This article compares the South African trust and the waqf. The article will firstly involve a concise analysis of the theories on the possible predecessors of the use while providing a historical contextualisation of the use and the trust. Secondly, a comparison will be made between the South African trust on the one hand, and the waqf on the other hand, the latter being one of the theories advanced as a possible source of the use. This comparison, it is hoped, will pave the way for further comparative research regarding the waqf as a means of advancing the development of South African trust law.


This paper provides an overview of the historical and cultural factors that have contributed to divergent U.S. and European views on GMOs, and to resulting different national regulatory approaches for these products, specifically labelling policy. Within the context of the international trading system, these national policy choices will have impacts that will spill over national borders. Dialogue may be difficult to achieve, given widely divergent views concerning GMOs; however, without dialogue potential global social benefits of policy harmonization will be forfeited.


In this paper, we propose a Hough transform-based method to identify low-contrast defects in unevenly illuminated images, and especially focus on the inspection of mura defects in liquid crystal display (LCD) panels. The proposed method works on 1-D gray-level profiles in the horizontal and vertical directions of the surface image. A point distinctly deviated from the ideal line of a profile can be identified as a defect one. A 1-D gray-level profile in the unevenly illuminated image results in a nonstationary line signal. The most commonly used technique for straight line detection in a noisy image is Hough transform (HT). The standard HT requires a sufficient number of points lie exactly on the same straight line at a given parameter resolution so that the accumulator will show a distinct peak in the parameter space. It fails to detect a line in a nonstationary signal. In the proposed HT scheme, the points that contribute to the vote do not have to lie on a line. Instead, a distance tolerance to the line sought is first given. Any point with the distance to the line falls within the tolerance will be accumulated by taking the distance as the voting weight. A fast search procedure to tighten the possible ranges of line parameters is also proposed for mura detection in LCD images.


Multiplicative noise removal based on total variation (TV) regularization has been widely researched in image science. In this paper, inspired by the spatially adapted methods for denoising Gaussian noise, we develop a variational model, which combines the TV regularizer with local constraints. It is also related to a TV model with spatially adapted regularization parameters. The automated selection of the regularization parameters is based on the local statistical characteristics of some random variable. The corresponding subproblem can be efficiently solved by the augmented Lagrangian method. Numerical examples demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is able to preserve small image details, whereas the noise in the homogeneous regions is sufficiently removed. As a consequence, our method yields better denoised results than those of the current state-of-the-art methods with respect to the signal-to-noise-ratio values.


NSP1, a non-structural protein encoded by rotavirus gene segment 5, has been
suggested as a virulence determinant for rotavirus and to function as an antagonist of
the interferon signalling pathway. Although non-essential for rotavirus replication in
cell culture, and is the least conserved in all rotavirus proteins, NSP1 from different
rotavirus strains of different species has been demonstrated to interact with several
cellular proteins involved in the IFNβ induction pathway. NSP1 from a bovine
rotavirus strain (UKtc) has been shown to interact with and to degrade IRF3 in a
proteasome dependent manner whereas NSP1 from a porcine rotavirus strain (OSU)
fails to target IRF3 but is able to interfere with IFNβ production via similar targeting
of β-TrCP.
The research presented in this thesis sought to gain a better understanding of the
molecular determinants of NSP1 specificity for targeting the IFNβ pathway by
mapping the regions in NSP1 sequences responsible for targeting specific cellular
proteins.
NSP1 hybrid constructs with sequences from both UKtcNSP1 and OSUNSP1 were
generated and their interactions with both IRF3 and β-TrCP were tested in a series of
assays. The initial attempts to map interaction sites using the mammalian two-hybrid
assay were not successful. No reporter plasmid signal was generated indicating the
expected interaction. The failure of this assay might be due to the insufficient
expression of the NSP1 proteins as subsequent modification of the expression vector
was shown to improve the expression level of NSP1 proteins in subsequent reporter
assay analysis.
Using IFNβ promoter reporter assays to demonstrate the functional consequence of
NSP1 action in IRF3, it was found that the constructs containing the entire Cterminal
part of UKtcNSP1 were able to reduce IRF3-induced IFNβ promoter
activity. Such constructs also caused IRF3 degradation in a proteasome dependent
manner in agreement with previous studies. However, the sequence containing the
last 135 amino acids from UKtcNSP1 was not sufficient for these activities.
Collectively, these data suggested that the sequence between amino acid position 165
and 135 from the C-terminus are required for this interaction and subsequent
degradation of IRF3.
Similar experiments focused on determining the interaction site for β-TrCP on NSP1
were more difficult to interpret according the data presented. Unexpectedly in the
light of published data, not only OSUNSP1 was able to degrade β-TrCP but
UKtcNSP1 appeared to have the similar effect, as well as two reciprocal pairs of
NSP1 hybrid constructs.
In summary, it appears that sequences from the C-terminal part of UKtcNSP1 can
function in a heterogeneous NSP1 context to target IRF3 from human cells. Further
analysis is clearly required to fulfil the understanding of the role of NSP1 in rotavirus
pathogenesis, including its interaction with β-TrCP.


Spatial interpolation is an important feature of a Geographic Information System, which is the procedure used to estimate values at unknown locations within the area covered by existing observations. In this paper, we describe a conservative spatial interpolation technique that incorporates the advantages of local interpolation, Euclidean interpolation, and conservative fuzzy reasoning, and a dynamic fuzzy–reasoning–based function estimator with parameters optimised by a genetic algorithm. The main objective of this paper is to formulate a computationally efficient spatial interpolation technique similar to the IDWA technique that can be used in real time application. The main feature of our spatial interpolation technique is a capability for spatial interpolation and extrapolation in a higher–dimensional space. Examples from a rainfall spatial interpolation problem are used to illustrate the applicability of the proposed technique.


Delirium following heart surgery with extra-corporeal circulation recently has been the subject of several studies that show a syndrome with variable diagnostic criteria and incidence which tend to confuse the entity. The diagnostic criteria proposed by the recent DSM-III of the American Psychiatric Association allow a better circumscription of the syndrome but exclude a group of patients manifesting visual hallucinations, sometimes paranoid features and cognitive functions that are less disturbed. Heller's and Kornfeld's less rigid criteria, on the other hand, have the disadvantage of including functional psychotic states that can arise after surgery without a true delirium with organic brain syndrome. We suggest the use of standard criteria that could include only delirium following cardiac surgery with E.C.C. and subdivision of the patients following the kind of surgery. In a retrospective study of the last four years at the Montreal Heart Institute, our clinical observations show an incidence of delirium after heart surgery with E.C.C. of 3%. a finding much lower than that reported in other centres which show an incidence between 13 and 67%. The more important factors found, were the kind of surgery (valve replacement more than coronary bypass), the age of the patients, and the degree of sickness after surgery during the stay in the intensive care unit. Those risk factors were also found in other recent studies. We describe the clinical syndrome and discuss its etiology in reviewing the more common risk factors before, during and after surgery. We underline the importance of the quality of the relationship with the patient before and after surgery in discussing prevention and treatment.


The development of a universal influenza vaccine is an ideal strategy to eliminate public health threats from influenza epidemics and pandemics. Influenza conserved structures are outstanding immunogens for such a vaccine. Layered protein nanoparticles composed of welldesigned conserved influenza structures have improved immunogenicity with new physical and biochemical features. We constructed and purified structure-stabilized influenza matrix protein 2 ectodomain (M2e) and M2e-neuraminidase fusion proteins (M2e-NAs). We produced doublelayered M2e-NA protein nanoparticles by chemical crosslinking M2e-NA onto M2e nanoparticle surfaces. Immunizations with these protein nanoparticles induced immune protection against influenza viruses with homologous and heterosubtypic NA in mice. Double-layered M2e-NA protein nanoparticles induced higher levels of humoral and cellular responses compared with their comprising protein mixture or M2e nanoparticles. In addition, the layered M2e-NA protein nanoparticle group demonstrated strong cytotoxic T cell responses. We also found that antibody responses contributed to heterosubtypic influenza viral immune protection. The protective immunity was long-lasting. To favorite rapid distribution and convenient administration of a universal influenza vaccine, we incorporated the FliC-adjuvanted M2e-NA nanoparticles into logistically simple microneedle patches (MNPs) for skin vaccination in mice. The nanoparticle MNPs significantly increased M2e and NA-specific antibody levels, the numbers of germinal center B cells, and IL-4 secreting splenocytes. MNPs incorporating the double-layered nanoparticles protected mice against homologous and heterosubtypic influenza viruses. Our results demonstrated that M2e-NA nanoparticles could be developed into a standalone or synergistic component of a universal influenza vaccine strategy. MNP skin vaccination can logistically simplify the vaccines for extensive distribution and administration. INDEX WORDS: Influenza NA protein nanoparticle, M2e, Universal influenza vaccine, Flagellin, Skin vaccination, Dissolvable microneedle patch Copyright by Ye Wang 2021 Double-Layered M2e-NA Nanoparticles Induce Broad Protection Against Different Influenza Viruses in Mice


The working capital scheme is a program which provides integrated capital to enhance management capacity through assistance and training to lift the potential of aquaculture of household and small medium scale industries, to increase product quality and quantity and farmers' welfare. The objectives of this study are (1) to identify the implementation of Mekar Jaya aquaculture as the working capital receivers, (2) to identify the realization of the working capital scheme, (3) to analyze the feasibility especially the benefit of Mekar Jaya aquaculture, and (4) to arrange the right strategy of the business development applied to aquaculture, both individual and group. The descriptive method was used to analyze and interpret the group profile, market prospective, and group finance related to fish woof. The qualitative analysis was used to describe the management, technical and production aspects as well as marketing. The quantitative analysis was used to study the feasibility of investment. As a receiver of the working capital scheme, Mekar Jaya aquaculture has implemented it well. The analysis of the feasibility of investment showed that the break-even point (BEP) of Mekar Jaya group was 423 kg of fish per month, or Rp 3.172.500, while the actual sale was 1.352 kg or Rp 10.140.000. This shows that the group has passed the BEP, and gained profit. The internal factor of 2.783, and the external matrix of 2.432 put the group performance in the Hold and Maintain position (quadrant V). Based on the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) matrix, some alternative strategies can be implemented by integrating internal and external environment, which are (1) managerial skills, (2) marketing, (3) partnership, and (4) finance.


Somatic coliphages were enumerated seasonally in addition to the traditional bacterial indicators total coliforms, faecal coliforms and faecal streptococci at different source points at Kaiet Bay wastewater treatment station in Alexandria. There was a highly significant correlation between counts of somatic coliphages, total coliforms and faecal coliforms but not faecal streptococci in all samples tested. Significant reduction in counts was shown in pipe outfall water samples; this is hypothesized to be due to dilution. Coliphages persisted in all seawater samples collected. Different hydrochemical parameters of the water samples were measured which showed variable correlation with coliphage counts. Biochemical oxygen demand, ammonium, total nitrogen, reactive phosphorus and total phosphorus showed highly significant direct correlation with somatic coliphages counts for all water source points in all seasons tested. Stepwise multiple regression analysis was performed to rank various parameters based on their effect on counts of somatic coliphages.


Several studies have shown that neurons with similar response properties are arranged together in domains across primary visual cortex (V1). An orderly pattern of domains has been described for preferences to ocular dominance, orientation, and spatial frequency. Temporal frequency preference, another important attribute of the visual scene, also might be expected to map into different domains. Using optical imaging and a variety of quantitative methods, we examined how temporal frequency selectivity is mapped in V1 of the prosimian primate, bush baby (Otolemur garnetti). We found that unlike other attribute maps, selectivity for different temporal frequencies is arranged uniformly across V1 with no evidence of local clustering. Global tuning for temporal frequency, based on magnitude of response, showed a good match to previous tuning curves for single neurons. A peak response was found around 2.0 Hz, with smaller attenuation at lower temporal frequencies than at higher frequencies. We also examined whether the peak temporal frequency response differed between anatomical compartments defined by cytochrome oxidase (CO). No significant differences in the preference for temporal frequency were found between these CO compartments. Our findings show that key sensory attributes that are linked in perception can be organized in quite distinct ways in V1 of primates.


This present study investigated the effects of pre-reading activities on the reading comprehension ability of Iranian pre-intermediate level EFL learners. To this end, 40 female EFL learners with the age of 14 to 18 who were studying at Soroush English Institute in Rasht, Iran were selected from a larger population based on their performance on a Quick Placement Test. Then the participants were randomly assigned to one experimental and one control group. A pretest piloted before with the reliability index of .86 was administered to both groups. Next, the experimental group received 10 sessions treatment that was vocabulary pre-teaching. Meanwhile, the control group received its usual classroom teaching. Then, a posttest with the reliability index of .88 was administered to both groups. The result of this study revealed that experimental group who received the new treatment achieved higher proficiency in reading comprehension than the control group. Therefore, the result of this study confirmed that pre-reading activities and vocabulary pre-teaching can statistically improve the participants' reading comprehension ability.


The overall of my thesis is overview about the Opex and Capex, or also known as operating expenditure and capital expenditure. Opex and capex is the system that are applied to the most of the companies nowadays as to measure the flow of funds in the company. This is to ensure the funds that have been allocated will be fully utilized. In my thesis, the readers will be exposed to the trending of Opex and Capex itself according to the different financial year. The several ideas about the definition of Opex and Capex from the expert also were obtained from this study whose among of them have the different brilliant ideas towards this study. The ideas might give the whole new perception to the readers as it can add up the general ideas about operating and capital expenditure besides make them familiar with this study. Besides, in my thesis also will reveal the problem that always occurred in the Opex and Capex itself. The several ideas on finding the resolution on Opex and Capex were also included as it make ease to the readers in order to make them understand provided with the real scenario of Opex and Capex that happen in the company. The recommendation and conclusion will be provided in the last chapter as to conclude the overall study. The recommendation also will be given towards this study as it may add up the knowledge of the readers and also give the new dimension to embark on the problem and find the solution. This study might benefit to the readers who are undergoing in finding the resolution within their company.


The development of Hybrid Optical Devices, using some flexible optically transparent substrate material and organic semiconductor materials, has been widely utilized by the organic electronic industry, when manufacturing new technological products. The Hybrid Optical Device is constituted by the union of the electrochromic device and the organic solar cell. The flexible organic photovoltaic solar cells, in this hybrid optical device, have been the Poly base (3-hexyl thiophene), P3HT, Phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester, PCBM and Polyaniline, PANI, all being deposited in Indium Tin Oxide, ITO. In addition, the thin film, obtained by the deposition of PANI, and prepared in perchloric acid solution, has been identified through PANI-X1. In the flexible electrochromic device, the Poly base (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), PEDOT, has been prepared in Propylene Carbonate, PC, being deposited in Indium Tin Oxide, ITO. Also, both devices have been united by an electrolyte solution prepared with Vanadium Pentoxide, V2O5, Lithium Perchlorate, LiClO4, and Polymethylmethacrylate, PMMA. This device has been characterized through Electrical Measurements, such as UV-Vis Spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Thus, the result obtained through electrical measurements has demonstrated that the flexible organic photovoltaic solar cell presented the characteristic curve of standard solar cell after spin-coating and electrodeposition. Accordingly, the results obtained with optical and electrical characterization have revealed that the electrochromic device demonstrated some change in optical absorption, when subjected to some voltage difference. Moreover, the inclusion of the V2O5/PANIX1 layer reduced the effects of degradation that this hybrid organic device caused, that is, solar irradiation. Studies on Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) have found out that the surface of V2O5/PANI-X1 layers can be strongly conditioned by the surface morphology of the dielectric.


The Kell blood group system is polymorphic, and 23 antigens have been defined to date. The Kell antigens are located on a single red cell transmembrane glycoprotein, encoded by the 19 exons of the KEL gene. The different Kell phenotypes result from point mutations leading to amino acid changes in the Kell glycoprotein. An unusual phenotype, which is defined as the complete lack of all of the Kell antigens, has been identified and designated as the Kell-null or Ko phenotype. The coding region of the KEL gene of the Ko individual showed a normalKEL2/KEL4/KEL7 gene sequence; nevertheless, a G to C mutation at the splice donor site (5′ splice site) of intron 3 was found to be present as a homozygote in the individual. The mutation destroys the conserved GT sequence of the splice donor site. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis showed the absence of the completeKEL mRNA. Instead, a major transcript with the exon 3 region skipped was found. The exon 3 of the KEL gene encodes the transmembrane domain of the Kell glycoprotein, and a transcript without exon 3 is predicted to have a premature stop codon that abolishes the translation of C-terminal segment. The segment contains all of the known positions responsible for characterizing different Kell antigens, and this explains the lack of all Kell antigens in Ko red cells.


Postprandial hepatic glycogenesis in the adult animal is now felt to proceed largely through gluconeogenic pathways rather than directly from glucose. The ovine fetus, like the mature sheep, lacks specific hepatic glucokinase. Therefore, we examined the role of lactate as a fetal glycogenic precursor in seven chronically catheterized 125-day sheep fetuses. Fetuses were infused with L-[U-14C]lactate and D-[3-3H]glucose (50 microCi load, 50 microCi/h for 5 h), while maternal glucose was maintained at 50 mg/dl. Mean fetal hepatic glycogen specific activity (microCi/mg x 10(3] was 0.82 +/- 0.08 for 14C and 2.6 +/- 0.4 for 3H, whereas fetal renal glycogen specific activity was 0.46 +/- 0.22 for 14C and 0.78 +/- 0.16 for 3H. In contrast, [14C]glucose specific activity was undetectable in blood (limit of detectability 1 microCi/mg x 10(3] and mean [3H]glucose specific activity was 8.9 +/- 1.3 microCi/mg x 10(3]. The least detectable specific activity of [14C]glucose did not differ significantly from the [14C]glycogen enrichment in liver, whereas [3H]glucose specific activity was significantly (P less than 0.02) greater than [3H]glycogen enrichment. We conclude that glycogenesis from glucose is partly through the indirect gluconeogenic route and that lactate may be a glycogenic precursor in the ovine fetus.


Improving the portability of diagnostic medicine is crucial to alleviating global access-to-care deficiencies. This requires not only designing devices that are small and lightweight but also autonomous and independent of electricity. Here, we present a strategy for conducting automated multi-step diagnostic assays using chemically generated, passively regulated heat. Ligation and polymerization reagents for Rolling Circle Amplification of nucleic acids are separated by melt-able phase-change partitions, thus replacing precise manual reagent additions with automated partition melting. To actuate these barriers and individually initiate the various steps of the reaction, field ration heaters exothermically generate heat in a thermos while fatty acids embedded in a carbonaceous matrix passively buffer the temperature around their melting points. Achieving multi-stage temperature profiles extends the capability of instrument-free diagnostic devices and improves the portability of reaction automation systems built around phase-change partitions.


Dr. S. Jimmy Gandhi is an assistant professor at California State University, Northridge. His research interests and the courses he teaches includes Quality Management, Lean Manufacturing, Innovation & Entrepreneurship,Sustainability as well as research in the field of Engineering Education. He has over 30 conference and journal publications and has brought in over $500K in research grants to The California State University, Northridge.


Seroprevalence studies on measles, mumps, and rubella immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies after the implementation of the measles‐mumps‐rubella (MMR) vaccine are lacking in Kuwait. This study is an age‐stratified serological study to assess the herd immunity to measles, mumps, and rubella among the young Kuwaiti population to evaluate the effectiveness of the MMR vaccine. IgG antibody titers to mumps, measles, and rubella were determined with commercial immune‐assay in serum samples of 1000 Kuwaitis aged 5 to 20 years. The highest level of seropositivity was to measles (94.6%), which was significantly higher in females than in males. The highest seronegativity was for mumps (29%). The percentage of the young Kuwaiti population who were serologically positive for all the components of the MMR vaccine was 47%, and 2% of the individuals were without any protective antibodies to measles, mumps, and rubella. Females aged 5 to 10 years were best protected to rubella; however, seronegativity in 8.2% of 11‐ to 20‐year‐old females makes them vulnerable to rubella virus infection and congenital complications during pregnancy. The study provided insight into the effect of the MMR vaccine on seroprevalence of antibodies against measles, mumps, and rubella in Kuwait, which will contribute to the global knowledge base of vaccine coverage and help to inform elimination strategies. The findings strengthen the need for a third dose of MMR vaccine and catch‐up campaigns for the young Kuwaiti population to increase vaccination coverage and prevent waning immunity, especially among those who received only one dose of the vaccine during childhood.


"The Concise Encyclopedia of the History of Energy" draws together in a single volume a comprehensive account of the field from the prestigious and award-winning "Encyclopedia of Energy" (2004). This volume covers all aspects of energy history with authoritative articles authoritatively contributed and edited by an interdisciplinary team of experts. Extensively revised since the original publication of the "Encylopedia of Energy", this work describes the most interesting historical developments of the past five years in the energy sector. It is a concise desk reference for researchers and those interested in any aspect of the history of energy science. It provides eminently cost-effective access to some of the most interesting articles in "Encyclopedia of Energy". It is significantly revised to accommodate the latest trends in each field of enquiry.


Prediabetes is considered to be an at a risk state, with an annualized 5-10% conversion rate of diabetes and the similiar proportion converting back to normoglycaemia. The global incidence of prediabetes is increasing and will reach to 471 million patients in 2030. The elevation of blood sugar is a continuum and hence prediabetes cannot be considered an entirely benign status and present insulin resistance (IR) and β-cell dysfunction, so that the development of prediabetic complications and vascular endothelial dysfunction. Therefore, it is crucial to early recognition and treatment of prediabetic individuals. For prediabetic individuals, lifestyle modification is the cornerstone of diabetes prevention with evidence of a 40-70% relative risk reduction. In the review, we include the possible mechanism of IR-induced vascular endothelial dysfunction, and exercise intervention improving the vascular endothelial dysfunction. These results showed clearly positive effects of physical exercise intervention and provided a direct clinical evidence of the effectiveness of this approach for preventing early diabetes


Tissue stiffness is a critical prognostic factor in breast cancer and is associated with metastatic progression. Here we show an alternative and complementary hypothesis of tumor progression whereby physiological matrix stiffness affects the quantity and protein cargo of small EVs produced by cancer cells, which in turn drive their metastasis. Primary patient breast tissue produces significantly more EVs from stiff tumor tissue than soft tumor adjacent tissue. EVs released by cancer cells on matrices that model human breast tumors (25 kPa; stiff EVs) feature increased adhesion molecule presentation (ITGα2β1, ITGα6β4, ITGα6β1, CD44) compared to EVs from softer normal tissue (0.5 kPa; soft EVs), which facilitates their binding to extracellular matrix (ECM) protein collagen IV, and a 3-fold increase in homing ability to distant organs in mice. In a zebrafish xenograft model, stiff EVs aid cancer cell dissemination through enhanced chemotaxis. Moreover, normal, resident lung fibroblasts treated with stiff and soft EVs change their gene expression profiles to adopt a cancer associated fibroblast (CAF) phenotype. These findings show that EV quantity, cargo, and function depend heavily on the mechanical properties of the extracellular microenvironment. Graphical Abstract


The A.D. 1567 Ameca, Jalisco, earthquake (west‐central Mexico) is the strongest known historical crustal earthquake in the Trans‐Mexican volcanic belt, an active volcanic arc being deformed by an intra‐arc extensional fault network. The location of the surface rupture at the base of the Sierra de Ameca mountain range, its length (13–14 leagues, 54–59 km) and the scarp height (1–2 estados , 1.67–3.34 m) are inferred from the description of this earthquake in the Relacion de Ameca of 1579, which contains what is probably the earliest documentation of an earthquake surface rupture in the Americas. From scaling relations, the moment magnitude of this earthquake can be estimated as 7.2±0.3, based on the rupture length. The A.D. 1567 Ameca earthquake is likely to have ruptured to the surface along two (or all three) major segments of the Ameca–San Marcos normal fault system.

Online Material: Excerpts from five historical documents related to the 1567 Ameca earthquake.


Abstract Buried wood is an important yet understudied component of natural and anthropogenic soils. Nutrient immobilization as a response to wood addition during oil sands' reclamation may be a concern since surface wood is salvaged with the soil, thereby becoming buried wood in reclamation cover soils. This project investigated the impact of buried wood on macronutrient supply and microbial communities in different reclamation soils. A 60-day incubation was performed with different rates and types of wood (0%–50%, aspen and pine) and four different soils: fine and coarse forest floor-mineral mix (fFFMM and cFFMM), peat-mineral mix (PMM), and peat. Analysis of macronutrient supply rates using Plant Root Simulator (PRS™) probes and a community-level physiological profiling (CLPP) to assess metabolic potential was performed at the end of the incubation period; microbial activity was measured through soil respiration during the incubation. Responses varied by soil type; however, buried wood caused nitrogen immobilization in three soils due to an increase in the C:N ratio. Soils with lower C:N ratios like fFFMM and PMM were more susceptible to immobilization with a decrease in available nitrogen by up to 95% at a 10% of wood addition. Phosphorus immobilization was observed in cFFMM, and potassium supply increased at 20% of wood and above. Soil microbial activity and metabolic potential increased but no significant changes in the soil profiles were observed. The findings of this study demonstrate that buried wood increases the soil C:N ratio and can potentially cause nitrogen immobilization when added by 10% of volume or more.


Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) is increasingly used by edge applications such as intelligent virtual assistants. However, state-of-the-art ASR models such as Recurrent Neural Network - Transducer (RNN-T) are computationally intensive on resource-constrained edge devices. Knowledge Distillation (KD) is a promising approach to compress large models by using a large model ("teacher") to train a small model ("student"). This paper proposes a novel KD method called Log-Curriculum based Module Replacing (LCMR) for RNN-T. LCMR com-presses RNN-T and addresses its unique characteristics by replacing teacher modules including multiple LSTM/Dense layers with substitutional student modules that contain less Long Short Term Memory (LSTM)/Dense layers. LCMR employs a novel nonlinear Curriculum Learning driven replacement strategy to further improve the performance by updating replacing rates with a dynamic, smoothing mechanism. Under LCMR, the student and teacher are able to interact at gradient level, and tranfser knowledge more effectively than conventional KD. Evaluation shows that LCMR reduces word-error-rate (WER) by 14.47%-33.24% relative compared to conventional KD.


In this paper, we consider routing and wavelength assignment in wavelength-routed all-optical networks with circuit-switching. The conventional approaches to address this issue consider the two aspects of the problem sequentially by rst nding a route from a predetermined set of candidate paths and then searching for an appropriate wavelength assignment. We adopt a more general approach in which we consider all paths between a source-destination pair and incorporate network state information into the routing decision. This approach performs routing and wavelength assignment jointly and adaptively, and out-performs xed routing techniques. We present adaptive routing and wavelength assignment algorithms and evaluate their blocking performance. We obtain an algorithm to compute approximate blocking probabilities for networks employing xed and alternate routing techniques. That algorithm can also accommodate networks with multiple bers per link. The blocking performance of the proposed adaptive routing algorithms are compared along with their computational complexity.


Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to consider value as individual and experiential, based on the relationships between conceptions of value, rather than attempting to identify a common factor. The authors use the term "family" to represent the relationships between conceptions of value and provide a philosophical basis that underpins this. The authors also propose an appropriate method for researching value as family resemblances.

Design/methodology/approach

In this conceptual paper, the authors propose a new approach to understanding the nature of value in terms of family resemblances. In many marketing studies, value is described as being phenomenologically based, with an increasing number also emphasizing its experiential nature. Attempts to conceptualize value phenomenologically lead to tension between the search for an essence and the qualitatively different ways in which value is experienced by individuals. The authors propose phenomenography as a research approach that accommodates value based on differences rather than essences.

Findings

Recognizing that there is no necessary condition or essence by which value may be defined resolves the tension that has arisen from the simultaneous search for a common feature and the assertion that value is experientially created by individuals. The research also highlights that the nature of value may differ between people, time and place or some aspects of it may be the same. Regarding value in terms of family resemblances accommodates actors' different conceptions of value. Phenomenography is an appropriate approach to operationalize conceptions of value in terms of family membership.

Research limitations/implications

Understanding value as a family, and using phenomenography as method, provides methodological clarity to a long-standing research issue. Using the approaches outlined in this study will enable empirical studies of the nature of value in any context to be conducted soundly and relatively quickly. It will also provide a more inclusive and holistic set of values based on the experiences of individuals.

Practical implications

The research provides important insights for practitioners through clearer conceptions of value. These include the ability to plan and deliver business outcomes that are more closely aligned with customer values. Understanding the conceptions of value experienced by actors in marketing, as determined through family resemblances, has clear implications for researchers and practitioners.

Originality/value

Understanding actors' conceptions of value through the lens of family resemblances resolves a long-standing research issue. Using phenomenography as method is an approach seldom used in marketing that addresses the need for increased use of qualitative research in marketing.


Introduction Implantation of cardiac devices including permanent pacemakers (PPM), cardiac resynchronisation therapy with defibrillators (CRT-D) or without (CRT-P) is increasingly common. Follow up, including arranging generator change, is frequently carried out by cardiac physiologists, with minimal physician input. Many patients clinical status will change during the lifetime of the device. Generator change is an opportunity to review the original device prescription. We report the impact of introducing routine screening prior to generator change into an established comprehensive device programme. Methods Two pathways were implemented. Patients with a PPM due generator change were screened by cardiac physiologists using a proforma assessing symptoms, QRS duration and right ventricular (RV) pacing burden. Those with heart failure symptoms, in particular breathlessness, and a prolonged native QRS or >40% RV pacing had an echocardiogram and multidisciplinary team (MDT) discussion within 2 weeks. If device upgrade was potentially indicated the patient was reviewed in clinic prior to generator change. The goal was to discuss all patients with an ICD/CRT-D due generator change at MDT. Those with changes in clinical status that may affect the appropriateness of ongoing defibrillator therapy were reviewed in clinic. Results The first 11 months, October 2015 to August 2016, following implementation of these pathways were studied. 189 consecutive patients (145 PPM, 20 CRT-P and 24 CRT-D/ICD), mean age of 77, were included. The pathways resulted in a change in the type of device therapy in 8 patients; 6/145 (4%) of those due PPM and 2/24 (8%) due CRT-D/ICD generator change (table 1). 145 (100%) of PPM patients were proforma screened. 139/145 PPM patients (96%) went on to have PPM generator change. 17 (12%), identified as potential candidates for upgrade to CRT, had echocardiography. 5 (3%) of these had severe LV impairment and underwent physician and MDT review. 4 patients (3%) were ultimately upgraded to CRT devices. CRT was not appropriate in 1 patient. In 2 (1%) patients ongoing device therapy of any kind was felt to be inappropriate (1 potential upgrade and 1 PPM box change) and no procedure was undertaken. 10/24 (42%) patients due a CRT-D/ICD generator change were reviewed at MDT. Of these 2 (20% of those reviewed) went on to have their devices downgraded from CRT-D to CRT-P after informed discussion. Conclusions Physiologist-led device follow up can be effectively extended to include robust screening of patients to ensure they get the most appropriate device at the time of generator change. Excellent rates of PPM screening were achieved whereas ICD screening needs to be improved. Relatively few patients had their destination device changed as a result of these pathways. However there is significant morbidity associated with receiving inappropriate device therapy, justifying implementation of a simple screening process to improve care. Abstract 7 Table 1 Outcomes for patients due implantable cardiac device generator change after the implementation of routine screening Outcomes Number of patients Type of device unchanged 181 Upgrade from PPM to CRT-P 2 Upgrade from PPM to CRT-D 2 Downgrade from CRT-D to CRT-P 2 Device therapy withdrawn 2


Research into mother–infant cosleeping with breastfeeding represents a
relatively new area for behavioral and physiological investigation inspired by evolutionary thinking. This topic within the evolutionary medicine rubric might well be the furthest along in terms of how much of the data produced by laboratory and in-home field studies is regularly incorporated into medical discourse and public policy, as this chapter by Ball and Klingaman describes. Diverse theoretical and empirical data are used to better understand the ongoing debate in Western industrialized countries concerning where babies should sleep and how and where nighttime infant feedings should occur. According to the dominant Western medical paradigm, infants belong in their own space for sleeping, and only if awake should the mother bring a baby to bed to breastfeed— and then neither can fall asleep until they are back in their proper arrangements. A sleeping mother constitutes a direct threat to the safety of her infant, this view claims. Ball and Klingaman point out, however, that it is only among economically deprived cultural subgroups (where breastfeeding is rare) and where bed sharing is practiced in a dangerous
manner are infant deaths statistically overrepresented. In addition, the
authors describe how and why more optimal breastfeeding depends on close
sensory mother–infant contact during both the night and day. And, as their
review reveals, many mother–infant bed-sharing studies suggest that the
mother's body regulates the infant's physiology in many beneficial ways. In
turn, the infant's increased breastfeeding frequency, stimulated by maternal proximity, induces positive changes in the mother's uterus while sustaining, if not improving, her milk supply. The ease of breastfeeding with bed sharing also tends to increase the duration that mothers breastfeed. To sleep or not to sleep with baby, then, represents a quintessential anthropological practice that is articulated by Ball and Klingaman's evidence-based and evolutionary based
discussion.


Palladium hydrides display the largest isotope effect anomaly known in literature. Replacement of hydrogen in PdH with the heavier deuterium or tritium leads to higher superconducting temperatures, a behavior inconsistent with harmonic theory. Solving the self-consistent harmonic approximation by a stochastic approach, we show that the phonon spectra of palladium hydrides are strongly renormalized by anharmonic effects, far beyond the perturbative regime. We obtain the anharmonic free energy, the thermal expansion and the superconducting properties of palladium hydrides fully ab initio. We show that superconductivity is phonon mediated and we explain the inverse isotope effect, obtaining a -0.38 value for the isotope coefficient in good agreement with experiments. Our work demonstrates that hydrogen anharmonicity is the main responsible for the isotope anomaly in palladium hydrides and provides a non-perturbative framework to investigate strongly anharmonic systems.


This paper reports a series of experiments on the pulse-height response of CsI(Tl) crystals to monoenergetic gammas, protons, and alphas, in an effort to examine some predictions of a previously proposed model of the scintillation process. Analysis of the data to date indicates the following: The pulse height per unit energy for gammas is an energy-dependent function which reaches a maximum near 20 keyr, and the shape of this function is sensibly independent of Ti concentration. The pulse height per unit energy for protons and alphas is found to be energy dependent throughout the energy range studied. For alphas this function passes through a distinct minimum near 1 Mev. Effects dependent on pulse clipping time are discussed.


Background: The management of peripheral vascular disease (PVD) can require amputation. Osseointegration surgery is an emerging rehabilitation strategy for amputees. In this study, we report on 6 patients who had PVD requiring transtibial amputation (PVD-TTA) and either simultaneous or subsequent osseointegration (PVD-TTOI). Methods: Six patients (aged 36 to 84 years) with transtibial amputation and preexisting PVD underwent osseointegration between 2014 and 2016 and were followed for 3 to 5 years. Pre- and postoperative clinical and functional outcomes (pain, prosthesis wear time, mobility, walking ability, and quality of life) and adverse events (infection, fracture, implant failure, revision surgery, additional amputation, and death) were prospectively recorded. Results: All patients' mobility improved following osseointegration. Three patients initially had required the use of a wheelchair, precluding baseline walking tests; the other 3 were classified as K level 1 or 2, with mean baseline Timed Up and Go (TUG) test = 14.0 ± 2.2 s and 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT) = 262 ± 75 m. At the time of the latest follow-up, all patients were K level 2 or 3; mean TUG = 12.7 ± 7.2 s and 6MWT = 353 ± 148 m. Four patients wore their prosthesis ≥16 hours daily. Three patients had superficial soft-tissue infections. One other patient experienced recurrent infections 2.8 years after osseointegration requiring debridements and transfemoral amputation; the patient died 2 days following surgery from myocardial infarction caused by coronary atherosclerosis. Conclusions: All 6 patients who underwent PVD-TTOI in this case series survived through 2 years. Patients who initially had used a wheelchair achieved and maintained independent, unaided ambulation until PVD-related impairments in the contralateral leg occurred in 1 patient. Patients previously using a traditional socket prosthesis reported improvement in mobility and quality of life. One patient's death underscores the importance of careful patient selection. However, marked improvement in the other 5 patients suggests cautious optimism that PVD-TTA is not an absolute osseointegration contraindication. Conscientious further investigation seems appropriate. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.


HACCP is a tool to assess hazards and establish control systems that focus on preventative measures rather than relying mainly on end product testing. Seven basic principles underline the concept. These principles include an assessment of the inherent risk that may be present from harvest through ultimate consumption. Six hazard characteristics and a ranking schematic are used to identify those points throughout the food production and distribution system whereby control must be exercised in order to reduce or eliminate potential risks. A guide for HACCP plan development and critical control point (CCP) identification are noted. Further, the document points out the additional areas that are to be included in the HACCP plan: the need to establish critical limits that must be met at each CCP, appropriate monitoring procedures, corrective action procedures to takes if a deviation is encountered, record keeping, and verification activities. Keywords: hazard analysis, critical control point, food production


Importance
Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) is a skin cancer treatment that uses staged excisions based on margin status. Wide surgeon-level variation exists in the mean number of staged resections used to treat a tumor, resulting in a cost disparity and question of appropriateness.

Objective
To evaluate the effectiveness of a behavioral intervention aimed at reducing extreme overuse in MMS, as defined by the specialty society, by confidentially sharing stages-per-case performance data with individual surgeons benchmarked to their peers nationally.

Design, Setting, and Participants
This nonrandomized controlled intervention study included 2329 US surgeons who performed MMS procedures from January 1, 2016, to March 31, 2018. Physicians were identified using a 100% capture of Medicare Part B claims. The intervention group included physicians affiliated with the American College of Mohs Surgery, and the control group included physicians not affiliated with the American College of Mohs Surgery.

Interventions
Individualized performance reports were delivered to all outlier surgeons, defined by the specialty society as those with mean stages per case 2 SDs above the mean, and inlier surgeons in the intervention group.

Main Outcomes and Measures
The primary outcome was surgeon-level change in mean stages per case between the prenotification (January 2016 to January 2017) and postnotification (March 2017 to March 2018) periods. A multivariable linear regression model was used to evaluate the association of notification with this surgeon-level outcome. The surgeon-level metric of mean stages per case was not risk adjusted. The mean Medicare cost savings associated with changes in practice patterns were calculated.

Results
Of the 2329 included surgeons, 1643 (70.5%) were male and 2120 (91.0%) practiced in metropolitan areas. In the intervention group (n = 1045), 53 surgeons (5.1%) were outliers; in the control group (n = 1284), 87 surgeons (6.8%) were outliers. Among the outliers in the intervention group, 44 (83%) demonstrated a reduction in mean stages per case compared with 60 outliers in the control group (69%; difference, 14%; 95% CI of difference, -1 to 27; P = .07). There was a mean stages-per-case reduction of 12.6% among outliers in the intervention group compared with 9.0% among outliers in the control group, and outliers in the intervention group had an adjusted postintervention differential decrease of 0.14 stages per case (95% CI, -0.19 to -0.09; P = .002). The total administrative cost of the intervention program was $150 000, and the estimated reduction in Medicare spending was $11.1 million.

Conclusions and Relevance
Sharing personalized practice pattern data with physicians benchmarked to their peers can reduce overuse of MMS among outlier physicians.


Even with years of practice, adult learners have trouble perceiving and producing sounds in a second language (L2). Adults tend to need more focused and targeted input to achieve native-like perception and production of L2 sounds than children. The present study aims to clarify the mechanisms through which L2 perception is influenced by first language (L1) sounds, the neural basis of this perception, how learner differences influence learning, and how different training paradigms modulate both the neural and behavioral basis of L2 sound perception. Native English and native Spanish speakers participated in a five-day training paradigm during which they learned to discriminate Hindi sounds that do not belong to their L1 sound categories. Participants underwent electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings from the scalp, baseline discrimination tasks, training, and several memory and attention individual measures. We expected that the L1 would modulate the EEG waveform known as the mismatch negativity (MMN) at approximately 150-200ms after sound onset. This measure indexes early phonetic learning and previous research has shown that the waveform's amplitude can change or shift with new phonetic learning, indicating a reorganization of early acoustic and phonetic processing with new input. Furthermore, we examined how the L1 and different training and feedback paradigms influence this MMN change. Results demonstrate that both learner groups showed a modulation in the MMN waveform after training, but the change was eclipsed by the native contrast that was tested as a control, depending on how well they performed during training. Furthermore, participants in the feedback condition performed better on the training than those in the no-feedback condition but this was not related to the ERP results, suggesting that feedback may be useful for overt behavioral responses, but not necessary for pre-attentive neural responses. These results are examined in light of the Perceptual Assimilation Model (PAM; Best, 1991, 1995), the Speech Learning Model (SLM; Flege, 1995), the Native Language Magnet model (NLM; Kuhl & Riviera-Gaxiola, 2008), and the Unified Competition Model (UCM; MacWhinney, 2005), examining similarity between L1s, neural hardwiring in the brain, and competition between phonetic contrasts.


Prior research with regard to the relationship between system use and job performance has been inconsistent. Some research found that system use has significant impact on job performance, as anticipated; other research does not confirm such a relationship. In this paper, we try to bridge this inconsistency by attributing this inconsistency to the simply conceptualized and measured system use construct. Subsequently, we introduce a "richer" conceptualization of system use, namely adaptive system use, and we examine its relationship with job performance. We suggest that adaptive system use accounts for a significant part of the impact of system use on job performance. Using a sample of 274 MS Office users, we were able to confirm that adaptive system use has significant impact on task productivity, management control, and task innovation. This research has implications for both research and practice.


ABSTRACT Digital technologies are now considered important in shaping young people's engagement in and with health and physical activity. Recent discussions show that the use of digital technologies to track health and fitness may over-emphasize the linear understanding of the body and health generally underpinned by Western health ideologies such as healthism. Other studies have shown the increased use of digital technologies in teaching Health and Physical Education (HPE) and as a means to enhance health and increase physical activity. Despite the opportunities and risks apparent in these studies, little is known about how HPE students make choices, negotiate, and resist or embrace the digitalisation of physical activity, exercise, and more broadly health. This study examines HPE students' meaning making of risk and surveillance associated with the self-digitisation of exercise. The study further investigates how the concept of 'prosumption'; the production, curation and consumption of self-data within the context of digitised health and physical activity, is understood. Based on the findings, we have constructed a typology of prosumers that can be used as a pedagogical device to illustrate the various kinds of subject positions students take up with digital technology in health and physical activity. This study extends the current understanding of prosumers by identifying the 'ambivalent prosumer'. The results provide insights that have direct pedagogical implications in HPE teacher education specifically in the areas of knowledge production and consumption of knowledge through digital technology in health and physical activity.


Policies, health, and government regulations affect various Health Care organizations and their members. One such policy, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, attempts to improve the performance of health care systems through the use of technology, such as Electronic Health Records (Bluementhal, 2010). The most critical task of leadership is to establish a mindset at the top of the organization and function to infuse a culture of excellence throughout the organization (Bentkover, 2012). Health organizations can only progress if their members share a set of values and are single-mindedly committed to achieving openly defined objectives (Bentkover, 2012). This chapter investigates organizational leadership in relation to health care reforms to include trends in health care leadership, Stratified Systems Theory (SST), Systems Thinking, and regulators perspectives. The chapter will consist of the following sections: background; issues controversies, and problems; solutions and recommendation; future research directions; and conclusion.


Volume I: Scope and Methodology Volume II: Value and Distribution Volume III: Public Finance, Money and Banking, International Trade Volume IV: Policy and Special Topics


Whole-cell Ca and Ba currents were studied in chick dorsal root ganglion (DRG) cells kept 6-10 in culture. Voltage steps with a 15- microseconds rise time were imposed on the membrane using an improved patch-clamp circuit. Changes in membrane current could be measured 30 microseconds after the initiation of the test pulse. Currents through Ca channels were recorded under conditions that eliminate Na and K currents. Tail currents, associated with Ca channel closing, decayed in two distinct phases that were very well fitted by the sum of two exponentials. The time constants tau f and tau s were near 160 microseconds and 1.5 ms at -80 mV, 20 degrees C. The tail current components, called FD and SD (fast-deactivating and slowly deactivating), are Ca channel currents. They were greatly reduced when Mg2+ replaced all other divalent cations in the bath. The SD component inactivated almost completely as the test pulse duration was increased to 100 ms. It was suppressed when the cell was held at membrane potentials positive to -50 mV and was blocked by 100-200 microM Ni2+. This behavior indicates that the SD component was due to the closing of the low-voltage-activated (LVA) Ca channels previously described in this preparation. The FD component was fully activated with 10-ms test pulses to +20 mV at 20 degrees C, and inactivated to approximately 30% during 500-ms test pulses. It was reduced in amplitude by holding at - 40 mV, but was only slightly reduced by micromolar concentrations of Ni2+. Replacement of Ca2+ with Ba2+ increased the FD tail current amplitudes by a factor of approximately 1.5. The deactivation kinetics did not change (a) as channels inactivated during progressively longer pulses or (b) when the degree of activation was varied. Further, tau f was affected neither by changing the holding potential nor by varying the test pulse amplitude. Lowering the temperature from 20 to 10 degrees C decreased tau f by a factor of 2.5. In all cases, the FD component was very well fitted by a single exponential. There was no indication of an additional tail component of significant size. Our findings indicate that the FD component is due to closing of a single class of Ca channels that coexist with the LVA Ca channel type in chick DRG neurons.


Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a useful medical imaging tool in the diagnoses and management of several disease conditions including multiple sclerosis, prostate and breast cancer, epilepsy and seizure disorders, soft tissue joint disorders and vertebral spine disorders. MRI is also very useful in diagnosing breast disorders especially in younger women and following inconclusive breast ultrasound scans and mammograms. Pancreaticobiliary duct disorders like choledocholithiasis, acute and chronic pancreatitis are also well investigated with MRI. MRI services are unavailable at the Ho Teaching Hospital (HTH), a major referral hospital, and one of the five teaching hospitals in Ghana. The clinical implication of this is that patients who need MRI services have to travel long distances to other hospitals to access MRI services. The lack of MRI services at the HTH makes the diagnoses of critical medical conditions difficult, and in some cases, impossible. This commentary draws attention to the importance of MRI in the diagnoses and management of common medical conditions seen at the HTH and the lapses in diagnosing and managing patients with such conditions at the hospital.


MDCK cells have been extensively exploited to study polarized transport and cell polarity. Biochemical assays have been developed to accurately measure the kinetics of appearance of proteins at the either basolateral or apical PM domain, while fluorescently tagged proteins have proven a valuable tool to map the intracellular transport itinerary and identify the subcellular compartments that are involved in the overall pathway of PM delivery. However, the intracellular transport routes of sphingolipid transport in these cells had thus far been poorly characterized. To address this issue, we have employed fluorescently (C6-NBD) labeled sphingolipids to map the compartments that comprise the transcytotic and biosynthetic pathways. The results show that transcytosis of sphingolipids in MDCK cells involves sequential transit through the basolateral early endosome and sub-apical compartments (SAC). Furthermore, evidence is presented that demonstrates for the first time that the transcytotic and biosynthetic pathways are interconnected in the SAC. The SAC has been proposed to contain some well-characterized components that regulate polarity-dependent sorting and targeting of proteins and lipids. Our data show that in the SAC, IgA and sphingolipids are localized to distinct domains or subcompartments. A correlation between the subcompartmentalization of the SAC and its polarized sorting function is discussed.


The adsorption of atoms and molecules is a key step in a wide range of technologically important areas including catalysis, adhesion, corrosion, electrochemistry and microelectronics. Investigations of well-defined systems can contribute to better understanding of processes within these areas. This thesis presents studies of different functional groups adsorbed on NiAl alloys and semiconductor surfaces by means of high resolution photoemission spectroscopy (HR-PES), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The combination of experimental techniques and theorectical calculations has proven to be a powerful tool for obtaining a more complete picture of the interactions between adsorbates and surfaces. HR-PES measurements of methanol (CH3OH) on Ni3Al(111) and NiAl(110) revealed the formation of two adsorption products upon exposure at low temperatures, which were identified as methanol and methoxy species, producing a new contribution shifted by 0.48 eV relative to the Al 2p bulk contribution. After methanol adsorption on NiAl(110), a contribution at the low binding energy side relative to the Al 2p bulk contribution was observed. This was attributed to surface Al atoms not bonded to methanol or methoxy. Further decomposition to methoxy was observed upon heating to 200 K. DFT calculations predict that methanol adsorbs preferentially in the Al on-top site on both Ni3Al(111) and NiAl(110), whereas methoxy prefers a 2Ni+Al hollow site on Ni3Al(111) and a slightly off Al bridge site on NiAl(110). Methylamine adsorption on Ni3Al(111) and NiAl(110), caused one new contribution to appear at the high binding energy side relative to the Al 2p bulk contribution on both surfaces. Mainly molecular desorption was observed upon heating. However, a small fraction of methylamine decomposed, possibly forming CN upon heating. DFT calculations showed contradicting results for the adsorption of methylamine on Ni3Al(111) and NiAl(110) favouring the Ni on-top and Al on-top sites, respectively. Calculated core level shifts in the Al 2p spectra, due to methylamine adsorbed in the Al on-top site on both surfaces agree with the experimental results. HR-PES measurements of carbon monoxide (CO) adsorbed on Ni3Al(111) and NiAl(110) indicate that two different CO species are present at both surfaces high CO coverage. Preliminary DFT calculations predict that CO adsorbs in Ni dominated sites. However, the surface Al atoms are affected by the adsorption of CO. An additional contribution is observed in the Al 2p spectra from Ni3Al(111), whereas the contribution associated with the surface component on NiAl(110) is reduced upon exposure to CO. Another technological important element is silicon. In the present work we have studied the adsorption of 1,1-dichloroethene (Cl2C=CH2) on the Si(111)–7×7 surface. The HR-PES measurements showed that 1,1-dichloroethene dissociates upon adsorption at room temperature by breaking one or both C–Cl bonds resulting in Cl, 1-chlorovinyl (CCl=CH2) and vinylidene (>C=CH2). The dissociation products occupy different adatoms and restatom sites at Si(111)–7×7 as observed by STM.


SUMMARY: A method of cultivating fungi on a membrane filter is described. The growth on the membrane appears to be more rapid than on solid media. After 2-3 days of growth a piece of the disk was dried and placed in immersion oil on a slide, thus rendering the membrane transparent and suitable for microscopic examination in transmitted light. The new method makes the use of plates, micro-cultures (slide cultures), etc., unnecessary. The mechanical breakage of the mycelial structures often encountered when species of mycelium have to be transferred to slides for microscopic examination is avoided. As only a small piece of the membrane is needed for microscopic examination, the growth on the membrane is allowed to continue as long as is required. Each time an inspection of the culture is required, a small piece of the disk is removed.


The WHO Biopharmaceutical Classification System (BCS) is a practical tool to identify active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) that scientifically qualify for a waiver of in vivo bioequivalence studies. The focus of this study was to engage a global network of laboratories to experimentally quantify the pH-dependent solubility of the highest therapeutic dose of 16 APIs using a harmonized protocol. Intra-laboratory variability was ≤5 %, and no apparent association of inter-laboratory variability with API solubility was discovered. Final classification "low solubility" vs "high solubility" was consistent among laboratories. In comparison to the literature-based provisional 2006 WHO BCS classification, three compounds were re-classified from "high" to "low-solubility". To estimate the consequences of these experimental solubility results on BCS classification, dose-adjusted in silico predictions of the fraction absorbed in humans were performed using GastroPlus®. Further expansion of these experimental efforts to qualified APIs from the WHO Essential Medicines List is anticipated to empower regulatory authorities across the globe to issue scientifically-supported guidance regarding the necessity of performing in vivo bioequivalence studies. Ultimately, this will improve access to affordable generic products, which is a critical prerequisite to reach Universal Health Coverage.


2016, 157 (31), 1219–1223. Considerable evidence suggests that "the lower the better" is a reasonable approach for reducing cardiovascular risk by lowering LDL cholesterol levels. Despite the reduction in cardiovascular events and mortality achieved by statin therapy, significant residual risk remains, especially in severe hereditary hypercholesterolemia, such as familial hyper-cholesterolemia. Some new strategies to achieve even lower LDL levels are now available, including the addition of cholesterol absorption inhibitor ezetimibe, and the recently available Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 monoclonal antibodies. In addition, new LDL drugs may be effectively administrated in those individuals who are unable to tolerate statins. The authors summarize the efficacy and clinical indications of these new agents and review the currently available guidelines.


Purpose: Helical Tomotherapy is a relatively new treatment modality that is being used to treat lesions that lie within and near low‐density organs. Accurate dose calculations are critical to the effective use of this modality. This study quantified the Tomotherapy treatment planning system (TPS) convolution‐superposition‐based dose calculation accuracy in heterogeneous media. Method and Materials: This evaluation required a custom fabricateddosimetry phantom with lung‐equivalent and water‐equivalent media. The phantom consisted of an 18×18×18 cm3 cuboid constructed from slabs of water‐equivalent and lung‐equivalent materials (LN300 Gammex RMI, Middleton, WI (ρ ∼0.3g/cc), and Balsa wood (ρ ∼0.1g/cc) and imaged on a CT scanner. Dose measurements were conducted using both film and ionization chambers using the same phantom geometry. Evaluations were conducted using an esophageal treatment plan, delivering 1.8 Gy/fraction, was superimposed onto the phantom CT‐datasets and computed the dose distributions using the Tomotherapy treatment planning system. Radiochromic film (EBT, International specialty Products, Wayne, NJ) sheets were inserted between slabs of virtual water and lung equivalent material LN‐300. Experiments were repeated with radiographic film (Kodak EDR2, Eastman Kodak, Rochester, NY) with balsa wood. Calibration curves for absolute dosimetry for both types of film were generated from additional film exposures and ion chamber measurements on the Tomotherapy unit. Ionization‐chamber measurements were performed to confirm the film dosimetry.Results: Doses measured inside the water‐equivalent plastic were within 2% of the computed doses by the Tomotherapy planning system. Measurements with radiochromic film in LN‐300 material verified that the planning system computed the doses within 5%. Similar results were observed with EDR2 film in Balsa wood. Conclusions: The dose calculation accuracy of TPS was measured to be within 5% in lungmaterial and within 2% in water‐equivalent plastic. This work supported in part by Tomotherapy, Inc.


cent throughout a ten-year period of high economic growth that ended in 1997. Unemployment then rose significantly at the outset of the Asian crisis, reaching levels near 11 percent. This broadly coincided with the implementation of a set of legal initiatives that increased protection standards in labor regulation. After the end of the military government in 1990, labor codes began to revert to their previous trend of high levels of regulation, with reforms approved in congress in 1990, 1993 and 2001. These introduced higher costs of dismissal, sanctions against firms that fire without just cause, extended provisions for and broader coverage of union bargaining, and a significant increase in the minimum wage (which was implemented in three stages beginning in 1998). These regulations are closer to the European-style labor market protection than to the Anglo-American tradition, which relies more on market forces. A quick look at the relative performance of unemployment rates under these two approaches can help clarify the controversy generated among economists and policymakers during this period.


The phenolic b-diketones I prepared by modified Baker-Venkataraman rearrangement were converted to the flavones II in acidic medium which on treatment with aqueous ethylenediamine/propylenediamine gave diazepine derivatives III. After coupling with acetobromo sugars in the presence of mercuric cyanide and nitromethane, deacetylation in methanolic ammonia yielded nucleosides V. The structures of all the intermediates and final products were confirmed with the help of modern spectroscopic techniques.


This paper was presented at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, held in New Orlean, Louisiana, USA on 8 – 12 Aug 2011


Deceptive publishers have been discussed and written about from a multitude of perspectives and in a variety of disciplines, but scant attention has been devoted to a particular aspect of the issue: How we as scholarly communities are dealing with the research that appears in these outlets. It is problematic that the question is not being addressed, as this research is at risk of being lost. It is at risk because articles that appear in deceptive publications are not indexed, so they are less visible, discoverable and citable. Additionally, they are not preserved and therefore likely to disappear should the publisher cease its activities or neglect to carry out basic maintenance on their archives and servers. Furthermore, it is particularly problematic because this lost science is potentially valuable. In this article, it is argued that, rather than continuing to risk the loss of this potentially important research by ignoring its existence, research disciplines should look at developments in open peer review and the increasing use of preprint servers for their potential to recover and reintegrate these at-risk articles into the scholarly record.


Larasati RF, Suadi, Setyobudi E. 2018. Short Communication: Population dynamics of double-spined rock lobster (Panulirus penicillatus Olivier, 1791) in Southern Coast of Yogyakarta. Biodiversitas 19: 337-342. The southern coast of Yogyakarta, Indonesia, near to the Indian Ocean borders is a preferable habitat for lobster. Double-spined rock lobster (Panulirus penicillatus) is one of the prevalent species caught by fishermen. However the increased number of capture activities had an effect on the sustainability of global lobster fisheries. In order to sustain these fisheries resource, the preservation management of lobster should include wild stock assessments. Currently, the effect of fishing pressures on populations of P. penicillatus is limited. The objective of this research was to identify several factors affecting lobster population in terms of growth (carapace length (CL) and mass), recruitment, mortality rates, and exploitation rates in this species. Results showed that double-spined rock lobster had a longer size (CL) (45.2-55.1 mm) than that of females (55.2 mm-65.1 mm). While the growth rate (K) of males lobster is 0.85 year-¹ and its CL reached an asymptotic point at 125 mm (12 years old). Growth rate of females double-spined rock lobster was 0.55 year-¹ and its CL reached an asymptotic point at 125.5 mm (15 years old). The total estimation of mortality rates of double-spined rock lobster was 2.46, wherein 2.56 year-¹ for males and females, respectively. The estimated values of M were 1.08, 0.81 year-¹ for males and females, respectively while the respective values of F were 1.38 year-¹ and 1.75 year-¹ for males and females. The exploitation rate of males was 0.56 and females was 0.68. It has exceeded the optimal level (0.5) and reached overfishing value. Based on these results, it suggest that the time management of fishing activities such as by several approaches including the restricted time of fishing activity in spawning and recruitment season, the management of catching effort by the development of environment-friendly fishing gear, and the development of the lobster hatchery to reproduce and maintain their population naturally.


Euclidean geometry is among the earliest forms of mathematical thinking. While the geometric primitives underlying its constructions, such as perfect lines and circles, do not often occur in the natural world, humans rarely struggle to perceive and reason with them. Will computer vision models trained on natural images show the same sensitivity to Euclidean geometry? Here we explore these questions by studying few-shot generalization in the universe of Euclidean geometry constructions. We introduce Geoclidean, a domain-specific language for Euclidean geometry, and use it to generate two datasets of geometric concept learning tasks for benchmarking generalization judgements of humans and machines. We find that humans are indeed sensitive to Euclidean geometry and generalize strongly from a few visual examples of a geometric concept. In contrast, low-level and high-level visual features from standard computer vision models pretrained on natural images do not support correct generalization. Thus Geoclidean represents a novel few-shot generalization benchmark for geometric concept learning, where the performance of humans and of AI models diverge. The Geoclidean framework and dataset are publicly available for download.


Summary This research was conducted to investigate the effects of selection on egg weight, shell thickness, shell weight, shape index, albumen index, yolk index and Haugh Unit in 11 generations selected Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica). The material used in this research was selected for 11 generations from high (HL) or low (LL) body weight Japanese quail lines according to 5-week body weights and their random bred control line (C) and layer line (L) for 120 d egg production. There were found significant differences among the lines in terms of all egg traits (P<0.01). The egg weights were determined in HL, LL, L and C lines as 14.14±0.17 g, 9.23±0.07, 10.49±0.10 and 11.43±0.13 g respectively. Besides there were significant (P<0.01) differences among the lines for the shell weight, and highest and lowest values were determined as 1.15±0.02 g and 0.84±0.02 g in HL and LL lines. Once again, there were found significant (P<0.05) differences among the lines in point of Haugh Unit. The highest positive correlation (P<0.01) was found between egg weight and egg width (0.938), and the highest negative correlation (P<0.01) was found between shape index and egg length (-0.531). Almost all of the internal quality traits of the egg changes depending on external quality traits of the egg.


Abstract High-quality 2D and 3D seismic data were analysed to investigate the stratigraphic organization of the sedimentary deposits and the impact of the palaeocirculation of the SW Atlantic Ocean in the construction of the Santos Basin slope from late Palaeogene to Recent time. Seven seismic sequences were identified based on their external geometry, internal seismic pattern and seismic boundaries. A correlation between these sequences, the glacio-eustatic curves and the major climatic-palaeoceanographic events was attempted. The base of the studied sequences is the c. 28 Ma intra-Oligocene Rupelian-Chatian unconformity. Six other seismic horizons corresponding to the sequence boundaries were mapped ranging from the late Oligocene to the Pliocene. Variations in the bottom-current intensity were characterized by the seismic pattern of each sequence and by the evolution of margin physiography. A 100 km long channel-like gutter, the Santos Channel, was excavated at the foot of an intra-slope escarpment. It was the locus of major flow circulation until the middle Miocene, when the margin physiography reorganization transferred the main axis of deep current action downslope and excavated the São Paulo Channel at the foot of the present continental slope. Two major contourite drifts were accumulated in response to the different combinations of bottom-current axis position and slope physiography. Those drifts constitute the Santos Drift System. Conversely to the present-day circulation pattern, with southward flow above the slope dominated by the western boundary Brazil Current, both at surface and deep waters, the geological record indicates that the palaeocirculation in the Santos Basin was marked by the opposite sense of circulation of surface waters (southward palaeo Brazil Current) and of the intermediate to deep waters (northward Southern Ocean Current). The study indicates that periods of relative sea-level rise to highstands correspond to increase in drift accumulation whereas during lowstands slope drift sedimentation is reduced.


Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) collections that integrate over a wide range of aspect angles hold the potentional for improved resolution and fosters improved scene interpretability and target detection. However, in practice it is difficult to realize the potential due to the anisotropic scattering of objects in the scene. The radar cross section (RCS) of most objects changes as a function of aspect angle. The isotropic assumption is tacitly made for most common image formation algorithms (IFA). For wide aspect scenarios one way to account for anistropy would be to employ a piecewise linear model. This paper focuses on such a model but it incorporates aspect and spatial magnitude filters in the image formation process. This is advantageous when prior knowledge is available regarding the desired targets' RCS signature spatially and in aspect. The appropriate filters can be incorporated into the image formation processing so that specific targets are emphasized while other targets are suppressed. This is demonstrated on the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) GOTCHA1 data set to demonstrate the utility of the proposed approach.


Based on an analytical one-dimensional model, austenite growth into pearlite lamella and the corresponding phase evolution during isothermal reverse transformation to austenite at 1000-1183 K in Fe-C fully pearlitic steels containing 0.6-1.0 mass% C (in the austenite single phase field of Fe-C phase diagram) were simulated. It was found that the rate of austenite growth into ferrite increases faster with increasing reversion temperature than into cementite. Three types of phase evolution dependent on reversion temperature and carbon content were classified: 1) cementite rather than ferrite disappears first; 2) ferrite and cementite simultaneously disappear; 3) ferrite rather than cementite disappears first. The type of phase evolution in a hypoeutectoid steel heated above its Ae3 temperature possibly changes in the order of 1), 2) and 3) as the reversion temperature increases. For eutectoid and hypereutectoid steels, the phase evolution during isothermal reversion always obeys the type 3).


The aim of this study was to investigate the possible mediating role of various cognitive and behavioural coping strategies on the relationship between age and psychological (i.e., cognitive and somatic anxiety) and physiological (i.e., chronic fatigue, digestive and cardiovascular symptoms) well-being. Fourteen specific individual coping strategies (four disengagement, four engagement, and six behavioural) were assessed in this study. The four disengagement and four engagement coping styles were taken from the Coping Strategies Inventory (CSI) included in the Standard Shiftwork Index (SSI), while the six behavioural coping strategies were based on recommendations published within the shiftwork literature (e.g., exercising, altering family or social life commitments to fit in with working shifts, advising friends and family about shift patterns, etc). Three open-ended questions were also included in the questionnaire allowing shiftworkers to provide further contextual detail about the specific coping strategies utilised. One hundred and eight Police Officers with at least 12 months shiftworking experience completed a modified version of the SSI and an active coping questionnaire. A series of exploratory stepwise regressions provided evidence that shiftworkers utilise a constellation of different coping strategies, and that each of these coping strategies may mediate specific aspects of the relationship between age and psychological and/or physiological well-being. Comments from shiftworkers provided further evidence for the variety of coping strategies utilised to help adapt to shiftwork. While there are many factors such as personality, workload demands, and shift systems that impinge on an individual's ability to cope with shiftwork, this study will explore the possible mediating role of various coping strategies on the relationship between age and individual psychological and physiological well-being. The following exploratory study is based on a sub-sample of shiftworkers previously reported (Knowles & Bull, 2003). Knowles and Bull (2003) found that there was a significant adverse relationship between age and psychological and physiological well-being. Furthermore, while disengagement coping (e.g., I spend more time alone) was found to have an adverse relationship with psychological and physiological well-being symptoms, engagement coping (e.g., I work on solving the problems in the situation) did not correlate significantly with any of the psychological and physiological well-being symptoms. Previous research has also provided mixed findings relating to the role of coping and its impact on well-being. A brief review of research relating to coping styles as assessed in the Standard Shiftwork Index (SSI) and well-being follows. The current method to assess individual coping in the Standard Shiftwork Index (SSI) is the coping questionnaire based on a combination of Tobin and colleagues Coping Strategies Inventory (CSI) and the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WCQ) by Folkman and Lazarus (Barton, Folkard, Smith, Spelten, & Totterdell, 1992). The coping questionnaire assesses the impact of two cognitively based coping strategies (engagement and disengagement coping) with regard to four problem areas (social life, domestic life, sleep and job). Engagement coping assesses the extent to which individuals utilise four specific positive cognitive processes in dealing with problems: talking to someone about problems; letting emotions out; working on solving problems; and, reorganizing problems so that they do not seem so bad. In contrast, disengagement coping assesses the extent to which subjects utilize four specific negative cognitive processes in dealing with problems: spending more time alone; wishing the problem away; avoiding doing or thinking about problems; and, criticizing themselves. Shiftworker-based studies have provided mixed support with regard to the beneficial or aversive role of both engagement and disengagement coping styles on individual psychological and physiological well-being. …


In the light of social and political currents calling for increased accountability for public processes and discussions between federal officials about the performance of the public involvement process, this paper examines public involvement in transportation and develops frameworks for identifying suitable approaches and evaluating outcomes. The aims of this paper are to (a) foster analytic, evidence-driven discussion between public involvement professionals, project managers, consultants, and other members of the transportation community about process quality metrics and (b) propose strategies for increasing performance of such processes by developing multidimensional process evaluation frameworks for public involvement design and outcomes. A significant Arnstein gap is identified in the quality of public involvement in transportation. A critical overview of current practice that draws on the literature on public involvement and participation is presented. Using a soft systems approach, the authors frame participation methods in distributive domain and define outcome performance criteria. The authors examine the literature on process performance in environmental management and other participation research and propose four process performance metrics for public involvement: quality, inclusion, clarity, and efficiency. Objective data from projects in structured public involvement are presented. These data illustrate that processes that satisfy these metrics will help to close the Arnstein gap by identifying stronger methodologies for involving large groups of citizens with diverse values, delivering objectively high stakeholder-evaluated process quality, and integrating these valuations into effective decision support systems for project managers and engineers. However, this improvement will require a philosophical shift to a higher level on the Arnstein ladder.


Debates within nursing can take the form of useful discussion and critique or verbal conflict generated from inflexible paradigm positions intolerant of differing stances perceived to be of no value. It is suggested that the most profitable process is debate that generates understanding of the strengths and limitations of various tools and techniques and helps identify suitable usage rather than uncritical advocacy or outright rejection. Suggested uses will thus themselves become subject to further debate and practitioners will be encouraged to adopt a use that suits their practice setting and role. The quantitative-qualitative research debate, criticisms of the nursing process and nursing models and reflective practice are examined. Dogmatic positions are highlighted and uses that are potentially controversial are identified.


DC motor applications are very widely used because DC motors are very suitable for applications, especially control. Thus, a proper DC motor controller design is required. DC motor speed control is very important to maintain the stability of motor operation. A recent type of metaheuristic algorithm that mimics the motion of atoms is introduced. Atom search optimization (ASO) is a mathematical model and duplicates the behavior of atoms in nature. Atoms intercommunicate with each other via the delivering contact force in the form of the Lennard-Jones potential and the constraint force produced from the potential bond length. The algorithm is simple and easy to be applied. In this study, the atomic search optimization (ASO) algorithm is proposed as a speed controller for the control dc motor. First, the ASO proposed by the algorithm is applied for the optimization of the neural network. Second, the ASO-NN proposal was the result compared to other algorithms. This paper compares the performance of two different control techniques applied to DC motors, namely the ASO-NN and proportional integral derivative (PID) methods. The results show that the proposed method has effectiveness. The calculation of the proposed ASO-NN control shows the best performance in the settling time. The ASO-NN method has the capability of settling time 0.04 seconds faster than the PID method.


The derivatives of pyrimidine, oxadiazole and indole in combination compounds were synthesized by Conventional method and Micro wave method .The antimicrobial activity of the synthesized compounds were evaluated on S.aureus , B.subtilis, E.coli and P.aeroginosa. The anti oxidant activity was determined by DPPH assay method. The present investigation deals with the synthesized compounds possessing good antioxidant and antibacterial activity.


International Mobile Roaming (IMR) is a service whereby a user who subscribes to mobile telecommunications services in one country is able to use his or her mobile device in other countries. For many years, governments around the world have expressed concerns that the price of IMR services seemed to be unreasonably high in comparison with the price of domestic telecommunications services, with demonstrable negative impact on societal welfare. These concerns have led to numerous regulatory proceedings, and to wholesale and retail IMR price controls in the European Union and also among the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

Other regions have implemented various arrangements that seek to lower the cost of IMR, but in most cases it is too early to assess the results of those arrangements.
Our focus in this paper is on the ten Southeast Asian countries that comprise the regional organisation ASEAN: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. In the ASEAN region, high prices for roaming have been a concern for many years; however, concrete measures to address high prices have been rather limited.

This paper seeks (1) to provide guidance to regulatory authorities and network operators in the ASEAN region based on experience in other regions, especially Europe and the GCC; and (2) to provide context for these discussions based both on economic theory and on global experience.


This research aims to know the difference in the results of learning to read with intensive using the model of the CIRC and learning motivation of GI in grade VII MTs Country Muara Bulian. This type of research was quasi experiment (experiment of the artificial) and design used in this study is a 2 x 2 factorial. This research population is students of Class VII MTs Country Muara Bulian. First, The average reading skills of students who are taught in an intensive learning CIRC. was 81.00, while students taught with model GI was 79.40. Both , the average the learning model CIRC. is 83.25, students learning motivation high taught with model GI was 84.40. Third, the average reading skills of students ' learning motivation low intensive taught by learning model CIRC. was 78.75 and taught with model GI is 74.40.


David G. Rempel, with Cornelia Rempel Carlson. A Mennonite Family in Tsarist Russia and the Soviet Union, 1789-1923. Toronto, Buffalo, London: University of Toronto Press, 2003. Cloth, xxxvi, 356 pp. ISBN 0802036392. CDN$70.00. One of the most tragic periods in the life of Russian Mennonites were the years after the 1917 Revolution. Not only did the Mennonites of Russia lose their traditional social, cultural and religious existence, but also their possessions and in many instances their freedom and lives. In the 1920s, some 21,000 Russian Mennonite emigrants, the group to which David G. Rempel belonged, were able to escape the Soviet Union and find new homes in Canada, the United States, and South America. Those who remained in the Soviet Union after 1930 experienced first the terror of Stalin's rule and, after 1941, the difficulties of the Second World War. Like many other Soviet Germans, they experienced severe persecution, separation from loved ones, exile and hard labour in the Gulag, and often death in the northern and eastern regions of the Soviet Union. This well-written new book by the late Professor David G. Rempel (1899-1992), edited by his daughter Cornelia Rempel Carslon, deals primarily with the first quarter of the twentieth century. Rempel, who came to live and teach in the United States, was not only an academically trained historian, one of the first among Russian Mennonites, but one who himself experienced as a student and young teacher in the Mennonite colonies in Ukraine the turbulent times after the First World War. The interesting biography begins with the history of the author's relatives who resided in the so-called "Old Colony" villages of Nieder-Chortitza and Rosental along the Dnieper River. David's father was a store owner and grain merchant and his mother, nee Pauls, came from well-to-do Mennonite landowners in Rosental. The author traces the tragic circumstances of the two families during the periods of Revolution, Civil War, the Nestor Makhno terror, typhus epidemic, famine and in the end emigration for some and exile for other members of his extended families. Russian Mennonite history has been largely written by lay historians, many of whom were preachers and other church leaders. Their interpretation of Mennonite history was church-oriented and to a certain extent triumphalist in intent, meaning that they not only wrote from within their religious tradition, but also saw their history largely through rose-coloured glasses. According to their interpretation, Mennonites were excellent farmers and craftspeople who had been invited to Russia by Catharine II in the late eighteenth century and granted many privileges, including religious freedom and advantageous settlement terms. They lived peacefully in their new homeland for over a hundred years and contributed significantly to the Russian economy and welfare of the Russian state and society. According to this view, the 1917 Revolution and the following Civil War were seen as the destruction of the Mennonite communities, including their religious and cultural institutions. Especially the banditry, plunder, rape and killing under Nestor Makhno, followed by the exile and execution of many Mennonite leaders, were seen as the height of Mennonite tragedy in that country. This rather positive view of Mennonite history is generally correct, but the reality, "wie es eigentlich gewesen" (as it really was), includes many shades of grey and required a more nuanced approach. Professor Rempel has provided such a nuanced revision of the traditional view of Russian Mennonite history. Like his church-oriented colleagues, Rempel laments the destruction of the "Mennonite Commonwealth" in Russia, but he portrays the critical events fairly objectively and does not shy back from critiquing the Mennonites and their failings. He shows, for example, that Mennonites did not always live up to their religious ideals and principles. …


In this functional magnetic resonance imaging study we tested whether the predictability of stimuli affects responses in primary visual cortex (V1). The results of this study indicate that visual stimuli evoke smaller responses in V1 when their onset or motion direction can be predicted from the dynamics of surrounding illusory motion. We conclude from this finding that the human brain anticipates forthcoming sensory input that allows predictable visual stimuli to be processed with less neural activation at early stages of cortical processing.


Due to the rise of available online music, a lot of music consumption is moving from traditional offline media to online sources. Online music sources offer almost an unlimited music collection to its users. Hence, how music is consumed by users (e.g., experts) may differ from traditional offline sources. In this work we explored how musically sophisticated users (i.e. experts) consume online music in terms of diversity. To analyze this, we gathered data from two different sources: Last.fm and Spotify. As expertise is defined by the ubiquitousness of experiences, we calculated different diversity measurements to explore how ubiquitous (in terms of diversity) the listening behaviors of users are. We found that different musical sophistication levels correspond to applying diversity related to specific kind of musical characteristics (i.e., artist or genre). Our results can provide knowledge on how systems should be designed to provide better support to expert users.


ABSTRACT The main purpose of this paper is to offer important insights into both immigrant and native students' experiences on interculturalism as well as identifying their inputs regarding the ways in which intercultural school development could occur. Interviews were carried out with 48 children; 24 Cypriots and 24 immigrants from 4 primary schools in Cyprus. Based on their perspectives regarding the improvement of culturally diverse schools, three thematic categories emerged from the data analysis; the structural and school organisational level; the socio-personal level; and the didactic and curricular level. Arguably, on the basis of the data analysis, sub-factors underpinning these levels were found to have implications for educational policy and practice aiming at the promotion of cultural awareness, intercultural competence, inclusion and respect in schools.