INTRODUCTION Transportation has long been an area of interest for economists, geographers, logisticians, marketers, sociologists and other students of economic and social development. Indeed, from very early on in the development of this country (as well as others for that matter), transportation has facilitated the movement necessary for some geographical points to flourish as production centers and distribution centers. In addition to sustaining individual consumers who now make their livelihood in those locations, the transportation lifeline connects approximately 20% of the Nation's consumers who live in locations that are depicted as rural. While the urbanization of America has been inexorably proceeding from 5% in 1790 to 25% just after the Civil War to 64% following WWII to 75% in 1990, the information "revolution" is providing the impetus to alter this trend. The question that arises is, can the transportation system meet the needs of these changing times? Over the decades there have been few who have argued that the U.S. transportation system is not the best in the world. While it is still true that the U.S. system is without equal on an overall basis, there are fears that the quality and quantity of transportation to and from this country's rural areas is on a general decline. Rural transportation, as true with other aspects of rural life, must be considered part of a broad policy base. Numerous policy measures have been proposed to alleviate the pressures on our urban areas; measures involving jobs creation, energy availability, etc. Although certain measures have been suggested to improve our rural transportation system as well, it appears nonetheless that our transport alternatives may be reducing the attractiveness of those towns and villages situated substantial distances from cities. On the one hand, while obtaining goods may be more expensive in outlying areas, this is clearly an economic trade-off made by those living there. On the other hand however, public transportation alternatives to and from small towns are becoming more scarce almost regardless of one's ability to pay PURPOSE The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact that airline deregulation has had on small communities in the U.S. in the 20 years that the industry has had economic freedom. While the passage of the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 (PL 95-204) on October 24, 1978 may be best remembered for the removal of pricing, entry and exit restrictions as they applied to the major domestic trunklines (now major carriers) such as American, Delta and United, the same statute created a need for commuter airline service (now referred to as regional airlines). The question addressed here is how well the small communities are being served twenty years after the fact. Inasmuch as "the national transportation policy statement, a preamble to the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, specifically calls for a comprehensive and convenient system of continuous scheduled airline service for small communities and isolated areas," (Davis and Dillard 1982) one would expect service in 1998 to be rather like that of 1978. BACKGROUND Many scholars consider the transportation and rural community equation to be of crisis proportion. Reich (1987, p.38) envisions this country becoming a bicoastal economy and "if rural America is to be revived, rural transportation will have to become more accessible and efficient." The difficulties associated with rural life and transportation upheavals are well documented (Kihl 1988, Schwab 1987). In a most descriptive fashion, Shultz (1987) envisions (as an outgrowth of deregulation) "an increasing number of small communities undoubtedly will shrivel like corn in a drought." Airline deregulation as it has involved small communities has attracted the attention of many researchers. Several have focused on the federal subsidy aspect that Congress built into the 1978 deregulation legislation which was supposed to allow communities a decade (but still continues) to prepare for the possible impact of deregulation (Cunningham and Eckard 1987, Vellenga and Vellenga 1986, Addus 1985 and 1984, J. …


Image search reranking is an effective approach to refine the text-based image search result. Text-based image retrieval suffers from essential difficulties that are caused mainly by the incapability of the associated text to appropriately describe the image content. In this paper, reranking methods are suggested address this problem in scalable fashion. Based on the classifiers for all the predefined attributes, each image is represented by an attribute feature consisting of the responses from these classifiers. A hypergraph can be used to model the relationship between images by integrating low-level visual features and attribute features. Hypergraph ranking is then performed to order the images. Its basic principle is that visually similar images should have similar ranking scores. It improves the performance over the text-based image search engine.


Compliant mechanisms with evenly distributed stresses have better load-bearing ability and larger range of motion than mechanisms with compliance and stresses lumped at flexural hinges. In this paper, we present a metric to quantify how uniformly the strain energy of deformation and thus the stresses are distributed throughout the mechanism topology. The resulting metric is used to optimize cross-sections of conceptual compliant topologies leading to designs with maximal stress distribution. This optimization framework is demonstrated for both single-port mechanisms and single-input single-output mechanisms. It is observed that the optimized designs have lower stresses than their nonoptimized counterparts, which implies an ability for single-port mechanisms to store larger strain energy, and single-input single-output mechanisms to perform larger output work before failure.


The ability to manage knowledge has become increasingly important in today's knowledge economy. Knowledge is considered a valuable commodity, embedded in products and in the tacit knowledge of highly mobile individual employees. Knowledge management (KM) represents a deliberate and systematic approach to cultivating and sharing an organization's knowledge base. It is a highly multidisciplinary field that encompasses both information technology and intellectual capital. This textbook and professional reference offers a comprehensive overview of the field of KM, providing both a substantive theoretical grounding and a pragmatic approach to applying key concepts. Drawing on ideas, tools, and techniques from such disciplines as sociology, cognitive science, organizational behavior, and information science, the text describes KM theory and practice at the individual, community, and organizational levels. It offers illuminating case studies and vignettes from companies including IBM, Xerox, British Telecommunications, JP Morgan Chase, and Nokia. This second edition has been updated and revised throughout. New material has been added on the information and library science perspectives, taxonomies and knowledge classification, the media richness of the knowledge-sharing channel, e-learning, social networking in KM contexts, strategy tools, results-based outcome assessments, knowledge continuity and organizational learning models, KM job descriptions, copyleft and Creative Commons, and other topics. New case studies and vignettes have been added; and the references and glossary have been updated and expanded.


William Blake, both an author and an illustrator, lived from 1757-1827. He created "illuminated books" -- hand printed works combining image and text. Dover published two volumes of Blake's poems, entitled Songs of Innocence (1789) and Songs of Experience (1794); Blake's poem, "The School Boy" is in both. This presents a conundrum, as the volumes are polar opposites of one another. Blake's reasoning for moving "The School Boy" to his later work, Songs of Experience when he finally published the combined version of Songs of Innocence and of Experience lies at the heart of his developing philosophy. By analyzing the verbal elements of the poem, and the illustration that accompanies it, "The School Boy" may seem to fit in both volumes in that the illustrations, colors, and overall tone of the poem are light but the message of the poem covers darker subject matter, such as a child's loss of innocence and the flaws of children's schools in 18th century England. Blake did not have much of a formal education, but if he had problems with the authoritarian education of his day, we can imagine he would have trouble with our own formal system of education – and that is why the poem is finally assigned to the very dark volume of Experience. Blake and other Romantics believed children should have a childhood. It is easy to see why the British Romanticism movement valued childhood so much, as the environment for children in 18th century England was toxic.


Oscillating red-giant stars have provided a wealth of asteroseismic information regarding their interiors and evolutionary states, which enables detailed studies of the Milky Way. The objective of this work is to determine what fraction of red-giant stars shows photometric rotational modulation, and understand its origin. One of the underlying questions is the role of close binarity in this population, which relies on the fact that red giants in short-period binary systems (less than 150 days or so) have been observed to display strong rotational modulation. We selected a sample of about 4500 relatively bright red giants observed by Kepler, and show that about 370 of them (∼8%) display rotational modulation. Almost all have oscillation amplitudes below the median of the sample, while 30 of them are not oscillating at all. Of the 85 of these red giants with rotational modulation chosen for follow-up radial-velocity observation and analysis, 34 show clear evidence of spectroscopic binarity. Surprisingly, 26 of the 30 nonoscillators are in this group of binaries. On the contrary, about 85% of the active red giants with detectable oscillations are not part of close binaries. With the help of the stellar masses and evolutionary states computed from the oscillation properties, we shed light on the origin of their activity. It appears that low-mass red-giant branch stars tend to be magnetically inactive, while intermediate-mass ones tend to be highly active. The opposite trends are true for helium-core burning (red clump) stars, whereby the lower-mass clump stars are comparatively more active and the higher-mass ones are less active. In other words, we find that low-mass red-giant branch stars gain angular momentum as they evolve to clump stars, while higher-mass ones lose angular momentum. The trend observed with low-mass stars leads to possible scenarios of planet engulfment or other merging events during the shell-burning phase. Regarding intermediate-mass stars, the rotation periods that we measured are long with respect to theoretical expectations reported in the literature, which reinforces the existence of an unidentified sink of angular momentum after the main sequence. This article establishes strong links between rotational modulation, tidal interactions, (surface) magnetic fields, and oscillation suppression. There is a wealth of physics to be studied in these targets that is not available in the Sun.


Homo-epitaxial (100) single crystal diamond films of different isotopic (13C) composition were synthesized by micro-wave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD). Undoped 12C (100) films were also synthesized at different thicknesses. The growth surface of 13C doped showed a sequential morphological change from flat surface to stepped or ledge surface and coarsening of the steps/ledges with the increase of 13C-isotope concentration. As the growth proceeds via surface steps/ledges and coarsening of these steps/ledges, further increase in imperfection of the grown CVD single crystal diamonds observed with the development of non-(100) orientations. In case of undoped 12C samples, as the thickness increased the in-grain misorientation got reduced.


Based on the diversification theory, this paper designed a multimedia technology-based English teaching system framework which is used to assist English teaching in classroom. The whole system framework consists of two parts: the part of learning resource allocation and the part of English teaching activities. Learning resource allocation is mainly to expand English learning materials from the traditional printed resources to audios, videos, animations and other forms of resources; the use of multimedia resources for teaching activities is achieved mainly through the English speech teaching and lecturing device designed with the function of playing multimedia files. In order to test the application effect of multimedia technology in English teaching, this paper chose the public course of "Vocational English" as the experimental content, and compared the effect of respectively using multimedia technology to teach freshmen of Grade 2016 and adopting the traditional teaching method to teach students of Grade 2015. The outcome shows that the use of multimedia technology in English teaching can improve students' interest in learning, reduce their pressure of learning English, and enhance their sense of accomplishment in learning, indicating that multimedia-assisted teaching can effectively improve English teaching results.


Service Overlay Networks (SON) can offer end to end Quality of Service by leasing bandwidth from Internet Autonomous Systems. To maximize profit, the SON can continually adapt its leased bandwidth to traffic demand dynamics based on online traffic trend estimation. In this paper, we propose novel approaches for online traffic trend estimation that fits the SON capacity adaptation. In the first approach, the smoothing parameter of the exponential smoothing (ES) model is adapted to traffic trend. Here, the trend is estimated using measured connection arrival rate autocorrelation or cumulative distribution functions. The second approach applies Kalman filter whose model is built from historical traffic data. In this case, availability of the estimation error distribution allows for better control of the network Grade of Service. Numerical study shows that the proposed autocorrelation based ES approach gives the best combined estimation response-stability performance when compared to known ES methods. The proposed Kalman filter based approach improves further the capacity adaptation performance by limiting the increase of connection blocking when traffic level is increasing.


A gene (DYT1) for idiopathic torsion dystonia maps to chromosome 9q34 in Ashkenazi Jewish families with early onset of symptoms. Further, there is linkage disequilibrium between DYT1 and a particular haplotype of alleles at 9q34 loci in this population. This implies that a large proportion of early‐onset idiopathic torsion dystonia in Ashkenazi Jews is due to a founder mutation in DYT1. To characterize the phenotypic range of this mutation, we studied 174 Ashkenazi Jewish individuals affected with idiopathic torsion dystonia. We used GT(n) markers on chromosome 9q34 (D9S62, D9S63, and ASS) and classified individuals as having ("carriers"), not having ("noncarriers"), or being ambiguous with respect to a DYT1‐associated haplotype. We assessed clinical features and found marked clinical differences between haplotype carriers and noncarriers. There were 90 carriers, 70 noncarriers, and 14 ambiguous individuals. The mean age at onset of symptoms was significantly lower in carriers than in noncarriers (12.5 ± 8.2 vs 36.5 ± 16.4 years). In 94% of carriers, symptoms began in a limb (arm or leg equally); rarely the disorder started in the neck (3.3%) or larynx (2.2%). In contrast, the neck, larynx, and other cranial muscles were the sites of onset in 79% of noncarriers; onset in the arms occurred in 21% and onset in the legs never occurred. Limb onset, leg involvement in the course of disease, and age at onset distinguished haplotype carriers from noncarriers with 90% accuracy. In conclusion, there are clinical differences between Ashkenazi Jewish individuals with idiopathic torsion dystonia who do or do not have a unique DYT1 mutation, as determined by a DYT1‐associated haplotype of 9q34 alleles. These differences suggest that early, limb‐onset idiopathic torsion dystonia and late, cervical cranial–onset idiopathic torsion dystonia are genetically distinct entities.


Considering the high cost of wheat straw in local market, three different combinations wheat and mustard straw were tested for their influence on yield and cost of production of Button Mushroom. Agaricus bisporous (lange) Sing. Compost was prepared by mixing 10%, 20% and 30% Mustard and wheat straw by long method of composting. 100% wheat straw was used as control. All the ingredients composted for 20 days single phase out door composting as advocate by Kapoor1. Fresh grain spawn was obtained from Bharat Mushrooms, Delhi. Formaldehyde treated casing soil (1:1 mixture of 2year old farm yard manure and garden soil) was used for casing of beds. The results show that all the combinations affected yield and proved to be promising for low cost production of mushroom. Combination with 30% Mustard straw and 70% wheat straw gave maximum production of mushroom (8.4 Kg/m2).


This paper examines the applicability and limitations of the proposed analytical framework. The framework was developed to facilitate an analysis of territorial development processes taken culture as an important element shaping planning processes and spatial outcomes. Five main principles underpin the proposed analytical framework are the concept of social-ecological system (Folke et al. 2005), culture-changing dynamics (Gullestrup 2006), Institutional Analysis and Development framework (Ostrom 2005), five dimensions of cultures (Hofstede and Hofstede 2005) and cultural theory (Thompson et al. 1990). The analysis of territorial development of the Bangkok Metropolitan Region, with special emphasis on the impacts of local cultures on policy initiatives and spatial outcomes in relation to flood risk management in the region, is taken as an example for investigation. The analysis shows that despite its potential subjectivity resulted by heuristic interpretation, the proposed analytical framework tends to be a promising approach.


Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common cancer in men worldwide, but it exhibits a highly variable biological behavior ranging from indolent to highly aggressive disease. The standard conventional imaging for staging PCa consists of CT, MRI, and bone scans, but this imaging has suboptimal accuracy for extraprostatic tumor detection, particularly in the scenario of early biochemical relapse when the prostate-specific antigen levels are still low indicating a low volume of recurrent disease. This gap between known disease (as indicated by a rising prostate-specific antigen) and the failure to detect it on conventional imaging, has led to the development of novel imaging probes most of which have positron emitting radioactive tags. In the last decade, multiple PET probes have demonstrated promising performance in detecting sites of recurrence and extent of disease in patients with PCa. The landscape of available PET radiotracers is changing rapidly and includes radiolabeled choline, anti1-amino-3-18F-fluorocyclobutane-1-carboxylic acid (18F-fluciclovine), bombesin, dihydrotestosterone, and prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) ligands, among others. Of these, radiolabeled PSMA-PET agents have shown the most encouraging results in terms of sensitivity and are likely to become universally available for imaging PCa within a few years Other PET radiotracers such as bombesin-based radiotracers and antagonist of gastrin releasing-peptide receptor (RM2) are emerging as possible alternatives for PCa imaging. This review article discusses the current and near-future of PET molecular imaging probes.


In this study, the phenological behavior and energy balance of plants are used as a sensory mechanism for root-zone soil moisture monitoring using both in-situ and satellite remote sensing data. The commonly used in-situ measurements are not feasible for mapping soil moisture at large-scale agricultural areas. Local direct root-zone soil moisture measurements cannot be reliably interpolated owing to the high spatial variability of soil structure and the vegetative content. Remote sensing methods are negatively affected by vegetation coverage and density regarding penetration and backscattering characteristics. In order to overcome these limitations, we propose a root-zone soil moisture estimation method utilizing a context-aware data clustering process, which can be applied prior to any statistical analysis, for empirical evaluation of data. In this aspect, the crops' phenological stages and soil–air temperature differences are defined as the two contexts for data clustering. Parameters such as canopy–air temperature difference, land surface temperature, and solar radiation with respect to plant energy and water processes are used for the analysis. The proposed model is utilized using piecewise linear regression of data obtained from 16 rainfed wheat parcels distributed across Turkey, under different climatic and topographic conditions. It is shown that the proposed context-aware data clustering process enables the nonlinear plant behavior to be analyzed linearly. The correlation value of the whole season increased from 21% to a range between 78% and 95% for different clusters. The outliers became relevant and the parameters became significant after the proposed context-aware data clustering.


Background: A novel pneumonia (COVID-19) spread rapidly throughout worldwide, in December, 2019. Most of the deaths have occurred in severe and critical cases, but information on prognostic risk factors for severely ill patients is incomplete. Further research is urgently needed to guide clinicians, and we therefore prospectively evaluate the clinical outcomes of 114 severely ill patients with COVID-19 for short-term at the Union Hospital in Wuhan, China. Methods: In this single-centered, prospective, and observational study, we enrolled 114 severely ill patients with confirmed COVID-19 from Jan 23, 2020, to February 22, 2020. Epidemiological, demographic, laboratory, treatment, and outcome data were recorded, and the risk factors for poor outcome were analyzed. Results: Among the 114 enrolled patients with a mean age of 63.96 ± 13.41 years, 94 (82.5%) patients were classified as a good outcome group. Common clinical manifestations included fever, cough, and fatigue. Compared with the good outcome group, 20 (17.5%) patients in the poor outcome group more frequently exhibited lymphopenia, and lower levels of albumin, partial arterial oxygen pressure, higher levels of lactate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase, hypersensitive troponin I, C-reactive protein, ferritin, blood urea nitrogen, and D-dimer, as well as markedly higher levels of IL-6 and IL-10. Absolute numbers of T lymphocytes, CD8 + T cells, decreased in almost all the patients and were markedly lower in the poor outcome group than the good outcome group. We also found that traditional Chinese medicine can significantly improve the patient's condition, which is conducive to the transformation from a severe to mild condition. In addition, univariate and multivariate Cox analyses of potential factors for poor outcome patients indicated that cytokine storms and uncontrolled inflammation responses as well as liver, kidney, and cardiac dysfunction are related to the development of a poor outcome. Conclusion: In summary, we reported this single-centered, prospective, and observational study for short-term outcome in severe patients with COVID-19. We found that cytokine storms and uncontrolled inflammation responses as well as liver, kidney, and cardiac dysfunction may play important roles in the final outcome of severely ill patients with COVID-19. Our study will allow clinicians to benefit and rapidly estimate the likelihood of a short-term poor outcome for severely ill patients.


In light of the contradiction between stroke and accuracy of current actuators, a high precision, large displacement actuator was designed. Rare earth giant magnetostrictive material was used as the driving source and the displacement differential amplification was based on a flexure hinge. A magnetic circuit and driving magnetic field was designed with the characteristics of magnetostrictive drive. The axial pre-pressure of the magnetostrictive rod was supported by a cylindrical helical spring and a displacement amplification mechanism. A new type of differential amplification device was projected by the flexible hinge. The convex desktop splint fixed displacement amplification mechanism was adopted to enlarge the magnetostrictive's small displacement. After the actuator prototype was manufactured and the test platform was established, the output characteristics and amplification mechanism performance were analyzed. Results showed that under the condition of 0 to 4 input current, the maximum displacement was 158.4 μm and the magnification was 7.14. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.mech.22.4.16166


Effort is typically considered aversive such that rewards requiring less effort are preferred over identical value rewards that require greater effort, commonly referred to as "effort discounting". Although effort has been repeatedly shown to be weighed as a cost, there are indications to suggest that under some conditions it may increase preferences. An example for how effort affects preferences is the 'contrast effect' were items that follow effort production gain value. In the current study we examined whether the association of grip effort with snack food items would change preferences. In four experiments, we first identified each participant's individual preferences of snack food items and subjective maximal grip force. We then associated different effort levels with items of similar preference. Finally, we tested for changes in preferences following the effort association. Across the four studies, effort association had no effect on preferences. Using Bayesian analyses, we conclude that simultaneous association of effort does not change preferences in our studies and call for a replication effort of previous findings.


Summary This article provides a brief overview and examples of how communities were involved in feeding programmes during years of drought in Zimbabwe, and in the management of rural water supply and sanitation programmes throughout the 1980s. The balance between political and technical demands in the implementation of these programmes indicates that they started off with community interests at the centre, but gradually gave way to the needs of the bureaucracy (both political and administrative). The main lessons to be learnt from these programmes is that information on entitlements and obligations (on the part of communities and external agencies) is a prerequisite for successful community development projects. Furthermore, the extent of accountability to communities is directly proportional to progress made towards the devolution of power to democratic development structures, be they directly or indirectly elected.


Tool wear is a major contributor to the dimensional errors of a workpiece in precision machining. Tool wear modeling is an effective way to predict the tool wear loss in milling process. In this paper, different milling conditions are estimated as the input variables, tool wear loss is estimated as the output variable, and projection pursuit regression (PPR) method is proposed to establish the relationship between the input and the output variables. A real-time tool wear loss estimator is developed based on the PPR model, the experimental and estimated results are found to be in satisfactory agreement with average error lower than 10%.


A glass system according to the molar formula (35% mole SiO2- 40% mole B2O3 -(25-x) Li2O), where x=0,1,2 and 3 % mole Fe2O3, was prepared by melting the pure powder chemicals at porcelain crucibles at 1200Co for three hours until the homogenous glass was obtained. The samples were heat treated at 600 and 700 Co for 10 hours. The density, the molar volume, the electrical conductivity and magnetic properties were measured before and after the heat treatment. Replacing the lithium oxide with the iron oxide increases the density, the electrical and magnetic properties. The heat treatment decreases the electrical conductivity and the magnetic susceptibility while increases the density. The crystalline phases due to heat treatment were determined using x-ray diffraction.


BACKGROUND
Evidence-based guidelines recommend serial measurements of peak expiratory flow (PEF) on days at and away from work as the first step in the objective confirmation of occupational asthma. The aim of this study was to improve the diagnostic value of computer-based PEF analysis by using the program Oasys-2 to calculate a score from the area between the curves (ABC) of PEF on days at and away from work.

METHODS
Mean 2-hourly PEFs were plotted separately for workdays and rest days for 109 workers with occupational asthma and 117 control asthmatics. A score based on the ABC was computed from records containing >or= 4 day shifts, >or= 4 rest days, and >or= 6 readings per day. Patients were randomly classified into two data sets (analysis and test sets). Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis determined a cutoff point from set 1 that best identified those with occupational asthma, which was then tested in set 2.

RESULTS
Logistic regression analysis showed that all ABC PEF scores were significant predictors of occupational asthma, with the best being ABC per hour from waking (odds ratio, 11.9 per 10 L/h/min; 95% confidence interval, 10.8 to 13.1). ROC curve analysis showed that a difference of 15 L/min/h provided a high specificity without compromising sensitivity in diagnosing occupational asthma. Analysis of data set 2 confirmed a specificity of 100% and sensitivity of 72%.

CONCLUSION
The ABC PEF score is sensitive and specific for the diagnosis of occupational asthma and can be calculated from a shorter PEF surveillance than is needed for the current Oasys-2 work effect index.


The study aimed at understanding the practice of transformational management and its role in achieving institutional excellence from the point of view of workers in the directorates of education in Hebron governorate. The study sample consisted of (103) employees. The results indicated that the degree of the practice of transformational management was medium on the total score and in all its fields. It was also found that the highest areas of transformational management practice were thought provoking, then inspirational stimulation, then the ideal effect and finally the area of individual interest. The results showed that the official/head is interested in giving incentives to change. He motivates and encourages employees, takes care of individual differences, maintains communication and communication with them, addresses difficulties with courage, gives time to listen to ideas and stimulates thought. While it turns out that the official deals unsatisfactorily with the workers, does not raise the challenge and stability, does not trust everyone, does not carry out the process of delegation. The results showed that the degree of institutional excellence in the directorates of education in Hebron governorate was medium on the overall score and in all fields. The highest areas of institutional excellence were leadership excellence, excellence in service delivery, and finally human excellence. It has also been shown that the management of the institution continuously seeks to excel in providing service to the public. While it was found that the staff did not receive remuneration appropriate to their evaluation, and the Foundation did not provide opportunities to send distinguished employees.


Background

Sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE) is one of the severe central nervous system complications. Oxidative stress and synaptic dysfunction were involved in cognitive impairment induced by SAE. The mitochondrial nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) dependent deacetylase, sirtuin3 (SIRT3), plays a critical role in regulating mitochondrial function. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of SIRT3 in cognitive dysfunction induced by SAE.
Methods

Mice were treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 10 mg/kg, i.p.). Contextual and cue memory were evaluated by fear conditioning test in wild-type (WT) and SIRT3-deficient (SIRT3-/-) mice. Synapse-associated proteins and mitochondrial apoptosis-associated protein were examined by western blotting. In vitro studies, acetylation levels of cyclophilin D (CypD) were detected with different SIRT3 deacetylase activity in HT22 cells after LPS-induced microglia supernatant (Mi-sup) exposure. Oxidative stress was detected by reactive oxygen species (ROS) staining, and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was detected by JC-1 staining, and mitochondrial membrane permeability transition pore (MPTP) opening was detected by Calcein and Co2+ staining. Furthermore, the phosphorylation levels of mitochondrial p66Shc and JNK were evaluated by western blotting.
Results

SIRT3 expression was diminished in hippocampus of mice after LPS treatment. SIRT3-deficiency contributed to more severe contextual memory loss and synaptic dysfunction, decreased ratio of Bcl-2/Bax and increased Cyt C release to cytoplasm in hippocampus compared with wild-type controls. In HT22 cells, lysine acetylation levels of CypD were significantly increased after Mi-sup exposure and further enhanced with 3-TYP (SIRT3 deacetylation inhibitor) pretreatment, in association with the accumulation of ROS, declined MMP and increased MPTP opening, as well as the increased mitochondrial Cyt C release and phosphorylation levels of mitochondrial JNK and p66Shc-Ser36. SIRT3 overexpression restored CypD lysine acetylation levels and MPTP opening in HT22 cells after Mi-sup exposure and reduced mitochondrial JNK and p66Shc activation.
Conclusion

Taken together, our results showed that SIRT3-mediated CypD deacetylation was involved in LPS-induced hippocampal synaptic dysfunction, via ROS accumulation, declined MMP, increased MPTP opening, mitochondrial Cyt C release and mitochondrial apoptosis of hippocampal neuron via JNK/p66Shc pathway. Our results revealed that SIRT3 may be a promising therapeutic and diagnostic target for cognitive dysfunction induced by SAE.


BACKGROUND
Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is a significant source of morbidity in pediatric cancer patients. Few reports to date have evaluated risk factors and short-term outcomes for this population.

METHODS
We retrospectively evaluated pediatric oncology admissions at St Louis Children's Hospital from 2009 to 2018. All inpatient cases of diagnosed initial CDI were identified. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of CDI and associated risk factors, including coadmission with another patient with CDI, and to evaluate short-term outcomes including length of stay and delays in subsequent scheduled chemotherapy.

RESULTS
Review of 6567 admissions from 952 patients revealed 109 CDI cases (11.4% of patients). Patients with leukemia or lymphoma, compared to those with solid tumors, were more likely to have CDI (odds ratio [OR], 3 [95% CI, 1.4-6.6], and 3 [95% CI, 1.3-6.8], respectively). Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) was also a risk factor (OR, 3.5 [95% CI, 1.7-7.4]). Prior antibiotic exposure independently increased the risk for CDI (OR, 3.0 [95% CI, 1.8-4.8]). Concurrent admission with another patient with CDI also significantly increased the risk (OR, 84.7 [95% CI, 10.5-681.8]). In contrast to previous reports, exposure to acid-suppressing medications decreased the risk for CDI (OR, 0.5 [95% CI, .3-.7]). CDI was associated with increased length of stay (mean difference, 8 days [95% CI, 4.6-11.4]) and prolonged delays for subsequent chemotherapy (mean difference, 1.4 days [95% CI, .1-2.7]).

CONCLUSIONS
CDI in pediatric oncology patients significantly prolongs hospitalization and delays chemotherapy treatment plans. Interventions to control CDI will improve the care of pediatric oncology patients.


Stacking, either by itself or as a part of depth migration, is usually used for noise suppression in teleseismic receiver function (RF) images. However, stacking is neither the only signal enhancement method available, nor is it the most efficient in the environment of receiver-side source-generated noise typical for RF imaging. We generalize prestack depth migration methodology by introducing numerous signal-enhancement schemes in place of final summation. The method operates in full 3D, incorporates most of the existing imaging techniques, and suggests a generalized framework of RF depth imaging. We present four applications of this technique using the data from the teleseismic Continental Dynamics–Rocky Mountains teleseismic experiment: (1) building common-image gathers to assess depth focusing of RF images, (2) imaging using median and (3) coherency filters for noise suppression, and (4) generalized 3D common conversion point stacking. The results suggest that with the limited volumes and quality of the existing RF datasets, adaptive filters could be superior to record summation used in conventional depth migration.


RNase L is a well-known effector of the type I interferon pathway. This review focuses on the recent developments of RNase L activation and on the antagonism of the OAS-RNase L pathway by viral proteins. Recent structural data show that two 2'-5' oligoadenylate molecules can bridge ankyrin domains of two RNase L subunits bound in opposite orientations. The binding of nucleotides to the pseudokinase domain further strengthens the dimer and imparts an active conformation to the ribonuclease. The OAS/RNase L pathway is active against many viruses and viruses evolved in several ways to escape this pathway. Influenza virus A acts upstream of this pathway by hiding double stranded RNA through its NS1 protein. In this way, it also inhibits the PKR and TLR-3 activation by double stranded RNA. Theiler's virus acts downstream of the OAS/RNase L pathway, through the direct interaction between protein L*and RNase L. By acting on the effector enzyme, Theiler's virus ensures a strong RNase L inhibition, which seems to be particularly useful for the infection of macrophages. In conclusion, viruses have developed distinct strategies to escape RNase L activity, that are likely dependent on their tropism. The fact that viral proteins have evolved to specifically antagonize RNase L outlines the importance of this particular IFN effector in cells infected by those viruses.


Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has become a versatile tool for investigating local mechanical properties. In addition, through the AFM tip-couple interaction, it is possible to study the effects of perturbations and modifications on the surface of samples, such as layers obtained by selective transfer. The selective layer was obtained by friction between a surface of steel and a surface of copper alloy (bronze) and it formed of very thin layer, tribologically generated on the surface of steel. The accurate knowledge of their response to continuous AFM scanning could help to design new materials with desired mechanical properties. A fundamental study of surface properties of the layers formed by selective transfer on nanoscale level should be developed to have a satisfactory knowledge of responses of these layers at friction and wear. In this paper, we present results obtained applying a new method for investigating friction and wear properties on layers obtained by selective transfer.


The present study analysed the changes taking place in land use/ land cover and forest cover using multispectral satellite remote sensing data (LANDSAT TM, 2010, and LANDSAT OLI, 2013) around the Patehra, Danti, Mirzapur and Madihan forest ranges in Mirzapur district of Uttar Pradesh, India. Satellite data was visually interpreted to delineate land use and land cover classes. Post classification comparative analysis for both time periods showed agricultural expansion, urbanization and increase in open forests drastically. Further, forest area was extracted from false colour composite (FCC) (using a mask generated from LULC map) and ten forest cover classes were delineated spectrally using digital classification technique. Area statistics were computed and compared for change analysis for the time period (2010-2013). There was a marginal increase in dense mixed forests due to plantation activities, followed by increase in open mixed forest and degraded forest. A remarkable increase in area of grassland and scrubland was also noticed. Rate of change was also quantified. Higher rate of change was observed in case of degraded, fragmented and open scrub, scrubland and grassland. Thus, the forests are getting fragmented at a very fast pace. Results obtained from satellite data analysis can be effectively utilized for monitoring the changes taking place and help in establishing better management practices to conserve these forests.


One in a series of six data briefings based on regional-level analysis of data from the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) undertaken by the National Obesity Observatory (NOO). The briefings are intended to complement the headline results for the region published in January 2010, at Quick Link 20510.


The impact of somatisation in adolescence is substantial. Somatoform disorders are related to decrease in physical, social, and emotional health of the adolescent, but evidence linking somatisation in adolescence with labour market participation is scarce. Therefore, the aims of this study were to examine the effects of somatisation in adolescence on labour market participation in young adulthood, and to examine any potential gender difference. Methods Data included 3054 participants from the Vestliv Study, a Danish prospective cohort study. Follow-up data on labour market participation was derived from national registers at age 23 and dichotomised into active or passive labour market participation. Self-reported somatisation was measured at age 15 and 18. Information about parental household income and highest education was derived from Statistics Denmark at age 14. Data was analysed with logistic regression analysis. Results Somatisation at age 18 was associated with poor labour market participation (odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval: 1.27, 1.01–1.59). Somatisation among girls at age 15 was associated with poor labour market participation (OR 1.8, 1.35–2.41). At age 18 the association was significant for girls (girls: OR 1.52, 1.08–2.15; boys: OR 1.33, 0.96–1.82). Adjusting for parental household income and highest education in the household did not change the estimates. Conclusions Adolescent girls with many somatisation symptoms are at risk of poor labour market participation in young adulthood. Interventions reducing somatisation in adolescent girls may improve their labour market participation in young adulthood.


Cysteine cathepsins are lysosomal enzymes expressed in the kidneys and other tissues, and are involved in the maturation and breakdown of cellular proteins. They have been shown to be integrally involved in the progression of many cardiovascular and renal diseases. The goal of this study was to determine the involvement of cysteine cathepsins in the development of salt‐sensitive hypertension and associated kidney damage. In our experiments, Dahl salt‐sensitive (SS) rats were fed an 8% high salt NaCl diet and intravenously infused with the irreversible cysteine cathepsin inhibitor E‐64 (1 mg/day) or the vehicle (control). Both the control and E‐64 infused groups developed significant hypertension and kidney damage, and no difference of the mean arterial pressure and the hypertension‐associated albuminuria was observed between the groups. We next tested basal calcium levels in the podocytes of both control and infused groups using confocal calcium imaging. Basal calcium did not differ between the groups, indicative of the lack of a protective or aggravating influence by the cathepsin inhibition. The efficacy of E‐64 was tested in Western blotting. Our findings corresponded to the previously reported, E‐64 induced increase in cathepsin B and L abundance. We conclude that the inhibition of cysteine cathepsins by E‐64 does not have any effects on the blood pressure development and kidney damage, at least under the studied conditions of this model of SS hypertension.


Summary
Predictions of the identities and ecological impacts of invasive alien species are critical for risk assessment, but presently we lack universal and standardized metrics that reliably predict the likelihood and degree of impact of such invaders (i.e. measurable changes in populations of affected species). This need is especially pressing for emerging and potential future invaders that have no invasion history. Such a metric would also ideally apply across diverse taxonomic and trophic groups.
We derive a new metric of invader ecological impact that blends: (i) the classic Functional Response (FR; consumer per capita effect) and Numerical Response (NR; consumer population response) approaches to determining consumer impact, that is, the Total Response (TR = FR × NR), with; (ii) the 'Parker–Lonsdale equation' for invader impact, where Impact = Range × Abundance × Effect (per capita effect), into; (iii) a new metric, Relative Impact Potential (RIP), where RIP = FR × Abundance. The RIP metric is an invader/native ratio, where values >1 predict that invader ecological impact will occur, and increasing values above 1 indicate increasing impact. In addition, the invader/invader RIP ratio allows comparisons of the ecological impacts of different invaders.
Across a diverse range of trophic and taxonomic groups, including predators, herbivores, animals and plants (22 invader/native systems with 47 individual comparisons), high-impact invaders were significantly associated with higher FRs compared to native trophic analogues. However, the RIP metric substantially improves this association, with 100% predictive power of high-impact invaders.
Further, RIP scores were significantly and positively correlated with two independent ecological impact scores for invaders, allowing prediction of the degree of impact of invasive alien species with the RIP metric. Finally, invader/invader RIP scores were also successful in identifying and associating with higher impacting invasive alien species.
Synthesis and applications. The Relative Impact Potential metric combines the per capita effects of invaders with their abundances, relative to trophically analogous natives, and is successful in predicting the likelihood and degree of ecological impact caused by invasive alien species. As the metric constitutes readily measurable features of individuals, populations and species across abiotic and biotic context-dependencies, even emerging and potential future invasive alien species can be assessed. The Relative Impact Potential metric can be rapidly utilized by scientists and practitioners and could inform policy and management of invasive alien species across diverse taxonomic and trophic groups.


The endothelial barrier is a tightly regulated gateway in the transport of material between circulation and the tissues. Inflammatory mediators such as thrombin are able to open paracellular spaces in the endothelial monolayer to allow the extravasation of plasma proteins and leukocytes. Here we show that the protein SLIT-ROBO Rho GTPase-activating protein 2 (srGAP2) plays a critical role in regulating the extent of thrombin-mediated opening. We show that srGAP2 is not required for normal barrier function in resting endothelial cells, but that depletion of srGAP2 significantly increases the magnitude and duration of junctional opening in response to thrombin. We show that srGAP2 acts to switch off RhoA signaling after the contraction phase of thrombin-induced permeability, allowing respreading of cells and reformation of the barrier. srGAP2 is also required for effective restoration of the barrier after treatment with two other vasoactive agents that active RhoA – TNFα and angiotensin II. Taken together, we show that srGAP2 has a general function in controlling RhoA signaling in endothelial permeability, acting to limit the degree and duration of opening, by triggering the switch from endothelial cell contraction to respreading.


To learn intrinsic low-dimensional structures from high-dimensional data that most discriminate between classes, we propose the principle of Maximal Coding Rate Reduction ($\text{MCR}^2$), an information-theoretic measure that maximizes the coding rate difference between the whole dataset and the sum of each individual class. We clarify its relationships with most existing frameworks such as cross-entropy, information bottleneck, information gain, contractive and contrastive learning, and provide theoretical guarantees for learning diverse and discriminative features. The coding rate can be accurately computed from finite samples of degenerate subspace-like distributions and can learn intrinsic representations in supervised, self-supervised, and unsupervised settings in a unified manner. Empirically, the representations learned using this principle alone are significantly more robust to label corruptions in classification than those using cross-entropy, and can lead to state-of-the-art results in clustering mixed data from self-learned invariant features.


The 10‐year anniversary of the first democratic elections in South Africa in 2004 provoked much reflection and fuelled new policy debates on both the progress and failures of educational reform. While a myriad of achievements have been touted and are well‐known to international audiences, a swelling critique from inside South Africa shows that much work remains to be done. By glancing backward as a way to understand how to move forward, we review several important recently published books on post‐apartheid education policy to learn how policies were conceived, what went well and what went seriously wrong. In engaging this extended analysis we provide a glimpse into the unique set of circumstances and challenges faced by the South African government over the last 15 years (namely the tensions between equity and redress and global competitiveness), while offering a sustained critique of the resulting policy outcomes through a social justice lens.


The association of most tick-borne pathogens with specific tick species has made it imperative that proper identification and characterization of such tick vectors is necessary for the purpose of developing effective tick and tick-borne control strategies. This study was undertaken to identify and characterize Amblyomma species ticks collected from cattle in Plateau State, North-Central, Nigeria. They were morphologically identified using diagnostic characters. Further confirmation and characterization was done genetically using a 460bp-long partial fragment of the 16S rRNA gene amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The amplified fragment was cloned and sequenced for the phylogenetic dendogram. All the examined ticks were identified as A. variegatum which was confirmed by 16S rRNA gene sequences analysis, and phylogenetic inferences showed a 99% similarity and grouping to A. variegatum of African origin. However, the A. variegatum sequences from Nigeria were clustered into 2 groups, but formed a distinct clade from the A. variegatum sequence from Ethiopia. This study was able to conclusively identify and characterize A. variegatum ticks from the study areas by utilizing morphology and molecular genotyping based on sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Keywords: Amblyomma variegatum , Morphology, 16S rRNA, PCR, Sequencing


Effective deployment and operation of flexibly automated production systems is of ever-increasing importance in contemporary competitive manufacturing. Yet, currently we lack an adequate methodology for effective deployment, reconfiguration and control of these systems, partly due to the fact that past research has not systematically modeled and analyzed the logical/structural aspects characterizing their behavior. The importance and criticality of these problems becomes even clearer once it is realized that they are directly related to the operationalization and effective management of the flexibility inherent in these systems. This paper seeks to formally introduce the control problem related to the establishment of logically correct and robust behavior for flexibly automated production systems as a separate class of problems in the hierarchical decomposition framework typically used for the realtime control of these environments. It also outlines an analytical framework able to support the systematic study of these behavior/structure-oriented problems, and surveys some key results developed in the area. The last part of the paper considers the integration of structure-oriented control with the performanceoriented control which is the more "traditional" concern in production planning and control -, demonstrates some interesting effects arising from the combined study of these two issues, and suggests directions for future research.


Sign random projections (SRP) is a technique which allows the user to quickly estimate the angular similarity and inner products between data. We propose using additional information to improve these estimates which is easy to implement and cost efficient. We prove that the variance of our estimator is lower than the variance of SRP. Our proposed method can also be used together with other modifications of SRP, such as SuperBit LSH (SBLSH). We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method on the MNIST test dataset and the Gisette dataset. We discuss how our proposed method can be extended to random projections or even other hashing algorithms.


Large companies suffer from the increasing complexity that exist in their software systems. Evolving their software becomes even harder if we consider that a change in one system can affect several other parts of their software architecture. Especially banks that need to be always complied with regulations, have to constantly make changes in their software to reflect these changes. ING is a primary example that currently tries to find a solution to these problems through the use of model driven development and more specifically code generation. In particular, they have created a Domain Specific Language called Maverick to specify the requirements/business logic and through the usage of code generators to automatically generate their entire codebase from these Maverick specifications. Code generators as any other software artifact is not bug free, meaning that testing code generators is of paramount importance. However, testing code generators is not straightforward as their output is another program that besides syntactic structure also has behavior. Many formal approaches have been developed that try to formally prove the correctness of code generators. Nevertheless, the complexity and scalability issues that these approaches face make them infeasible in practice. This thesis presents a testing approach that leverages a definitional interpreter to test code generators. We evaluate and show the practicability of our approach using Maverick specifications developed by ING and we conclude that our proposed method can address many of the issues that formal approaches face.


Introduction: Central venous catheter (CVC) insertion is common in ICU practices; this can be a source of dangerous bacteremia, sepsis, multi organ failure and sometimes even death. Aim: We conducted this study to find out rate of Catheter colonization, Catheter related blood stream infections (CRBSI), their association and microbial spectrum of CRBSI in critical care unit over 1 year period. Material and methods: Patients admitted in critical care units requiring central venous catheterization and presenting with signs of septicemia during catheterization period were investigated for catheter related blood stream infections. Tip of Central venous catheter (CVC) as well as peripheral blood for culture were obtained simultaneously and processed according to pre determined protocol. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was done for the isolated organisms. Results: CRBSI rate 10 per thousand catheter days with Staphylococcus sp. as most common organism was observed. Conclusion: Since central venous catheters are increasingly being used in the critical care, regular surveillance for infection associated with them is essential.


One of the important factors resulting in the performances of the machinery is its dynamic characteristics. The spindle assembly is one of the usual parts of NC machine tool, so its dynamic-static characteristics will affect the performances of machine tool. The study is based on a NC machine tool produced by a certain plant of machine tools. The finite element dynamic analysis model of spindle assembly was developed by introducing two or three groups of circumferential spring damper elements which are arrange at different angle around the spindle, and the effect of different supporting conditions and different arrange angle on the modal analysis of the spindle assembly were discussed. The finite element analysis on spindle and spindle assembly has been made to confirm its dynamic characteristics. Then the finite element analysis models are validated by some experiments.


The relations among family stress, negative parenting, and externalizing behavior problems were examined in a cross-sectional sample of 357 ten year-olds. To assess family stress, a composite of mother-reported strain from parenting, romantic partnership, and chaos within the home was created. To assess negative parenting behavior, a mother-reported composite of poor parental monitoring and inconsistent discipline was created. Externalizing behavior was assessed by teacher and mother-reported scores on the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC-2). As hypothesized, findings indicated family stress predicted change in both mother and teacher-reported externalizing behavior problems from five years of age to 10 years of age over and above other covariates such as socioeconomic status. As hypothesized, this relation was partially mediated by mother-reported negative parenting for mother-reported externalizing behavior problems. Contrary to the hypotheses, negative parenting did not fully or partially mediate this relation for teacher-reported externalizing behavior problems. Implications, future directions, and strengths and limitations of the current study were examined.


A reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) can shape the radio propagation environment by virtue of changing the impinging electromagnetic waves towards any desired directions, thus, breaking the general Snell's reflection law. However, the optimal control of the RIS requires perfect channel state information (CSI) of the individual channels that link the base station (BS) and the mobile station (MS) to each other via the RIS. Thereby super-resolution channel (parameter) estimation needs to be efficiently conducted at the BS or MS with CSI feedback to the RIS controller. In this paper, we adopt a two-stage channel estimation scheme for RIS-aided millimeter wave (mmWave) MIMO systems without a direct BS-MS channel, using atomic norm minimization to sequentially estimate the channel parameters, i.e., angular parameters, angle differences, and the products of propagation path gains. We evaluate the mean square error of the parameter estimates, the RIS gains, the average effective spectrum efficiency bound, and average squared distance between the designed beamforming and combining vectors and the optimal ones. The results demonstrate that the proposed scheme achieves super-resolution estimation compared to the existing benchmark schemes, thus offering promising performance in the subsequent data transmission phase.


Adenosine modulates several physiological functions in the CNS and in peripheral tissues via membrane receptors which have been classified into four adenosine subtypes. A(1) activation produces neuronal depression: this inhibition allows A(1) agonists to produce ischemic tolerance and protection in neuronal tissue. In order to selectively reproduce these effects, several A(1) selective ligands have been synthesised and evaluated to understand how they interact with the adenosine A(1) receptor. The investigation methods include SAR studies using native and chemically modified A(1) receptors, molecular cloning of native and mutant adenosine A(1) receptors, molecular modeling and thermodynamic analysis of drug-receptor interaction. Despite the great quantity of information available on the adenosine A(1) receptor, no A(1) agonist has so far entered in clinical use against brain diseases in view of the side effects; moreover selective A(1) agonists appear to be poorly adsorbed into the brain and can be quickly degraded in vivo or in the whole blood. In an attempt to overcome these problems studies have been undertaken dealing with the use of partial agonists to inhibit side-effects and the employment of prodrugs to increase stability and diffusion through lipid barriers of A(1) ligands. Other attempts involve either the use of A(1) receptor enhancers as modulators able to locally enhance the action of endogenously produced adenosine, or the encapsulation of A(1)agonists in drug delivery systems targeted to the brain. In this review, these approaches will be described together with the effects of adenosine A(1) receptor ligands and their binding mechanisms on the central nervous system.


Structure (house) fires do not discriminate, they take life, injure, destroying property and damaging the environment. An average of 19,877 structure fires occurs annually in Australia at a cost of $3.3 Billion. Firefighting methods have largely remained unchanged since the Roman bucket brigades. Today, firefighters are still on standby and ready to respond (to a fire). This research highlights a disparate and uncoordinated body of knowledge with a clear gap in both the literature and practice. The research gap is the application of predictive analytics in the Emergency Management Sector that is to predict where and when a fire is most likely to occur. In this paper, sourcing two years of structure fire data combined with other datasets such as weather, we have shown predictive analytics could provide emergency managers with an Information System tool that would enable them to make informed decisions on future fire emergency scenarios. Using Activity Theory, we can demonstrate how Information System can be used as a tool to provide a safer community. The contribution of this research aims to use predictive analytics to identify at risk communities so that response time to fire-fighting can be decreased, and targeted fire safety education delivered.


To identify transcriptionally regulated mediators associated with the cell cycle, we adopted the differential mRNA display technique for cell cultures of Tetrahymena pyriformis synchronized by cyclic heat treatment. One cDNA fragment that was expressed differently during synchronous cell division had a greatly decreased expression at 30 min after the end of heat treatment (EHT). Using this fragment as a probe, we isolated the full-length cDNA for T. pyriformis acetyl-CoA synthetase (TpAcs) which encodes a 651 amino acid polypeptide with a predicted molecular mass of 72.8 kDa. The deduced amino acid sequence of T. pyriformis ACS shows 42% sequence identity compared with that of Lysobacter sp. acetyl-CoA synthetase (ACS), an enzyme which catalyses the formation of acetyl-CoA from acetate via an acetyl-adenylate intermediate. The deduced sequence is also 41% and 40% identical compared with those of Pseudomonas putida and Coprinus cinereus ACS, respectively. The deduced sequence of T. pyriformis ACS also shares similar characteristics of the conserved motifs I and II in the ACS family. To further investigate the actions of the gene encoding this enzyme, mRNA expression was determined during the course of synchronized cell division in T. pyriformis. Northern blot results show that the mRNA level was dramatically decreased at 30 min after EHT prior to entering synchronous cell division (which occurs 75 min after EHT), suggesting that mRNA expression of the TpAcs was associated with the cell cycle and that the down-regulated expression of TpAcs at 30 min after EHT would be required for the initiation of the oncoming synchronous cell division in T. pyriformis.


In this paper, (C,N) alloyed austenitic stainless steel coatings (or hybrid S-phase with both carbon and nitrogen) were produced by a magnetron sputtering deposition process combined with ion implantation (CMSII). This technique involves a periodical high energy ion bombardment of the coating during its growth, which has a beneficial effect on the structure and properties of the deposited coating. The influence of the nitrogen and carbon addition to the deposition atmosphere on the structure, chemical composition and coating morphology was investigated using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), and Glow Discharge Optical Spectrometry (GDOS) techniques. Wear tests were carried out and the results were compared with low temperature plasma nitrided austenitic stainless steel.


In this paper the two new low toxic water-soluble monomers: glycerol monoacrylate and 3-O-acrylic-D-glucose are introduced and their application in gelcasting of alumina powder is reported, in comparison with 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate, the commercial monomer. Both synthesized substances do not need an addition of cross-linking agent to the ceramic slurry, because hydrogen bonds can be formed in the polymer network, owing to the presence of two or more hydroxyl groups in their molecules, unlike in the case of 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate. Rheological behavior of alumina gelcasting suspensions containing these monomers has been studied, as well as the characteristics of raw and sintered elements formed from these slurries by initializing an in situ polymerization.


Businesses who acknowledge that their activities have potential impacts on the environment and society as well as the economy, are increasingly choosing to commu- nicate their performance in sustainability reports. Large events are not exempt from having significant impacts and event organizers are accountable to their stakeholders on equal terms as other businesses. Employing a literature study and stakeholder analysis as the primary methods, the aim of this study was to give an overview of and evaluate reporting mechanisms for sustainability reporting for large events and to apply the findings to the case event Lillehammer Youth Olympic Games 2016. Reporting schemes were judged on three significant characteristics: Applicabil- ity for event organizers, adaptability to the available resources, and credibility. The Global Reporting Initiative?s Reporting Guidelines and Event Organizer Sector Sup- plement (EOSS) stood out as the prevailing scheme, and Lillehammer 2016?s orga- nizing committee was recommended to use this as starting point for their reporting. Because the majority of impacts will result from the operational phase, issuing a sustainability report will be most worthwhile after the games have taken place. Ten indicators were chosen from the EOSS for use in reports. The findings of this study support a close relation between stakeholder manage- ment and sustainability communication. Sustainability reports should mainly be aimed at stakeholder groups with a high interest in enhancing the event?s sustain- ability performance.


The magnetocrystalline anisotropy, the magnetostriction and the structure-sensitive properties in the magnetization process were studied in the ordered and disordered states of specimens between 70.1 wt% Ni and 79.7 wt% Ni. The single crystals were cooled at the rate of 1 K/day to obtain the fully ordered state. Magnetization curves and hysteresis loops were measured using picture frame specimens. The magnetocrystalline anisotropy and the magnetostriction were also measured in disc specimens. New experimental results obtained in the order state are considerably different from those obtained by previous investigators. The difference is attributed to the degree of order and the magnetic properties of the previous investigators are those of a partially ordered state. >


This work addresses the responses of the Atlas Mountain Cedar tree (Cedrus atlantica Manetti) when faced with past and futur e climactic changes. The ecological study of this species proposes three simulations based on reliable and precise data: - Simulation in 6000 B.P. with the GCM UBRIS-HadCM3M2 climatic data - Simulation in the year 2000 with NEW et al. climactic data (2002) - Simulation in the year 2100 with the ARPEGE Climactic Model data - following the IPCC's scenario A2 These simulations were realized using the CARAIB model, which simulates Carbon stocks in vegetation and Carbon flux between vegetation, soil and atmosphere. In part one, the Moroccan Atlas Mountains, which constitute the principal natural area of the Atlas Cedar tree are described in detail. The different data describing this species' distribution at three periods are summarized: 1) at the present time, 2) at Holocene period and 3) at the end of the Upper Pleniglacial period . The distribution of the species is specified. A map of the Cedar tree's actual distribution in Morocco was drawn from a series of population maps - scale 1/25,000- kept at the Moroccan Ministry of Forestry and Water conservation. So as to improve the sequential study of fossils of Cedar pollen was defined the percentage threshold at which samples containing pollen from the Cedrus atlantica are described as autochtonous or allochthonous. The study of 514 samples of Moroccan Cedar pollen permittted to define this thr eshold as 1% with minimal risk of error. The last part of the work is focused on modelling. It starts with a description of IBM and CARAIB models used in the three simulations. The data essential for these models are reviewed. Considering the climactic data for these three periods, climate is globally warmer in 6000 BP and in 2100 than today, with the problems of drought becoming more severe in the future. The analysis of the three simulations brings us to two conclusions. Cedrus antlantica is sensitive to climactic change and shows that, at thr ee different periods, its potential distribution areas are quite different. At 6000 BP, the species sought refuge in the high mountains of North Africa. Today's distribution is well simulated in our model. Its good survival in Europe makes it an interesting species for reforestation. In 2100, if IPCC's A2 scenario is validated, modifications in the Cedar's potential and real area of distribution will be considerable. The tree will find little refuge in North Africa. On the other hand, the climate of the land between the Northern Alps and the South of Sweden, associated with a strong concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere may well provide it with an acceptable environment.


Elevated IOP is one of the most consistent risk factors for the development or progression of
glaucoma which has been associated with various systemic factors. The present study was
designed to assess the influence of body mass index, serum lipid profile and atherogenic index
on intraocular pressure in postmenopausal women. Sixty premenopausal and sixty
postmenopausal women were included in this study. IOP was assessed using Goldmann
applanation tonometer. In each subject body mass index and Serum lipids and atherogenic
index were analyzed. Mean IOP was significantly (P<0.001) higher in postmenopausal than in
premenopausal group. Atherogenic index, Serum lipid parameters except HDL-C ( High density
lipoproteins – Cholesterol) was significantly increased (P<0.001 ) and showed a significant
positive correlation with IOP in post-menopausal group. The lipid markers and the increased
BMI might be suggested as independent risk factors for elevation of IOP in postmenopausal
women


In Industry 4.0 independent entities shall inter-operate to allow flexible and customized production. To assure the parties that individual components are secured to inter-operate, we investigate automated standard compliance. The standard compliance is defined based on given sets of security and safety requirements from which are derived measurable indicator points. Those reflect configurations of systems recommended by security, safety or legally relevant standards and guidelines, which help to demonstrate the state of compliance. We propose in this paper an initial approach to automate such assessment when components are inter-operating with each other by using a monitoring and standard compliance verification framework. This will assure the parties that services or devices within their organizations operate in a secure and standard compliant way, without compromising the underlying infrastructure.


BACKGROUND
Sudden cardiac death constitutes the leading cause of death in patients receiving dialysis. Little is known about the trends in implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) use and the outcomes of such device placement.

STUDY DESIGN
Retrospective cohort study.

SETTING & PARTICIPANTS
US long-term dialysis patients who received an ICD in 1994-2006. PREDICTORS, OUTCOMES, & MEASUREMENTS: ICD utilization rates and incident rates of all-cause mortality, device infections, and other device-related procedures were measured. We compared mortality between recipients and otherwise similar patients who did not receive such a device using high-dimensional propensity score matching. We also examined the associations of demographics, dialysis type, baseline comorbid conditions, cardiovascular events at the time of admission, and recent infection with the study outcomes.

RESULTS
9,528 patients received an ICD in 1994-2006, with >88% placed after 2000. Almost all ICD use in the 1990s was for secondary prevention, however, half the patients received ICDs for apparent primary prevention in 2006. Mortality rates after implantation were high (448 deaths/1,000 patient-years) and most deaths were cardiovascular. Postimplantation infection rates were high, especially in the first year after implantation (988 events/1,000 patient-years) and were predicted by diabetes and recent infection. Patients receiving ICDs for secondary prevention had an overall 14% (95% CI, 9%-19%) lower mortality risk compared with propensity-matched controls, but these benefits seemed to be restricted to the early postimplantation time.

LIMITATIONS
Lack of clinical data, especially for laboratory and heart function studies. Residual confounding by indication.

CONCLUSIONS
ICD use in dialysis patients is increasing, but rates of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality remain high in dialysis patients receiving these devices. Device infections are common, particularly in patients with recent infections. Randomized trials of ICDs are needed to determine the efficacy, safety, and risk-benefit ratio of these devices in dialysis patients.


The humic acids in young coal are complex compounds of aromatic-fatty group organic acid with content of functional groups like carboxy, phenolic hydroxyl group, benzoquinonyl, alcohol group , ketone group etc. The pharmacology research of humic acid advanced in slow progress as a result of composition complexity and raw material multiplicity. At first it was analysed that terpene, steroids and other bioactive substances existed in natural humic having effects on antibacterial, antiviral, antitumor and microcirculation improvement. A new way of molecular weight determination for fulvic acid was established by modification of cryoscopic constant which was proved by the detection of capillary electrophoresis and LC-MS then. In terms of Fulvic acid which molecular weight of 300-500, pharmacology of humic acid (FA/HA)- pyrones, humic acid (FA)- catechin, humic acid (FA)-saccharide metabolism of insulin, humic acid (FA)-allantoin-glycoconjugates,humic acid (FA)-glycyron-glycoconjugates which are prepared through selective degradation and branching modification were illustrated with similar pharmacophore (functional group) of Terpenoids, steroids by MTT experiment and flow cytometer.


The uniformitarian principle that knowledge of processes that operated in the past can be inferred by observing ongoing processes in the present is fundamental to historical linguistics. But there is an important respect in which the present is not like the past. Increasing population and mobility have led to increasing language contact and larger language communities. For ninety-seven percent of their history, human languages were spoken in neolithic and pre-neolithic societies which were societies of intimates, characterized by small size and dense social networks. A sociolinguistic-typological perspective suggests that the languages spoken in these communities may therefore have been typologically rather different from most modern languages, and that the methodology of 'using the present to explain the past' might therefore be less useful the further back in time we go.


A new fault model is developed for estimating the coverage of physical defects in digital circuits for given test sets. Based on this model, a new hierarchical defect oriented fault simulation method is proposed. At the higher level simulation we use the functional fault model, at the lower level we use the defect/fault relationships in the form of defect coverage table and the defect probabilities. A description and the experimental data are given about probabilistic analysis of a complex CMOS gate. Analysis of the quality of 100% stuck-at fault test sets for two benchmark circuits in covering physical defects like internal shorts, stuck-opens and stuck-ons. It has been shown that in the worst case a test with 100% stuck-at fault coverage may, have only 50% coverage for internal shorts in complex CMOS gates. It has been shown that classical test coverage calculation based on counting defects without taking into account the defect probabilities may lead to considerable overestimation of results.


In microwave circuit and aerial system, impedance matching is very important. Liquid stub tuner is a new type of impedance matching device. In the HT-7 Tokamak Ion Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ICRH) system, we have already adopted liquid stub tuner to replace the conventional stub tuner. It is urgent to develop a control system of the liquid stub tuner. This paper mainly introduces the design and realization of the liquid stub tuner control system, and briefly introduces its three controlling functions: Local control, remote control and computer control.


Health care delivery faces many challenges, including the need for health human resources to meet the ever increasing demand for care in the community. In addition, traditional home care services have been changing as a result of a number of factors, which may be addressed through telehealth. Telehealth technology has the potential to increase access to health services, education and care. Even though technology is available, implementation requires changes to professional practice and organization of care as illustrated in a recent study of palliative home care. The additional visual component of home telehealth may be useful in meeting identified capacity gaps in new ways through new approaches to care. Two applications are already well recognized as important tools in community care: use of digital images for wound management and videophone technology. Additional electronic tools introduced into health care practice create other changes, such as visible accountability. Increasing scrutiny around professional judgement and action becomes possible, which may influence the adoption of these technologies.


In times of uncertainty, people often seek out information to help alleviate fear, possibly leaving them vulnerable to false information. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we attended to a viral spread of incorrect and misleading information that compromised collective actions and public health measures to contain the spread of the disease. We investigated the influence of fear of COVID-19 on social and cognitive factors including believing in fake news, bullshit receptivity, overclaiming, and problem-solving—within two of the populations that have been severely hit by COVID-19: Italy and the United States of America. To gain a better understanding of the role of misinformation during the early height of the COVID-19 pandemic, we also investigated whether problem-solving ability and socio-cognitive polarization were associated with believing in fake news. Results showed that fear of COVID-19 is related to seeking out information about the virus and avoiding infection in the Italian and American samples, as well as a willingness to share real news (COVID and non-COVID-related) headlines in the American sample. However, fear positively correlated with bullshit receptivity, suggesting that the pandemic might have contributed to creating a situation where people were pushed toward pseudo-profound existential beliefs. Furthermore, problem-solving ability was associated with correctly discerning real or fake news, whereas socio-cognitive polarization was the strongest predictor of believing in fake news in both samples. From these results, we concluded that a construct reflecting cognitive rigidity, neglecting alternative information, and black-and-white thinking negatively predicts the ability to discern fake from real news. Such a construct extends also to reasoning processes based on thinking outside the box and considering alternative information such as problem-solving.


The role of Western governments in the disintegration of the Soviet Union was complex. The two most important factors that undermined the Soviet state were the deepening economic chaos under Mikhail Gorbachev and the rapid growth of internal political dissent. Western policies tended to magnify both of these factors. This is not to say, however, that Gorbachev's original decision to embark on an economic reform program was simply the result of pressure created by Western defense spending and military deployments. The Soviet economy was plagued by severe weaknesses, of which the misallocation of resources and excessive military expenditures were only a small part. Gorbachev's initial economic reforms were spurred by his awareness of the country's general economic problems. After the first round of reforms failed, he sensed that arms control and reductions in military spending would be helpful for the next stage. Even so, the belated cuts he made in military spending (beginning in 1990) were of relatively little consequence. The West's refusal to pour money into the Soviet system without evidence of structural reform in the last years of the Soviet regime, and Western pressure on Gorbachev not to crack down on political dissent and separatism, did hasten the Soviet collapse. These policies denied the Soviet system resources that might have prolonged its survival, and they helped to deter Gorbachev from using decisive force against elements that were splitting the Soviet Union apart.


Stormwater is known to be a potentially large contributor of toxic substances to receiving waters. To be able to model scenarios related to abatement strategies and quality source control, i.e. reducing the pollutants at the source, a substance flow modelling tool has been developed. The computer model is called SEWSYS and the modelling framework incorporates generation and transport of pollutants in the urban drainage system. The sources of pollutants coming from different activities in the urban area are separated in their respective origin, i.e. material corrosion, brake wear, tyre wear etc. The main feature of the model is that it enables a source based pollution analysis of urban drainage systems. At present the model contains 20 different substances, including nutrients, heavy metals and organic pollutants. The modelling framework handles both domestic wastewater and stormwater, in either combined or separate sewer systems. The model's usefulness is demonstrated using a selection of results from two application studies where SEWSYS was used for the modelling of substance flows. Based on the level of detail in the model's output of stormwater pollution, it is clear that SEWSYS represents a useful tool for simulating and evaluating quality source control measures.


We present a cognitive system in which grasping competences are coded by means of a formalisation of sensory motor schemas in terms of so called 'object action complexes' (OACs). OACs define the knowledge of the system via the effects and precondition of certain behavioural patterns, and also code the uncertainty associated with their execution. OACs are grounded through the observation and evaluation of individual executions generating 'experiments', and dynamically adapt through using these experiments for learning. Moreover, in parallel with the development and refinement of OACs, generic world knowledge is permanently generated by the system which affects the OACs on a meta level and provides a means for the generation of new competences and better generalisation. We present an example of a developing system executing OACs which code the grasping of known and unknown objects, and thereby illustrate (i) the refinement of OACs and (ii) building up generic world knowledge. We see this as particularly important since these interaction processes, although fundamental for human development, are usually difficult to observe by means of techniques in neurophysiology and developmental psychology.


When binary decision diagrams are formed from uniformly distributed Monte Carlo data for a large number of variables, the complexity of the decision diagrams exhibits a predictable relationship to the number of variables and minterms. In the present work, a neural network model has been used to analyze the pattern of shortest path length for larger number of Monte Carlo data points. The neural model shows a strong descriptive power for the ISCAS benchmark data with an RMS error of 0.102 for the shortest path length complexity. Therefore, the model can be considered as a method of predicting path length complexities; this is expected to lead to minimum time complexity of very large-scale integrated circuitries and related computer-aided design tools that use binary decision diagrams. Keywords—Monte Carlo circuit simulation data, binary decision diagrams, neural network modeling, shortest path length estimation


Article, see p 999

> "Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."
>
> World Health Organization*

For the past 60 years, the World Health Organization has defined health in this way. With advances in therapy, heart failure (HF) can now be considered to be a chronic condition with which many individuals will live for some, if not many, years. Reducing morbidity and improving quality of life are important therapeutic aims.1,2 Traditionally, returning individuals to a more optimal state of health was the province of cardiac rehabilitation programs, initially focused on patients after myocardial infarction or coronary artery bypass surgery, but now opened more widely to those after any coronary intervention and, at last, to those with HF. At the core of cardiac rehabilitation programs is the desire to return individuals to their optimal physical, mental, medical, psychological, social, emotional, sexual, vocational, and economic status.3

When reading HF clinical guidelines, one could be forgiven for thinking that no patient with HF was in employment, or would seek employment. In the United States, an American Heart Association Presidential Advisory was issued in 2011 calling for a multipronged effort to increase the low referral rates to cardiac rehabilitation/secondary prevention programs after a cardiac event.4 This advisory specifically mentioned vocational counseling. The most recent American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology HF guideline awards a class IIa level recommendation (it is reasonable to offer) for rehabilitation,1 although return to work is not listed as a potential benefit. The 2016 HF guidelines from the European Society of Cardiology do not discuss occupational issues, although the recommendation is made for a "seamless system of multidisciplinary care that embraces both the community and hospital" and mention is made of the …


Objective Previous studies have reported that elderly victims of natural disasters might be prone to a subsequent decline in motor function. Victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE) relocated to a wide range of different types of housing. As the evacuee lifestyle varies according to the type of housing available to them, their degree of motor function loss might also vary accordingly. However, the association between postdisaster housing type and loss of motor function has never been investigated. The present study was conducted to investigate the association between housing type after the GEJE and loss of motor function in elderly victims. Methods We conducted a prospective observational study of 478 Japanese individuals aged ≥65 years living in Miyagi Prefecture, one of the areas most significantly affected by the GEJE. Information on housing type after the GEJE, motor function as assessed by the Kihon checklist and other lifestyle factors was collected by interview and questionnaire in 2012. Information on motor function was then collected 1 year later. The multiple logistic regression model was used to estimate the multivariate adjusted ORs of motor function loss. Results We classified 53 (11.1%) of the respondents as having loss of motor function. The multivariate adjusted OR (with 95% CI) for loss of motor function among participants who were living in privately rented temporary housing/rental housing was 2.62 (1.10 to 6.24) compared to those who had remained in the same housing as that before the GEJE, and this increase was statistically significant. Conclusions The proportion of individuals with loss of motor function was higher among persons who had relocated to privately rented temporary housing/rental housing after the GEJE. This result may reflect the influence of a move to a living environment where few acquaintances are located (lack of social capital).


Some primary concerns with freehand 3D ultrasound are time-consuming calibration operations, overall accuracy, and computation time during the 3D reconstruction process. A procedure was developed to reduce the calibration time to only 10 seconds by planning the path of the probe. A decrease in marginal error may improve the overall accuracy by searching axial and lateral distances with a maximum correlation coefficient, and was based on constructing an adaptive decorrelation curve from images containing Rayleigh and coherent scatters. Marginal errors were reduced in the range of 3% to 11% when the distance estimation was between 0.15mm and 0.375mm in in-vitro studies. To save computation time within the 3D reconstruction, a low-resolution 3D reconstruction algorithm is proposed so that verification can be completed prior to computing a high-resolution reconstruction.


The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees that French and English are the official languages of Canada and have equality of status and equal rights and privileges as to their use in all institutions of the Parliament and government of Canada. The Supreme Court of Canada would appear to see little potential in the affirmation of Canada's official languages. Several commentators agree, dismissing the guarantee as no more than symbolic. A different reading is proposed here, embracing the promise of official bilingualism in Canada and outlining some of the consequences that follow from Canada's constitutional commitment to the declaration of two official languages.


An annotated world catalogue and bibliography of the cucujoid family Propalticidae (Coleoptera) is presented. Each taxon is accompanied by a complete taxonomic history, including a full annotated synonymy with original references cited, and current location and status of primary types. The name Slipinskogenia nom. nov. is proposed to replace Discogenia Kolbe, 1897, junior homonym of Discogenia LeConte, 1866, resulting in 11 new combinations. A key is provided for separation of the two genera included in the family. Complete published and previously unpublished distributional data are given.


Background: Malnutrition is due to an unbalanced or inadequate diet. Mostly Preschoolers are more prone to affected by malnutrition. 7 out of 10 children in the community are malnourished. The lack of proper education and training in the field of nutrition among health care professionals has been a longstanding issue that has been highlighted in various publications. Health workers play an important role in promoting growth and development of children and to prevent malnutrition. Objectives: To find out the effect of computer-assisted teaching among the health workers of selected community health centers regarding the prevention of malnutrition. Methods: pre-experimental (one group pre-test post-test) design was used. Convenient type of sampling technique was used to select fifty no. of health workers of selected CHC of Bhubaneswar, Odisha as study sample and Self-structure questionnaire was used to collection of information. Result: Analysis is revealed that computer-assisted teaching improved the knowledge of health workers regarding the prevention of malnutrition (before intervention 39.93±11.86 & after intervention 77.66±7.76) significantly as calculated "t" value is 32.19 & calculated p-value was ˂0.0001 which is less than 0.05 level of significance. A statistically significant association was there in between the knowledge level with sociodemographic variables such as educational qualification & exposure to nutritional program. Conclusion: On the finding of the study, it was found that computer-assisted teaching is more practical in upgrading the knowledge of health workers on prevention of malnutrition which ultimately can improve the health status of children and prevent malnutrition.


ABSTRACT Background: Group living homes are a fast-growing form of nursing home care for older people with dementia. This study seeks to determine the differences in job characteristics of nursing staff in group living homes and their influence on well-being. Methods: We examined the Job Demand Control Support (JDCS) model in relation to 183 professional caregivers in group living homes and 197 professional caregivers in traditional nursing homes. Multilevel linear regression analysis was used to study the mediator effect of the three job characteristics of the JDCS-model (demands, control and social support) on job satisfaction and three components of burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and decreased personal accomplishment). Results: Demands were lower in group living homes, while control and social support from co-workers were higher in this setting. Likewise, job satisfaction was higher and burnout was lower in group living homes. Analysis of the mediator effects showed that job satisfaction was fully mediated by all three psychosocial job characteristics, as was emotional exhaustion. Depersonalization was also fully mediated, but only by control and social support. Decreased personal accomplishment was partially mediated, again only by job characteristics, control and support. Conclusion: This study indicates that working in a group living home instead of a traditional nursing home has a beneficial effect on the well-being of nursing staff, largely because of a positive difference in psychosocial job characteristics.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine how the perception of CSR influences different aspects of consumer behaviour, specifically focussing on the antecedents of perceived value, customer support and loyalty.

Design/methodology/approach
A total of 418 completed responses were obtained and provided the data to analyse and test the hypothesised research model. To test the hypotheses, structural equation modelling using PLS was employed.

Findings
Findings reveal that customer awareness of the current CSR initiatives to different stakeholder groups significantly influences their perceptions of what social initiatives are actually undertaken by firms for their economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic responsibility. In addition, customer views of what firms actually do in respect to social initiatives are significantly related to their level of CSR expectations. This indicates that the customers will always expect more from banks compared to what they actually do. Surprisingly, CSR perception is not directly related to customers' loyalty, which contradicts the majority of previous studies indicating that CSR perception influences consumer behaviour.

Originality/value
This study provides an original contribution to the CSR body of knowledge, especially for developing countries where the awareness level is low. It also provides a deep understanding of the influence of CSR into consumer behaviour, as it investigates the influence of the full construct of CSR into customer loyalty. Finally, the study investigated the relationship between the perception and the expectation of CSR; this relationship has been neglected in previous studies, where either CSR perceptions or CSR expectations have been examined separately.


Research into the choice of employee compensation has provided valuable insights into the factors that explain these compensation choices. Whereas the relationship between CEO compensation and firm performance has been widely investigated, relatively little attention has been devoted to the effect of compensation at below the top executive level on performance at the functional level. This paper investigates just that. More specifically, using an agency theory perspective, we examine the effect of incentive pay and the motivation scheme applied to supply chain managers on a firm's supply chain performance. We argue that the design of compensation contracts for supply chain managers needs to take into consideration the supply chain context in which the company operates. We also discuss several contextual factors that may affect the relationship between supply chain strategy and the type of the remuneration contract.