 6-month history of an asymptomatic expanding erythematous eruption on the lower legs, abdomen, and buttocks (Figure, A). The eruption would wax and wane, with each episode lasting for approximately 1 week, without residual pigmentation. Clinical examination was significant for faint, nonscaling annular serpiginous, erythematous plaques with central clearing, and barely elevated borders. Test results for erythrocyte sedimentation rate, complete blood cell count, antinuclear antibodies, anti-Ro/SSA and anti-La/SSB antibodies, and Borrelia burgdorferi antibodies were within normal limits. There was no family history of autoimmune disease, and the child had not experienced any fevers or exposures to ticks or other arthropods. A punch biopsy specimen from the left thigh was obtained, and histopathological analysis was subsequently performed (Figure, B and C).


Mari Boyd, The Aesthetics of Quietude: Ota Shogo and the Theatre of Divestiture (Tokyo: Sophia University Press, 2006) Ota Shogo is a playwright, teacher and the former artistic director of the group Tenkei Gekijo (Transformation Theatre). He is one of the key figures in the 1960s angura (underground) theatre movement. Ota's best known work outside of Japan is the wordless mesmeric play Mizu no Eki (The Water Station); Australian readers might remember that it played to critical and popular acclaim at the Adelaide and Perth Festivals in 1984. Other works especially well known in Japan include his noinspired play The Tale of Komachi Told by the Wind(1977) and the 'station series' of works using water, earth and wind as key thematic-dramaturgical elements. Ota has worked in theatre for nearly fifty years. Mari Boyd's book The Aesthetics of Quietude: Ota Shogo and the Theatre of Divestiture is a timely comprehensive study of his life's work. The Aesthetics of Quietude includes a short historical introduction to the context of theatre in Japan, including brief summaries of modern theatre in the twentieth century (shingeki) and the rise of the small theatre movement (angura/shogekijo) in the 1960s. The central discussion on the themes of quietude and divestiture in Ota's theatre is comparative. Boyd notes international contexts seen in avant-garde works by artists including John Cage and Robert Wilson. She then discusses in precise detail the rise of theatres of quietude associated with the contemporary colloquial theatre (gendai kogo engeki) movement of Hirata Oriza and others in the 1980s and 1990s. Boyd shows how quietude in theatre is characterised by the elements of silence, stillness and empty space (9-18). More than quietude, however, the idea of divestiture is the key concept of this book. Boyd explores this notion at length in discussion of Ota's life as an artist and theoretician and in close readings of his key works, especially The Water Station. Like many in the 1960s avant-garde, Ota wanted 'to de-emphasize the functions of the playwright and director and return the stage to the actor' (97). Boyd shows how this idea of an essential theatre peels away the inconsequential layers of dramaturgy. In essence, the elements of silence, slow physical expression and a strong relationship to theatrical space are what remain in Ota's work as a 'non-dramatic code of divestiture' (103). I was reminded of Jerzy Grotowski's idea of theatre as 'gradually eliminating whatever proved superfluous . …


Professional practice provides a context which requires design to be performed as an efficient and linear process (which may be a determining factor in the sustainability of practices). Research is an increasingly important component of accountability for design decisions.

In response to an environment in which graduates may not be fully prepared for the changes in, or the collaboration required by, contemporary design practice, the provision of a professional masters programme is organised as a simulated practice. Students act as associates in a practice with an established approach, knowledge base, culture, and documentation standards. This replaces idiosyncratic student outputs. The studio is considered not as the physical learning environment, but as the vehicle for a project-based learning strategy which allows the studio to generate synergy between the research and professional activities of staff and the learning activities of students.
The construction of a theoretical model clarifies the interrelationship of technical, conceptual, and professional knowledge areas embedded in the simulation (which is informed by two sets of design theory: altering architecture and the imaginal interior). The result is a hermeneutic model of the research-engaged design process.

This research illustrates how a master's interior treatise is compiled as the result of a cumulative and linear process with design and research as reciprocal activities. It is significant since this contributes to the conceptual movement of design as personal, individual expressions towards design as the result of collaborative processes and contextual responses. Students are specifically instructed in the processes and outcomes of the various investigations they have to conduct to create and defend their projects.

A simulated practice may produce an enabling studio with realistic expectations. Individual activities are coordinated to deliver consistent outputs to set quality standards. This provides a structured approach which supports the emancipation of the individual.


Do changes in the species composition of riverine fish assemblages along river networks lead to predictable changes in food-web structure? We assembled empirical "fish-centered" river food webs for three rivers located along a latitudinal gradient in the South Saskatchewan River Basin (SSRB) that differ in land-use impacts and geomorphology but flow through similar mountain, foothill, and prairie physiographic regions. We then calculated 17 food-web properties to determine whether the nine river food webs differed according to physiographic region or river sub-basin. There were no statistically significant differences in the 17 food-web properties calculated among the rivers. In contrast, fish species richness, connectance, the proportion of herbivores, and the proportion of cannibals changed longitudinally along the river network. Our results suggest that regional changes in river geomorphology and physicochemistry play an important role in determining longitudinal variation in food-web properties such as fish species richness and connectance. In contrast, the overall structure of river food webs may be relatively similar and insensitive to regional influences such as zoogeography. Further explorations of river and other food webs would greatly illuminate this suggestion.


Background The aetiology of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) remains poorly understood. Recent animal studies and epidemiological data have suggested that activation of the coagulation cascade in the lung may have an important role in the pathogenesis of IPF. Methods We recruited incident cases of physician diagnosed IPF from five teaching hospitals and eight district general hospitals in England and Wales. Age and sex matched general population controls were recruited from the same region. Participants were asked for details of lifetime occupational history, current or previous illnesses, medication and smoking. Each case and control then had a venous blood sample taken for a thrombophilia screen, including inherited and acquired clotting defects. We also collected high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scans for all cases, which were reviewed by two experienced thoracic radiologists to confirm the diagnosis of IPF. After excluding individuals on warfarin, logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios for the association between a prothrombotic state and IPF, adjusting for age, sex and highly sensitive C Reactive Protein (hsCRP). Individuals were defined as being prothrombotic if they had at least one clotting defect present. The analysis was then repeated, stratifying cases by radiological diagnosis. Results Our study included 306 incident cases of IPF(mean age at diagnosis 72.6 years, 70.6% male) and 256 controls (see Table 1). We found an increased tendency to clot among our cases (Odds Ratio [OR] 4.67; 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 3.00 to 7.23) compared to controls. After stratifying by radiological diagnosis, this association was stronger in those with definite usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) (OR 5.86; 95% CI 3.08 to 11.15) compared to probable UIP (OR 3.47; 95% CI: 1.92 to 6.29). There was no effect modification by age, sex or hsCRP. Abstract S97 Table 1 Conclusion An increased tendency to clot appears to be an independent risk factor for developing IPF. A clinical trial using one of the new, safer anticoagulants may be warranted.


Individuals with a diagnosis of schizophrenia face a myriad of obstacles to wellness, beginning with diagnostic discrepancies including over- and misdiagnoses on the schizophrenia spectrum. People with schizophrenia experience profound amounts of stigmatization from the general population, their healthcare providers, and even themselves. Such stigmatization creates a barrier for wellness, poorer prognoses, and often limits adherence to physical and mental healthcare. Moreover, it can exacerbate the already stifling symptomatology of their diagnoses, including specific bodily-related symptomatology. Oftentimes, a diagnosis of schizophrenia disrupts one's relationship with their body including a diminished mind-body connection, decreased interoceptive awareness, and thus unsuccessful intra- and interpersonal relationships. Some recent research suggests the use of mind-body therapies, however, if these practices are internalizing, they may not be appropriate for people with schizophrenia experiencing more acute symptomatology excluding them from treatment. Dance/movement therapy (DMT) is an embodied psychotherapeutic treatment option that can support participants in improving mind-body connection, social relationships, and self-regulatory skill development. Research on DMT has shown promising results for people with schizophrenia, however such research is limited and would benefit from increased studies that particularly measure the effects of DMT on mind-body connection and increased interoception for people with schizophrenia. Moreover, integrative and collaborative treatment models that couple DMT and biofeedback may further our understanding of the physiological and neurological effects of DMT interventions for people with schizophrenia and beyond. This review will examine the recent literature on health inequities for people with schizophrenia, their specific body-based disruptions and needs, and DMT as a promising treatment model, particularly when coupled with biofeedback.


An HbA1c threshold of ≥ 42 mmol/mol has been proposed to diagnose prediabetes. The sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value of the proposed threshold for detection of individuals with prediabetes was examined in a study of 573 randomly selected individuals from Vara and Skövde. In addition, the utility of the FINDRISC questionnaire and of a fasting glucose test in combination with three short questions concerning BMI, heredity for type 2 diabetes and known hypertension was examined. Results from an oral glucose tolerance test were used as reference. The sensitivity of HbA1c and FINDRISC to detect individuals with IGT was 16 and 26 per cent respectively. Questions regarding BMI, heredity and hypertension together with a fasting glucose test yielded a sensitivity of 50%, but a lower specificity and positive predictive value. We conclude that HbA1c inefficiently detected individuals with impaired glucose tolerance and that oral glucose tolerance tests can still preferably be recommended.


Energy information is used to generate emission (/sup 99m/Tc, E/spl gamma/=140 keV) and transmission (/sup 57/Co, E/spl gamma/=122 keV) images from a combined projection data set. These components are separated from each other and from Compton scatter by fitting the spectra at each pixel with a simple model. The method is tested using a cylindrical phantom containing inserts with differing attenuation. Emission and transmission position and energy (xyE) data were acquired in list mode and later summed to simulate simultaneous acquisition. Therefore, the true emission and transmission images are known. The quality and quantitative accuracy of the technique are evaluated by comparing images extracted from the combined data set to the "true" scatter-corrected transmission and emission images, respectively. These results are presented and the potential of this technique for accurate attenuation correction in SPECT is discussed.<<ETX>>


Human auditory perception is suited to receiving and interpreting information from the environment but this knowledge has not been used extensively in designing computer-based information exploration tools. It is not known which aspects of sound are useful for accurately conveying information in an auditory display. An auditory display was created using PD, a graphical programming language used primarily to manipulate digital sound. The interface for the auditory display was a blank window. When the cursor is moved around in this window, the sound generated would changed based on the underlying data value at any given point. An experiment was conducted to determine which attribute of sound most accurately represents data values in an auditory display. The four attributes of sound tested were frequency-sine waveform, frequency-sawtooth waveform, loudness and tempo. 24 subjects were given the task of finding the highest data point using sound alone using each of the four sound treatments. Three dependent variables were measured: distance accuracy, numeric accuracy, and time on task. Repeated measures ANOVA procedures conducted on these variables did not rise to the level of statistical significance (α=.05). None of the sound treatments was more accurate than the other as representing the underlying data values. 52% of the trials were accurate within 50 pixels of the highest data point (target). An interesting finding was the tendency for the frequency-sin waveform to be used in the least accurate trial attempts (38%). Loudness, on the other hand, accounted for very few (12.5%) of the least accurate trial attempts. In completing the experimental task, four different search techniques were employed by the subjects: perimeter, parallel sweep, sector, and quadrant. The perimeter technique was the most commonly used.


Patterns of vertical stratification and canopy utilization by rodents and marsupials were analysed in two contiguous Atlantic forests at different altitudes (100 m and 900 m asl). Twenty-two species were captured using live traps placed at ground level, in the understorey (1.5–2.0 m), and in the canopy (6–15 m) over 2 y; seven species (32%) were mainly or exclusively arboreal. Community composition and relative abundance of species in the different vertical strata were not similar, with a general reduction in the number of species, and in abundance in the upper layers. The following species were captured mainly or exclusively in the canopy: Micoureus demerarae and Gracilinanus microtarsus (Didelphimorphia, Didelphidae); Wilfredomys pictipes, Oecomys aff. concolor, and Rhipidomys aff. macrurus (Rodentia, Muridae); and Nelomys nigrispinus (Rodentia, Echimyidae). Our results indicated that altitudinal changes in Atlantic forest areas may alter the community composition of different forest layers but they do not seem to alter greatly specific patterns of vertical habitat utilization. Similar-sized species tended to differ in their patterns of vertical utilization of habitat with the exception of terrestrial akodontine rodents (genera Akodon, Thaptomys, Oxymycterus and Brucepattersonius). Rodents (mainly Oryzomys russatus) dominated captures at ground level at both sites but Akodontinii were numerous only at the highest site. Unlike other neotropical forests, marsupials did not dominate canopy captures.


The present investigation reports the statistical design and optimization of metal ions involved in the submerged fermentation of citric acid by Aspergillus Niger NCIM 705. Citric acid is one of the bulk chemicals synthesized by fermentation. The supply of natural citric acid is limited and hence the demand can be satisfied by fermentation processes. Since recent times, Aspergillus Niger is predominantly employed for large scale production of citric acid. The optimization of fermentation conditions has got lot of impact on the economy of the process. The study on interactions of different physical and chemical parameters of fermentation will permit satisfactory modelling and optimization of the process. Copper (Cu2+), zinc (Zn2+) and magnesium (Mg2+) are identified as the important metal ions in the biosynthesis of citric acid using Aspergillus Niger. Experiments conducted for investigating the effects of the ions in the form of CuSO4.5H2O, ZnSO4.7H2O and MgSO4.5H2O on the yields of citric acid are designed by Central Composite Design (CCD), one of the methods of Response Surface Methodology (RSM). The statistical Design-Expert software was used to generate a regression model to predict the combined effect of ions yield of citric acid. A second-order polynomial equation was fitted to the experimental data to construct the response surface model using multiple regressions. The response of ions was predicted by the polynomial equation. With the citric acid production values computed using polynomial equation, the significance of effect of each ion was analyzed using Analysis of variance (ANOVA). It was observed that copper and zinc ions showed good effect on citric acid production whereas magnesium had no impact. With the citric acid production values predicted by CCD second order equation, three-dimensional response surface curves were obtained using RSM. From the studies, 59.592 mg/L of maximum citric acid was fiund to be produced at the optimum ion concentrations of copper: 1.47 mg/L, zinc: 2.46 mg/L and magnesium : 1.25 mg/L.


In April, 1991, a northwest-southeast trending 120-km-long seismic refraction/wide-angle reflection profile was recorded across the Atlantic Coastal Plain of South Carolina, the passive margin of the eastern United States formed by Mesozoic extension during the opening of the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. Two-dimensional ray tracing of first arrivals and reflections indicates large lateral velocity variations in the upper 5 km of the crust. From northwest to southeast along the profile, Coastal Plain sediments thicken from a few tens of meters to more than 1 km. P-wave velocities within the sediments range from 1.85 to 3.5 km s −1 , while intercalated basalts have velocities of 5.2–5.5 km s −1 . The top of the crystalline basement dips eastward and is characterized by velocities of 6.0–6.2 km s −1 . High velocities of 6.2 km s −1 within the crystalline basement are locally restricted to a shallow 25-km-wide zone adjacent and east of the Dunbarton basin. Seismic, gravity and magnetic observations suggest that this anomaly represents a pre-Cretaceous mafic intrusion formed during Mesozoic rifting. Mesozoic rifting is also evident from observed eastward thinning of the crust from 37 to 32 km along the profile.


As the information on the Internet increases dramatically, the web search engine has become an indispensable tool to search and locate the required information. Web snippets clustering can classify the search results and help users to narrow the search scope. This paper presents an online clustering algorithm for Chinese web snippets using common substrings. The algorithm firstly preprocesses the results of a search engine and extracts common substrings using Generalized Suffix Array. Then it builds a snippet-snippet similarity matrix by calculating similarities between every two snippets using common substring-based dimensional model. At last, the algorithm groups the web snippets using an improved hierarchical clustering algorithm. Theoretical analysis and experiments show that compared to traditional Chinese web snippet clustering algorithms based on Chinese word segmentation, our algorithm performs better both in the efficiency of clustering and the readability of the generated cluster labels.


Background New direct antiviral agents have caused marked evolution in the treatment of hepatitis C. However, it is necessary to demonstrate that this new therapeutic achieves higher response rates, lower complexity and better tolerability than older regimens in clinical practice. Purpose To analyse the viral response and tolerability of direct antiviral agents in clinical practice in patients with hepatitis C. Material and methods This was a prospective observational study conducted at the pharmaceutical care outpatient unit. All patients receiving treatment with new free interferon treatment from January 2015 to April 2016 were included. We evaluated analytical and clinical data: type of patient and treatment, degree of fibrosis, side effects, and viral load on completion of treatment and 24 weeks after completion of treatment. The information was obtained from the pharmacotherapeutic history, patient interview and laboratory register. Results are expressed as percentages and side effects as median (IQR) Results 229 patients were included (72% men; 51% naïve; 22% coinfected): 10.6% had been treated with daclatasvir/sofosbuvir, 19.4% with ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir ± dasabuvir, 42.7% with ledipasvir/sofosbuvir and 27.3% with simeprevir/sofosbuvir. In 59.9% of cases, these treatments were combined with ribavirin. Degree of fibrosis: 0.9% F0, 6.1% F1, 22.5% F2, 22.5% F3 and 55.1% F4. Duration of treatment was 12 weeks for 86.7% of patients and 24 weeks for the reminder. When the treatment was finished, 89.7% obtained undetectable viral load, 0.4% detectable viral load, 6.6% unknown viral load and 1.3% death before the finish. At 24 weeks after the finished treatment, 95.8% obtained undetectable viral load: 100% of patients treated with daclatasvir/sofosbuvir, 91.4% treated with simeprevir/sofosbuvir, 98.1% treated with ledipasvir/sofosbuvir and 100% treated with ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir ± dasabuvir. Regarding side effects, 23.4% of patients had asthenia, 17.5% had skin reactions, 12.9% had gastrointestinal reactions and 22.6% other reactions. The median number of side effects was 1 (0–7). Conclusion New drugs show a high rate of response and are well tolerated. However, follow-up and pharmaceutical care in these patients has contributed to better management of side effects, resulting in better adherence and effectiveness. No conflict of interest


There is growing recognition that to develop skills is a lifelong process. Employees enter the
labor force with the initial 'stock' of human capital acquired primarily through their initial
formal education. Over their working lives employees maintain and upgrade their education
stockthrough a 'flow' of training, reinforced by practical experience.
In the same way that physical capital needs continuous investment to replace what has been
depreciated and meet new production requirements, employees also need a continuous flow of
training investment to maintain and upgrade their human capital.
Little is actually known on basic empirical questions such as, what extent or nature of training is
requiredand the impact they can have on performance. Therefore the reason for this study is to
find out the impact that training and development has on performance of staff especially so for
firms in the service industry. I intend to carry out my study at Deloitte and Touche a company
that delivers services in four professional areas- audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services.
The study was conducted using survey design with primary data to be collected using questionnaires from respondent working at the companies' premises in Westland's Nairobi.
Secondary data was also collected from the companies past records.
The completed questionnaires were edited for completeness and consistency. The data was then
coded and checked for coding errors and omissions. It was then run through statistical package
for social sciences (SPSS).
Descriptivestatistics were used to analyze the data by way of percentages, proportions and mean
scores for all variables in the questionnaire.
From the findings, the researcher found out that there was a strong positive relationship between
training and development and performance of staff in organizations.


It has been reported that cannabis consumption affects the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), a structure with a central role in mediating the empathic response. In this study, we compared psychometric scores of empathy subscales, between a group of regular cannabis users (85, users) and a group of non‐consumers (51, controls). We found that users have a greater Emotional Comprehension, a cognitive empathy trait involving the understanding of the "other" emotional state. Resting state functional MRI in a smaller sample (users = 46, controls = 34) allowed to identify greater functional connectivity (FC) of the ACC with the left somatomotor cortex (SMC), in users when compared to controls. These differences were also evident within the empathy core network, where users showed greater within network FC. The greater FC showed by the users is associated with emotional representational areas and empathy‐related regions. In addition, the differences in psychometric scores suggest that users have more empathic comprehension. These findings suggest a potential association between cannabis use, a greater comprehension of the other's affective state and the functional brain organization of the users. However, further research is needed to explore such association, since many other factors may be at play.


Theranostics that integrates diagnosis and treatment modalities has attracted great attention due to its abilities of personalized therapy and real-time monitoring of therapeutic outcome. Such a theranostic paradigm requires agents to simultaneously possess the capabilities of targeting, imaging, and treatment. Activatable molecular agents (AMAs) are promising for cancer theranostics, as they show a higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), real-time detection of cancer-associated biomarkers, lower normal tissue toxicity, and a higher therapeutic effect. This perspective summarizes the recent advancements of AMAs, which include imaging-guided chemotherapy, imaging-guided photodynamic therapy, and imaging-guided photothermal therapy. The molecular design principles, theranostic mechanisms, and biomedical applications of AMAs are described, followed by a discussion of potential challenges of AMAs in cancer theranostics.


Research on the simulation and calculation of the temperature field of friction plate in brake is one of the main references for constructing a frictional material couple. The friction heat generates on the real contact area, so the distribution of the friction heat is asymmetry and localized. In this study, the effects of real contact area on the surface temperature were investigated. Then the mathematical model of the two-dimensional unsteady temperature field of local contact area is presented. The simulation of the model for Cu-based wet friction plate indicates that the local contact has an essential influence on the surface temperature and the maximal contact temperature; the mathematic model of local contact temperature field can be used to predict the critical sliding velocity and allowable rate of energy absorbed.


This essay addresses the problem of communication between Christianity and the secular world in an area where the latter tends to oppose the moral norms endorsed by the former. How, in the interest of missionary outreach (and with which understandings of what such outreach involves) can the language barriers be bridged? Whereas the Roman Catholic natural law tradition posits a neutral common ground of (traditional or hermeneutical) rationality between Christianity and the world, an Ebeling- and Barth-modified Lutheranism engages in an argument ad hominem by seizing upon an admitted deficiency within that world, and by recommending Christianity for mending that deficiency. Both positions differ from the Evangelical claim that since that which the world politically values is derived from Christianity, it must remain subject to Christianity's moral legislation. An entirely different approach to the communication- and outreach-problem is taken by Orthodox Christianity: The gulf which separates it from the world is acknowledged, and the possibility of trans-gulf-traffic is referred to God's grace. It is only this latter model, however, which preserves Christianity's theological terms (such as "Scripture", "law", and "holiness") from common-ground-securing, deficiency-mending, or authority-imposing secularizing, and thus from compromising that very theological context into which communicative outreach endeavors were to invite.


Crocker and Snow (1986) show that banning categorization based on risk-related characteristics such as gender or race in pricing insurance policies is inefficient whenever categorization is costless. Their analysis, by contrast, suggests ambiguous welfare effects of banningcostlycategorization. I show that this latter conclusion is incorrect: categorical pricing bans are inefficient even when categorization is costly. Whenever the ban-imposing government can instead provide breakeven partial social insurance, it can remove its ban in such a way that the insurance market will choose to employ the categorizing technology only when doing so is Pareto improving.


With increasing environmental concerns and the depletion of petroleum resources, the development of lubricant additives from bioresources has attracted much attention recently. In this review, we reported a few polymers and polymer composites that are synthesized from vegetable oils (soybean oil, sunflower oil, rice bran oil, and castor oil) and used as multifunctional additives in the formulation of eco-friendly lubricant compositions. We mentioned the preparation of vegetable oil-based homo- and copolymers and their characterization by different spectral techniques (FTIR/NMR). The average molecular weights of the polymers are determined by gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Performance evaluations of the polymeric materials mainly as a viscosity index improver (VII), pour point depressant (PPD), and most importantly antifriction additives when blended with lubricating base oils are indicated. Standard ASTM methods have been applied to evaluate their performances. The findings have shown that all the additives discussed are non-toxic, biodegradable, and showed excellent performances compared to commercial petroleum-based additives.


Simulations are conducted in time domain to investigate the dynamic response of a SPAR-type floating offshore wind turbine under the scenarios with freak wave. Towards this end, a coupled aero-hydro numerical model is developed. The methodology includes a blade-element-momentum model for aerodynamics, a nonlinear model for hydrodynamics, a nonlinear restoring model of SPAR buoy, and a nonlinear algorithm for mooring cables. The OC3 Hywind SPAR-type FOWT is chosen as an example to study the dynamic response under the freak conditions, while the time series of freak wave is generated by the Random Frequency Components Selection Phase Modulation Method. The motions of platform, the tensions in the mooring lines and the power generation performance are documented in different cases. According to the simulations, it shows that the power coefficient of wind turbine decreased rapidly at the moment when freak wave acted on the floating structure.


Addiction is a multifaceted condition with various entry and exit points throughout its course in an individual's life. In some adolescents, early onset can be followed by limited adolescent use or abuse and is more related to social risk factors especially in socialized adolescents. On the other hand, if the early onset use leads to addiction beyond adolescence, the chances are high there are interpersonal contributing factors and possibly a difficult or problematic adolescent stage. This paper discusses the various psychological factors influencing addictions during early years of life. The study is a mini review of past publications.


Abstract For the year 2019, almost 25,000 published references can be found in PubMed when entering the search term "cardiac surgery." We used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses approach for article selection and reviewed the main fields of adult cardiac surgery (i.e., coronary, valve, aortic, and heart failure surgery). The past decade has experienced an enormous development of interventional techniques that compete more and more with classic surgery. This contest was broadly visible in 2019. It peaked over the interpretation of the EXCEL trial data, where percutaneous coronary intervention and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) for left main disease were compared. A novel pathomechanism for CABG was proposed, potentially answering open questions in the field. In aortic valve surgery, two low-risk trials comparing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) to classic aortic valve replacement (surgical aortic valve replacement) received attention for showing equal or superior short-term outcomes for TAVI. Longer follow-up information from recent trials became available presenting results emphasizing the need for joint decision making. While publications addressing surgery on the aorta and the mitral and tricuspid valves were less abundant, there was substantial activity regarding left ventricular assist device support and heart transplantation. This article attempts to summarize the most pertinent publications. It does not expect to be complete and cannot be free of individual interpretation. We aimed to provide a condensed summary of 2019s publications with a stimulus for in-depth reading and a basis supporting patient information.


Abstract : This paper examines a variety of techniques for the remote sensing of ionospheric electron density from a satellite platform. Most of the current satellite techniques are limited to determining ionospheric characteristics along the satellite track or directly beneath the satellite. This study considers techniques by which a more general areal survey can be made so that the electron density in three dimensions can be determined. Existing techniques are reexamined for additional potential, and the feasibility of new techniques is considered. Topside sounders currently offer the best areal survey capability with the ISIS satellites. A spacecraft version of the 'Digisonde' sounder offers enhanced measurements. Laser radars or lidars have substantial potential for ionospheric measurements but not yet been developed for spacecraft use or for operation in the vacuum ultraviolet region of the spectrum where ionic species such as 0+ must be detected. It is anticipated that such developments are likely. Thomson scatter radars are useful in ground-based installations but would be cumbersome on a satellite. They are huge and require high power to operate effectively. Various Faraday and phase methods have been used over the years but yield only the column electron density and generally require a co-operating ground station. They are useful in conjunction with other measurements but probably not alone. Numerous optical or chemiluminescent methods are possible. They often use relatively simple equipment and, hence, would be easy to include with other detectors on a satellite system.


The MyotonPro® (Myoton AS, Tallinn, Estonia) is commonly used to quantify stiffness properties of living tissues in situ. Current studies quantify the dynamic stiffness properties of living tissues, but do not validate or compare these measurements to a standardized method. Additionally, living tissue, being dynamic in nature, presents much variability in data collection. To address these issues this study focuses on the repeatability and reproducibility of the MyotonPro® on polymeric gel-based tissue phantoms. In addition, a correlation study is also performed to translate dynamic stiffness to a more standardized property, Young's modulus. Such studies help to confirm the reliability of the measurements obtained in situ.Copyright © 2013 by ASME


Recent research shows a continued interest by scholars in understanding the extent that firms develop and deploy marketing capability in an effort to enhance their market- and financial-based performance. In conjunction with the marketing literature, relational governance scholars suggest that social networks can provide access resources and knowledge required to perform business activities which assist in achieving performance objectives. Yet, the literature is almost silent about the extent that social networks assist market-oriented firms in their efforts to develop superior marketing capability to enhance performance. The findings from a survey of 160 firms in an emerging Middle Eastern economy show that market-oriented firms are better at developing and deploying marketing capability when the levels of business, political, and academic ties are high.


Abstract. It has been widely believed that Northeast (NE) Siberia remained ice-free during most Pleistocene Northern Hemisphere (NH) glaciations, while ice sheets extended gradually across North America and Northwest (NW) Eurasia. However, recent fieldwork has provided robust evidence of ice sheets occupying the shallow continental shelf of the East Siberian Sea during several Pleistocene glaciations. The debate surrounding the existence and history of this enigmatic NE Siberian ice sheet highlights fundamental gaps in our current understanding of the mechanisms of glacial climate evolution. Here, we combine climate and ice sheet simulations to demonstrate how ice-vegetation-atmosphere-ocean dynamics can lead to two ice sheet configurations: the well-known Laurentide-Eurasian configuration with large ice sheets over North America and NW Eurasia, and a circum-Arctic configuration with large ice sheets over NE Siberia and the Canadian Rockies. Compared to the Laurentide-Eurasian configuration, formation of the circum-Arctic configuration can occur with an atmospheric stationary wave pattern similar to today's. Once the circum-Arctic configuration is established, it amplifies atmospheric stationary waves, leading to surface warming in the North Pacific, ablation of the NE Siberian ice sheet, and ultimately a swing to the Laurentide-Eurasian configuration. Our simulations highlight the complexity of glacial climates, and may hint towards potential mechanisms for interglacial-glacial transitions.


This paper explores the complex economic conditions that Nicaragua faces at the end of 1988. It focuses, in particular, on the policy dilemmas that the Nicaraguan government confronts as domes tic economic conditions continue to deteriorate, as the prospects of continued war drag on, and as public opinion begins to associate economic problems more closely with the government and less closely with the war. The paper presents a summary of overall Nicaraguan economic performance since 1979, places it in the context of the broader Latin American economic crisis over the same period, and analyzes some of the principal characteristics of the economic model that has evolved under the Sandinista Front. Special attention is paid to the dramatic economic policy changes implemented in February and June 1988 and to the changing external assistance levels received by Nicaragua, especially the rapid increase and then decline in Soviet economic assistance. Two alternative scenarios for future economic policy are then explored, one under the assumption of continued war and economic isolation, the other under an assumption of a definitive cease fire in the war and economic reactivation with international assistance. Nicaragua: Tbe Economic Dilemmas oí Peace and Democracy in 19881 by Michael E. Conroy Department of Economics and Institute of Latin American Studies The University of Texas at Austin


I examined the seed dispersal ecology of the stem parasitic plant, desert mistletoe (Phoradendron californicum, Viscaceae), with the objectives of (1) determining the relative effectiveness of specialist and generalist foragers for seed dispersal, (2) determining the extent to which desert mistletoe fruiting characteristics correspond to those predicted for plants attracting specialist versus generalist foragers, and (3) examining the potential consequences of the observed dispersal strategy for mistletoe reproduction. Three species of birds, phainopepla, Gila woodpecker, and northern mockingbird, fed on desert mistletoe at my study site. The specialist, phainopepla, was the most abundant and the most likely to perch in host species, where defecated seeds had a greater probability of lodging in a site suitable for establishment. Gila woodpeckers, although abundant, spent little time in host plants, thus dooming most of the seeds they consumed. Mockingbirds may disperse a small number of seeds, but were abundant enough to consume only a small portion of the available fruits. As expected for plants attracting specialist frugivores, mistletoes produced fruits throughout the 6-month season in which phainopeplas reside in the Sonoran desert. Contrary to expectation, numbers of fruits produced far exceeded the amount that could be consumed by the frugivores at my study site. Fruit crop size was positively related to absolute fruit removal, but not to proportional removal at the scale of the entire study site. However, crop size was positively related to proportional removal within the neighborhood of mistletoes occupying an individual host tree. Frugivores were attracted to infected hosts; host attractiveness increased, although proportional removal of fruit declined, with number of female mistletoes. The observed dispersal ecology of desert mistletoe suggests the likelihood of increasingly clumped distributions of mistletoe plants, as more and more seeds are deposited on previously infected hosts, and increased density of mistletoes attract ever more visits by birds. I observed no decline in vigor, in terms of fruit production, within the levels of infestation at my study site. The seed dispersal strategy of desert mistletoe thus includes aspects of that expected both for plants dependent on specialists and those dependent on generalists. Fruits are available through the entire season to maintain the specialist. Production far exceeds that expected, but serves to attract the specialist within a neighborhood of vigorously fruiting conspecifics.


In 1997, the National Institute of Standards and Technology initiated a process to select a symmetric-key encryption algorithm to be used to protect sensitive federal information. In 1998 was announced the acceptance of fifteen candidate algorithms, and in 1999 six of them were selected. One of them is the RC6 cipher-block. In this paper we present a hardware implementation of this version of RC6 algorithm using VHDL (VHSIC Hardware Description Language). For this implementation we use Xilinx Foundation Series 1.5i software and VIRTEX XCV1000 board family. We chose this board for its characteristics: more than one million equivalent gates and 512 input/output buffers.


This study attempts to investigates the role of motivation on academic staffs of private school in Nepal. To analyze the staff motivation, a descriptive cum exploratory research design along with structured questionnaire has been administered for data collection. Out of total 291 private school in Lalitpur metropolitan city 20 schools were selected for this study, purposive sampling method is used as per the convenient of the researchers. The result of the study clearly depict that  the role of school management towards staff motivation for effective performance is found to be inferior in practice. Therefore, the study concludes that, to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 during and after the crisis, the ground reality of staff's motivation must be taken into consideration. The present research recommended that there is a substantial room for motivation in private school, Nepal because role on motivation in school is far from satisfactory. Thus to improve the situation congenial climate should be provided and encouragement should be taken.


The article analyses the results of 90 operations for removal of remaining parts of a lung after the type of pneumonectomy. Three groups of patients are set apart for whom the operation is indicated: with various postoperative complications (14), recurrent tumors in the resected lung (41), and recurrent chronic suppurative process in the lungs (35). Despite the successes of thoracic surgery, such operations are still difficult technically, traumatic, and associated with a high risk of serious complications (53.3%) and mortality (26.7%). However, the second operation produces satisfactory results if it is undertaken in time and according to indications. Among oncological patients a 3-year survival was 28.8% and a 5-year survival 17.3%. In chronic suppurative processes the results were good and satisfactory in 96.3% of followed-up patients.


As the number and diversity of electronic commerce participants grows, the complexity of purchasing from a vast and dynamic array of goods and services needs to be hidden from the end user. Putting the complexity into the commerce system instead means providing flexible middleware for enabling commerce within different commercial communities.

In this paper, we present one such commerce middleware component-an Auction Manager designed to simplify and automate both the creation of new markets and the matching of users to existing markets. The Auction Manager determines which markets are appropriate for a given buyer or seller using market-specific inference rules applied to the current market offerings. We also show how these same inference rules can be used by the Auction Manager to automatically compose and decompose market offerings to respond to changing conditions within the marketplace. Finally, we describe how the Auction Manager provides a focal point for expressing policy decisions such as how much to charge for starting and running auctions, as well as who and when to charge.


Urban traffic flow forecasting is essential to proactive traffic control and management. Most existing forecasting methods depend on proper and reliable input features, for example, weather conditions and spatiotemporal lagged variables of traffic flow. However, the feature selection process is often done manually without comprehensive evaluation and leads to inaccurate results. For that challenge, this paper presents an approach combining the bias-corrected random forests algorithm with a data-driven feature selection strategy for short-term urban traffic flow forecasting. First, several input features were extracted from traffic flow time series data. Then the importance of these features was quantified with the permutation importance measure. Next, a data-driven feature selection strategy was introduced to identify the most important features. Finally, the forecasting model was built on the bias-corrected random forests algorithm and the selected features. The proposed approach was validated with data collected from three types of urban roads (expressway, major arterial, and minor arterial) in Kunshan City, China. The proposed approach was also compared with 10 existing approaches to verify its effectiveness. The results of the validation and comparison show that even without further model tuning, the proposed approach achieves the lowest average mean absolute error and root mean square error on six stations while it achieves the second-best average performance in mean absolute percentage error. Meanwhile, the training efficiency is improved compared with the original random forests method owing to the use of the feature selection strategy.


The six metaphors analyzed in this paper unfold stepwise into an interdisciplinary systems framework based on planning horizons. The notion of planning horizons serves as an ordinal measure of rationality and organization, in a social systemic context of ecological interdependence. Each metaphor opens into the next to extend our understanding. The neighborhood store is where almost all neoclassical choices are made, with visible options spread on shelves and a budget allocated among them, maximizing its worth. The chessboard demands strategic contingency planning in an evolving context of incompletely projectable outcomes. A transportation network combines substitutes and complements into a static complex system, intertwined and non-decomposable, leaving economists with a problem of institutional choice. Love is a complementary good-virtually costless to produce and distribute, always in demand-that should be abundant, though it is scarce. The educational system brings inter-horizonal complementarities into our field of view, where contagion effects of longer horizons enhance complementarity at the expense of substitution, shifting the mix of interdependence away from conflicts to concerts of interest. Human ecology is a dynamic complex system of interactive phenomena opening into time, evolving constantly in its structure, relationships and diversity and demanding ethics in our relations. These six metaphors raise some pressing questions on the invisible limits of models standing on substitution applied where they have no place. Symptoms of failure reveal themselves in myopia, ecological loss and the rise of violence in society. Economic implications of these metaphors are reviewed to illustrate the basis for an interdisciplinary approach to social scientific constructions.


Many prostitution cases are very interesting fact to concern, especially causal factors of prostitution and all its implication. In general, much prostitution was committed by adult women. However, the fact today shows that prostitution happens more on children less than 18 years old. Whereas, based on sexual maturity they are not yet adult, a child less than 18 years old has unstable feeling or emotion condition.
The research is descriptive qualitative one that purpose to understand phenomenon on what research subject experienced using description in word and language. The research subject was one who now conducting prostitution and less than 18 years old. The number were 3 people with initial Nn, Rn, and Ad. The data collection used semi-structural interview followed by observation when interviewing conducted. Validity test used Triangulation technique of research source The research showed that background factors of prostitution in young child was Family Factor, namely in harmony of family, less conducive family environment, less emotional relationship between children and parents as well as authoritative nurture pattern and let the three subjects become immature, sensitive, and influence personal. Environmental Factor was friends who priory existed in prostitution, modeling mother who also work as commercial sex worker, and permisif environment and Young Sexual Experience, whether as result of rapping or love reason (from best friend). The psychological effect of prostitution on children happened on subject Rn and Ad that is Cognitive Aspect, such as panic, lost of concentration, and feeling of not being deserved in relation. The second one, Affective Aspect was feeling of afraid, sad, shame, disappointed, meaningless and sin. Finally, Conactive Aspect was behavior of pull oneself from social relation of non-prostitute environment, closed, crying, and mostly suspicious on other. For subject Nn, the effect was social effect such as lazy to work other that commercial sex working and pull away from non prostitute environment and morality effect.


Precursor silica nanoparticles can evolve to silicalite-1 crystals under hydrothermal conditions in the presence of tetrapropylammonium (TPA) cations. It has been proposed that in relatively dilute sols of silica, TPA, water, and ethanol, silicalite-1 growth is preceded by precursor nanoparticle evolution and then occurs by oriented aggregation. Here, we present a study of silicalite-1 crystallization in more concentrated mixtures and propose that growth follows a path similar to that taken in the dilute system. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM), and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) were used to measure nanoparticle size and to monitor zeolite nucleation and early-stage crystal development. The precursor silica nanoparticles, present in the clear sols prior to crystal formation, were characterized using two SAXS instruments, and the influence of interparticle interactions is discussed. In addition, SAXS was used to detect the onset of secondary particle formation, and HRTEM was used to characterize their structure and morphology. Cryo-TEM allowed for in situ visual observation of the nanoparticle population. Combined results are consistent with growth by aggregation of silica nanoparticles and of the larger secondary crystallites. Finally, a unique intergrowth structure that was formed during the more advanced growth stages is reported, lending additional support for the proposal of aggregative growth.


Gambino and Garner proved that the syntactic category of a dependent type theory with identity types can be endowed with a weak factorization system structure, called identity type weak factorization system. In this paper we consider an enrichment of Joyal's notion of tribe which allow us to prove a purely category-theoretic version of the identity type weak factorization system, thus generalizing Gambino and Garner's result. We investigate then how it relates with other well-known weak factorization systems, namely those arising from Quillen model structures on the category of topological spaces and on the category of small groupoids.


In this article perspectives regarding the development and transformation of pastoral care from being only the responsibility of individual ordained professionals towards a model of care for and by the community and its members, are described. In this development the emphasis is placed on pastoral care as a public theological endeavour with a strong strategic component resonating with the character of practical theology. A specific case study derived from the postgraduate program in pastoral therapy in the Department of Practical Theology, Faculty of Theology, University of the Free State, is portrayed. A lecturer and two former students reflect on certain developments in the program using a model of narrative research and reflection. In this description developing and possible alternative perspectives are sketched for possible future developments in the teaching and providing of pastoral therapy


Interactive decision aids (IDAs) typically use concrete product feature-based approaches to interact with consumers. Recently however, interaction designs that focus on communicating abstract consumer needs have been suggested as a promising alternative. This article investigates how temporal distance moderates the effectiveness of these two competing IDA communication designs by its effect on consumers' mental representation of the product decision problem. Temporal distance is inherently connected to IDAs in two ways. Congruency between consumption timing (immediate vs. distant) and IDA communication design (concrete vs. abstract, respectively) increases the likelihood to accept the IDA's advice. This effect is also achieved by congruency between IDA process timing (immediate vs. delayed delivery of recommendations) and IDA communication design (concrete vs. abstract, respectively). We further show that this process is mediated by the perceived transparency of the IDA process. Managers and researchers need to take into account the importance of congruency between the user and the interface through which companies interact with their users and can further optimize IDAs so that they better match consumers' mental representations.


In this study, we aimed to investigate the types of seizures and epilepsy associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We searched the medical records at a tertiary referral center to identify a cohort of epilepsy patients with SLE who were treated between January 2000 and August 2011. We analyzed the clinical and immunologic profiles of these patients, their seizure and epilepsy classifications, electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) assessments, and the treatment administered for epilepsy and SLE. As the result, 17 patients with SLE and epilepsy were identified. Seven patients had mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE), eight had epilepsy secondary to stroke, and two had generalized epilepsy. Of the seven patients with MTLE, anteriotemporal spikes were noted in all patients with EEG, and MRI findings suggesting hippocampal sclerosis were noted in four patients. Clobazam and levetiracetam were effective in treating three patients, and one patient underwent amygdalohippocampectomy. In conclusion, MTLE may be a characteristic manifestation of neuropsychiatric syndrome of systemic lupus erythematosus.


Slepian (1960) introduced a structure theory for linear, binary codes and proved that every such code was uniquely the sum of indecomposable codes. He had hoped to produce a canonical form for the generator matrix of an indecomposable code so that he might read off the properties of the code from such a matrix, but such a program proved impossible. We here work over an arbitrary field and define a restricted class of indecomposable codes-which we call critical. For these codes there is a quasicanonical form for the generator matrix. Every indecomposable code has a generator matrix that is obtained from the generator matrix of a critical, indecomposable code by augmentation. As an application of the this quasicanonical form we illuminate the perfect linear codes, giving, for example, a "canonical" form for the generator matrix of the ternary Golay (1949) code.


OBJECTIVE
The effect of adolescent marijuana use on brain development remains unclear despite relaxing legal restrictions, decreased perceived harm, and increasing use rates among youth. The aim of this 3-year prospective study was to evaluate the long-term neurocognitive effects of adolescent marijuana use.

METHOD
Adolescent marijuana users with concomitant alcohol use (MJ + ALC, n = 49) and control teens with limited substance use histories (CON, n = 59) were given neuropsychological and substance use assessments at project baseline, when they were ages 16-19. They were then reassessed 18 and 36 months later. Changes in neuropsychological measures were evaluated with repeated measures analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), controlling for lifetime alcohol use, and examined the effects of group, time, and group by time interactions on cognitive functioning.

RESULTS
MJ + ALC users performed significantly worse than controls, across time points, in the domains of complex attention, memory, processing speed, and visuospatial functioning (ps <.05). Earlier age of marijuana use onset was associated with poorer processing speed and executive functioning by the 3-year follow-up (ps ≤.02).

CONCLUSIONS
Frequent marijuana use throughout adolescence and into young adulthood appeared linked to worsened cognitive performance. Earlier age of onset appears to be associated with poorer neurocognitive outcomes that emerge by young adulthood, providing further support for the notion that the brain may be uniquely sensitive to frequent marijuana exposure during the adolescent phase of neurodevelopment. Continued follow-up of adolescent marijuana users will determine the extent of neural recovery that may occur if use abates.


Introduction Tendon has a very slow self-healing capacity after injury 1 and tendon-derived stem cells (TDSCs) can be used in tendon regeneration and tendon wound healing.2 In in-vivo situation and during inflammation, tendon could be subjected to oxidative stress. Studies show that oxidative stress can cause apoptosis in tendon fibroblast and contribute to tendon degeneration.3 Also, oxidative stress can cause senescence in mesenchymal stem cells.4 However, the effects of oxidative stress on tendon-derived stem cells are still unknown. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of oxidative stress (hydrogen peroxide) on proliferation and differentiation of TDSCs. Methods Proliferation Assays TDSCs were cultured in expansion medium with 0, 0.1 and 0.5 mM hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) with a density of 100 cells/ cm.2 The total number of cells in each well was counted by haemocytometer every two days. Tenogenic differentiation in oxidative environment TDSCs were cultured in expansion medium until confluence and then the medium changed to tenogenic medium (expansion medium plus 25ng/ml cTGF and 25 mM Ascorbic acid) to induce tenogenic differentiation for 14 days with or without the presence of H2O2 (0.1 or 0.5 mM). TDSCs cultured in expansion medium served as a control. Four tenogenic markers, Tenomodulin (Tnmd), Elastin (Eln), Scleraxis (Scx) and Collagen type one (Col1a1) were examined by real time PCR Alizarin red S staining To test if oxidative stress will drive TDSCs towards osteogenic differentiation in tenogenic niche. 2% Alizarin Red S solution was used to indicate the formation of calcium nodules in TDSCs cultured 21 days in tenogenic medium. Results and discussion The proliferation rate of TDSCs is significantly lower in 0.5 mM H2O2 treatment while the difference is not statistically significant in 0.1 mM treatment compared with 0 mM group (Figure 1). Abstract 111 Figure 1 Graph for the proliferation rate of TDSCs *p < 0.05, n = 4. Tenogenic differentiation The expression for Tnmd and Eln is significantly decreased (Figure 2) while no significant difference for the expression of Col1a1 and Scx (Data not shown). This implies that high oxidative stress may have adverse effect on TDSC differentiation. Abstract 111 Figure 2 (A) Tnmd expression. (B) Eln expression *p < 0.05, n = 6. Alizarin Red S Staining Small amount of Calcium nodules formed in all the four groups and the absorbance for 0.5 mM H2O2 treatment group is statistically significant compared with 0 mM H2O2 group (data not shown). This implies that oxidative stress may drive TDSCs towards osteogenesis. Acknowledgement This research was made possible by resources donated by Lui Che Woo Foundation Limited. References 1 Brandl et al. J Exp Cell Res 2011;317:1541–1547 2 Ni et al. J Biomaterials 2013;(34):2024–2037 3 Sharama et al. J Musculoskelet Neuronal Interact 2006;6(2):181–190 4 Yuan et al. BBA 2003;1641:35–41


Monopole antennas are quite attractive to mobile and portable radio system designers primarily because of the inherent 2:1 size reduction over equivalent dipole designs. Further size reduction and bandwidth enhancement can be provided by any of several techniques. However, proper monopole operation requires an effective counterpoise or ground plane, hence the name ground plane antenna. Monopoles are generally used on vehicles or other electrically-large platforms which can serve as effectively infinite ground planes. Monopoles are sometimes used with handheld radios or other devices of moderate to small electrical size. In such applications the case of the radio itself (and to some extent the user) serves as the counterpoise. We present an alternative to the sleeve-type choke: the "folded" ground plane which provides a reduced-size ground plane with a highly effective choking action. This ground plane is adapted to a unique, broadband low-profile monopole which covers the frequency range of 1800-2500 MHz continuously. This allows utilization of the PCS bands, the 2450 MHz ISM band and the military 1750-1850 MHz band.


In this paper, we explore the incidence of unplanned pregnancies; contraceptive usage; and contributing factors associated with unplanned pregnancies in the Ahafo Ano South District, Ghana. Using a well-structured questionnaire, random sample of 472 expectant mothers who accessed maternity service at healthcare points in the district were interviewed. The data obtained was analyzed using descriptive statistics and multinomial regression. Results indicate that, every 28 out of 59 pregnancies in the district were somehow unplanned; 71.2% of expectant mothers were not using contraceptives, whereas 21.4% and 7.4% uses modern and traditional contraceptives respectively. Age, marital status, abode, educational status, profession, gravity and parity were significant predictive factors of unplanned pregnancy in the district. Again, the study recorded high incidence of teenage pregnancies. In pursuance to these, we recommend the Reproductive and Child Health Unit to intensify education on effective use of modern contraceptives in preventing unplanned pregnancies and its associated risks.


This study evaluates rail transit benefits based on a comprehensive analysis of transportation system performance in major U.S. cities. It finds that cities with large, wellestablished rail systems have significantly higher per capita transit ridership, lower average per capita vehicle ownership and annual mileage, less traffic congestion, lower traffic death rates, lower consumer expenditures on transportation, and higher transit service cost recovery than otherwise comparable cities with less or no rail transit service. This indicates that rail transit systems provide economic, social and environmental benefits, and these benefits tend to increase as a system expands and matures. This report discusses best practices for evaluating transit benefits. It examines criticisms of rail transit investments, finding that many are based on inaccurate analysis. A condensed version of this report was published as, "Impacts of Rail Transit on the Performance of a Transportation System," Transportation Research Record 1930, Transportation Research Board (www.trb.org), 2005, pp. 23-29. Rail Transit In America: Comprehensive Evaluation of Benefits Victoria Transport Policy Institute 1


Exoskeleton suit is a kind of human-machine robot, which combines the human's intelligence with the power of mechanism. NES-3 is a pure motor actuated power assist exoskeleton suit. A special mechanical design using backstay cable for transmission system is proposed in the paper. The design can depart the motor from its control object which make the leg of NES-3 is very light and reduces the power cosumption of the operator. An extend gas spring is used in the hip joint to conquer the rotation torque of the load. A compress gas spring is used in the knee joint which can make the knee joint bend naturally. The two gas springs also can save the operator's power cosumption. Detailed mechanical design is showed in the paper and achieves its design objecttive.


Monitoring credit risks in an effective way is crucial, and Swedish banks can to a great extentuse their own models and terms in the evaluation process of an individual's creditworthiness.There is however a lack of transparency in decision-making process of mortgage loans.Besides the quantifiable factors, uncertainties such as future and external events need to beconsidered. Due to the difficulty of quantifying the uncertainty aspects, hiring risk-averseindividuals becomes important. The aim of this paper is to investigate the risk and uncertaintyaspect around the mortgage loan process in a Swedish bank, more specifically the privateadvisors' decision-making involving their own subjective judgments in combination with theobjectivity of the mechanical evaluation systems. By using previous literature on the field ofrisk and decision-making, in combination with qualitative interviews from a case study ofeight private advisors, this paper aims to map out the mechanisms that drive decision-makingunder risk and uncertainty. From the empirical findings it was evident that heuristics andintuition played important parts in the advisors' decision-making process, and that the relianceon technology varied between the advisors. The evaluation depended on the individualadvisor's judgment, the applicant, and the situation.


The core argument of this paper is the structure of the plaintiffs' bar in the U.S. and England has changed or is changing in very significant ways. In the U.S., the shift in interests reflects in significant part the development of massive litigation, epitomized by the ongoing litigation in the U.S. against the tobacco companies. In England, changes are being driven by the increasing role of conditional fees as a means of funding personal sector litigation. The result is that scholars need to begin looking anew at the conflicts and cleavages within what is commonly (in the U.S.) termed the "plaintiffs' bar." While much of the lay public sees the legal profession as a single group, members of the profession and scholars have long recognized the disparate backgrounds, interests, and politics of various segments of the legal community. While some aspects of these differences are highly visible in England due to the formal divisions between solicitors and barristers, this only begins to capture the lines of cleavage within the profession. In the United States, scholars have devoted substantial attention to stratification within the legal profession, along with the various segments represented by key dimensions of stratification. One segment of the profession that has generally been viewed as representing a common set of interests and perspectives is that group that specializes in representing injured persons. In the United States this group is commonly referred to as the "plaintiffs' bar"; nationally, its interests are represented by the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA). While this group has long been recognized as distinct in the U.S., it has only recently been so recognized in England where the rough equivalent of ATLA is the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL). After an introductory discussion, the core of this paper covers four interrelated themes: a discussion of traditional lines of cleavage and stratification within the legal profession; a review of research showing how those lines of cleavage have evolved over the last several decades; a discussion of how massive litigation in the U.S. has fractured the apparent unity of the plaintiffs' bar, including consideration of points of potential conflict; and a discussion of changes that have been occurring in the personal services sector of the solicitors' profession in England as a result of the adoption of conditional.


We have developed a permeabilized cell assay to study the nuclear export of the shuttling transcription factor NFAT, which contains a leucine-rich export signal. The assay uses HeLa cells that are stably transfected with NFAT fused to the green fluorescent protein (GFP). Nuclear export of GFP–NFAT in digitonin-permeabilized cells occurs in a temperature- and ATP-dependent manner and can be quantified by flow cytometry. In vitro NFAT export requires the GTPase Ran, which is released from cells during the digitonin permeabilization. At least one additional rate-limiting export factor is depleted from permeabilized cells by a preincubation at 30°C in the absence of cytosol. This activity can be provided by cytosolic or nucleoplasmic extracts in a subsequent export step. Using this assay, we have purified a second major export activity from cytosol. We found that it corresponds to CRM1, a protein recently reported to be a receptor for certain leucine-rich export sequences. CRM1 appears to be imported into the nucleus by a Ran-dependent mechanism that is distinct from conventional signaling pathways. Considered together, our studies directly demonstrate by fractionation and reconstitution that nuclear export of NFAT is mediated by multiple nucleocytoplasmic shuttling factors, including Ran and CRM1.


Nowadays global value chains play central role in trade flows. This paper further argues that global value chains can largely shape the outcomes of trade policies. More specifically, this study examines how domestic export promotion policies affect foreign countries' exports in the presence of global value chains. We argue that in addition to negative "competition for market share" effect proposed by strategic trade theory in the absence of trade in intermediates, there can be positive effects, which emerge due to backward and forward linkages inside global value chains via trade in intermediates. We build a framework which describes and summarizes these effects based on previous relevant studies separating them for final and intermediate goods' foreign exports depending on the type of good (final versus intermediate) targeted by domestic export incentive. We empirically test this framework for the BRICs bloc. In particular, we study how export incentives implemented in one BRIC country affect exports of the other three BRIC countries. Though our empirical evidence suggests that negative effects still prevail, we find rather strong evidence on positive effects as well. Positive effects are especially strong between China and India.


One applies process improvement to the software development process to increase efficiency and decrease defects. Process improvement is not a one-shot deal. Theoretically processes can be improved continuously, forever, but... The belief that continuous improvement can continue forever is analogous to the belief that by continuously improving an automobile's efficiency, eventually the day will come when the driver is forced to stop every so often to pour off excess spontaneously created gasoline. Here, the limits are the laws of thermodynamics. For the software development process the limits are the constraints of the software development organization. To improve a software process past a certain point, the organization that hosts the process's context will need to be improved, and then the context that hosts 'that' organization's process, and so on.Aha! A recursive pattern!The recognition of having a recursive problem raises deeper questions about the nature of process and process improvement, which, for this paper, will be addressed in the context of the development of large, complex, information intensive systems. Systems of this type are the ones most prone to failure and thus should benefit most from process improvement.


Background: Effective patient-provider communication (PPC) can improve clinical outcomes and therapeutic alliance. While PPC may have improved over time due to the implementation of various policies for patient-centered care, its nationwide trend remains unclear. Objective: The objective of this study was to examine trends in PPC quality among US adults and whether trends vary with race-ethnicity. Research Design: A repeated cross-sectional study. Participants: We examine noninstitutionalized civilian adults who made 1 or more health care visits in the last 12 months and self-completed the mail-back questionnaire in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 2002–2016. Measures: Outcomes include 4 top-box measures, each representing the odds of patients reporting that their providers always (vs. never, sometimes, usually) used a given communication behavior in the past 12 months regarding listening carefully, explaining things understandably, showing respect, and spending enough time. A linear mean composite score (the average of ordinal responses for the behaviors above) is also examined as an outcome. Exposures include time period and race-ethnicity. Results: Among 124,158 adults (181,864 observations), the quality of PPC increases monotonically between 2002 and 2016 for all outcomes. Between the first and last periods, the odds of high-quality PPC increase by 37% [95% confidence interval (CI)=32%–43%] for listen, 25% (95% CI=20%–30%) for explain, 41% (95% CI=35%–47%) for respect, and 37% (95% CI=31%–43%) for time. The composite score increases by 3.24 (95% CI=2.87–3.60) points. While increasing trends are found among all racial groups, differences exist at each period. Asians report the lowest quality throughout the study period for all outcomes, while Blacks report the highest quality. Although racial differences narrow over time, most changes are not significant. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that providers are increasingly likely to use patient-centered communication strategies. While racial differences have narrowed, Asians report the lowest quality throughout the study period, warranting future research.